Hanna Fiedler
The british fashion brand we want to wear right now
We are living in unusual times, with access to a wealth of information, yet increasing levels of confusion and diminishing levels of trust. We are told our viewpoint and opinions count, however, we do not feel they are reflected in what we see in front of us. In striving to take control of our own destiny we end up working around the clock, our lives becoming more rather than less demanding.
You may think, how on earth can we talk about fashion at a time like this? Well, the answer is, fashion drives immense cultural and economic value. Also, when we consider that women, many of whom want a shift in work-life balance, work in the fashion industry and are increasingly owners of SME businesses we can see why what we wear really does matter.
Fashion through the ages has shown times of change in one of two ways. By offering an alternative view of maximalism and escapism, or by stripping back and holding close the essence of what we believe to be true and essential.
Hanna Fiedler is a contemporary British fashion designer who identifies with the latter approach. Her namesake brand’s understated, contemporary tailoring and captivating minimalist style is exactly what we want to wear right now. With a capsule collection ‘Prologue’ and her first full collection ‘Chapter I’, Hanna’s poetic narrative and meticulous attention to detail coupled with a purist fabric selection makes today’s woman feel confident she can navigate her day with ease and elegance.
We met Hanna at the recent London Fashion Week, Positive Fashion Showrooms and instantly fell in love with her luxury womenswear. Made to order in London, from pattern to execution, Hanna’s garments are a beautiful example of uncompromising craftsmanship.
In this podcast we find out what impact growing up in Germany’s Bavarian countryside still has today on Hanna’s approach to her life and work. We also discuss her training at the Berlin Opera House and London College of Fashion, plus what she has learnt from working with Mary Katrantzou, Maria Grachvogel, Gabriela Hearst and on Alexander McQueen’s McQ collection.
We are very happy to share Hanna’s first-ever podcast interview.
Listen to our podcast above and on
Hanna Fiedler in her London studio
“For the first couple of weeks [at the Berlin Opera House] I was only sewing by hand, with only the needle, no thread. Holding the needle in the right position and you always use a ring to protect the finger. Making sure you have the position and the movement that allows you to sew as quickly and neat as possible...It really taught me how things can be made if you don’t take money and time as a limitation. And that is very rare to learn today. ”
Hanna Fiedler with Ava the Shiba Inu
“I made the conscious decision to not do what is called ‘emotional pricing’ - if something looks more like an evening piece, and it looks shiny, you can charge more for it because people expect it to cost more.”
“The ways she manages her team was incredibly inspiring to me. She [Gabriela Hearst] is very authentic. The person that you see in the interviews is exactly who I met as a person. That was very beautiful to see. And also the way she structured her business and personal life to go along [side-by-side] were incredibly inspiring to me.”
If you enjoyed this podcast, have a listen to our podcast with Catherine Teatum, one half of british fashion duo Teatum Jones
portrait photos of hanna by black neon digital, lookbook images courtesy of the designer
podcast recorded at hanna’s studio, clerkenwell, london
21.10.2019
