Even the choice of venue for this year’s awards ceremony, the museum of contemporary art Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin, highlighted what the Fash Awards are all about: appreciating the work of budding designers as they find their way into a career in business and industry. Joachim Schirrmacher, Director of the European Fashion Awards FASH, and Joel Horwitz (Head of the Mentoring Programme) found the perfect location in the Museum of Contemporary Art, successfully creating an atmosphere that inspired not only the 23 finalists but also the more than 200 guests. The vibe was all about inspiration, creativity and fashion in its purest form, fashion that keeps its promise by encapsulating that extra special ingredient of individual, artistic expression. And, of course, it was about the craft.

The finale!

Given that the Fash Awards rank among the most prolific prizes for fashion students, being nominated as one of the 23 finalists is a huge achievement in and of itself. The decision to mentor the next generation of designers by introducing them to the world of business and industry, arose from the realisation that “designers need plenty of know-how and expertise if their collections are to succeed and then also survive on the market,” stated Joel Horwitz in a conversation with textile network.

Accordingly, the SDBI, who is behind the Awards, invites the finalists to a two-day coaching programme prior to the prize-giving ceremony. A workshop on fashion photography in and around the museum as well as three other workshops on “The Art of the Curve – Pattern Making from Drape to Digital Design” provided expert advice and insights. Other industry members involved in the project included bespoke tailor Detlev Diehm, CLO Virtual Fashion and Lectra, the official partner of the European Fashion Awards Fash 2019.

Jacqueline Kellner, Fashion & Apparel Marketing Manager CEER, Lectra:

“We support these Awards as part of our Education Programme because the fashion students of today are the creative minds for the leading fashion brands of tomorrow. Drawing on our special software and hardware solutions as well as our long-standing experience, we are committed to making a solid contribution to the training and future of our budding designers so that they can make their mark on the rapidly changing fashion industry.”

The prize winners

1st Prize: Ecehan Altikardes, Hochschule Pforzheim, EUR 1,000 prize money, paid internship with workwear manufacturer Engelbert Strauss

1st Prize: Bachelor: Katharina Heinze, Berlin University of the Arts, EUR 2,000 prize money

1st Prize: Masters: Elisa Paulina Herrmann, Accademia di Costume e Moda, Rome, EUR 2,000 prize money

1st Prize: Fashion Photography Jakob Tillmann, Lette Verein, Berlin, EUR 1,000 prize money. Five works will be added to the fashion image collection of art library Kunstbibliothek Berlin and will be produced for the purpose as high-quality prints by Labor Pixel Grain. Commissioned by the Berlin Senate to photograph the Editorial of the Berlin Showroom.

Fashion with a touch of magic

In the same way a lake silts up, giving rise to new landscapes, so the finalists want to create a new kind of fashion – a fashion that is ecological, fair and breaks away from traditional gender images. They want a fashion that is not only governed by marketing strategies but that is also an expression of our times. And they want their fashion to hold onto its magic for years. They also grasp genuine sustainability as an opportunity to survive in a saturated market.

Joachim Schirrmacher:

“The finalists’ fashion is like a concept car in the automotive industry, it’s a form of visual research and a taste of the future. The collections of the prize winners all engage in an intensive conversation with the dynamics of gender. What is or should be male or female appears to be losing its relevance. They want to overcome and question prescribed templates and encourage people to accept themselves as they are, in all their individual facets.”

Read more about the Fash Award 2019 on our german website.