Pilsner Urquell
Pilsner Gown
The world's first designer dress made from beer, designed by Jakub Polanka. The fabric of the ethereal gown worn by actress Anna Geislerova on the red carpet of the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival was made from Pilsner lager.
Czech actress Anna Geislerová made her own bubbly fashion statement at the opening of the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2023, but it was the story behind her dress that turned heads. Perhaps the most Czech gown to ever grace the red carpet, Geislerová wore a one-of-a-kind dress made from beer provided by iconic Czech brewery Pilsner Urquell. Designed by Jakub Polanka, the dress was created from a unique organic material derived from the beer over a months-long process.
“I feel honored that it could have been me. The entire preparation of the project must have taken an awfully long time, there was an exceptional idea behind it.”
- Geislerová told reporters at KVIFF 2023
300 liters of beer
Approximately 300 liters of Pilsner Urquell beer were used in the creation of the dress.
The creation of the dress was no easy feat. It took three months of work at Australian biotech company Nanollose’s laboratories to produce 15 meters of distinctive organic fabric, resembling leather, from the Czech beer.
fermentation technique
A complex fermentation technique involved converting substances in the beer into microbial cellulose, a cotton-like natural polymer. Once the material was synthesized and cleaned, the fabric was given to leading Czech designer Polanka to create the unique dress.
Paintings partially made of microbial cellulose helped good cause
Nine paintings thematically inspired by beer were created by Czech artists Tereza Kotek, Dejvid Jones, Martina Fischmeister, Matěj Špatenka and Eva Mária Ondová for the charity auction. Money auctioned was donated to Centrum Paraple, a public benefit society helping people in wheelchairs after spinal cord injury.
