Lasvit founder Leon Jakimič gets a Rizzoli book on Czech glass

Leon Jakimič, founder of the glass company Lasvit from Nový Bor, has added a new chapter to the brand's global expansion: the prestigious publisher Rizzoli, which works with the most luxurious brands on the planet, is releasing the book “Lasvit: The Art of Bohemian Glassmaking”. It officially comes out on October 13.

“Rizzoli chooses only the best brands and figures of world design, art and craft for its books. That Lasvit is among them, I take as an honor and as confirmation of the path we have taken: turning Czech glassmaking into a global phenomenon,” says Jakimič.

The 288-page volume with 250 color illustrations places almost twenty years of the company's work within the broader history of Czech glass: from the landscapes of northern Bohemia and the hands of master glassblowers to collaborations with Kengo Kuma, Zaha Hadid, Borek Šipek and the Campana brothers. The book is divided into three parts, Love, Light and Glass: the roots and history of the craft, key projects and an interview with the brand's art director Maxim Velčovský, as well as a small encyclopedia of techniques and materials.

Rizzoli's prestige in the design world is enormous. The publisher grew out of a bookstore that the Milanese Angelo Rizzoli opened in 1964 on New York's Fifth Avenue, next to Tiffany, Saks and Cartier. It is here that the paths of Rizzoli and Lasvit crossed: for the jewelry house Tiffany, the company created the Diamond Skylight Chandelier.

Lasvit's other high-profile works include Justin Bieber's ceiling, the Poppies installation of 117 hand-blown glass petals outside the Raffles hotel in London, and a light fixture inspired by a Berber necklace for the Mamounia hotel in Marrakesh. Major commissions also come from the Middle East: for a shopping gallery in Riyadh, Lasvit signed a seven-million-euro contract, and the largest number of installations in the company's history is in Dubai. The firm is also increasingly visible in architecture: it began with its own headquarters in Nový Bor with a glass facade by the studio Ov Architekti, which unexpectedly opened up a new line of business for the company.

International recognition was strengthened by Milan Design Week 2024: Porta, a monumental installation of fused glass by Maxim Velčovský, won the Fuorisalone Award as the best and most memorable project, beating Google, Amazon, Zegna and Kia. Jakimič compared this success to the Oscar for Jan Svěrák's film “Kolya”.

There were difficulties too: 2021 and 2022 ended in a loss for Lasvit. But a rapid turnaround followed: according to Jakimič, 2023 was the best year in the company's history, and the group's revenue came to around 1.3 billion crowns. Last year Lasvit continued its tour of world exhibitions: it made its debut at 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen and held a solo exhibition in the Parliament House in Sydney.

The circle is complete: the Italian publisher who opened a store on Fifth Avenue next to Tiffany sixty years ago is now releasing a book about a Czech glassworks whose chandelier hangs at Tiffany.

By the Around Prague newsroom