Fabienne Förster - Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin

Wool – A Sustainable Material for Fashion and a Sentimental Connection to Childhood Memories – Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin

Inspired by childhood memories of summer holidays in rural northern Germany, this master’s collection explores wool as both a sustainable material for fashion and a personal connection to the past. The project is rooted in Tielenhemme, a small village in Schleswig-Holstein, defined by quiet landscapes, open fields, grazing sheep, and a sense of calm – a place where the designer spent many summers with her family and first taught herself to knit, laying the foundation for her passion for knitwear design.

The collection is made primarily from 100% merino wool, generously sponsored by Südwolle. Its colour palette reflects the surrounding landscape – fields, meadows, water, and sky – translating these impressions into soft, tactile garments that evoke comfort and familiarity. Most pieces are reversible, offering different colour options and multiple ways of wearing them. This adaptability is extended through a modular wool coat, which can be worn as a jacket, vest, or skirt.

Using fully fashioned knitting techniques, the garments are shaped directly during the knitting process, minimising material waste. Two pieces are seamlessly knitted using Whole Garment technology, whilst others were produced on manual knitting machines or by hand – bridging tradition and innovation. The collection is complemented by sensory and nostalgic elements: a knitted massage corset for relaxation, a grass-inspired bag, and a bag made from old photographic negatives, connecting past and present through material and memory.

As a qualified ladies’ tailor, Fabienne Foerster combines a deep passion for craftsmanship with a commitment to sustainable fashion. Even whilst studying for her bachelor’s degree, she focused intensively on knitwear design and modular fashion, with sustainability always forming the basis of her work. She further developed these areas of specialisation during her master’s degree. Wherever possible, she works with zero-waste patterns as well as surplus and second-hand materials. As knitwear design lends itself particularly well to the efficient use of materials, it formed the conceptual and technical basis of her Master’s collection.

Fotograf*in: Cornelius von Haugwitz  @cornelius.hwtz

Model: Anna von Rueden  @annavonrueden

Model: Joelle Mahano  @joellemahano (seeds munich)

Model: Kassandra Dreflak  @kassy_dre (seeds munich)

Model: Sarah Addy  @officialeleya (seeds munich)

Styling: Layla Assmy  @milkyk1ss

Fotografie-Assistenz: Tilman Seelenmeyer  @tilmanse