FASH 2019 – Fashion Photography / 7. May 2019

The power of ideas

Franco P. Tettamanti photographed the collections of the winners of the European Fashion Award FASH from 2015 to 2017. FASH Director Joachim Schirrmacher spoke with him about the human element in fashion, concise images with an emotional impact, and how he was discovered on the street by Mario Testino.


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FASH 2017 / 3. July 2017

Now is the time to come together

Honorific Speech at the European Fashion Award FASH 2017 by Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth MdB

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Circle of Friends / 22. June 2016

SDBI partners with the Textile+Fashion Confederation

textil+mode, the German Textile+Fashion Confederation, has joined the SDBI – Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie (German Fashion Industry Foundation) Circle of Friends as its newest member. The Confederation’s intellectual and financial support for the SDBI’s non-profit work has been vital in enabling the European Fashion Award FASH 2016, which takes place at Berlin’s Neues Museum on June 27. More

2nd Mentoring Day – European Fashion Award FASH 2016 / 13. June 2016

I’ve never been so pale

What is a good portfolio? How relevant are my ideas? Who makes the decisions about the job? What do companies expect from an applicant? Fashion designers gave truthful insights into their working world at the SDBI’s second Mentoring Day. More

FASH 2015 / 6. July 2015

10 Years European Fashion Award

Speech by Tobias Gröber, Chairman
Full Version

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Winners:
Today marks the 10th presentation of our newcomer designer award, the European Fashion Award FASH. The award started out with modest beginnings and gained a lot of strength along the way.
The non-profit “Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie” (Germany Fashion Industry Foundation), in short SDBI, was founded in 1978 by Klaus Steilmann, at the time Europe’s largest manufacturer of women’s fashion. When Messe München took over the Modewoche München (Munich Fashion Week) in 1996, we also voluntarily took on the management of SDBI. Until 2004 the foundation provided direct endorsement for a small circle of talented students. There was hardly any public relations activity or follow-up support. In 2004 we tasked Joachim Schirrmacher with the reorganization to better meet the challenges of our increasingly more global, faster and more complex world of fashion. More

Column, Magazin Z of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung / 24. May 2015

Next, Please! The Future For Fashion Design Talents

Fashion has evolved into a merciless mastery gobbling up everything that is fresh and new. The youngest are particularly affected when it comes to finding new talent. Companies like H&M or luxury syndicates like Kering and LVMH hold high-caliber award competitions to find the best of the best. And the Fashion Weeks – whether in London or Paris, New York or Milan – use every fathomable method to search for young talents, hoping to gain a firm hold on tomorrow’s stars. Even governments invest millions to endorse the young designers. Paris alone invests 57 million Euros in three fashion schools; New York endorses small companies to allow them to maintain their production in the metropolitan city.
It seems like young fashion design students have never had as many opportunities as they have today. Yet, while in the past the media interest was followed by professional success, today’s attention span is shorter than the light of a shooting star. The name of the latest newcomer is on everyone’s lips for just a few minutes, until the next one takes its place. Even the buyers want only the latest hype. The new talents have become a part of our entertainment, and are thrown to the dogs when it’s time to say: Next, please! It is almost impossible for anyone to become established under these conditions.
However, this also means that there is a lack of visions for the future of fashion; we are smothered by recurring revivals of the best sellers. A vicious cycle. When the fight for attention is no longer successful, why not try to change strategy? Instead of trying to face the media storm with one’s own label right after graduation, why not work a few years in a team for one of the great designers? This is where the up and coming talents can gain experience and contacts, instead of paving their way to disappointment. Fresh shoots will then turn into strong trees – under the radar.
Of course, it is not always easy to find that kind of job. To help out, the Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie (German Fashion Industry Foundation), whose work I have been voluntarily managing for the last ten years, launched a mentoring program that pairs award winners with young designers. This allows them to communicate on level ground and answer their burning questions: How can I set up a good portfolio? How did you launch your career? What are human resource managers like? And the new designers have the opportunity to benefit from the already better-established designers’ network to gain contact to everything from companies, competitions, fabric suppliers, photographers, bloggers and more. This has already opened quite a few doors. If you want to support us in this effort, please do! You can also help by not just pushing like on Facebook or Instagram, but by purchasing fashion items created by a young designer once a year. Actions like that would go a long way.
 
First published (in German): SDBI Director Joachim Schirrmacher in his regular column “Wahrgenommen” for Magazin Z of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, May 24, 2015

SDBI Circle of Friends / 30. July 2013

Self-Confidence Is Important

Daniel and Markus Freitag on their involvement in the European Fashion Award FASH, their beginning as students, and what an award can do for you.

 

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Berlin Premiere / 1. July 2013

SDBI Networks Talents and Industry

The cocktail reception with which the Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie (German Fashion Industry Foundation) – SDBI launched its premiere in Berlin on the evening before the opening of the Berlin Fashion Week was extraordinary, high class and profound.  More

Welcome Adress Minister of State Pieper / 1. July 2013

Creativity saves our future

Welcome Address by Cornelia Pieper, MdB, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office at the Reception On the Occasion of the Opening of Berlin Fashion Week (European Fashion Award FASH), July 1, 2013Hotel Brandenburger Hof, Berlin More

SDBI Expands Workshops At ISPO MUNICH 2013 / 26. January 2013

Workshops: Career and Calculation

The SDBI workshops “Career and Calculation” have been a tradition since 2007. For the first time SDBI will also offer workshops on the topic of job application. Experienced designers discuss how they made their career and what they expect from application portfolio today. 
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Shooting FASH 2013 / 10. December 2012

Making of

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Online-Portal / 5. May 2010

Creative Germany

Magazin der Bundesrepublik Deutschand / 14. March 2010

Die neue Lust der Deutschen an Mode

Klaus Steilmann / 15. November 2009

Die Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie trauert um ihren Stifter

 

Journalistenreise / 16. October 2009

Kreativwirtschaft und Nachhaltigkeit