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Team
We Love Fashion!
About VDMD
PROFESSIONAL INDEPENDENCE
The VDMD is the strongest professional representation for fashion and textile designers in Germany. More and more, design is seen as an essential factor for the economic success of a product.
ANCHORING OUR PERFORMANCE
All activities of the association serve to better anchor design performance in politics, in the awareness of the industry, among consumers and in the social context. In addition, it is important to us to generate networks from competent advisory services and to create profound information offers externally and internally.
RECOGNITION AND APPRECIATION
Another important goal of the VDMD is to create more recognition for the profession and the creative potential of its members, their professionalism and experience among industry and trade, the media, politics and the public, and thus to strengthen the industrial creative competence of the entire textile sector.
COMPETITIVE EXCHANGE
We offer our freelance and employed designers, as well as the next generation, a wide range of services to help them and provide them with security in all questions specific to their profession, e.g. law, tax, fees, contracts, applications, costing, presentation, marketing and subsidies, as well as access to the artists’ social insurance fund. Equally important to us is a non-competitive exchange among ourselves.
MEDIATION AND COOPERATIONS
The VDMD sees itself as a mediator between the industry and designers. It promotes interdisciplinary contacts and cooperation with politics, business, culture and the media as well as with other design sectors. We are also the contact for training centres, design centres and institutions interested in design.
Work: Susan Wrschka
The Core Team
René, our man for “menswear”
René Lang
President
My motivation as president is…
…to continue to operate successfully in our homogeneous team….to establish fashion as a cultural asset in Germany….to support our network with my ideas and many years of experience and to actively represent our goals in public.
My professional competencies are…
…all about menswear….pass on my knowledge as a lecturer….think outside the box….act diplomatically and thoughtfully.
My passions…
…my family
…my job
…my voluntary tasks
…local cultural policy
…my art.
Susan, perfect for knitting and illustration
Susan Wrschka
Vice-President
My motivation as Vice-President:
“Lobbying is the voice that gets loud!” “Every force and voice consolidates our collective action.” “It’s welcome that a fresh generation is unquestioningly pushing their views on fashion, clothing, silhouettes and techniques. It needs support to do so! It is an important cultural contribution to lobby this at the VDMD.
My professional competencies are:
Internationally experienced fashion designer in leading positions, many years of professional experience in the independent textile fashion industry, lecturer at textile universities, fully comprehensive expertise in knitting technology and jersey, strong communication skills in English and German. Knitted products – jersey products. Product monitoring – briefing agencies, fashion painter and fashion illustrator.
My Passion…
My slogan: “Creative Hands on Fashion”.
My passions: full speed ahead into fashion
Our woman for fashion communication and fashion visualisation!
Christine Lipowsky-Möhler
Vice-President
My motivation as Vice-President:
– Anchoring “fashion as a cultural asset” – still a long way to go!!! – Networking – Exchange – Support
My professional competencies are:
– Fashion Communication/Fashion Visualisation
– Teaching and presentations
– Trend research/trend analysis
My passions…
… my garden … active and passive!
… my Munich DNA – also as an Augsburg resident
… my profession – still, always prefer it!
Wolfgang, has our finances firmly under control!
Wolfgang Eckstein
Treasurer
My motivation as treasurer is,…
…that the German Designers’ Association, which I founded, remains an indispensable point of contact for Germany as a fashion location as a whole.
My professional competencies are…
…decades of activity as chief executive of 7 interest groups in the fashion industry
…officially appointed and sworn expert
…legal and economic training
My passions…
…literature
…music
…art
…fashion
…sport.
Mara, fight for social justice!
Mara Michel
Managing Director
My motivation as managing director is,…
…that designers receive respect, appreciation and monetary recognition for their product innovations and works so that they can make a living from their profession.
…to develop service programmes for designers in order to promote and strengthen their contact with each other, with industry, media, associations and politics.
My professional competencies are…
…create links with politics, industry, media and associations.
…holding seminars and workshops, lectures on mega trends of the future, impulse lectures
…create concepts for the industry, trend research, future analyses, social research
…writing articles as a journalist, teaching at textile universities
My Passion…
…my husband, our three children and our animal roommates.
…reading a lot, reflecting and developing.
…lobbying in politics for social justice, for art and design
…my company .futurize, dietrendagentur
Regine, the rock in the surf!
Dr. Regine Blättler
Assistance to the management
My motivation as an executive assistant is:
– Pulling together with the management team
– Finding joint solutions to problems
– Always be there at 150 % when things are burning – what counts is the result.
My professional competencies are:
Doctorate in natural science, additional qualification as office manager and marketing assistant.
Meticulousness, commitment and loyalty to the employer are a matter of course for me.
My passions…
… are reading, mountain climbing, photography, my two parakeets and my garden.
Gerd, always a helping hand!
Gerd Ritzau
Social Media Officer
My motivation at VDMD is:
I have realised that without a central contact point, German designers will sink in the shark tank of fashion and have no future.
For this reason, I have been working for the VDMD for 9 years now and will continue to use my energy to help implement the goals of the VDMD.
My professional competencies are…
…IT skills, membership administration, as well as trade fair set-up/dismantling and supervision
My passions…
…testing software from different game design studios.
…Local Area Role Play – LARP for short, either in the gothic/steampunk or medieval area with fantasy touches, reading novels set in the above-mentioned genres.
COMMUNITY.AREA.MANAGERS
Claudia, the power in the North!
Claudia Hagn
Community.Area.Manager North (Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein & Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania)
“Today I’m going to introduce you to the needle in the haystack: me and my qualifications. If you are looking for professional support from a specialist, my CV will convince you.
I am a textile designer & technician for woven fabrics: Jacquard and dobby weaves. After successfully graduating from the textile school in Münchberg, I worked for numerous well-known companies worldwide to expand my knowledge. Through my own brand development, which I was able to successfully place with well-known retailers in Germany and Austria, and through the position of General Manager Europe Sales in an Indian company, I am also a professional in the areas of marketing and sales.”
Katrin, sustainability in the East!
Katrin Dauer
Community.Area.Manager East (Saxony, Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt & Thuringia)
“I am Katrin, the founder and designer of Biostoffe Berlin by Julie Cocon. I am fascinated by surfaces, textures, colours and images. I am inspired by the diversity of cultures, by nature in its playful variety of forms, by craft techniques and I love photography. photography. My fabric patterns tell of my fascination, love and enthusiasm.
Even as a child I loved braiding, weaving, knitting and painting. I am fascinated by the fact that you can create a variety of woven and knitted fabrics from a wide range of yarns and knits. can be produced from yarns and knitting. And so it led me quite naturally to my studying textile design. This is where the idea for my own label was born. To this day, Julie Cocon stands for timeless patterns with playful details that stay in your memory.
After working for some time, I realised that beautiful design alone was not enough for me. My love of nature demanded that I combine my textile design with high-quality organic fabrics that are produced sustainably and cleanly. That’s how Biostoffe-Berlin was born.”
Wenke, knitting know-how in the East!!
Wenke Müller
Community.Area.Manager East (Saxony, Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt & Thuringia)
She knitted her very first pink jumper for dolls at the tender age of eleven. At that time, she resolved to one day design knitwear herself and master all the intricacies of knitting and labelling.
After studying to become a fashion designer, Wenke Müller spent several years in the premium fashion industry, which introduced her to the world of industrial knitwear. On long winter evenings in Ticino, she back to hand knitting, where she mainly focussed on baby knitting.
With her two children, who arrived soon after each other, she was able to wear many of the designs from her first book Test. However, as mums (and non-mums) also love cosy winter clothes, the designer got straight down to work on her second book for women’s accessories, which was also published in 2018.
And because she really enjoys writing books, her third book was published in February 2020! It features cosy top-down knitted Icelandic jumpers with matching accessories for women – and men too! In addition to her own knitwear designs, she works for various handicraft publishers and develops collections for children and women.
Ulrike, software solutions in the East!!
Ulrike Strenge
Community.Area.Manager East (Saxony, Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt & Thuringia)
CDS-Design & Software Vertriebs GmbH was founded in 1998 by Ulrike and Onno Strenge in Osnabrück. The company relocated to Berlin in 2001.
The programmes are produced by internationally active and renowned companies. In addition to sales activities, Ulrike Strenge offers design services, software consulting, hotline and update service.
Ulrike says:
“As a graduate fashion designer, I worked for over 15 years as a permanent employee and freelancer for the textile and clothing industry. The software programmes have always made my work easier, safer and better. and better. Choosing the right and affordable programmes for your own work affordable programmes is certainly not easy – that’s why I offer you carefully tested and approved software.”
Andel, trend scouting in the South!!
Andel Konrad
Community.Area.Manager South (Bavaria & Baden-Wuerttemberg)
She completed her training as a textile designer at the German Master School for Fashion in Munich. Since then, she has worked as a freelance textile, fashion and knitwear designer for various well-known manufacturers such as Gerry Weber, Codello, Wéspa, Frapp and Di Bari. She has been working for Lana Grossa since autumn 2019.
Thanks to her many years of experience as a trend scout, she always knows the latest developments in the fashion world and offers stylish and modern ideas.
Since 2019, she has also been working with the drawing meditation technique “Zentangle” and has a Zentangle Teacher Training (trained by Conzentric GbR), with which she offers workshops & courses, such as at the adult education centre in Ulm.
Heike, textile design in the West!
Heike Kobusch
Community.Area.Manager West (North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland & Hesse)
As a qualified designer with many years of professional experience, I develop designs for renowned international companies in the textile, fashion, interior and stationery industries.
I create mood boards including trend consulting, define Pantone colours and create series for major customers and mail order companies.
Complete product design including colours, patterns, materials and shapes and am part of the VDMD trend research team.
I work with renewable materials and won the 2018 Material Award and the German Federal Eco-Design Award with a new floor covering “PAPRFLOOR” received.
I regularly have art exhibitions in galleries, the motifs can be found on products from international manufacturers.
I teach art and cultural history and design theory as a guest lecturer.
I am currently developing an exclusive “LIVING IN OWL” collection with different products.
Stefanie, fashion & print design in the West!
Stefanie Frey-Busch
Community.Area.Manager West (North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland & Hesse)
“Modern design consists of creativity, sustainability, individuality, market orientation, perfect fit, zeitgeist & joy”.
Since 2010 I have been self-employed with DESIGN&KONZEPT – Fashion & Print Design as a freelance designer, especially WOMEN for woven, jersey, knit & prints.
Meanwhile with more than 25 years of professional experience in design.
In addition to creativity & enthusiasm for fashion & prints, my strengths lie in a good sense for colours, trends & shapes.
With many years of experience and expertise, I accompany, support and advise companies and their teams in the creation and realisation of customer- and market-oriented collections, styles and print templates.
Since 2012 I have been increasingly working for the sustainable ecofashion & fairwear market.
In my portfolio I offer: trend research, collection framework planning, colour theme concepts and / or, material selection, technical model sketches, tech packs, sample assessments, up to production maturity & customer-specific fit optimisation.
The all-round carefree package also includes – depending on the customer’s wishes – preparation, support and cooperation in photo shoots and catalogue productions.
PRESIDIUIMS.COUNCIL
Ulrike, our partner in Düsseldorf!
Ulrike Kähler
Managing Director Igedo Exhibitions
She is responsible for the organisation and realisation of the Düsseldorf trade fair platforms FASHN ROOMS and SHOES DÜSSELDORF as well as Neonyt Düsseldorf licensed by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, which successfully takes place parallel to FASHN ROOMS at the Areal Böhler.
As Managing Director of Igedo Exhibitions, she puts her heart and soul into the successful further development of the trade fair formats. With authenticity and creativity, she is committed to the preservation and further development of Düsseldorf as a fashion location.
She has also been a board member of Fashion Net Düsseldorf e.V. since August 2023.
She sees her job not as work but as a vocation.
Toni, our expert for the digitisation of woven and knitted fabrics!
Antoine Doubacis
Member of the VDMD Trend Research Team, Managing Director of Patternclub design source UG
Woven and knitted fabrics are our expertise
Since my training in 1988 at a silk weaving mill in Krefeld, I have been involved in the development and digitalisation of fabric production.
Since August 2010, I have been running an innovative textile studio based in Krefeld, specialising in the development, creation and visualisation of digital woven and knitted fabrics.
We create photorealistic designs on screen for our customers for their collection sampling. The data can then be passed on for production.
The data we use is based on yarn and machine parameters for the real production process.
The result is woven or knitted fabrics that look as real as if they were actually woven or knitted. With our programming, colour combinations can also be easily displayed on the screen with just a few clicks. Without even a weaving or knitting machine having to work!
“The visualisation of fabrics is the basis for a functioning digitalisation strategy.”
Once the pattern selection has been made on the screen, the data can be used to create the real pattern samples on the weaving or knitting machine. The high degree of correspondence between the screen and the real textile is always amazing!
For over 30 years, I have been working with employees and partners, I have been using our expertise in the of patterns, according to the production data and realisation of the patterning to the desired qualities, to create production data for the Jacquard and dobby weaving as well as the visualisation of woven and knitted fabrics for your samples.