Winners of the European Fashion Award FASH 2009
February 10, 2009 | Levent OZLER
Loden jacket or leggings, airport or festival, routine or freedom? The motto of the European Fashion Award - FASH 2009 was "New Diversity". It is an annual design competition held by the Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie - SDBI (German Fashion Industry Foundation). A jury of international, experienced experts from design, industry, marketing, media and retail selected the winners from 101 entries of nine countries according to specific criteria. The award ceremony was held on February 1st at the international sporting goods exposition ispo winter 09 in Munich.
The 1st Prize in the category "Students" went to Marcel Lunkwitz und Julia Muller (Burg Giebichenstein - University of Art and Design Halle) for their innovative and emotion-charged men's collection "Where the clouds are like headlines". Ilona Zaytseva (University Pforzheim), who was also among the winners in 2008, received 2nd Prize with her high-quality, autonomous collection "Hoolifans".
In the category "Graduates" 1st Prize was awarded to Marianne Musek (Berlin University of the Arts). Pilgrimage helped her to reflect on the design of her collection for men and women, "The Quest for Happiness". Pilgrims need function more than fashion. Nevertheless function is in fashion. This determination was the starting point for this collection of traditional attire and performance sportswear. 2nd Prize was awarded to Nicole Manz (University Niederrhein, Mönchengladbach) for her women's collection "Cocooned Solitude - when safety keeps you imprisoned", offering mobile retreats. Adrian Sommerauer (Royal College of Art, London) won 3rd Prize with his elegant, yet melancholy men's collection "London, Heimat #3". Special Mention went to Wenke Muller (Burg Giebichenstein - University of Art and Design Halle) for her collection with ten profiles, ten images of womanhood, ten "Dreams of My Self".
The award winners refuse to follow fashion edicts or interchangeable lifestyle trends. The projects work with new images of Man and Woman and create modern ways of living. Everyday life and the streets with all their contrasts inspired the young designers as much as traditional craftsmanship. For them, fashion is more than just apparel - it is an emotional investment. "The level of the award-winning projects of the European Fashion Awards FASH 2009 is on an international scale. They compare with the collections of globally renowned up-and-coming designers," says jury member Martin Leuthold, Art Director of Jakob Schlaepfer and designer of fabrics for fashion houses such as Akris, Chanel or Marc Jacobs. Jury member Jean Kress, who worked for Dior, Lanvin and Guy Laroche before becoming Head of Design at Quiksilver Europe, commended the entries: "These students have a much more modern view of fashion than many members of the industry."
The prizes included cash totaling 10,000 Euro, three textile vouchers provided by the Swiss Textile Federation valued at a total of 4,500 Euro, as well as paid, six-month internships at Akris (St. Gallen, Switzerland) a couture house known all over the world, and Craft (Borås, Sweden), the pioneer of function apparel.
Renowned photographer Christin Losta portrayed the award-winning designs. The German-English documentation "New Diversity - Fashion students and their visions" is published by Verlag Hermann Schmidt Mainz.
The European Fashion Award FASH has been presented by the Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie - SDBI (German Fashion Industry Foundation) annually since 2005. It targets exceptionally talented students from all areas of design in their fourth semester or later. The SDBI was founded by fashion entrepreneur Klaus Steilmann in 1978. Its goal is the progressive endorsement of new talent. In 2008, the location initiative by the German government and business world "Deutschland - Land der Ideen" ("Germany - Land of Ideas") honoured the non-profit organization.
The portfolios of all award-winning designs are available to public view at the world's largest library and graphics collection for fashion and textiles, the Lipperheidesche Kostumbibliothek in Berlin.
827 impressions - 25,062 clicks
