Austrian Fashion

Hartmann Nordenholz, Photo from Unit F's Modebuch

Austrian Fashion seems to be expanding its reach. This is undoubtedly, in part, due to the protracted support from cultural institution like UNIT F, which was founded specifically to promote Austrian fashion together with the countries’ solid training grounds—and particularly Vienna’s University of Applied Arts and its conjoining museum the MAK (the Museum for Applied Art).

Among the fast-establishing Austrian designers is Ute Ploier—one of the finalists of the Swiss Textiles Award. Mario Schwab, who won the award—albeit strongly associated with London—counts some Austrian relations as well: His father was Austrian and he began his fashion training in Salzburg.

There are many other designers who enrich the Austrian fashion scene: Wendy & Jim, Carol Christian Poell (who is based in Milan), Claudia Rosa Lukas, Fabric Interseason, Rosa Mosa, and Hartman Nordenholz.

Many of the designers can be found under one roof in a showroom in Paris sponsored by the Austrian government on occasion of the city’s fashion week. Additionally, two books on Austrian fashion have been recently published: the Austrian Fashion Guide and Modebuch, which places current Austrian design in the context of the city’s museums, schools and in relation to previous decades and particularly the work of Helmut Lang, who wrote the book’s introduction.

Another way to keep up-to-date with new developments is to sign up to Unit F’s newsletter “Short-Cuts.”

Francesca