People at imago: Denisa Kyliánová

Today we want to introduce the first member of a large family clan that has settled into our ranks. Meet Denča (on the right in the opening photo), a huge asset to our workshop. Besides dresses, cloaks, and shirts, she also helps create our amazing leather goods. She is one of the people responsible for them.

How did you find your way to us?

My sister was already working at imago, and since we are twins, it was probably our destiny to work together. As luck would have it, this is the third job where we've worked side by side. My sister always starts first, gets settled in, and then I follow. 🙂 And I live 40 kilometers away from work! You just can't cut our umbilical cord that easily.

What are your responsibilities at imago?

I started in shipping. After two years, I moved to the sewing workshop, where I worked as a cutter. Later, I fell in love with the scent of leather. For two years, I learned how to process leather and make pouches, bags, quivers, and similar items. In addition to making leather goods, I am also in charge of ordering materials.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I enjoy designing new products the most. I like to improve my skills and take on new challenges.

What products can we look forward to?

We are planning to make elf costumes. After the Christmas season, we will start working on an elven-style pouch, a weapon hanger, and a quiver for arrows.

The workshop is preparing a design for a leather D20 dice bag that the customer sews themselves. How hard was it to put the design together and sew all the pieces of the die?

Personally, my biggest problem was placing the numbers on the twenty-sided die correctly. I also had no idea that sewing the die and making it would take me an entire eight-hour shift. Explaining and putting together an understandable manual for the customer was a tough nut to crack, and several people worked on it. But it is an interesting artifact that gives enthusiasts a chance to get a taste of working with leather.

Which leatherworking technique do you like best?

I love decorating leather. I completed two courses where I learned leather stamping. I dare say I'm quite good at it now. I'm currently starting to improve my airbrush technique.

Patience is definitely important in your work. Do you have it? Can it be learned?

I have a lot of patience. You can learn it if you really want to.

What do you do for fun when you're not working?

In previous interviews, my colleagues wrote about how many games they've played. I've only been hooked on two in my life. When I was on maternity leave, we bought the kids their first PlayStation. There was a Harry Potter game where you had to fly through hoops on a broomstick. I went crazy for it, even though it was quite a pain. In our family, we've been playing Taroky for two generations, which is a card game similar to Mariáš.

But I prefer taking care of our farm. We keep horses, ducks, and dogs. I relax with them, even though I'm running between manure and garden work. In the meantime, I also play the cello, which I've been doing for five years now.

What are your plans for the future?

For the future, I mainly want to keep my hands healthy. Working with leather is quite demanding on them. I want to continue focusing mainly on new leather decoration techniques. And you can look forward to that too. 🙂

author Karel Krajča