GAHSP x UdK
Meet the new-born talents of the Berlin University of The Arts as we enter the doors of Europe' largest art school. The intent of the GAHSP x UdK Collaboration is to shed light on the recent graduate class and provide a chance for the audience and the industry to connect with them. At the bottom of this page, you can get in touch to explore opportunities.
Unedited. Only Formatted.
BORN
BORN
EVA HAUSER
Hi, I am Eva, a fashion designer from Berlin who recently moved to Paris!
VALUES
Appreciation of the craftsmanship, time and material/resources.
PROBLEMS
I think it's always difficult for labels to find the right balance between wearability/functionality and exciting new designs/shapes. As the products have to sell, they often play it safe. I focus on developing special garments that catch the eye without losing their claim to functionality. Even though my collections also include showpieces, it is important to me that the majority of the outfits are always wearable. For me, good design always has a connection to everyday life, yet it can still be special.
Furthermore, it has long been a matter of course for me to source a large part of my work from existing materials. I enjoy the challenge of working with limited resources and tinkering until the result is right. There is already so much material on this planet, we just need to find a way to give it new life. The art lies in creating something special of great value from something that appears to have little or no value.
And lastly, unfortunately, we still live in a society that is largely hung up on conventional categories of thought. My work is intended to encourage people to express their true selves, regardless of what a certain part of society thinks. You can walk around super girly or hyperfeminine and still be a feminist. I design for girls and anyone who wants to become one.
My work revolves around (online) girl culture, which is closely linked to my own youth/girlhood. For the collection I create the fictional character ‘Rather Girl’, a cyborg who represents her own concept of femininity by glitching existing codes and redefining them for herself.
RATHER GIRL
A return to girlhood.
A loop between AFK and cyberspace.
“Being a Girl is cyborgian.”
“You truly are the bravest girl on planet earth.”
The fashion world is already closely intertwined with the digital world. Trends in the online world influence the offline world and vice versa. The huge influence that digital worlds have on ‘real’ fashion should definitely be taken seriously. In the future, I see not only 3D programmes but also AI as useful tools for speeding up work processes and making them more sustainable.
FASHION x MEDIA UTOPIA
Eva
Hi RG, what’s up?
Rather Girl
Hi girl! Just a busy day saving the world wide web again. I think I need to go AFK soon for some serious business. Would you mind helping me to pick out a cute outfit for my next mission?
Eva
Definitely, what vibe do you have in mind?
Rather Girl
I mean, I am kind of in my office siren era, but in a Joan of Arc Cyborg kind of way. You know what I mean?
Eva
Ofc girl, I think I have just the right outfit for you to wear.
Rather Girl
Perfect, I really need to fight that finance bro. He is the nemesis.
AN EXPERIENCE
Designing simply brings me the greatest joy. Design, especially in fashion, offers so many opportunities to play around and interact with the body using material, colour and shape, like no other discipline. Continuity has helped me to gain experience and form my own design language. It's the little moments of success when something works the way you imagined that motivate you to keep going.
A LESSON
The working world is very different from life at university. I think you can only really understand the fashion world when you gain work experience in the industry. Whether you want to be part of it or not is something everyone has to decide for themselves. I also have many friends who have decided to go their own way and set up their own business, which I think is a brave and remarkable decision.
AN OPPORTUNITY
I really have to say that my journey in the fashion world has allowed me to meet so many lovely creative people and I'm really grateful for that. You always have to be open and stay curious, that's the only way to find like-minded people. These connections can also lead to future working partnerships.
WHY FASHION?
BORN
HALEH AFSHAR
I am a fashion designer who finds inspiration in the stories of life and the resilience of women, weaving these narratives into my work to create designs that celebrate and amplify their voices.
VALUES
Creating impactful designs that raise awareness and inspire change.
Integrating people’s stories and personal experiences into my design process to ensure everyone feels seen and heard.
Emphasising the value of what we wear—not just through the materials, but through the meaningful concepts behind each piece.
PROBLEMS
The disconnect between consumers and the stories behind their clothing.
Encouraging people to think differently about what they wear—not just focusing on appearance, but understanding the deeper stories and values behind each piece.
Shifting the emphasis from trends to thoughtful, concept-driven fashion that promotes awareness and authenticity.
WHAT WE WILL WEAR AFTER THE REVOLUTION?
Since September 2023, after the death of Mahsa Amini by the Morality police in Tehran, Women, Life, Freedom Revolutionary Movement has been born in Iran. The strength of Iranian women whose bodies have served as a battlefield for ideology and authority, is the inspiration for this project. Iranian Women are among the very few women in the world whose grandmothers had more rights. After everything that happened last year, many people reached out to me and told me that they no longer want those old obligatory-restricted designs, but a design that actually reflects their current state and reality. I would like to design for future women of Iran, those who have earned their freedom and rights, with exemplary courage and strength, the winners of the fight.
Identity Resilience Empowerment
Narrative design Conceptual wear Future-forward
Transformation Collective consciousness Redefining norms Visions of tomorrow
Exploring fashion’s role in expressing new societal values and identities after the revolutionary women’s movement.
Together, they have the power to foster a world where clothing is not just about aesthetics but serves as a platform for storytelling, cultural exchange, and social impact.
FASHION x MEDIA UTOPIA
Future Woman of Iran
You have influenced the course of Iran’s history.
You taught the world how to break barriers, even when surrounded by constraints.
You have become a wellspring of inspiration for the entire creative community of Iranian artists and designers, from fashion and film to painting and beyond.
AN EXPERIENCE
Fashion offers the experience of self-expression and identity exploration. It allows individuals to creating an emotional and visual connection with themselves and others.
A LESSON
It reveals how clothing can carry stories, traditions, and social messages, demonstrating how fashion is intertwined with history, art, and societal evolution.
AN OPPORTUNITY
Fashion presents the opportunity to inspire change and spark dialogue. It has the unique ability to challenge norms and push for inclusivity.
WHY FASHION?
BORN
KHULAN KLECKER
I am a german/ mongolian fashion designer with focus on creative pattern cutting.
VALUES
Individuality, Sustainability and Craftsmanship
PROBLEMS
I would like sustainability to be something that is naturally embedded in the process of designing.
I want to connect the two cultures I know and create a hybrid world approaching it through pattern making.
Show my mongolian roots in my work without appropriating it.
The idea was to build a feeling of home through chess play. To me chess was just a game i played growing up in mongolia but in the western, chess has an intellectual side, that puts it in a special spot. I wanted to bring mongolian and western elements of a garment together in the setting of a chess play in terms of pattern making, material research and finishing techniques.
HOME?
Where do we belong? Is there a home, in this globalised world?
Belonging longing East and West
Hybrid identities
Chess At home we play
It could open up for everyone space to be themselves without any fear of judgement. Empowered through self-expression, it could be a place where individuality is celebrated. Through media, fashion could be sustainable for real.
FASHION x MEDIA UTOPIA
AN EXPERIENCE
To feel and to be included in the idea of the creator.
A LESSON
Transience.
AN OPPORTUNITY
To be someone else or to be yourself.
WHY FASHION?
BORN
MIRIAM SCHADE
I am a Berlin based Designer with an Afro-German background, which is central to my work.
VALUES
I collaborate with different artists from diverse backgrounds to exchange thoughts, skills and everything else needed to create something together, provide strength and community for one another. Never forget the shout outs & credits !
PROBLEMS
the perception of the female black body in fashion
-> SELFREPRESENTATION + SELF VALUE
create spaces & visibility for BIPOC artists
TEAMWORK AGAINST INDIVIDUALISM
It’s all about community. Who are you and what defines you as a person? Everything that belongs to you makes you different from or belonging to certain types of people. In my bachelors I focus on the colour brown, related to skin color and blackness as a lived experience. I collaborate with different artists from diverse backgrounds to exchange thoughts, skills and everything else needed to create something together, provide strength and community for one another.
SAMPLED IDENTITIES
colour brown, related to skin color and blackness as a lived experience
Afro-German Collectivity
Community Divers
Beautification Non-binary
A perfected body that transcends humanity, yet we all perceive it as real.
FASHION x MEDIA UTOPIA
What is it about?
What are questions/comments/actions you hate?
What do you want people to be educated about in institutional establishments?
"Through her work, she is exploring multifaceted interest in different forms of expression."
- Piadosa Isabel Ngan Nseng
"Nails should be fun - that is central to me."
- Vladyslava Solovyova
"Are you a Mangagirl?"
- anonymous
"That common good is important."
- anonymous
"Can I touch your hair?"
- anonymous
"People staring at me."
- anonymous
AN EXPERIENCE
self recognition
A LESSON
haters gonna hate
AN OPPORTUNITY
connecting with people who are like-minded
WHY FASHION?
BORN
NOEMI BRAUN
I am one of the 2024 MA graduates in fashion design at UdK focussing on knitwear in my work.
VALUES
In the last couple of projects I did I have sort of zoomed in on different aspects of the female experience. I find it very interesting to examine themes of femininity, self-perception of interpersonal relationships through textiles. And I do believe that there is a lot of value in taking a closer look at seemingly ordinary or mundane situations or topics in order to grasp larger complexities.
Fashion and textile work in general is closely tied to handicraft (historically often done by women and also historically undervalued). I find the physical engagement with materials and craft very inspiring. Because of the ecological implications of textiles I focus on working with monofibre materials made from natural fibres.
I do also have a background in sustainability studies, so I always keep it in mind when coming up with designs. This obviously impacts for instance the choice of material but also makes me reconsider everything I do in a larger context. Especially in today's age of overconsumption and overproduction I think it is crucial to critically question oneself.
PROBLEMS
I think realistically there are very few large problems that can actually be solved by designing new clothes. However being mindful about the systems that one part takes in as a fashion designer is hugely important. There is rarely ever a clear solution for the problems of our times, but being aware of the repercussions of one's work is definitely of value in my opinion.
A collection observing the process of getting dressed in front of the mirror. Examining aspects of playfulness and experimentation during identity creation with a focus on a personal coming-of-age story about finding one's own version of femininity and elegance.
SUBJEKT
getting dressed in front of a mirror as a young woman
Temporality of experiences and identity Dynamic back and forths, trials and errors
The never-ending inbetweenness Subjectivity Human incoherence
Embraced contradiction Soft complexity Intimacy
Monologue In Front Of A Mirror
There are a lot of topics that are (subconsciously) negotiated by standing in front of a mirror.
Being confronted with one's own physical appearance can be catalytic for one’s own self awareness.
The situation itself is marked by a dynamic back and forth between the subject itself and the objects of itself, haptics and optics, inner self reflection and external perceptions.
The mirror can be a constructive tool especially during the teenage or young adult years, a time that is characterised by self questioning and a search for belonging.
AN EXPERIENCE
Fashion oftentimes takes place right on the surface of our skin. One might say that it is a sort of “in between space” between mind and body, the internal and external experience, as it can be utilised to manifest identities in the physical world.
A LESSON
Just like identity is oftentimes fluid and dynamic, garments allow us to visualise and communicate our ever changing selves.
AN OPPORTUNITY
Fashion or maybe rather styling might be visual evidence for the fact that people are forever evolving and changing. Clothes can therefore offer a sort of comforting guidance or companionship through life for people…?
WHY FASHION?
PS.
EVA
What I will remember most of all is being together and exchanging ideas with my fellow students. From experience, you learn the most from and with each other during your design studies.
NOEMI
During my time at UdK we were pretty much left to my own devices during the process of the graduation projects. This gave me a lot of freedom to experiment and figure out techniques on my own which made the project quite personal and authentic to myself I’d say. However the close relationships I developed with fellow students and the feedback I received from them definitely had a huge impact on my work and me as a person.
HALEH
I deeply appreciated my university’s concept-oriented approach to design. We had the freedom to explore our passions, guided by mentors who highlighted our strengths and helped us realize our potential. This nurturing of creative confidence and growth was invaluable for developing as a designer.
KHULAN
Teachers and Professors work closely with the students, they really try to understand your work.
MIRIAM
Experimental work including different aspects of pattern making, fabric manipulation and conceptual design.
The highest form of creation is education.
Work With UdK's New-BORN Talents
Connect through opportunities.
Special Thanks to Prof. Franziska Schreiber and Titia Grefe.
CREDITS
Photographed and Creative Directed
by Illya Ovchar.
Photographer, Paris/Munich/Milan
Get in touch
