“We want to provide a breeding ground where students’ ideas can grow”

William Fan, Natascha von Hirschhausen, and Isabel Vollrath are three German fashion designers who have one thing in common: They all graduated from the Weissensee Art Academy in Berlin.

This college is located east of Berlin and was founded in 1946, just one year after the end of the Second World War. Today the building complex is a registered building: it is a small campus, very individual and artistically designed with lots of green space and hidden corners designed by the students themselves.

In addition to sculpture, stage and costume design or visual communication, the state college of the arts curriculum also offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in fashion design. The Bachelor program takes four years. A special feature of the course is the interdisciplinary foundation year: “In the first year, students from all subject areas are taught the artistic and design fundamentals together in an interdisciplinary way and also get to know our many workshops for the first time,” Heike Selmer, Professor of Fashion Design , explained in an interview with FashionUnited. The large campus includes a total of 13 workshops. Here students learn handicraft skills such as knitting, sewing and weaving, work in computer and bookbinding studios and visit wood and metal workshops.

Artistic freedom

The Fashion Design Department is located on the third floor of the main building. From the second year onwards, the main course of study takes place there. In semesters three through eight, students work on projects, plus take intensive cutting lessons, subjects ranging from fashion illustration and CAD to materials science, as well as seminars on costume history theory and fashion sociology.

Projects are extended over one semester and have an overarching theme. In recent years, for example, the theme has been “Luxury” or “Sustainability and Craft”, says Selmer. Given the overarching theme, students are encouraged to be very independent in designing their projects: “The project themes we choose are free and serve as inspiration. Students decide for themselves how to use this input,” explains Selmer , “At Weissensee you have the opportunity to work very artistic and free – there are few boundaries and we try to make a lot of things possible.”

Students are also free to choose the topic of their thesis. As a rule, a graduate design collection consists of around 6 outfits for undergraduate and final year students also writing theory papers. Selmer emphasizes that “students set individual priorities. So the final project includes everything from a bag collection to an embroidered work to a loosely wrapped collection.

“Our job is to recognize the potential of students, encourage it and equip them with as many tools as possible to help them succeed professionally in the end,” said the professor. Once a year, all students have the opportunity to showcase their creative work. The school has a big fashion show in which all classes participate. At this event, Weissensee graduates not only presented their final collections, but also gave them the opportunity to showcase their other work.

Last year, two students from the Weissensee Academy of Arts won prizes at the Fash European Fashion Award in the Undergraduate category. Idan Yoav took first place with his graduation collection “Nomads for love”. Her partner, Lihi Mende, came in second with her collection “The Space”.

Interest as a driving force

As with many fashion design courses, portfolio is key when applying to the Weissensee Art Academy. The application process begins with an online application. Then, shortlisted applicants are asked to submit a portfolio. About 50 students proceed to the next round of applications where they must take an aptitude test.

“What we want to see is, of course, ideas and creativity, interest and good energy. Interest in doing art, interest in fashion,” said Selmer, looking through the submitted portfolio. Those selected are lucky enough to come to an art academy for an aptitude test – or aptitude week to be more precise. There, “every day one or two new assignments awaited applicants,” Selmer explained. Tasks cover a wide range of fields. In addition, each person invited conducts a personal interview with the application committee. Selmer cites interest as the most important quality an applicant should bring with him: “I think that’s the engine that helps to make the most of this course of study”.

Fashion joy

The Bachelor of Fashion Design “is intended to enable students to pursue qualified professional activities in various fields of fashion and to develop their own creative position and design identity. The degree program promotes the personality of an independent designer according to design, aesthetic, social and ecological criteria,” says the website art academy. But how is this put into practice? “For one thing, we offer students intensive professional input to accompany projects, exploring topics such as sustainability, for example, and practicing different types of design and working in teams,” says Selmer. “Most importantly, we give students the freedom to bring up individual topics and provide a breeding ground for their own ideas to grow.”

After graduation, all the doors of the fashion world are open for graduates. However, many go on to study directly in Master’s programs, especially if they plan to find their own label later, said the professor. Brands founded by alumni of the Weiensee Academy of Arts include Michael Sontag and Perret Schaad. Masters student Laura Gerte has also ventured into the German fashion industry and is showing her collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Berlin 2022 in the German capital.

Video: MBFW.berlin via YouTube

“I think what they all have in common is a great curiosity and a strong will, a drive to explore and enjoy fashion. And maybe also the hope to do something better,” Selmer concluded.