In winning the Humanity in Fashion Award, what began as a project for her fashion design studies in Bielefeld ended as a graduation in its own right. “I still can’t really grasp it,” rejoiced Sandra Goldmann, 2012 winner, after the award ceremony at the Berlin Bauakademie.

Her concept, that which won over the jury, is named “Hinschauen” (Behold). The name may be taken quite literally – spellbound, I gazed at the exhibition behind glass, in which Sandra created a vision from textile dyeing techniques. She placed the focus of her concept squarely upon that vision, which she had already researched deeply during her studies, pouring over literature, experimenting with fabrics and colors.

The exhibition gives the relationships between cloth, color and the clothed human being a fascinating clarity. A secondhand dress is sewn to a canvas and sprayed with deep blue dye. The dye drips downward to collect in a vat, where it is pumped back up and sprayed upon the dress once again. The uncolored dress becomes steadily deeper and darker blue – a process which takes time, gradually giving the surface of the textile its character. “It’ll be interesting to see what it looks like by Friday evening,” mused the 2012 HIFA winner. Clothing was brought to life in video clips projected upon wooden screens, using color and a model suddenly adorned in trousers, sweaters and dresses. Healthy, modern clothing for human skin, for human bodies – that is an essential function of clothing, and of fashion.

Sandra had finished half of her sample collection when she saw the Humanity in Fashion Award advertised at her college in Bielefeld. The decision to apply for HIFA came quickly: “My studies and research project simply fit the topic,” remembers Sandra. The exciting task ahead is to interpret her creative concept into a Capsule Collection together with hessnatur. “What’s important to me is that the essential idea behind my work, namely ecological dyeing and transparent, sustainable production is not lost,” emphasized the HIFA laureate. “But then again, I really don’t have to worry about that at hessnatur.”

Photos: Marcus Schneider, Silke Weinsheimer

I’m back at my desk again in Butzbach. But after an eventful day in Berlin at the presentation of the Humanity in Fashion Award (HIFA) to Sandra Goldmann, I still find myself reeling with inspiration at all the great impressions. From the setting of the Berlin Bauakademie, with its interior dressed out for the presentation with a play of lights and colors, greenery and warm wood furniture for a cozy, homey feel, to the compositions of the three finalists Agne Biskyte, Willem Gremliza and winner Sandra Goldmann, which could not have been more diverse.

It was consequently no easy matter for the jury – comprised of Susanne Gundlach (Fashion Director of Germany’s largest women’s magazine Brigitte), Prof. Stephan Schneider (Berlin University of the Arts), Dr. Alfons Kaiser (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), Dr. Stefanie Schütte (German Press Agency) and Designer Miguel Adrover – choosing a winner amongst the three finalists, jury member Kaiser stressed. It was an equally difficult task last year, narrowing the myriad of excellent submissions down to just a handful of HIFA finalists. Unique concepts were expected to be demonstrated by the three finalists – real “fashion treats”.

The knitted dress created by knitwear designer Agne Biskyte, with its capacity to be worn in several different ways for a multitude of varying occasions, emphasized an important aspect of sustainability according to the jury’s appraisal. A historic reference into the 1920s was well recieved.

Willem Gremliza sees fashion as an interface between nature and the human body. He captivates through “glamorous drafts”. He doesn’t want to create beautiful clothing just for 30 year olds, but also for 60 year olds – to give voice to his conviction “…that you can be sexy when you’re older, too.” The jury’s verdict: “Regal and authentic,” with an eye on Gremliza’s handling of fashion and physique.

Sandra Goldmann enchants clothing with ecological dyeing techniques into “…the most beautiful and wildest of patterns”. The jury recognized references to designer Alexander McQueen in the “very experimental exhibition,” which was even described by jury member Dr. Stefanie Schneider-Schütte as “substantialist”.
The jury was particularly drawn to the fact that Goldmann pursued the question of how fashions are created in general, thereby casting a critical eye on the production processes of the textile industry. At just 25 years old, the young student played “…masterfully with references, without depending upon them.” With her concept “Behold”, she succeeded in creating the “decisive twist” which won her the 2012 HIFA baton. Her extensive and diverse collection was seen by the jury as a foundation for many successful opportunities in a market for sustainable fashion. Her prize: funding to the tune of 25,000 Euro and a Women’s Capsule Collection for hessnatur which will appear in 2013.

Humanity in Fashion Award’s symbolic baton was passed on to Sandra Goldmann by hessnatur CEO Wolf Lüdge. He encouraged the three finalists, all of them holding compelling ideas for the world of fashion, to “…blaze new trails – and blaze them where the way is not necessarily easy. My advice to you: Do that which is not expected of you.” Because fashion needs genuine role models again, “…who are credible, who engage.” True beauty lies in the balance between trend driven fashion and sustainability – which is not only a matter of toxic free clothing, harmless to humans, but also a matter of aesthetics, design, and utility. Wolf Lüdge: “Fashion is there to serve people, to follow its nature – not the other way around.”

Images: Marcus Schneider, Silke Weinsheimer, Michael Krause

A great big round of applause for Sandra Goldmann: The 25 year old fashion student from Bielefeld won the Humanity in Fashion Award jury over with her collection and presentation “Hinschauen” (Behold), which centered around ecological dying processes.

The decision was anything but easy for the jury according to Dr. Alfons Kaiser from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Ultimately, the “comprehensive and very diverse collection” of Sandra Goldmann tipped the scales with its critical reflection upon the production processes of clothing.

As an inspiration to further ideas in sustainable design, hessnatur CEO Wolf Lüdge passed on the Humanity in Fashion Award’s symbolic baton to the joyfully radiant and somewhat stunned winner. Sandra Goldmann will develop a Women’s Capsule Collection for hessnatur, which will appear next year.

Hi! My name is Nora Diesner. This time last year I was pregnant with my baby boy, Jonas. And while I was pregnant, I took the opportunity (together with Jonas, of course) to test hessnatur’s maternity clothes for their German blog. Since then, Jonas has taken the lead, creating an urgent need to test things like diapers and the baby collection. But I thought it was a shame not to share such a great opportunity with hessnatur’s American readers, so I’ve decided to post my not-so-scientific evaluations here on the English blog, in the same order I first wrote them last year. So, without further ado, off we go again- I do hope you enjoy them…!

… let’s get started!

I’ve been connected with hessnatur for quite some time, now. It’s my mom’s fault. She has always been a fan of eco-fashion, and when I was a kid, she dressed me accordingly. During puberty, of course, I just smirked at the “healthy clothes”, but nowadays I realize what the term “eco” really has to offer. I was confronted with a few of the negative sides of the textile world during a stay in India, and began looking into the issue of clothing in earnest after that. I’m a seamstress now, and find myself right in the middle of further training as an apparel production specialist.

In September I wanted to fly to Peru as a hessnatur ambassador. But after finding out that I was pregnant in August, I canceled the trip and began concentrating my full attention on that little someone in my tummy. After all, it’s a bit of shock when you suddenly realize how much of your life is going to change in the very near future. Like for instance, your own body!

I had already been warned: Especially in a colder season, there’s a lot to bear in mind if you’re pregnant. At some point or another, your pants won’t fit. And then your tops get too tight and too short, and everything just gets all pinchy. And then along comes Old Man Winter, and you need something warm to wrap up in, and loose boots to slip into, because your belly’s too fat to tie your shoe laces …

I’m about at the “too tight/too short/too pinchy” stage, which puts me in a shopping mood. But because I consider myself a highly critical consumer, most brands don’t have it easy with me. Each and every flaw is brought to light, and every detail scrutinized. Finding something that suits me 100% borders on a miracle.

Each month, I’ll be receiving a few articles from the baby collection, which I will then test for function and features for as long as I use them, and report my experiences to you here in the blog.

We’ll start with the first test report soon, when I’ll be putting my first order through its paces: organic cotton jeans, a “Feinstrumpfhose“, and an organic cotton maternity bra (click the links to check ‘em out in the hessnatur online shop).

Recently, we introduced the idea here in our blog that natural fibers are also functional fibers. After presenting certified organic wool fleece as an establishing argument, I’d like to put a long standing, traditional fabric forward as a further example, namely boiled wool.

Boiled wool is knitted sheep’s wool, which is then fulled in hot, soapy water. By pulling and kneading it through the combination of heat, water, and soap, fulling alters the knitted structure of the fabric, matting the wool fibers together in a thick felt.

Just like wool fleece, boiled wool creates a textile which is relatively lightweight, but still very warm and wind resistant. And all that without a single synthetic fiber. In our latest Fall/Winter catalog, for instance, we have this virgin wool jacket made of boiled wool. I’ve already had the jacket in service for several weeks, and have found it to be an excellent companion for those cooling temperatures in the Fall. I find the high and wide cut collar especially practical, easily accommodating a scarf underneath it for those extra cold walks.

We also have an attractive boiled wool product in our women’s collection, namely the boiled wool parka from Eviana Hartman’s collection.