Making of
1 / 18 – Photo: © Bernhard Ludewig / SDBI
Freedom
Childhood, sport, fashion, philosophy or politics – freedom has a lot of dimensions. It is the foundation of humanity and the heart of citizenship, whether you consider the French Revolution or East Germany’s Monday demonstrations under the motto “We are the People”. And yet, freedom is subject to the changing values and standards.
On one hand, just about everything is allowed these days, the multi-faceted character of life is obvious everywhere thanks to globalization. On the other hand, the many accomplishments of an open society and basic rights such as privacy are under discussion again. Digitalization is a particular challenge; its technologies develop faster than our culture. While it allows an increase in efficiency, economy and safety, it is often accompanied by increased scrutiny, uniformity and expected submission.
Freedom plays a special role in Berlin, the new home of the Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie (German Fashion Industry Foundation) , in short SDBI. Berlin was the capital of the Nazi and SED regimes, the Iron Curtain, yet also the place where the Berlin Wall fell and many social and artistic experiments have been held over the years.
The European Fashion Award FASH 2015 on the topic of “Freedom” is searching for fashion as an expression of attitude: social utopia, poetic symbol of protest, or escape from the everyday routine.
Jury
1/9 – © Franziska Schrödinger / SDBI
A jury consisting of international design, industry, and media experts will select the award winners according to set criteria. The decision of the jury is final and cannot be contested in a court of law.
Members of the Jury FASH 2015 jury include:
Margareta van den Bosch is as Creative Advisor responsible for the H&M Guest Collections with Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Madonna, Roberto Cavalli, Comme des Garçon, Versace or Marni. After her degree at Beckman’s School of Design, she worked for the Swedish women’s wear companies, Bari and Milano, followed by jobs in Italy. She teaches at Beckman’s School of Design. From 1987 to 2008 she was as Head of Design co-responsbiel for the rise of the swedish Fashion Giant. www.hm.com
Torsten Hochstetter, Global Creative Director, Puma
After completing his training as a fashion tailor Hochstetter studied fashion design at the Polimoda Institute in Florence. He began his career at S.Oliver in 1993, then joined Adidas, where, after periods in Japan and the USA, he became responsible for sport style design for the entire Adidas Group in the position of Creative Director. Hochstetter and his team have repeatedly been honored for their designs. Following his subsequent position as Creative Director for the US surfing brand O’Neill, he joined Puma in summer of 2013. He is fluent in German, English, Italian, Dutch and Japanese. www.puma.com
Dr. Adelheid Rasche is fashion and art historian. Since 1990 she has been chief curator of the “Sammlung Modebild – Lipperheidesche Kostümbibliothek” (Fashion Image Collection, Lipperheide Costume Library) at the National Museums in Berlin, the the world’s largest special library and graphic collection on the cultural history of clothing and fashion. Adelheid Rasche has curated numerous exhibitions and is the author of books and essays in the field. She is member of various juries and a freelance brand heritage consultant for fashion. www.smb.spk-berlin.de www.adelheid-rasche.de
Joachim Schirrmacher is a Creative Consultant in Berlin. He offer his 25 years of expertise in fashion and design for governments, corporate and academic clients. He wrote for renowned Media like Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Since 2004 he is Project Director of the European Fashion Award FASH by SDBI.DE. www.schirrmacher.org
Michael Sontag finished his fashion studies in 2009 with a degree as “Meisterschüler” at Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin. Since then, he presents his collections at Fashion Week Berlin. He won valuable prizes and is considered as an iconic fashion designer. His works have been presented in Rome, Jakarta, Shanghai, Singapore and Paris. Michael Sontag was invited for the “Salon Vogue” in Milan by Franca Sozzani and Anna Wintour as well as in Berlin by Christiane Arp. Michael Sontag lives and works in Berlin. www.michaelsontag.com
Franco P. Tettamanti earned a degree in medicine at the University of Switzerland and worked as an orthopaedic surgery assistant in his native Switzerland, before becoming an award winning photographer. He has studied cinematography and photography in New York, Paris and Zurich. He lives now in Paris where he is a well established photographer in the Parisian Haute Couture Fashion industry and working for clients such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Akris, Vivienne Westwood, Universal Music, Madame Figaro and Prestige Magazine Hong Kong. www.francotettamanti.com