This piece appears as part of BERLIN, BERLIN — a week-long virtual celebration of creativity in the city Highsnobiety calls home. See the full series here, and shop our BERLIN, BERLIN merch here.
On Monday, we announced the eight finalists of the BERLIN, BERLIN Prize, who collectively showed the strength and depth of fashion design that Berlin has to offer.
Now, together with our panel of judges — ACRONYM founder Errolson Hugh, Mumi Haiati of Reference Studios, designer Yolanda Zobel, formally Creative Director at Courrèges, 032c’s Octavia Bürgel, Highsnobiety’s Herbert Hofmann, and Serhat Isik and Benjamin Alexander Huseby from GmbH — we’re extremely excited to announce the winner of our very first fashion prize. Congratulations, Kasia Kucharska!
Founded by Kasia Kucharska, Wanda Wollinsky, and Reiner Törner, who met while attending Berlin’s Universität der Künste, the label is known for its body-conscious clothing made of latex.
On winning the inaugural prize, the trio said: “This recognition shows us that we are on the right path with what we are doing. Berlin is our home, we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else and we’re grateful to be recognized in our hometown.”
Technology-driven, the label focuses on “finding new technologies and techniques for traditional craft.” Case in point, its latex pieces take direct inspiration from 17 and 18th-century uses of lace and aims to upgrade the practice to the modern era.
“What sets us apart is how we work with our material and our manufacturing technique,” the brand says. “Instead of working with ready-made bulk goods, where clothing is constructed and then cut generating waste, we go one step up the production chain and work with the raw material — liquid latex — and manufacture it through a self-developed digital printing technique into a final product. This gives us full control over all aspects of production as well as transparency in the supply chain. The product is printed without creating any waste material.”
“As young designers, we want to be active ambassadors of change,” the brand continues. “Creating products that undergo sustainable manufacturing processes, while still being desirable because we can only implement change if people want to own our product.”
As part of the prize, Kasia Kucharska will receive €20,000, which will be dedicated to expanding their practice, and they will also have the opportunity to be stocked on the Highsnobiety Shop, along with our global curation of brands.
Browse a selection of BERLIN, BERLIN merch below, and shop the full release here.