Slovakian born Fashion Designer and Senior Lecturer (FEDISA) Lucia Britz Uhlikova, now calls Cape Town South Africa her home.
The name Lucia is of Italian descent and means ‘graceful light’; juxtaposed with the strength and solidarity of an Eastern European surname the combination is an accurate description of her personality. Grace and strength are a formidable pairing, especially in the world of fashion. From this, stemmed the fashion label Lucia Uhlikova Design.
Lucia’s love for fashion, as with most passions, is deeply rooted from her heritage, formative years and upbringing in her homeland. As a little girl, Lucia would spend her days observing and assisting her mother who had a small fashion business. As a young and aspiring woman, Lucia moved to Cape Town in order to pursue her dream as a designer by formally studying Fashion Design at Cape Town’s leading fashion school, FEDISA. After graduating with a BA Honours: Fashion from FEDISA fashion school, Lucia’s skill and tenacity secured her a lecturing career at the institution. In addition to being a full-time lecturer, Lucia continues to pursue her career as a fashion designer, while continuing to nurture and mentor emerging young fashion professionals of the future.
Lucia’s design aesthetic is authentic and unique, as every piece is a bespoke creation made for the individual client. Her designs range from a variety of day, evening and bridal wear. Lucia prides herself in building strong relationships with each client which contributes to the success of each collaboration. Her design legacy has garnered her a reputation of creating elegant and bold pieces and she is recognized for her attention to detail and craftsmanship. Her work has featured in Fair Lady and Elle Magazine, as well as Urbanasian and lifestyle TV show, Top Billing.
Her clientele includes the likes of strong entrepreneurial South African women as well as influencers who are not only feminine, but fashionable trend setters who prefer to stand out instead of blending in.
At present, Lucia continues to lecture, where she constantly shares her knowledge with students in an exchange of mutual inspiration. Her skills stem from mentorships and collaboration with the fashion retail industry, namely The Foschini Group. Her primary role at FEDISA is to lead and oversea the final graduate collections which are ultimately showcased to fashion industry leaders at FEDISA’s annual Graduate Collection Show. In addition to her lecturing responsibilities, Lucia is also in charge of the overall show production where she relishes in seeing her students designs come to life on the catwalk.
Lucia’s professional and career ambitions are evident in her creations, however she believes in a work-life balance and although it is a delicate equilibrium to achieve, family and friends play an integral part in her life. Besides all things fashion she thoroughly enjoys good food, wine, music, travel as well as experiencing the South African outdoors.
