Mönchengladbach. It all started when Magdalena Keller inherited her grandmother's old fur coat but didn't know what to do with it. This problem then gave rise to her master's thesis "A fur coat and its consequences," for which the master's graduate from the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology at the Hochschule Niederrhein was awarded the German Federal Ecodesign Award "eco" in the category for young designers.
"So there was this fur coat from my grandma that I didn't want to wear for ethical reasons, but also didn't want to throw it away for ecological and emotional reasons," says Magdalena Keller. This gave rise to the idea for her master's thesis, for which she investigated the recycling of fur coats and fur waste from invasive hunting.
In the first step of her work, she shaved hair from the leather base of the fur coat and developed a yarn from it. With this yarn, she in turn knitted and wove textile surfaces that formed the basis for the majority of the garments in her collection. Some pieces were also created from the leather base, in order to have as little waste as possible in production.
For her collection, she received the highest state distinction in the field of ecological design in Germany. "It is a great honor for me to have won this award. It was also very exciting for me to get to know the many other designers and their work, and to exchange ideas with them about visions for the future," said a delighted Master's graduate, who was supervised in her work by Prof. Dr. Thomas Weide.
The jury of the award was also enthusiastic about her work. Jury member Prof. Friederike von Wedel-Parlow was full of praise: "An outstandingly designed collection that no longer shows the origin of the material. The old furs and hunting skins become new yarns, which then become aesthetically designed coats, jackets and suits."
The Federal Award for ecodesign is awarded annually. The winners each receive a personalized certificate, a trophy and a cash prize of 1000 euros. Interested parties can still apply for the prize until April 18.
