Helen Eisen - AMD Akademie Mode & Design

Perfect Human – AMD Akademie Mode & Design

ABOUT ME:

Hi, I am Helen, 23 years old and finished my Bachelor Degree in Fashion Design in February 2022 at AMD, Berlin. For me, it was important that my work is in the context of my generation‘s experience of the world, but also to have a personal connection.Therefore, I address social issues in my collections to show more vulnerability and create awareness.I am a free spirit with a big heart who likes to paint over the edge.

I am full of big, crazy ideas. As a next step, I can‘t wait to start my fashion design master‘s degree at Kunsthochschule Weißensee in Berlin. I am very enthusiastic about making new experiences, collecting insights from inspiring people and am looking forward to learning and growing from new challenges.

ABOUT MY BACHELOR COLLECTION:

The title “Perfect Human“ of my Bachelor Collection is intended to show the supposedly irreconcilable contradiction between both. No one can be perfect and no one should be. In today’s society, full of performance pressure and need for self-improvement, there is apparently no room for the actually imperfect nature of humans. But we have to get rid of this notion and redefine perfection. Our imperfections make us unique and individually beautiful. Therefore, this collection is celebrating humanity in its contradictions, in its vulnerability and in all its strengths and weaknesses.

I have created six signature looks in which these two worlds meet and become an empowering symbiosis. The collection shows the beauty of imperfection. For me, it was important that my topic is in the context of my generation‘s experience of the world, but also to have a personal connection. We are permanently surrounded by social media, suggesting self-optimization and pressure to perform ideally on a daily basis. I myself also tend towards perfectionism. That is why I often struggle with self-doubt. I have the feeling that I have to constantly outperform myself, to meet expectations and always have to get even better without making any mistakes.

This was a constant companion within my studies in the last few years. This is why the collection aims to show the constant struggle between the urge for perfection, and reality which looks so different. With the collection I created something imperfect, that is still worth of love. So take a closer look and discover the beauty of imperfection. Two main inspirations served. First the dragonfly with its fascinating wings and body structures. Perfect and beautiful at first sight, individual and imperfect at second glance. Second the text by Byung Chul Han “Ästhetik des Glatten“. He describes a world shaped by consumption. Everything has to be smooth and perfect so that it can be consumed as quickly and easily as possible. There is no time for reflection, mistakes or even thinking.

But in doing so, we lose real humanity with all its facets and complexity. The outfits do not push for artificial perfection, but illustrate the imperfection of being human. As for materials, sustainability plays a major role. Which is why only pre-existing fabrics have been used. Goal here was, to work out their unique and special characters with different types of material manipulation as for example laser cutting, pouring and modeling of epoxy resin, torn and unprocessed fabric and upcyling. Through this process, the history and past of the fabrics with all their traces, old seams, tears and bumps merge into the collection. In contrast, there are also artificial, flawless fabrics such as vinyl or lace. All of the fabrics that have been chosen are leftovers from large productions or upcycled from already existing clothes.

Credits Fotos – MODELS: HENRIETTE AUE, AYLEEN TUNCER, INES GÄRTNER FOTOS/DESIGNER: HELEN EISEN