The winning Olympic race was run by Ester Ledecká in sportswear from Pardubice. For many years she has been cooperating with Ivo Tichý from Lázně Bohdaneč, who designs and tailors everything for her. On Tuesday, Ledecká dominated the parallel giant snowboard slalom for the second time at the Beijing Games and won her third Olympic gold medal. On Friday, she defends her title in super-giant slalom on skis.
The businessman has been cooperating with a successful sportswoman for about eight years, Tichý does not keep accurate statistics. Every year, Ledecká makes about twenty overalls or sets. Every race needs something different. For example, before leaving for the Olympics, one night Tichý made the final adjustments, then took them to the plane.
“To keep it up to date, every change in the body is reflected in the clothes. It can only be a feeling, we have to respond to the feeling, the head is very important, how you believe. Again, we made overalls for Ester for alpine disciplines and I designed and made a completely new, revolutionary cut for snowboarding for this season and for the Olympic Games, “said Tichý, whose company Don Quiet and the brand of the same name dress the Czech national team.
There is a separate jacket and trousers for snowboarding. Tichý made the seams differently so as not to hinder aerodynamics, and since it is not an overall, clothing must not be completely wrapped around the body according to the general rules. The opposite is the speed overalls, which are like a second skin. “We followed the rules, but we took risks. We didn’t go into anything that is not allowed on a snowboard, such as drawstrings, straps that would reduce body volume,” Tichý said.
According to Tichý, his proposal is unique, he expects other athletes to take it over. He worked on it with colleagues for a year. “The first prototype was made, then she tried it on a world show, which she won with a huge lead. It was a combination of a new cut and material. I have fabrics woven in Switzerland, for every speed, different material is developed for each discipline,” Tichý said.
His company sews prototypes from the fabric produced, which the extras test, among other things, in a wind tunnel that simulates real conditions on a slope. “It’s more complicated for skiing, Ester uses men’s material. He has different material for each discipline,” Tichý said.
What the clothes look like is also important. To make the athlete like and feel good in him. Her brother Jonáš designs her and according to her words she feels like a superhero in it. “My brother will make a design of the figurine, we will redraw it into cuts, the theme will make up the coveralls. We still have to place partner logos there so that it becomes part of the design, so that it looks good with them,” Tichý described.
Tichý originally started a business with ski clothes for recreational purposes, mainly he wanted to sew ski tights for himself, none of them were suitable for him then. Eventually, he started a business and got into professional sports. He dresses skiers from the Virgin Islands, Lebanon, Chile, the Czech national team, Paralympians and the Deaflympic team.
