The Mad Silkman: Zika & Lida Ascher: Textiles and Fashion

u(p)m: The Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague

The story of Zika and Lída Ascher who left Czechoslovakia before the outbreak of WW2 and built a textile empire in the United Kingdom which supplied fabrics to the international fashion industry from the 40‘s.

Newlyweds Zika and Lida Ascher left Prague in early 1939 for the UK. There Zika Ascher launched a silk business that was soon thriving – and began approaching top artists, including Matisse and Henry Moore, to produce designs for a special collection of scarves, the Ascher Squares. Many of them, and other exquisite pieces produced by the company, are now on show as part of an extensive exhibition in the Czech capital.

Opening Hours
Wednesday – Sunday 10 am–6 pm
Tuesday 10 am–8 pm
Monday closed