Jakub Korouš, Jan Kloss: Botas 66 Are On Sale

(jiří macek) The fairytale entitled Botas 66 has been drawn to a great moment. Initially a final work of two graphic design students at the AAAD in Prague, it has been turned into a real footwear collection manufactured in lot-production by Botas. Bata stores have just launched its exclusive sale.

The collection is based on classical Botas shoes – shoes that were dominant in the Czech Republic in the 1970s at a time when Adidas, Puma, and Nike shoes reigned outside our country. Jakub Korouš sand Jan Kloss chose it as a theme on purpose. “We were assigned to design a visual style for an imaginary brand; we thought it would be better to take something specific we can relate to. We picked Botas shoes because they were included among the hundred icons of Czech design,” explain the designers.

Not only did they design the new visual style, they also designed new color combinations for legendary shoes that were originally designated for football tennis. “It all started with an e-mail from the end of 2007 from two AAAD students of graphic design, Jakub Korous and Jan Kloss,” recalls Ing. Petr Lajžner, chairman of the board of directors of BOTAS a.s. He continues, “They asked us for a certain type of cooperation and help with their assignment to design sport shoes for their semester’s project. They wanted to design a follow-up to a classical model that we have produced since the 1960s based on the colors, structures, and materials of the individual model – to create a collection of new versions of this model based purely on its graphical treatment. Having seen the exhibition of the semester’s final projects, we realized that their work was not a mere school project that can be very difficult to use in practice, but a complex project of a new shoe collection including package design, promotion, printed materials, methods of sale, etc. We were fascinated by the depth of this work and the enthusiasm of its creators. We agreed to continue cooperating and present their idea as a product sold in stores.”

The Botas brand was registered by Botana in 1963. In 2000, the company unified its name with a brand under the name Botas. At present, over 95% turnover of the assortment consists of indoor and street shoes, ice hockey, ice skating, and cross-country skiing shoes. Botas shoes are worn by the Czech cross-country skier Dušan Kožíšek and world champions in football and tennis. For its Botas 66 collection, Botas won a nomination for the 2008 Czech Grand Design Manufacturer of the Year Award and presented it at this year’s Design Week in Milan as part of the Czech Selection presentation of Czech design organized by the state agency CzechTrade. If Botas shoes designed by Jakub Korouš and Jan Kloss had been on sale at the Czech Grand Design Awards and in Milan, all of Prague and Milan would be wearing them now. After all, the Botas 66 collection has gained a favorable response everywhere it has been presented in the form of samples. We are happy to finally announce: Botas 66 shoes are on sale in 13 color modifications in Bata stores!

www.botas.cz

For an interview with the designers, listen to the Disegno program on www.radio1.cz.

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