Since 2015, the Fashion Council Germany has been working consistently to increase the visibility and promotion of German fashion and bring it into sharper focus internationally. With the expansion of its board of directors to include new members—key players in fashion, media, and politics—the FCG is successfully broadening its expertise. We spoke with Chris Stricker (CEO & Co-Founder of häberlein & mauerer AG), Manuela Kampp-Wirtz (Managing Director of BurdaStyle GmbH), Dr. Christian Ehler (Member of the European Parliament), and Nadja Swarovski (Member of the Swarovski Executive Board), who will now support the FCG in achieving its goals on a voluntary basis as part of the 11-member board. With the appointment of Manuela Kampp-Wirtz as a new board member, the Fashion Council Germany has gained a top-tier media expert.

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After positions at MVG Medienverlagsgesellschaft and Condé Nast Publications, including roles in sales, marketing, advertising, and publishing, Kampp-Wirtz has been CEO of the BurdaStyle Group since 2012. As Germany's largest media company in the lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and entertainment sectors, BurdaStyle brings together exclusive media brands such as the luxury titles Elle, Elle Decoration, InStyle, InStyle Men, and Harper's Bazaar, as well as the premium titles Bunte and Freundin. BurdaStyle's offerings reach more than eight million readers and 7.5 million users per month. The brands boast more than 10 million fans and followers on social media. Since 2017, Kampp-Wirtz has also been a member of the SHOWROOM board. We have recorded her comment as a new FCG board member: “Like almost every woman, I love fashion! It makes us look good. Furthermore, the fashion industry plays a crucial role in my role as managing director of the largest German fashion and lifestyle magazines, and I am inspired by its creativity, enthusiasm, and versatility, even at the national level: Germany has many wonderful designers and brands whose collections can be worn from the ski slopes to the red carpet and are on par with globally operating labels.”

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Nevertheless, German fashion certainly doesn't yet receive the attention it deserves. Compared to countries like Italy, it lacks support from both politics and business. Yet the fashion industry is one of the most important sectors in Germany and deserves support. I therefore find the work of the Fashion Council Germany essential and am delighted to join its board as a new member. Through networking, mentoring, promotion, and mediation between politics, media, and industry, the FCG can help represent the interests of German fashion and its designers and support their establishment both domestically and internationally. My many years of experience have given me both a large network and a deep understanding of the needs of the fashion industry. I look forward to contributing the expertise, competence, and contacts of the entire BurdaStyle team to support the goals of the Fashion Council Germany.

Dr. Christian Ehler, European Parliament

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Dr. Christian Ehler has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2004. Since the 2014 European elections, he has served as First Vice-Chair of the SEDE Committee and Co-Coordinator of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), as well as Chair of the Delegation for relations with the United States and Deputy Chair of the Delegation for relations with the Korean Peninsula. Culture and creativity are also among his core areas of focus—in 2014, Ehler, together with his colleague Pervenche Berès (S&D), therefore founded the Intergroup on the Cultural and Creative Industries in Europe. The creative industries, as a foundation for innovation, are the focus of several legislative proposals within this group.

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Ehler is also actively involved in various committees and associations on a voluntary basis. Against this backdrop, Ehler's appointment as a new board member represents the gain of an outstanding supporter and another important step towards European policy. Regarding his new role at the Fashion Council Germany, he says: "When it comes to European fashion, the focus has always been on France or Italy. The FCG has succeeded in bringing Germany—the largest consumer market in Europe—into the spotlight as a fashion hub and giving young talents a future at home." Chris Stricker, CEO & Co-Founder haebmau.

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With decades of experience as a communications expert and an extensive network in the fashion and creative industries, Chris Stricker is a valuable addition to the 10-member FCG Executive Board. Since 1988, as Managing Director and co-founder of the independent, owner-managed häberlein & mauerer AG, she has led one of the leading consumer lifestyle agencies. The haebmau offices in Munich and Berlin currently employ over 150 strategists, creative minds, storytellers, and consultants.

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We captured Stricker's opinion on the significance of German fashion and her role as a member of the FCG board: "For me, fashion is the most beautiful way to express personality with all its moods—I would like to integrate this fascination into my work for the Fashion Council Germany. Since I personally value fashion as a cultural asset and have followed the Fashion Council closely since its founding, I was delighted by the request to join the board. I have worked with German and international fashion brands for decades, and it is a personal mission of mine to give German fashion and Germany more relevance and recognition in the international context."

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In the past, designers could only achieve success by going abroad. Today, Berlin is considered a global center for creativity. We should capitalize on this! "Made in Germany" primarily represents German engineering and has suffered somewhat in recent years. Accordingly, German fashion should present itself more independently, separate from other industries. The Fashion Council Germany can help to bring German fashion into focus by consistently showcasing its diverse facets both nationally and internationally and by proudly celebrating the successes of individual designers and brands. As a new member of the board, I will actively contribute my expertise, my many years of experience, and my network to increase the international visibility of German fashion. The work the FCG has done since its inception is outstanding and groundbreaking. It is now essential to further professionalize this work.

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Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Executive Board of Swarovski. As the great-great-granddaughter of the company's founder and the first woman ever to hold the position of Executive Board Member of the globally operating, multi-billion-dollar family business Swarovski, Nadja Swarovski leads the global brand strategy and communication — and has been committed for 20 years to collaborating with exciting personalities in the design industry, in which the iconic crystals are constantly reborn in new and different ways in installations, works of art and products, regularly making Swarovski a pioneer of lifestyle trends.

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Besides design, architecture, film, and art, fashion in particular receives passionate support, both internationally and in German-speaking countries. It's no wonder that this entrepreneur, as one of the leading patrons of creativity, didn't hesitate to join the FCG board and further support fashion made in Germany: "I see fashion as an art form—and young designers are the future of the fashion industry. It's up to all of us to champion emerging talent and foster their visions. Only in this way can creativity flourish."

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At Swarovski, fostering design talent is in our DNA. With the Swarovski Collective, we were able to re-establish our historical connections to the fashion world in the late 1990s and simultaneously support young talents at a crucial point in their careers. Back then, no one was interested in emerging designers. The Collective finally offered them a platform – the first of which was the then-unknown Alexander McQueen. We have already successfully implemented our commitment to the German fashion industry with the Vogue Salon in Germany. I am delighted to expand this even further in my role as a member of the board of the Fashion Council Germany. This means, for example, benefiting from our network. Through our international contacts and close partnerships, we aim to contribute to encounters and exchange.

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The core objective of our development program is to provide young talents with crystals and expertise. This means they learn about all types of crystals and their applications in workshops and can develop their own ideas with our in-house designers. We give them free rein in supporting their visions—experimenting with creativity is what makes these collaborations so special. We ourselves also benefit from and learn from the designers. It's inspiring to see how our crystals are constantly being reinterpreted in fashion.