Jakub Lohniský: Le Premier

I’m not sure what to expect when meeting Jakub. Will he be dressed like a dapper English gentlemen sporting a Saville Row suit and a bowler hat?

Not exactly. There’s nothing needlessly quirky or in-your-face about Lohniský’s outfit: a navy blazer with chinos paired with a striped shirt offset by a skinny tie. The loudest thing about his getup is the blue and white polka dotted handkerchief poking out of his top pocket, a subtle style exclamation mark. The primary style influence here is not English – although Lohniský confesses he is something of an Anglophile – but Italian.

“I like Italian style but if you’re not Italian it’s difficult to look the same,” Lohniský tells me over an espresso. “I don’t know why but I think you have to be born in a Milan hospital, otherwise there’s some special magic missing. You can copy but you won’t look quite the same.”

Jakub’s journey to becoming a fashion retailer began with a pile of dirty laundry.

“I had a girl to do my ironing but she left,” he explained. “After two or three months I had lots and lots of unironed shirts and mess in my apartment – you know men. I tried a basic laundry service here in Prague in a shopping centre and I wasn’t satisfied.”

Lohniský, a P.R man by trade, spotted a gap in the market and decided to launch a V.I.P laundry service. Customers began asking Jakub to recommend a decent men’s outfitter in Prague where they could pick up a bespoke suit or shirt. It was then that Lohniský saw the chance to combine his love of fashion with his business acumen, and Le Premier was born.

The store’s most popular range at present are Loake shoes: hand finished brogues and loafers produced by the long-established British firm. Lohniský is unimpressed by what the famous Moravian shoe manufacturers Bat’a has to offer in terms of design, but admits it can be tough to convince customers to pay that bit more for better footwear:

“The shoes of Czech men are terrible – very square in shape, low quality leather – sometimes it’s not even leather, just waste,” Jakub observed. 

“We still have to teach Czech customers about the quality of shoes,” he continued. “In Bat’a, shoes cost 2000 CZK; in our shop 5000 or 6000 CZK, so we have to give a fifteen minute explanation as to why and then the customer is happy and excited […] It’s a one on one process of re-education.”

When I ask Lohniský to describe the Czech sense of style, his answer is simple: “It doesn’t exist.” So apart from ugly shoes, what are the fashion crimes committed by the average Czech guy? What about socks with sandals? “Socks are a crime, sandals are a crime, socks and sandals are a double crime,” he says emphatically.

It’s not just what you’re wear, but what it’s made of that’s important, as anyone who’s been on Prague’s public transport knows only too well: “Polyester is terrible here in the Czech Republic.” Jakub remarked. “If in the summer you have a 50% polyester mix jacket you don’t smell good on the metro.” 

What does Lohniský have to say to those who claim that Czechs simply cannot afford to take an interest in looking good?

“It’s not about salary. Lots of people write on my blog claiming ‘I don’t’ have money’. It’s bull. If you want you can go to secondhand here in Prague, there are great secondhands with men’s jackets and you can buy a Burberry coat for 1000 CZK.”

“We have to teach Czech customers what quality is, what it is they really want.”

Somehow, the Slovak team’s outfit, also designed by Alpine Pro, manages to sink to even greater sartorial lows. “Do the Slovaks really want to look like illiterate herdsmen?” Jakub writes mockingly. It’s tough to see how they’ll manage to pole vault or even throw a javelin while keeping those hats on.

So what about this season’s fashion trends for the non-Olympic hopeful? According to Lohniský, classic style will never die, but if your aim is to be on trend then you need to pay attention to your lapel: details such as pins and flowers are what’s hip right now.

Apparently, just his boxers.

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