Cologne Catwalk 2012

Following the great success of the 1st and 2nd Cologne Catwalk, Daab Media – in cooperation with its partners Kina Production, The new Yorker Hotel and the fashion expert Sabine Berlipp – proudly presents the 3rd Cologne Catwalk, which will take place on the 6th of September 2012 in the new event location The New Yorker | Dock.One in Cologne-Deutz.

Presented in conjunction with The New Yorker | Art And Culture Days (5th – 9th September 2012), the 3rd Cologne Catwalk promises to be a major cultural and social event, which will be communicated regionally, nationally and internationally by our media partners. The event is based on the book „New on the catwalk“, published by Daab, in which 40 up-and-coming international fashion designers are presented.

The jury – consisting of Patrice Farameh, publisher and editor (New York), Michael Kaune, editor of Quest Magazin (Cologne), Thomas Rath, fashion designer & jury member of Germanyʼs Next Top Model (Düsseldorf) and Stefan Siegel, founder & ceo of Not Just a
Label (London) – has selected the following five designers for the Cologne Catwalk 2012:

Edward Finney (GB-London) Edward Finney studied at the renowned Central Saint Martin‘s College of Art and Design and gained practical experience while working with the likes of Chittlebourough & Morgan and Alexander McQueen in London, as well as with John Galiano in Paris, before founding his own label in 2009. Finney‘s sophisticated fusion of Parisian haute couture and Modern British Punk with a hint of Savile Row quickly brought him international recognition. Each new collection is inspired by a strong, and occasionally obscure, legendary woman – from the eccentric erotic dancer and spy Mata Hari (SS11) to the scandalous American heiress Alice de Janze (SS12).

Barbara i Gongini (DK-Valby/Kopenhagen) Barbara í Gongini‘s fashion is deeply rooted within her childhood on the Northern Atlantic Faroe Islands. The explicit goal of the young label, which was founded in 2005, is to create Nordic fashion which oscillates between tradition and avant-garde. The Danish designer participates actively in the artistic discourse of the Nordic countries through interdisciplinary cooperation with other artists from the fields of music, photography, film etc. Ethics and sustainability play an important role here. Barbara í Gongini‘s style is minimalist, but also androgynous and futuristic, with a focus on simple forms and monochrome colours, often in black and white with occasional tones of grey.

Orschel-Read (GB-London) | Stefán Orschel-Read was born in India and raised in Scotland. Before earning his BA in Menswear from Central Saint Martin‘s College of Art and Design and his MA from the Royal College of Art in London, he first completed law school and was also a gold medal winner in dressage. His greatest source of inspiration is British literature, and he thus named recent collections after Virginia Woolf‘s „Orlando“ and Shakespeare‘s „Twelfth Night“. But Indian art, James Bond, military uniforms and the multicultural youth scene in London are also important sources for the elegant and in some cases daring designs of this highly gifted designer.

Alice Palmer (GB-London) Alice Palmer studied at the Glasgow School of Art before she completed her MA at the Royal College of Art in London. Specialised in elegant knitwear made of the finest merino wool, silk and viscose, Palmer pushes the boundaries of her chosen medium, both in terms of design and production, in a highly successful attempt to raise knitwear to the level of haut couture. Her unconventional designs are created using both traditional and unconventional knitting techniques. Frequently described as „sculptural“ and „avant-garde“, they are inspired by her deep passion for art and architecture, with a special focus on pattern, form and colour.

Branko Popovic (NL-Maastricht) Branko Popović was born in former Yugoslavia and, as a result of the civil war, emigrated with his family to The Netherlands in 1995. His collections, which he presents under his own label since 2007, are inspired by his own personal experiences as well as by his encounters in the international art world. His avant-garde menswear collections are celebrated internationally not least of all because of his daring experiments with non-fashion materials such as cardboard, wood or plastics. In addition to his own collections, he also creates costumes for the theatre and is co-founder and director of the Fashionclash foundation, a platform for young designers and artists from around the world.

This year's Cologne Catwalk will be choreographed by Waldek Szymkowiak (Choreograffiti), who has also produced major shows for Stella McCartney, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana in Paris, London and Milan. The show will be broadcasted in the internet via live stream and will thus be available to a global audience. Following the show, each of the five designers will be presented with the Cologne Catwalk Award. The after show
party with well-known DJs is expected to last into the early morning hours.

Images: