AUSTRIAN NEWCOMERS

AUSTRIAN NEWCOMERS TO WATCH

TEXT JENNI KOUTNI

NOTES ON POP CULTURE

FLORENTINA LEITNER Whether it’s T-shirts, an evening dress or her popular catsuits that envelop almost the entire body, Florentina Leitner’s ‘Semi Couture’ has somewhat of a camp vibe about it. Which isn’t surprising really, considering that it’s designed to be fun and remind the fashion industry not to take itself so seriously. Entitled ‘Vertigo’, her final collection at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp was met with international acclaim. The designer mostly works with upcycled materials: lining from old vintage coats, shoulder pads, gloves and even socks are repurposed and have new life breathed into them. Although her designs are often girly and feminine, the newcomer label now also has a male clientele. The Austrian designer draws her inspiration from pop and high culture, as proven by her collections ‘The Royal Leitners’ and ‘Der Zauberberg’. florentinaleitner.com

STRONG, COURAGEOUS & BRAVE

GÜÇ When Janette Papas worked at Mugler, she soon became aware of the problems with sizing. To this day, clothing designs are still mainly fitted on tall, slim models. But she wants to change that with her label Güç, which she founded in 2020. In Turkish, the name means “strong, courageous and brave”. The designer’s fashionable approach is strongly influenced by her roots: the small village on the TurkishSyrian border, where her great-grandmother lived, showed her that it doesn’t take much in the way of possessions to be happy. That’s why she makes clothes to last and adds details that enable the wearer to easily change the look to match their own personal style. And all garments are made to order, which is unusual, but avoids overproduction, according to the designer. Customers have to wait for up to a maximum of 10 days for a Güç piece – which isn’t actually that long, if you want to help make a difference, right? gucofficial.com

JENNIFER MILLEDER “Proving yourself is challenging,” says the Austrian designer, referring to the hurdles that young labels have to overcome in the fast-paced world of fashion. But she has certainly mastered this challenge with flying colours. Since graduating from the University of Applied Arts Vienna in 2019, it’s been an uphill ride ever since: her extravagant designs are finding favour with actors and musicians who have worn them in photo shoots and videos. The target group? “I would say: confident, extroverted people with a sense of humour.” Her wearable artworks, which mainly stand out with their abstract prints, are supposed to encourage the wearer to experiment. And even though she is planning on moving in a direction of more wearable readyto-wear garments in the future, Jennifer Milleder’s designs will continue to tell their very own stories. jennifermilleder.com

MATERIAL WORLD

ANNA SEDLMAYR “Anna, you still remain the most artistic designer we had on the course,” wrote her former professor Hussein Chalayan as feedback on her graduation collection at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Last year, Anna Sedlmayr established her own fashion label ANN[DONE. In her latest collection entitled ‘What else is there?’, the Viennese designer is reflecting on the current post-COVID situation and the problematic fast-fashion industry. Her responses to the issues of overproduction and excessive consumption are traditional craftsmanship and sustainable innovations such as a digital knitting machine. The best combination of old and new can be seen in her exquisite choice of fabrics, which are the result of extensive material research. From resourceefficient, high-tech fabrics to vintage finds that she breathes new life into, every garment is unique. anndone.com

GOING GRUMPY

HISU PARK With her debut collection, the designer, who comes from Korea, managed to land a sought-after bursary from the Austrian Fashion Association. To do this, she invented her alter ego ‘Grumpy Jane’, a sensitive person who has had enough of everyday discrimination and is boldly taking a stand against it. Strong silhouettes and materials like patent leather are intended to act as a suit of armour, providing delicate, smaller women in particular with more strength and power in their day-to-day lives. And delicate chiffon and filigree embroidery are a celebration of sensitivity. This is the designer’s way of dealing with the challenges and prejudice that she has had to face as a woman in her studies and career. Her second collection ‘Grumpy Jane and Gang’ is currently in the works: it will add menswear and unisex designs to the range and delve even further into the inner souls of her various characters.