2024-03-27 20:47:21
Although Mikela da Luka may at first evoke Italian fashion, in reality the founder named her brand after a Slovak saying, “aka fuka funda luka”. It first gave rise to the original name Fundaluka, and over the years it settled on the current, slightly more elegant name.
The founder of Mikela was originally a graphic designer and web designer. It was only during motherhood that she decided to focus her attention on fashion designs. After giving birth, she had a hard time finding something tasteful, flattering and comfortable to wear. And that is where the main pillars of this fashion brand originate.
“Simplicity, minimalism and comfort is what defines our clothes,” she says, and then demonstrates the versatility of her models, which are characterized by primary, yet bold colors and unique geometric prints. As an experienced graphic designer, she prepares these herself and they have become her hallmark.
“In the very beginning, I made applications that I ironed on and sewed by hand. But as time went on and there was more interest in it, I also needed technology that would be faster,” she recalled. “I discovered the technology of transfer printing. It’s foil printing under high heat and pressure. It’s used by athletes – hockey players, football players – so we knew it would be long-lasting, that there would be no problems with it, and most women would get used to it very quickly liked.”
Dress a woman of any age and shape
Da Luka creates dresses with looser cuts that can hide flaws and still flatter curves. As she says herself, she does not prepare fashion for “model” characters. “We are able to dress a woman of any age and any shape. The important thing is that she likes it and feels good about it,” said the designer, who in the fourteen years of her brand’s existence has managed to create a loyal and satisfied clientele. This is made up of women of different shapes, heights, and even ages. Her minimalistic and expressive models are worn with ease even by women in their seventies.
“There are a lot of women in every age group who can do it, who have natural style and look beautiful,” says Mikela, adding with a laugh. “We can help those who don’t have it. And for those who do, we can match their tastes.”
Difficult times can also be great
Her brand was born out of natural creativity, for which the former web designer had limited space on maternity leave. “I didn’t want to stay in digital. I preferred to dust my mother’s machines. At first I bought some things I liked second hand, I cut them all up and sewed them.” Over time, by selling these overstitched models, she also earned money for new material and acquired a specific technique that became her trademark.
Her company also survived the covid pandemic, which meant a severe defeat for many smaller Czech companies. “During the covid, the masks actually saved us,” she recalled the difficult period, saying that by a happy coincidence she had a client who won them a large order for an international company.
“What kept us going was sewing hundreds, thousands of masks, even though nothing else was selling. But I had a paycheck, I didn’t have to fire anyone. They also allowed us to pay reduced rent, they knew it wasn’t selling. It was a tough time, which we survived. And it ended up being great.”
Mikela da Luka works with several variants of dresses and prints, which she can vary so much that every model in the small shop is an original. You can see some of them in our gallery.