Young designers very much in style
Young and full of ideas, in recent years a number of newcomers have made their mark on the fashion world with labels launched right out of fashion school. And some of whom have since gone on tocrack the international market. Sagan Vienna, the label from designer duo Tanja Bradaric and Taro Ohmae, has even graced the pages of style bibles such as Vogue and Elle. Both designers experiment with tradition, flirt with cliché and combine handcraftsmanship with innovative technology. Their bags bear an unmistakable style. The woven pattern of the Thonet chairs (called Viennese wickerwork) appears as a central element in many models. They also work with traditional Viennese companies such as Carl Auböck or Horn Manufactory Petz.
Femme Maison is another designer team well worth looking out for: Franziska Fürpass and Sia Kermani are inspired by a kind of flamboyant, self-confident everywoman with those all-important rough edges, for whom they design luxurious feminine fashion. They use the very best hand-selected materials, including traditional Austrian Loden. Special prints and elegant minimalism define the label’s distinctive style. Their studio in the Servitenviertel is reminiscent of earlier couture salons.
Unusual prints
GON, established in 2011 by Christina Steiner, is a label with high potential. The designs are characterized by gentle, flowing silhouettes. Steiner’s patterns and prints reflect her unique design signature. Clothing from Ferrari Zöchling also features unique silkscreen prints. The label is run by Romana Zöchling, who works with a range of different artists to create eye-catching prints based on distinctively clean designs.
Vienna-based designer Jana Wieland set up her label in 2016. Her fashion stands for simple, sculptural cuts that convey a timeless elegance. A sustainable creator, her fabrics come from surpluses and existing stocks held by well-known brands.
Exporting creativity
It isn’t only in Vienna that Austrian designers are taking the fashion world by storm: In Berlin Marina Hörmanseder is making waves with her corsets and leather fashion – Lady Gaga is among the clients who have worn the rising star’s edgy creations.
Viennese designer Arthur Arbesser now lives in Milan, where he launched a label bearing his name in 2013. Today he is the new darling of the international fashion scene. All of Vienna celebrated Vienna Modernism in 2018 Inspired by Vienna Modernism, Arthur Arbesser designed a capsule collection for this occasion on behalf of the Vienna Tourist Board, which the fashion designer also included in his regular collection and showed during the Fashion Weeks in Milan and Paris. For the collection, Arbesser used fabrics from the Backhausen textile manufactory with original patterns of Vienna Modernism. The celebrity photographer Elfie Semotan captured the collection in pictures with the top models Cordula Reyer and Helena Severin.
Sagan Vienna
Bags and leather goods available at:
Femme Maison
Private shopping by appointment in the studio of Femme Maison:
GON
Available at:
Ferrari Zöchling
Available at:
