NEWS: FASHION X CRAFT ends a successful 2nd round and announces participants for round 3!
Fashion Council Germany
Berlin, February 05, 2024 - The FASHION x CRAFT funding program of the Fashion Council Germany, in collaboration with the Swarovski Foundation and The King's Foundation, is entering its third round after two successful years. During Berlin Fashion Week in February 2024, the creations of the 12 up-and-coming designers from the second and third year were exhibited at Der Berliner Salon. The aim of the initiative is to train and promote young graduates in the fields of fashion and textile design in tailor-made workshops in the areas of sustainability, craftsmanship and innovation.
Second-year participants Chelsea Jean Lamm (AMD), Nanyi Li (Burg Giebichenstein, University of Art and Design Halle), Nari Haase (Burg Giebichenstein, University of Art and Design Halle), Ronja Beckmann (Munich University of Applied Sciences), Sofia Hermens Fernandes (Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp) and Tatjana Haupt (Institut Francais de la Mode) came together for a week of workshops and seminars in Berlin in April 2023. In July, they deepened their knowledge at the education center of The King's Foundation, where they learned how to work with different materials and traditional craftsmanship, such as basket weaving or weaving.
British designer and TENCEL™ ambassador Patrick McDowell supported the participants in their development with digital mentoring. All designs incorporated TENCEL™ fibers and filaments, using fabric scraps from Patrick McDowell's previous collections and the TENCEL™ archive, as well as undyed white fabric scraps from Italian mill Cotonificio Albini. The participants' designs will now be exhibited in the final presentation of Year 2 at Der Berliner Salon. Patrick McDowell explained the importance of supporting the next generation of talent: “Supporting creative education is essential for the success of the fashion industry and for sustainable innovation. It's one of the cornerstones of our brand, so I'm delighted to be working with the FCG to mentor and run workshops with these select graduates. It's great to have a springboard like this when you're just starting out and I can't wait to see how the designers will develop and grow.”
The third round of the project was also announced at the official Der Berliner Salon Opening and this year's participants were announced by Christiane Arp, CEO of the Fashion Council Germany. The new cohort was selected by a jury of experts in an application process lasting several weeks. The six winners for year 3 are: Chantal Wehran (Amsterdam Fashion Institute), Jasmin Wottke (HAW Hamburg), Maria Gath (Hochschule Hannover), Michelle Bohnes (HTW Berlin), Niclas Hasemann (Hochschule Pforzheim) and Paula Dischinger (Institut Francais de la Mode). They particularly impressed with their creative concepts, innovative approaches and outstanding motivation. From April 2024, they will follow in the footsteps of the past two editions and begin workshops as part of the funding program.
Jakhya Rahman-Corey, Director of the Swarovski Foundation, emphasizes: “We are grateful for the partnership, which aligns with our mission to promote sustainable livelihoods through education and reduce inequality. We believe that fostering creativity holds the power to innovate to drive global sustainability efforts. We appreciate the ongoing contribution of the FASHION x CRAFT program and the commitment of its participants in promoting craftsmanship, innovation and sustainability.”
Scott Lipinski, CEO of the Fashion Council Germany, adds: “Formats like FASHION X CRAFT show how important it is to promote young designers and that there is a need for many more projects like this in the industry. The responsibility lies with all of us to bring them to life. My appeal to support such measures also clearly goes to the big players in the industry.”