COMPANY
BROKIS – a synthesis of exquisite design, superior quality, and the skill of master artisans continuing the centuries-old Bohemian glassmaking tradition. BROKIS lighting collections have achieved international acclaim by combining handblown glass with other refined materials, such as handcrafted wood and metal, in bold compositions that push the boundaries not only of contemporary lighting design but of the technologies applied in production. The family-run premium brand works with select designers from around the world and operates its own historical glassworks southeast of Prague.
PRESERVATION OF BOHEMIAN GLASSBLOWING TRADITION
BROKIS is the brainchild of successful Czech entrepreneur Jan Rabell. In 2006, he founded the brand as a platform to revitalize and elevate Bohemian glassmaking to new heights and preserve generations of knowledge and craftsmanship. Nearly ten years prior, in 1997, he acquired the ailing Janštejn Glassworks, which was established at the start of the 19th century approximately 140 kilometres southeast of Prague.
Demand for traditional products had declined significantly, many of the glassmakers were growing old and leaving, and time-honoured technologies and techniques were at risk of being lost. Mr. Rabell’s vision was to restore the factory to its former prestige and ensure that the ages-old Bohemian glassmaking tradition endured into the 21st century.
With BROKIS, Jan Rabell created a lighting brand offering entirely different products than those previously produced at Janštejn Glassworks. Several new Italian-style furnaces were built, and production techniques were refined. Some, such as grinding and glass painting, were discontinued, and others were revived, like glassblowing using optic moulds and traditional hotshop techniques. Original and nearly forgotten formulas for manufacturing coloured glass were reinstated and are now characteristic of the BROKIS brand. Therefore, it brings us great joy that in 2023 Czech handmade glass was inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
INNOVATIONS
BROKIS has firmly established itself as a leading innovator in glass lighting. For example, the complex technology applied in manufacturing the Night Birds collection, which consists of imposing yet elegant curved glass silhouettes of birds in various phases of flight, required two years of experimentation to perfect.
BROKIS is constantly developing new technologies for its lights in order to offer consistent industry-leading quality and innovation throughout its global product portfolio, such as with a special original connector, the sustainable material called BROKISGLASS, and TRIMLESS, a sleek new system for hanging pendent lights from lowered drywall ceilings. BROKIS has also recently developed a series of configurators for some of its most popular collections. These powerful online tools let customers create their very own bespoke lighting compositions in a user-friendly, intuitive interface.
BROKIS also maintains a strong online presence through a series of innovative initiatives, such as BROKIS VIRTUAL PROJECTS and the unique MyBrokis application. In January of 2022, BROKIS launched a website within Janštejn Glass Group (JGG). Today, BROKIS and Janštejn Glassworks employ more than 100 people and enjoy a unique symbiosis that has allowed BROKIS to establish sales operations in 120 countries and regularly showcase its renowned lighting collections at the world’s top design shows.
UNESCO
In 2023, handmade glass was inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. From the very inception of the BROKIS brand, its defining mark has been superior quality in glass artisanry and manufacturing. For several centuries, Bohemian glassmaking has been synonymous with unsurpassed quality and beauty. Today, it is an inseparable part of the cultural legacy of the Czech nation, and we are thrilled that it has been recognized on a global level by UNESCO as a significant manifestation of humanity’s living heritage.
