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Lighting up the Hong Kong Ritz-Carlton. |
Leon Jakimič, Founder and Director of Czech firm, Lasvit, claims the company's crystal chandeliers are well suited to the Asian market. "Bohemian glass is one of several Czech products now globally recognised. Unlike [other] glass it is more sparkling, more 'crystal-like'. It glitters, associated with luxury in Asia."
Lasvit's work is certainly distributed across the region. It's featured at Hong Kong's Shangri-La and W Hotels; Four Seasons, MGM Grand, Grand Hyatt and Hard Rock hotels in Macau; the China World Trade Center and Fairmont Hotels in Beijing, as well as The Marina Sands Casino and Fairmont Hotels in Singapore.
Examples of these chandeliers are also featured in Dubai, the US and other locations around the world.
Lasvit's work in the Czech Republic itself is relatively sporadic, but one example is a modern chandelier for the Kempinski Hotel in Prague.
For the luxury hotel Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong opened in March 2011, Lasvit created six large-scale glass and crystal light fittings. Jakimič claims they are right for this five-star, 312-room property, believed to be the "highest" hotel in the world.
Jakimič tells a Czech newspaper that Hong Kong's advantages are fast corporate setup and investment opportunities, as well as regional accessibility.
He also describes the SAR's ease of business and relative significance as a global business centre, particularly for the Chinese mainland.
China accounts for about 20% of the company's revenues. The proportion of orders is considerably less for other centres.
Lasvit has eight offices worldwide, and is a designer and manufacturer of contemporary light fittings and feature glass art installations, mainly for public areas.
Its glass and light interaction is original, in the sense that it is a unique blend of traditional and futuristic elements, says Jakimič.
Glass making in the Czech Republic is believed to have a tradition spanning about one thousand years.
Lasvit says it makes use of a wide range of Czech glass designers and brings in international experts such as Ross Lovegrove from the US and Italian designer Fabio Novembre on specific products.
Its Asian offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai operate in conjunction with its centres in Dubai, the Czech Republic, the UK, the US and Russia.
Little wonder that the word "Lasvit" is a combination of two words in Czech: "love" (láska) and "light" (svit).
from Ivona Mollberg, Prague Consultant
