Vienna may seem the perennial underdog to the couture juggernauts Milan and Paris, but it certainly doesn’t lack in flair: countless young, exciting designers are pioneering unique and forward-thinking concepts worth keeping an eye on. With MQ Vienna Fashion Week on the horizon, we take a peek at these 5 up-and-coming names that are rapidly putting the city on the global style map.
Jana Wieland
Both a fashion model and a designer, the Austrian-born Jana Wieland’s collections radiate a striking, clean and effortlessly elegant look. Described by Wieland as “strongly sculptural and agile,” sustainability is at the core of her philosophy, with each piece of her latest collection expertly handcrafted with locally sourced fabrics. A graduate of the University of Arts and Design in Vienna, Wieland cut her teeth at London’s MARQUES’ALMEIDA and ACNE Studios in Stockholm, before founding her own label in 2016.
Ferrari Zöchling
This ambitious label manufactures all of its clothes in Austria, with most of them made on site at their flagship store on Kirchengasse. Founded in 2013 by designer Romana Zöchling, FERRARI ZÖCHLING frequently collaborates with other creatives to produce their desired look – one past collection saw photographer Severin Koller’s snapshots printed onto silk garments.
Romana will be at MQVFW! Check her out here.
Anelia Peschev
Debuting her first collection in 2009, the Viennese former model Anelia Peschev has made a name for herself with whimsical creations that emanate elegance while retaining a certain sense of humor. A regular at Vienna Fashion Week, her current Fall/Winter collection features lots of dark shades, using sophisticated materials like embroidered velvet and lace to create a chic look laced with tongue-in-cheek frivolity. She also makes liberal use of shiny material and zebra patterns this season, symbolic of “light and dark, good and evil and masculine and feminine.”
Anelia will be at MQVFW! Check her out here.
Alice Mueller and Jennifer Mory of Moto Djali
Co-founding their gender-neutral clothing brand MOTO DJALI in 2013, Müller and Mory set out with a vision of creating a unique and elegant aesthetic that breaks with tradition. Slick and striking, their work incorporates bold color blocking and minimalist patterns that “explore the relationship between opposing shapes and structures.” Ethically-sourced materials are a top priority for Moto Djali, as they strive to be as conscientiousness as possible within every aspect of their work. Discover their current collection at the Sight Store in Neubau.
House of Very Island
Challenging gender norms is currently a hot topic in the fashion industry, and collaborative designers Karin Krapfenbauer and Markus Hausleitner – known collectively as House of Very Island – are well ahead of the curve, creating avant-garde, loose-fitting unisex garments that frequently use mathematical patterns on fair-trade and ecological materials. Now featured in various Japanese concept stores as well as New York, you can find their clothes at fashion boutique Samstag in the 4th district.
