Following my lecture at the Green Cycles Symposium, Prof. Renata Brink invited me to complement her seminar in textile design at HAW Hamburg.

Since the beginning of the winter semester the students have been working on texts about their project with me. I give them writing tasks for practice and as part of the conceptual design process, advise them on structure and style and support them in designing a print documentation of their projects. This serves to establish writing as a tool of reflection within the design process and as a means to communicate the final concept to an audience.

Below, above and between the ideas and the lines lies the principal wish to be more than a "stylist" but a designer with a deeper motivation and broader understanding of solutions- in a sense, a wish to be what we now fashionably call "sustainable". This is the other half of my task here, to give input across specialist fields on ideas of sustainability, opening the word up again to its multidimensional meaning and giving advice on where to find angles for such approaches within the individual projects.

Now, finally, the "Soft Space" group has achieved, after concentrated, inventive and detailed effort, the presentation of their print documents. It was a challenge for many, since most had never worked with programmes such as InDesign. The results look great,  and combine text, photography and illustration in a clear and entertaining way- I must say I am as proud of "my" students as they are of themselves!

Now I'm even more looking forward to the summer semester with new tasks, now working with two groups and getting to know new intriguing designer personalities!

From March 21 to 23 I was invited to Wuppertal by the Grimme Institut and UNEP/ cscp (United Nations Environment Programme/ centre on sustainable consumption and production) to meet with other journalists and students of communication studies and work on concepts of sustainable messages of sustainability.

I was the only designer in the group but got to meet some creative fellows at the cocktail reception at the cscp even though I had come to meet people outside my field anyway.

The aim was to devise a "sustainable" concept for publication or broadcastin in print, online or tv. I especially enjoyed the "print" day with Peter Unfried of the newspaper "tageszeitung", better known as taz. A prominent eco "believer", he stressed and explained that sometimes it's neither wise to use that "green" word nor to think in such categories. Believe me, I didn't need convincing in that!

The next day we developed our print concept independently, then pitched it to the other groups and Elisabeth Neumann, a freelance tv journalist and producer.

The feedback and encouragement everybody got was helpful, and some of us were actually in the mood for getting started on the projects- the ideas were just really good!

Aside from meeting great colleagues who I could learn from also by watching, listening and reading, in order not to be a copycat but a writer in my own right, here follows a list of my highlights as an intern at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, in chronological order:

1. "Showediting" with Niklas Maak, who took two sessions to teach me the ABC of journalistic writing, his fingers typing away eager to keep up with his quick-wittedness, leaving me utterly confused at first but ultimately wiser.

2. The "Bright Eyes" concert at Lido Berlin as part of the tour promoting their new album, and my text about which I really quite like.

3. The last-minute printing of my text about the painter Kurt Kranz and "the programming of the beautiful". I had already given up to hope for it being published but finally on my last day it happened- in the F.A.Z., big, centre of the page, including a picture!

Writing samples will soon be updated, or else please inquire per e-mail.

It's great to see how news spread. More and more designers and artists approach me about advice on writing style, corrections or writing texts for them.

For thesis papers of course, ghostwriting is not an option and graduates-to-be will have to take up the challenge. But if German is not your native language, if it is but you feel insecure about your writing style, academic standards or finding the right structure, you may benefit from my assistance. Previous topics include scenario planning for industrial design, industrial designers in China, and the prospects and challenges of online exhibitions.

Writing content and copy for corporate websites in English and German language also is a great experience. Only when working on the steady content parts of EANTC's website did I gain first insight into network technology and witnessed a busy team of IT experts test mobile networks in the heart of Berlin.

It's also great fun to get to know creative Berlin personalities when writing portraits for the Valise Online Provenance Directory, exposing a range of local fashion and design businesses: 

Andreas Murkudis, stoffe meyer, SchubLaden, Mykita and Wolfen.

If you'd like to know more, I'd be happy to receive an e-mail from you. 

Fashion Week was a pleasure once more! Many braved the heat and the venues were filled with new contacts, old friends and delightful conversation.

See below a picture of the "BerlinNordik- Bright Green Design" exhibition at Deutsche Bank Guggenheim showcasing three of the applications for this year's "textil + mode Innovation Award" of the German Textile +Fashion Confederation. On that note, the jury meeting has been postponed- the tension's mounting... ! 

On Friday  25 June 2010 I will present my book Slow Fashion at the Green Cycles Symposium at HAW Hamburg.

Fashion Campus Armgartstraße will host the discussion of sustainability within the textile cycle under the leitmotif of "Think global - inform local".

The department Design will have a focus on CSR (Corporate Social Responsability) in the textile business during the one-day Green Cycles symposium. The presentations and discussions will be covering design aspects as well as existing sustainable textile projects, evolving the concept of "textile cycle" to an advanced definition. The initiators of the symposium are convinced of the increasing importance of the textile cycle as the central topic for education within the textile branch.

Details of the program and practical information for application can be found here: 

http://www.haw-hamburg.de/noj_newsdetails.html?&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1641&cHash=1&no_cache=1

I'm looking forward to meeting you in Hamburg!