Sanja Annika Meister - Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin

Umweltschmerz – Eine Modekollektion über das Paradoxon der Modeindustrie – Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin

ENVIRONMENTAL GRIEF – Noun, masculine

The emotional suffering caused by the ecological and social impacts of the fashion industry – from environmental pollution and resource waste to exploitation and overconsumption.

Environmental grief describes an endless emotional cycle that arises when engaging with fashion and its industry, leading to an awareness of its ecological dark sides. Fashion is a paradox: no longer merely an expression of creativity or individuality, but a complex and contradictory system deeply entangled with environmentally destructive processes and social injustices.

Resource consumption and CO₂ emissions are immense. The fast-fashion industry uses nearly 141 billion cubic metres of water per year – equivalent to the annual drinking water demand of approximately 143 billion people.

The collection translates the feeling of environmental grief into a visual language of fashion. During the research and theoretical exploration, a cycle of emotions emerged, which led to the analogy of a chess game: a system with clearly defined roles that reflects the structure of the fashion industry. King = Capitalism | Queen = Overconsumption | Bishop = Producers | Knight = Designers and creative directors | Rook = Fashion corporations | Pawn = Consumers and production workers. The collection combines streetwear with couture elements and follows a sustainable approach through the creative reuse of existing materials.

As a fashion designer, my creative practice engages with the tension between aesthetics, consumption, and responsibility within the fashion industry. In my graduate collection „Umweltschmerz“ („Environmental Grief“), I combine experimental silhouettes with collected, repurposed materials and emotionally charged narratives to illuminate themes of environmental destruction, overconsumption, and the inherent contradictions of fashion. In doing so, I navigate the intersection of sustainable design, artistic research, and questions of accountability. I understand clothing not merely as a product, but as a carrier of meaning, memory, and social stance. Through the combination of material experimentation, tailoring craft, and conceptual work, I seek to make the ambivalences of the fashion industry tangible and to open up new perspectives.

CREDITS – SHOOTING-TEAM

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