The fashion designer ClaudiaSkoda and her friend FriedavonWild discuss the creative spirit that emerged on both sides of the Berlin Wall.
Ulrike Ottinger, Ohne Titel ,Silbergelatine-Vintageprint, ca. 1977/78, © Ulrike Ottinger.
The two designers worked less than two miles apart and possessed strikingly similar approaches to design—in their knitting techniques and interest in pushing the boundaries of gender and beauty standards—but neither knew of the other’s existence. In 1989, shortly before the Berlin Wall’s dismantling, the two designers met at last—when von Wild secured a Western passport and an apprenticeship in Skoda’s studio.
BALSTER: Back then, the GDR imposed strict bans on traveling and consuming Western media and music. Were you jealous of the world beyond the Wall? Did you know of each other’s underground scenes? VON WILD: A few of us already lived in West Berlin. But yes, the rest had to be back in the East by twelve.
VON WILD: Some things are just in the air and if you are attuned, you just sense that stuff. We were like sponges, absorbing all that. VON WILD: Yes, I always underline that as well. There was definitely some kind of relation to the West in there, but it was its own thing at the same time. When we did our first show, I was incredibly nervous, because we also all walked in it. We walked on tables, chairs, and a bit on the floor. That made me more nervous than presenting a sweater I knitted.
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