15.11.2024
Last night, on November 14, 2024, the Austrian Fashion Association hosted this year’s Austrian Fashion Awards Gala in the historic Art Nouveau theater in Vienna's Otto Wagner Complex, where the winners of the Fashion Award of the City of Vienna and the outstanding artist award for experimental fashion design of the BMKÖS (Austria’s Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport) were presented. The event also celebrated the Austrian Fashion Association's 10th anniversary as one of the most significant supporters of Austrian fashion design.
Vienna, November 15, 2024 – The Austrian Fashion Association has been hosting the Austrian Fashion Awards as a partner of the City of Vienna and the Federal Government for ten years now and has made the annual awards ceremony the most relevant event for up-and-coming fashion designers in Austria over the past decade. This year’s Austrian Fashion Awards took place on the evening of November 14, with an extraordinary show line-up at the historic Art Nouveau theater in Vienna’s Otto Wagner Complex. The show featured a compelling mix of collections from both award winners and remarkable fashion talents who had been supported by the Austrian Fashion Association throughout the past year.
During the award ceremony, hosted by singer, sound choreographer, and performance artist Alex Franz Zehetbauer, Mag.a Veronica Kaup-Hasler, Vienna’s Executive City Councillor for Culture and Science, announced the winner of the Fashion Award of the City of Vienna – Martin Niklas Wieser – while Mag.a Kathrin Kneißel, Head of Department IV/A for Funding and International Affairs at the BMKÖS, presented the outstanding artist award for experimental fashion design to Christina Seewald.
“This tenth edition of the Austrian Fashion Awards represents a special milestone in our mission to spotlight Austria's most promising fashion design talents”, says Camille Boyer, Director of the Austrian Fashion Association. “Looking back, we can see how our commitment to fostering fashion design that balances artistic experimentation with responsible practices has truly flourished. We're proud to empower designers who strive to create positive change in both the industry and society at large. Martin Niklas Wieser and Christina Seewald exemplify this vision perfectly – we warmly congratulate them on their achievements!”
Among the approximately 500 guests of the evening: actress Zeynep Buyrac, actress Andrea Händler, costume designer Aino Laberenz, model Helena Severin, dancer and choreographer Doris Uhlich, fashion designers Hermann Fankhauser and Helga Schania (Wendy Jim) and many more.
A Look Back at Last Year’s Support
The evening centered around a fashion show that featured not only the collections of the award winners but also selected works by designers who received support through the Austrian Fashion Association's AFA Support program or a Start Scholarship Fashion of the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport (BMKÖS) in 2023: Anastasiia Shpagina, Christoph Rumpf, David Brunnbauer, Florentina Leitner, Jennifer Milleder, Larissa Falk, НИКО, Not Yet FYI, Karolin Braegger and Vanessa Schreiner.
The Winners
After his widely discussed debut in 2015 and his subsequent decision to step back and focus on his artistic development, Martin Niklas Wieser relaunched his eponymous brand with the Spring/Summer 2023 collection. What does luxury mean today? How can we live in a world full of crises and still be convinced by the ideas of capitalism? Martin Niklas Wieser views his label as a testing ground for exploring these questions. His collections consist of ready-to-wear garments that are free from gendered connotations or class labels. Before relaunching his label, Wieser worked as a designer for Proenza Schouler and Nicolas Andreas Taralis, and as a trend consultant at Mytheresa China.
Their collection pieces were presented in a catwalk show with powerful musical accompaniment. Artist, musician, and sound designer Ernst Lima contributed the sound installation For the Moment and for the Record, musician and DJ Paul Ebhart provided electrifying sound. The styling of the looks was created by Sabina Schreder, who is known for her work with Vivienne Westwood, among others.
With a fresh, radical perspective on current issues and challenges, Christina Seewald interprets contemporary knitwear, combining the finest fibers with perfected tailoring. At the core of her label is the interplay of fragility and self-determination, which is embodied as a symbiosis in Christina Seewald. With a focus on the fusion of traditional craftsmanship and modern knitting, Christina Seewald places great emphasis on sustainability in production. Her work is defined by intelligent cuts, diverse knitting techniques, and the visualization of social conflicts. The brand addresses socio-political issues, particularly those affecting FLINTA communities (women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans, and agender individuals).
The Juries
In line with the Austrian Fashion Association's commitment to internationality, interdisciplinarity, forward-thinking and diversity, two different high-profile juries once again decided on the winners of this year’s awards. Costume and set designer Aino Laberenz, stylists Karen Kaiser and Nell Kalonji, and Roshi Porkar, Head of Design and Collections at Acne Studios, made the decision for the Fashion Award of the City of Vienna. A national jury consisting of author and creative director Alexandra Bondi de Antoni, Angela Stief, Director of Albertina Modern and Chief Curator of Contemporary Art at Albertina, as well as Simone Springer, fashion designer and founder of rosa mosa and winner of the outstanding artist award for experimental fashion design of the BMKÖS 2023.
Further Information
For more information and the complete set of images, please visit the following link: https://data.afa.co.at/s/RerSFj78fEkRoZ8
About the Austrian Fashion Association
The Austrian Fashion Association was founded in 2014 with the aim of advancing the professionalization and internationalization of Austria’s fashion design scene. The Austrian Fashion Association is committed to fostering a fashion design practice that is artistic, experimental, and responsible. It supports contemporary fashion designers and creatives from the intersectional ecosystem of fashion who challenge the status quo. The cultural institution’s dedicated program provides the foundation for the development of creativity and the economic ambitions of Austrian fashion designers. Since 2014, the Austrian Fashion Association has hosted the Austrian Fashion Awards, which have become the most important and highest-endowed fashion prizes in Austria over the past 10 years. www.austrianfashionassociation.at
Many thanks to Palmers and Absolut Vodka for supporting the Austrian Fashion Awards 2024 as official partners.
Press Contact
INNER
Vince Bennett
vince@inner.wien
+43 676 3804949
Contact Austrian Fashion Association
Stephanie Rugel
press@afa.co.at
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