Julia Seemann

Who: The fashion designer Julia Seemann dedicates her work to the ingenious rediscovery of past subcultures. Each of her collections reinterprets the creativity of these festive styles, introducing history into fashion in an original way.

When: After being invited by the chief editor of Vogue Germany to show at Vogue Salon 2018 during Fashion Week Berlin, Julia Seemann presents her new spring/summer 2019 collection. “Non Stop Trance” pays tribute to the clashing styles of early rave culture in the 1990s.

Where: Since Seemann won the New York-based VFILES fashion platform contest in 2015, her work has been featured in magazines such as Metal Magazine, WWD, i-D Germany, Numéro, Vogue, Oyster and Dazed & Confused, and her clients include R&B star Kehlani, reality star Kim Kardashian and the rapper Yung Hurn.

What: “Non Stop Trance” draws together a whole bunch of references from rave culture, ranging from the psychedelic Manchester club scene to the trance music legend Goa Gil from San Francisco and today’s still active Belgian record label Bonzai Records, whose energising passion for music over financial success greatly inspired Seemann.

It was an inspiration that prompted Seemann to launch Body Sensations, a party series in Berlin and Zurich, celebrating and translating references from rave culture into contemporary electronic music.

Since showing at the Vogue Talents X Swarovski event in Palazzo Morando during Milan Fashion Week 2017, and the Vogue X Swarovski exhibition in 2018 at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin, Seemann has continued her collaboration with Swarovski through all the outfits ornamented with beads and strass. Together with large prints inspired by party flyers and bright colours, they offer a contrast to the range of classical fabrics used for the garments, such as denim, jersey, flannel and Madras.

Why: Julia Seemann’s designs offer a playful and celebratory view of fashion’s history that reminds us of the joyful and engaged origins embedded in the making of fashion.