Behind the scenes with Adéla Mitrengová

She is the creator of the Ademi brand, and she loves colors, playfulness, and sophistication. Adéla is currently working on a new collection that celebrates summer, harvest, and the atmosphere of a blooming, buzzing garden. What else does the designer do in her free time, what must-haves are in her handbag, and what is her reward?

What's new at Ademi Studio now?

We are preparing a new Gardening collection, which is based on the shapes of the original collections, but we will introduce new colors, we will play with the checkerboard motif that is on the handbags from the UNI club collection. We are also sewing new caps. We will introduce the collection sometime in the middle of the summer holidays.

Why a garden?

Summer is synonymous with a garden for me. And since I don't have one of my own, every moment spent among flowers, fruits or vegetables is a small holiday for me. I look forward to the season when everything is in bloom, tomatoes ripen in the sun and you can pick a plum straight from the tree. This mood, that moment of "switching off and being outside", inspired me to create a new color scheme.

Although the handbag may not be a classic garden accessory, I like the contrast: clay boots, a wicker basket, and a playful, colorful handbag. I imagined a photo shoot somewhere among the flower beds, with sunburned faces, in dresses, with hair wrapped in a scarf. It was this combination of playfulness, the scent of summer, and everyday beauty that led me to the new collection.

The garden became an inspiration. Not just as a place, but as a feeling. Peace, freedom, colors, juiciness. And I wanted to incorporate all of that into the design of the handbags.

Who is behind one Ademi handbag?

It starts with a moodboard, a design and a prototype from a spare material, which I make here in the studio, followed by an order for leather from Italy. I send the designs to the workshop in Šumava, where a technologist takes over the technical design and creates cuts and prototypes. She sends them back to us and my assistant Anežka and I test them here and make changes. Then the handbag goes back to the workshop and the changes are incorporated.

And then comes the marketing part, which Anežka and I are also in charge of. We take product and lifestyle photos, most often with Vojtěch Tesárek , write texts and descriptions for collections and individual handbags for the e-shop, and come up with a strategy for Instagram and mailing communication.

I also can't forget about graphic work. I work with two graphic designers, Adéla Julišová and Viktoria Oderská , who make posters for our new collections, for example.

Then we will display the handbags here in the café, where guests and customers can come and see them and where our lovely barista and sales assistant will wrap them for them.

What are your three favorite handbags right now?

I wear Choices the most from the very first collection. It's suitable for every event. When I know I'll be at work all day or walking around the city with my computer, I reach for the Milkshake tote , it fits everything. For bigger events, I like the more elegant silver Open trape . And now I want to buy another handbag and I'm hesitating between the Leather handle bag and the mini Tennis tote . I need a medium handbag for more casual wear.

And what should never be missing from them?

I'll take it in order. Milkshake must have a computer, a case with rescue powder, a wallet and a Bobo to-do list. In Choices I carry a wallet, a mobile phone and sunglasses. The silver handle bag fits an analog camera, lipstick, powder, wallet and mobile phone nicely.

  • cream

What does your most typical day look like?

Every day is different, I don't have a typical day. More like a typical week. On Mondays I create content for social media for Lejaan, on Tuesdays I go to Ademi shop&café , where I work in the studio on a new collection, on running the store or we create content for social media. Wednesdays are more like accounting days, I issue invoices, I'm buried in Excel spreadsheets, I do billing. On Thursdays or Fridays I often have some photoshoots for other fashion-focused brands. On Fridays I go to Ademi and do whatever tasks come up, in the store or in the studio.

When and how did the idea to open your own studio and then a café come about?

I founded Ademi back in 2020 and then moved to Copenhagen for a year. The dream of having my own studio or concept store had been there for a long time, but it always seemed rather unattainable. When we returned from Copenhagen in 2022, I still had a base in the Kvartýr concept store in Vinohrady, where I also had a studio. At the same time, I was looking for my own place. Then in 2024, my coffee shop friends came and said they would like to open an espresso shop, so we joined forces. We found a space here in Dejvice through a familiar place. Everything fit together beautifully.

Did Copenhagen inspire you when building the café and shop?

Copenhagen influenced me with its colors, boldness, and expressiveness. We wanted to stand out from the crowd of already open cafes. We based the interior on yellow, blue, and red, which are used to mix an infinite number of shades and can be layered. We also incorporated the ripple or wave symbol, which is typical of the Ademi brand. I was also looking for a color that would match all the handbags. That's why there's a lot of pale blue around us.

You like to collaborate with other brands within the Ademi studio and at the Ademi shop & café. Do they have any common factors?

I have long had a list of designers that I adore. Their brands are close to me in terms of aesthetics, they are united by standing out from the crowd, sophistication, and color. And they are also so-called funky. I can name, for example, Klára from Kaaret, from whom we have Bow earrings or knitted scarves from Zaalska . And we are also planning a collaboration with Terezia Rozália Kladošová.

What do you like to reward yourself with after a hard day?

A moment for myself. I'm happy when I can just be, for example with a blanket on Petřín Hill. Or with some goodies, like a strawberry matcha latte at our cafe or good tacos.