Fashion Designer Anne Gorke – The Entrepreneur

Anne Gorke – that’s the designer of the eponymous “fair-trade” fashion label from Germany. Anne attaches great importance to elegance, functionality and sustainability in her collections. Her fashion is made from ecologically sound fabrics and exudes an elegant seriousness. Her vision: timeless fashion for confident and down-to-earth women, with a slight tendency towards cool extravagance. We talked to the talented designer, who runs her studio in Weimar, about her career, personal fashion tips and her fashion label “Anne Gorke”. The interview follows right after the show (video).

Anne Gorke: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin

The show at MBFW AW 2015 by Anne Gorke.

Label, styling & style: Anne Gorke likes to draw from the full range

FIV: First of all a few questions about your personality: What kind of person are you in private or how would you describe yourself in three words?

Impulsive, emotional and withdrawn.

FIV: Do you have a dream that you would like to fulfil in the future?

My dream is to continue my own label and build my own business.

FIV: Do you have a “life motto” or a “life philosophy” that you live by?

I guess the best way to sum it up is this: Every day, try to draw from the fullest.

FIV: Now a few questions about “styling”, which plays an important role in the fashion world: What are your fashion must-haves for summer and autumn 2015?

Loose shirts, shirt dresses and floor length skirts.

FIV: Is there anything in your wardrobe that you never want to miss? Why?

My Acne jeans because they fit the best. My Item-M6 tights and stockings because they feel insanely amazing when worn. And cashmere sweaters and white shirts.

FIV: Germans are often said to have no sense of style, how do you see the style of German women and men? What would you advise them to do in terms of “styling”?

The style can be very good, it always depends on who you are looking at. I really like the clear, sober look of German design. Basically, I would like Germans to be less bargain-oriented and pay more attention to quality.

FIV: What is your favorite fashion city and why?

Paris, because overall it’s my favorite city in Europe…. Otherwise, I find Italy exciting, especially the more rural areas.

Anne-Gorke-Bild-4 Anne-Gorke-Bild-3

Credit: Anne Gorke/ Christian Rothe

Anne: “I always wanted to direct.”

FIV: Now we come to your experience and work as a designer: what do you think is the most important quality for a designer to have in order to make it in the fashion world?

That may sound a bit dreary, but you have to be able to take a lot. And you have to be able to listen, to the nuances, without losing yourself in the process.

FIV: How did you start your career? Did you do a classic apprenticeship as a fashion designer or what route did you take into the fashion business?

I got involved in a project at university that dealt with textile design. We made new dresses and shirts out of old men’s shirts. That’s how I started and developed my first label out of it. And from that, after a few years, my own label emerged, which I now run together with my business partner Miriam Weihermüller.

FIV: Has being a designer always been your dream job, or did you have other plans for your future as a child/teenager?

I always wanted to direct and tell stories. My mind was endless, I played a lot alone, in the garden, in the forest, in my room. My family then always had to watch fashion shows and song and dance performances. Later I mainly painted and thought up choreographies. There was never a concrete career aspiration.

FIV: What do you like most about your job?

The figurative storytelling, reaching people and making women happy with a dress.

Anne-Gorke-CREDIT_CHRISTIAN-ROTHE

 

Anne Gorke: “A Potpourri of Moments”

FIV: Who or what inspires you in your designs?

Moments, women and movies, music too. It’s really a potpourri of moments.

FIV: Your fashion is made of fair and ecologically sound materials, what do you want to convey with your fashion?

I want to transport femininity, relaxed elegance for everyday life. The type of production and the choice of materials are secondary, for me it is natural to work this way, I’ve been doing it since my beginnings, since 2008.

FIV: How would you describe your fashion and who are your collections for?

For women who have both feet on the ground and can cope with everyday life without losing either themselves or their sense of humour.

FIV: Where can you buy your fashion?

Online and in retail, for example in Munich, Berlin, Vienna, Innsbruck or even Osnabrück or Münster.

FIV: What has been the best experience in your career so far?

It’s hard, there are great moments all the time. Maybe when Miriam and I decided
together.

FIV: What’s coming up for you in the near future, is there anything special planned?

We are currently concentrating all our efforts on sales and our sales structures. That is very exciting.

FIV: Thank you very much for the interview!

Anne-Gorke-Bild-1

Further information about fashion designer Anne Gorke

www.annegorke.com