Synkroniciti is honored to welcome Ivanka Krajčovičová, Radoslava Hrabovská, and Zuzana Sedláková, who together form the Slovakian artist triad TriĽady. These three friends—teachers, creators, and survivors of their own health challenges—found common ground in the complexities of being female. Out of that shared experience grew a bold artistic mission: to support women, especially those who have undergone mastectomies, through the creation of exquisite decorative bras.
Some of their pieces are made from wearable, washable paper, durable enough to be laundered and worn again. Others are crafted from garden mesh, designed as sculptural objects and protest icons. All of them are gorgeous, and all of them are audacious—because the bra remains a taboo object in many cultures, a symbol often hidden, silenced, or dismissed.
The article Supporting Women: The Bra as a Symbol of Individuality and Resilience in the Designs of TriĽady traces the history of the brassiere, beginning with Mary Phelps Jacob’s ingenious 1914 invention made from two handkerchiefs and a pink ribbon. It then introduces the three distinctive lines of the TriĽady brand:
- Živelky (Pure Elements) — a vibrant collection of washable‑paper bras available in a wide array of patterns and colors.
- Amazonky (Amazonian) — soft golden paper bras inspired by gleaming armor, designed for women with two breasts, one breast, or none.
- V očkách reality (In the Loops of Reality) — a satirical collection made from garden mesh, originally intended to keep slugs away. Here, it becomes a witty shield against unwanted male attention. It is, unmistakably, a manifesto.
Read about these wonderful ladies and view their marvelous handmade items in Synkroniciti’s Audacity issue, Vol. 8, No. 1, available here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/. TriĽady is still seeking women who have had mastectomies to photograph themselves wearing pieces from the Amazonky line—an opportunity to embody resilience, beauty, and the courage to be seen.
TriĽady is a collective of three women artists whose collaboration began on Teachers’ Day, March 28, 2024, in the corridor of the High School of Applied Arts in Hlohovec, Slovakia. United by shared experiences of teaching, health challenges, and the complexities of womanhood, they chose to devote more time to their art and to speak openly about women’s inner lives.
Their work centers on the bra—an intimate, often taboo symbol they transform into sculptural testimony. Drawing on historical sources and personal experience, they create unique pieces that reveal women’s creativity, difficulties, and resilience.
TriĽady consists of textile artist Ivanka Krajčovičová, the hands of the group, who translates their designs into reality; visual and experimental textile artist Radoslava Hrabovská, its driving mind; and photographer Zuzana Sedláková, the eye that shapes their visual storytelling and marketing.