Berlin. Swiss designer Julia Seemann showed her new 2017 autumn/winter collection at DER BERLINER MODE SALON, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz and ELLE as part of their commitment to promote young talent. Julia Seemann showcased expressive designs, created in collaboration with graphic designer Vaughan Oliver as an homage to the 80s Dark Wave band Xmal Deutschland. The show also featured a live performance by the Berlin Techno Body Music duo Schwefelgelb. In addition to international experts in the field, guests included celebrities such as Franziska Knuppe-Möstl, Anne-Catrin Märzke, Dorka Gryllus, Sami Slimani, Yung Hurn and Anja Huwe, former lead singer of Xmal Deutschland.

Much of the 2017 autumn/winter collection features oversized silhouettes, juxtaposed with rhinestone jewellery and tight stretch jersey dresses in mythological prints. Julia Seemann combines geometrical and minimalist elements with subcultural and nostalgic influences in her signature way, taking elements from classic work clothes and everyday wear and placing them into a new context using volume, colour, materials, prints and embroidery. This is expressed through wide shoulders, large outside pockets, elongated coats and jackets and exaggerated waists.

The collection was inspired by the 80s Dark Wave band Xmal Deutschland from Hamburg. With that in mind, Julia Seemann joined forces with the British designer Vaughan Oliver, considered one of the most influential graphic designers in the independent music scene and who designed album covers for bands like the Pixies, the Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, Lush, and of course Xmal Deutschland in the 80s and 90s. The art of Vaughan Oliver influences the collection designs through prints and embroidery.

CATRICE and Wella created the models’ punk looks. The Berlin Techno Body Music duo Schwefelgelb, whose songs also reflect the influences of Dark Wave, EBM and punk, was on hand to provide a musical background befitting the style. The runway show was accompanied by their hard, driving beats and a live performance, which is always an essential part of the Schwefelgelb appearances.

“Julia Seemann’s show was a further milestone in our long-standing collaboration with ELLE in the promotion of young talent,” explained Michael Bock, Head of Sports & Lifestyle Marketing for Mercedes-Benz Cars. “Julia Seemann has made her mark with her designs as well as her interdisciplinary productions. We are pleased to present her show at DER BERLINER MODE SALON this season, an ideal platform for such an extraordinary show."

Julia Seemann lives and works in Zurich. She concluded her bachelor’s studies at the Institute of Fashion Design, Basel, in February 2014 and worked in London with Vivienne Westwood and Meadham Kirchhoff. In early 2015, Julia Seemann was selected as a winner by the New Yorker fashion platform VFiles and showed her master’s project at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York. The following day, pop star Rihanna was sporting one of her runway looks. 

Every season, Mercedes-Benz and ELLE present a talented up-and-coming designer at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. Both brands are dedicated to promoting emerging designers. For Mercedes-Benz, this cooperation in Berlin is part of its International Designer Exchange Program, which has supported young designers breaking into the international fashion markets since 2009.

With 46 international editions published in over 90 countries, ELLE is one of the world’s largest and best-known media brands and Germany’s best-selling high-end fashion magazine. The fashion magazine demonstrates its exceptional fashion expertise through its remarkable instinct for discovering talented designers.

Photos of Julia Seemann’s show are available to download at the following link: www.mercedes-benz.com/fashion-newsroom.

An exclusive look behind the scenes of the Mercedes-Benz fashion project can be found on social media channels: Instagram: @mbfw and Twitter, Snapchat, Periscope: @mbfwofficial