If you had to define one and the first word that comes to mind when you look at the design of Prelude dresses, what would it be? For us, definitely embroidery. Embroidery forms one of the fundamental pillars of Slovak traditional fashion. That is why it has become an integral part of the design of Preľude women’s clothing when inspired by Slovak traditional clothing. But where did embroidery come from in our territory and what importance did people attach to it?

Embroidery as a cultural creation occupied a privileged position in the folk art tradition in Slovakia. It represented not only an aesthetic match, but also an ornamental addition to the everyday and festive life of the rural community. In addition to its aesthetic function, embroidery also had an important role as a means of identification, by which one could tell from which area a person came.

The first evidence of embroidery dates back to Neolithic times, but embroidery was based more on practical reasons – how to sew pieces of cloth together, or to adjust frayed parts. In antiquity, the Orient in particular stood out for its advanced embroidery art. From its richly developed embroidery culture, embroidery began to spread to the royal courts of Hungary. Thus, in the 18th and 19th centuries, embroidery reached the peasant class and helped to develop people’s lust for aesthetic expression.

The oldest preserved embroidered clothing of folk origin was of a ceremonial nature. They were corner sheets used to separate the bed of the parents and the newborn child in the room. These sheets had magical properties and therefore appeared in other important life situations – the bride’s dress, the newlyweds’ bed, the coffin. At a time when embroidery was still a vital part of the material world of the village community, its character was expressed by the choice of material, the colour range of the embroidery threads, the ornamental elements and the technical process. In the same way, embroidery was also a non-verbal sign of the social status of its wearer. It marked his age. It indicated whether a person was having a holiday or an ordinary day.

The variation of ornamental motifs and compositions was an expression of the local embroidery style, which was traditional as a cultural heritage. Imitation of embroidery was also natural, among neighbours or people of similar social status. Nevertheless, new and new variants were always being created. Therefore, the greatest differences in embroidery are registered mainly in different regions of Slovakia.

Doroti Vojtková was inspired by embroideries from Záhorie, Zárieč and Piešt’any, which she uses in a stylized and modern form.