Word of Mouth: Vibrant Austria Fashion
Last week, the Austrian Trade Commission was in town to show off its country's brightest design stars. Set inside a sun drenched loft overlooking the Hudson, Vibrant Austria was packed with exciting clothing and accessories lines. Evidently, the land that brought us strudel and Classical music prodigies is now serving up some seriously cool fashion. Below we've listed a few of the designers to watch for and why...
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You'd think with all the footwear we've been ogling the past few weeks, we'd be over shoes by now. Never! Rosa Mosa's hand-crafted sandals and boots are incredible! The brand is based in Vienna and works with some of the city's oldest production companies. They take local flavor out of its geographic context and innovate design (the hand-woven fabric from their fall collection was inspired by old church pews they discovered in the Austrian mountains). Many of their shoes include a strip of polyurethane in the sole, which bends to let the foot move comfortably. The company currently sells within a few U.S. shops, and here's hoping more NYC retailers take notice.
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We're partial to jewels that pack a punch (dainty silver chains, not so much), so Florian – a bold, chunky color blocked beaded line – was right up our alley.
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Schella Kann specializes in reversible pure washed silk designs that multitask depending upon how you wear them. Their mutability is ideal for the girl on-the-go, without forsaking femininity.
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We love love love jewelry and accessories designer Andreas Eberharter's playful new "lovelovelove" collection of eye bling, belt buckles, earrings and various necklaces with his signature AND_i heart. The three Truelove, Badlove and Purelove rings (made with crystallized Swarovski elements) will particularly send hearts aflutter.
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Designed in Austria, based in New York, and using fabrics from Italy and Japan, Drozdzik is minimalist chic. This is for the woman who eschews fancy embellishment and allows the architectural construction of her clothing to do the talking (though the foggy grays and lovely ink jet-printed chiffon should be noted as well).
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Paging Karlo Steele of Atelier! This brand belongs at your specially-curated downtown menswear boutique. Ute Ploier’s current collection was inspired by artists' clothing, with plenty of room to move freely and meticulous attention to utilitarian details. Low production number, high quality, very cool.
Check out Brandmair, Milch Fashion, Anna Aichinger, Edith A'Gay and Wilfried Mayer for more Vibrant Austria fashion.
June 2010
Paper Magazine