I was born in a tiny Austrian village near the Hungarian border but I grew up in Vienna. My upbringing could not have been further away from the fashion world as a village kid. I went to a quite conservative Catholic private school, where everyone around me came from much wealthier families and kids as young as 12 were dressed in Moncler and Hermès. I definitely had a hard time with the hand-me-down pieces that I was wearing. Since I couldn’t afford any designer clothes I started questioning what all that fuss what about. I began drawing my own, which quite quickly turned into an obsession and I guess now my profession.

Like many other hopeful fashion students, I hoped for enlightenment, direction and nurturing. Although I worked extremely hard, I ended up being a very bad student and got kicked out of two of these schools. In hindsight, this is what pushed me to question the system we all try so hard to be part of. I realised that this industry in its current state is quite toxic and dismissive, which I want to overcome. I am eager to fight all the viciousness I have encountered and witnessed there with radical inclusion, appreciation and love for everyone who is involved in the fashion that I am creating.

Youth cultures definitely play a major role in my research. The fact that every generation has its own battles where young people get together to change the status quo is fascinating. Especially the love and energy that you can experience at raves and parties play a major role in what I do. Obviously, movements such as Punks and the New Romantics are a great source of inspiration but also today’s Extinction Rebellion movement is exciting. They are driven by radical ideals, guided by some madness and willing to piss everyone off. What more could you want?

Being quite shy and easily intimidated in my teenage years, it took me a lot of intense nights at raves and parties to get out of my shell and enjoy expressing myself through the clothes that I wear. For me, daring to wear colours and textures that demand and deserve attention has been a journey to being more liberated and more confident. I really do believe that wearing these clothes can and will change your life for the better.

Sustainability for me is not only about damage control and minimising pollution, but rather about using fashion as a vehicle to clean up to planet and to improve the world we live in. For me, it goes further than just material sourcing and recycling – I believe that we need to start treating the people around us with respect and dignity. I want to create pieces that are empowering and a joy for everyone involved and that clean up the planet meanwhile.

I absolutely agree! The reason why I started my collections was that I saw that a big part of fashion consumers – especially glamorous club kids – were ignored by sustainable fashion designers. It was, and to a certain degree, still is a lot about patchwork, vegetable dyes, natural fabrics or turning waste into a wearable version of itself. I see a gap in the market that is about clothing that is made from discarded materials that look more pristine and more glam than even high fashion brands. This is what my clothes are all about. I believe the magic is in what you cannot see.

I love eBay! There is so much leftover yarn, beads, threads, ribbons and just random stuff that people don’t have any use for anymore and I feel like I am getting most of it. Besides that, I reach out to textile companies, other designers and factories and simply ask if they have cut-offs, leftovers from overproduction and a lot of times they do and are happy to share.

Since the first shutdown, there have been so many amazing ways designers have used to showcase their work and I believe that some of them will keep challenging traditional runway shows.
As for other projects, I have been working on a fashion film, which was a fun experience. Currently, some friends and I are planning a fashion party, which will be partly in real life and partly virtual. My pieces are all about nightlife and parties, which are still illegal at this time. I really love to see my clothes on people who are dancing and fully enjoying themselves.

Definitely! I find people who are completely different from me extremely inspiring. I love finding out how they party and what they want to create. I am quite sociable and collaborating with others normally pushes the boldness and eccentricity – perhaps because I want to share with them what clothes can do for you on a personal level. No one who ever worked with me ever had to make basic white t-shirts but rather ended up making a six sleeved jumper or alien slime gloves.

I really believe that limitation is the biggest creative fuel one can have. The abundance of options often leads to creative lethargy. I believe my work has become much more focused and more imaginative than before the pandemic. Probably because I really hate the lockdown and am now creating for a post-covid world. It really motivated me to be less careful with the fashion establishment and more excited about replacing it with positivity and fun.

I do! One of my favourite films growing up was E.T.; I live for when people are debating if aliens are among us without us knowing. I would love that!

I have a couple of projects I am working on at the moment. I just teamed up with Reture – a new upcycling platform – and am currently planning on launching a capsule collection with them, which is really exciting. We will be showcasing our Al(ly)en fashion film during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Russia very soon. I am also working on a new fashion film and of course new collection all with a major focus on sustainability, fairness and transparency.