Traces: Fashion & Migration

Innovation and Changing Styles — Fashions have always also been reflections of issues in society. Migration is a more topical, volatile, and controversial issue right now than it has been in a long time. Cultural diversity is embraced when it comes to musical, linguistic, or culinary influences. Critics devote ample space to celebrating the success of renowned international fashion designers – Haider Ackermann, Azzedine Alaïa, Yohji Yamamoto, and others – who hail from far-flung places. Contemporary fashion design in Germany is a different matter.

This book, the result of a research project at the AMD Academy of Fashion and Design in Berlin, portrays and visualizes the enormous positive influence migration has had on contemporary fashion in Germany and around the world. Olga Blumhardt and Prof. Antje Drinkuth, who specialize in fashion journalism and design, and the well-known graphic and communication designer Mario Lombardo seek to highlight what may seem obvious: fashion with a migrant background enriches our culture and opens novel perspectives. With contributions by Burcu Dogramaci, Jan Kedves, Jina Khayyer, and Mahret Kupka and photographs by Horst Diekgerdes, Benjamin Alexander Huseby, Katja Rahlwes, and others.