Designer Annika Geissberger created a striking fashion collection embellished with blooms she hand-drew and painted on fabrics, or hand-cut and sewed to the garments. The recent college graduate talks about her moving—and sometimes funny—experiences while making her award-winning collection in Episode 79 of Sewing With Threads. See some images of the collection in this podcast, too.
Annika’s designs and workmanship earned her the 2024 Threads magazine award to a Marist College student for Outstanding Garment Construction. Read more about her collection here.
Inspired by Poetry
During the podcast, Annika shares two of the many nature-themed poems written by her late grandmother, Charlotte Schmid, that inspired the “Bloom” collection.
The first, “Moss Life,” led Annika to design and sew her showpiece, an oversized, bloom-embellished, kimono-style cashmere coat.
Features Galore
The collection’s many other features include detailed hand painting on sheer silk chiffon and silk organza. All of the garments were meticulously sewn, and Annika explains how she achieved her professional-level finishing.
Color-Changing Garments
Then there was Annika’s use of dyes that made her garments change color in the sunlight. She describes the unusual process she went through to acquire and then apply dyes before facing the challenge of showing them off on the runway.
“When you walk outside, there is a beautiful switch,” she says. “It is so magical and so fun—it happens almost instantly. On the runway, that obviously won’t happen without some sort of light.”
And so began her search for portable ultraviolet lights that would create the color change when presenting the collection at the Marist College SNR (Silver Needle Runway) 38 show. Listen in to find out how she handled this issue and what was the final solution.
You can also find out more about this aspiring creative director’s designs here: @annika.may.designs.
This episode’s sponsor:
We must tell everyone about the trip we are planning and inviting you, our Threads audience, to take with us October 5 through 14, 2024. We’ve put together an exclusive tour to the Netherlands to visit textile ateliers, museums, and fabric shops. As the main event, we’ve arranged a three-day workshop with Saskia ter Welle of the Dutch Couture Academy. She’ll give Threads travelers in-depth instruction in draping on a half-scale form, along with couture embellishment techniques. The trip is packed with activities that are sure to inspire you.
To find out more about the Travel with Threads Netherlands Tour, go to Tours.ThreadsMagazine.com. The group is limited to 20 participants so reserve your space now.
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