Inspiration in the sparkle of crystals: an excursion by students of the Department of Design to Preciosa Beauty

On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, second-year students from the Department of Design at the Faculty of Textile Engineering, TUL, took part in an excursion and workshop at Preciosa Beauty in Jablonec nad Nisou. The event was part of our InterBridge project, which focus on 3D printing and crystals  this year. The main goal of the morning program was to inspire students with the wide variety of glass components manufactured by Preciosa – from crystals and rosettes to rhinestones (technically referred to as chatons), which are cut glass stones designed for application on textiles. 

During the workshop, students used pre-prepared templates to create their own decorative motifs, which were then heat-pressed onto textiles. Most students chose black bags with the Preciosa logo, kindly provided by the company. Others let their imagination run wild.

For example, I created three leaves from tiny rhinestones and decided to heat-press them onto my white cotton T-shirt featuring the Eiffel Tower and the text “Bonjour Paris.” The result evokes the feeling of autumn in Paris — and transformed a 60 CZK shirt into a unique fashion piece with personal value and flair.

Working with such miniature components is very demanding on the eyes — I discovered firsthand that you either need excellent vision or a strong pair of glasses. After a couple of hours, I finally got the hang of it and really started to enjoy the process.

A particularly inspiring moment was seeing a concept model designed for a client: a shoe with a 3D-printed sole and a sock-like upper entirely covered with glass rhinestones. It was a striking and bold piece that would fit beautifully in our traveling exhibition of 3D printed fashion and accessories within the InterBridge project. Students will present their semester and bachelor’s projects after the summer at the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Prague. 

We thank Preciosa for their openness and for giving our students such a unique opportunity to explore the meeting point of technical mastery and aesthetic beauty.

Hana Křížová