Barbara Rakovská is a Prague-based designer whose work merges art, fashion, and material innovation. Her approach explores the relationship between design and the body, experimenting with new materials while emphasizing ethics, sustainability, and health. She strives to create designs that positively impact both people and the environment.

After earning her Master’s degree in design, Barbara continued her studies in Barcelona, where she joined Fabricademy, a program specializing in textile innovation and biomaterials. This experience led her to develop Amber Grain Embroidery, a research initiative focused on root-based materials. Additionally, she participated in the Future Technologies for Sustainable Fashion (FTSF) program, working on the Soilskin project, where she deepened her knowledge of textile science, engineering, and additive manufacturing.

Currently, Barbara is advancing her research on root-based materials while exploring additive manufacturing technologies in fashion and textiles. She is also investigating the intersection of traditional local materials with emerging technologies, aiming to inspire a new generation of designers to lead in sustainable and thoughtful design.

Projects

AMBER GRAIN EMBROIDERY | Growing folklore elements

My final project for Fabricademy explores a biodesign approach to fabricating textiles using root-based materials. I experimented with grain seeds, growing media, patterns, and environments, developing post-processing techniques like coloring, flexibility adjustments, and biodegradable coatings. Amber Grain Embroidery focuses on creating bio-folklore costumes using wheat and barley roots, with raw wool as a binding agent. The embroideries are complemented by dried grass and pressed seed material, drawing inspiration from Slovak and Czech folklore costumes. The project highlights grain’s historical significance as a symbol of livelihood and material wealth, merging tradition with sustainable innovation.

SOILSKIN

The SOILSKIN was developed as Attract group project between IAAC Fab lab, IED and CERN Idea Square where Sofia Mazzucchelli, Xaneva George and Barbara Rakovská envision renewable garments with biotechnological components, inspired by post-earth roamers surviving in arid conditions. The dress features a wool-cotton blend textile that is temperature-adaptable, sustainable, and a carbon sink. A 3D-printed corset and medieval-style gorget showcase degradé coloring, symbolizing desiccation cracks from global warming. This UV-reflective armor merges functionality with the aestheticization of climate change in dystopian narratives. In this futuristic vision, the ritual of ripping and immersing fabric supports ecological restoration and revives humanity’s empathy for the planet’s thirst, urging a deeper connection with the environment.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN OF MYCELIUM

Barbara collaborated with SKANSKA on her CTU diploma project, researching drywall mycocomposites using Reishi fungus (Ganoderma lucidum). SKANSKA aims to reuse materials from Prague’s Mercury building, including 300 tons of gypsum. Mycocomposites can upcycle local waste, training Ganoderma to break down drywall debris into a circular material. She combined gypsum collected by SKANSKA with a suitable substrate to create acoustic panels for Mercury’s office spaces, demonstrating a sustainable approach to construction waste using local upcycling.

About the approach

Barbara seeks to inspire a new generation of designers to embrace sustainable and thoughtful design. Her projects encourage society to consider the origins of the materials we wear and use. Continuously reflecting on design processes, she prioritizes material sustainability and questions the impact of her work. She shares her knowledge, promoting bio-fabrication and sustainable materials through her website, exhibitions, and collaborations with designers and artists. Emphasizing local design thinking, her work integrates regenerative principles, utilizing root-based textiles, wool waste fibers, and plant dyes to create circular materials that minimize environmental impact.

Rooted in folklore, Barbara merges traditional craftsmanship with modern technology, fostering a balance between nature and innovation. Currently focused on textiles and fashion, she presents fashion as a living system. One that preserves cultural heritage while advancing sustainability. By making her material creation processes accessible online, she empowers others to explore natural dyes and eco-friendly textiles. Her work is both educational and activist, raising awareness of sustainable fashion practices.