Claudia Hill
Encyclopedia
Claudia Hill is a German costume
and fashion design
er, based in Berlin
and New York
.
She “effectively bridges the art/fashion world divide without sacrificing wearability”, her own view of this being that she is “a fashion designer who finds fashion too commercial and an artist who finds art too intellectual”.
Her New York Fashion Week
shows are deemed unconventional and take the form of performances or installations (e.g., instead of a Fall/Winter 2000 runway show, she screened a film in the Bryant Park
tents that featured her new collection). She places a strong emphasis on the body's motion and prefers dancers over runway models for her shows.
, at age 11. She moved to New York in 1993 to study dance.
The catalyst for Claudia Hill's move from costume to fashion design was Miguel Adrover, who would later receive the CFDA
's Emerging Talent Award for Ready-to-wear
, but in 1997 was running his small boutique Horn on 9th Street: “She used to live near Horn and closely knew the owners Miguel and Duglas, as well as Pierrot, who was a sales person there. When she was wearing a self-made dress, Miguel asked her if she could sell her garments at the shop. That’s how she started production.”
Ready-to-wear pieces have sold at her own store, and in high-end boutiques, such as Barneys New York
, Louis Boston, Fred Segal
, Seven New York, Horn, Desperado and POV Beams.
Costume Designer
A costume designer or costume mistress/master is a person whose responsibility is to design costumes for a film or stage production. He or she is considered an important part of the "production team", working alongside the director, scenic and lighting designers as well as the sound designer. The...
and fashion design
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
er, based in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Style
Critics have described her designs as having a “captivating clarity” and as being “not meant for only one season”.She “effectively bridges the art/fashion world divide without sacrificing wearability”, her own view of this being that she is “a fashion designer who finds fashion too commercial and an artist who finds art too intellectual”.
Her New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
shows are deemed unconventional and take the form of performances or installations (e.g., instead of a Fall/Winter 2000 runway show, she screened a film in the Bryant Park
Bryant Park
Bryant Park is a 9.603 acre privately managed public park located in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and between 40th and 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan...
tents that featured her new collection). She places a strong emphasis on the body's motion and prefers dancers over runway models for her shows.
Biography
Claudia learned to sew from her mother, a tailor from PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, at age 11. She moved to New York in 1993 to study dance.
The catalyst for Claudia Hill's move from costume to fashion design was Miguel Adrover, who would later receive the CFDA
Council of Fashion Designers of America
The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. is a not-for-profit trade association of over 350 of America’s foremost fashion and accessory designers. As of 2009, Diane von Fürstenberg is the group's President and Steven Kolb is the Executive Director...
's Emerging Talent Award for Ready-to-wear
Ready-to-wear
Ready-to-wear or prêt-à-porter is the term for factory-made clothing, sold in finished condition, in standardized sizes, as distinct from made to measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a particular person's frame. Off-the-peg is sometimes used for items which are not clothing.Ready-to-wear has...
, but in 1997 was running his small boutique Horn on 9th Street: “She used to live near Horn and closely knew the owners Miguel and Duglas, as well as Pierrot, who was a sales person there. When she was wearing a self-made dress, Miguel asked her if she could sell her garments at the shop. That’s how she started production.”
Lines
- 1998 to 2005: Claudia Hill (Ready-to-wearReady-to-wearReady-to-wear or prêt-à-porter is the term for factory-made clothing, sold in finished condition, in standardized sizes, as distinct from made to measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a particular person's frame. Off-the-peg is sometimes used for items which are not clothing.Ready-to-wear has...
) - 1998 to 2002: The Number After 10
- 2005 to present: Claudia Hill (Limited Editions)
Ready-to-wear pieces have sold at her own store, and in high-end boutiques, such as Barneys New York
Barneys New York
Barneys New York is a chain of luxury department stores headquartered in New York City. The chain owns large stores in New York City, Beverly Hills, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Scottsdale, and smaller stores in other locations across the United States.Brands sold include...
, Louis Boston, Fred Segal
Fred Segal
Fred Segal is an upscale Los Angeles, California based clothing retailer. There are currently two Fred Segal stores: one in Hollywood and the other in Santa Monica....
, Seven New York, Horn, Desperado and POV Beams.
Notable Costume Designs
- Assistant Costume Designer for the musical RENTRent (musical)Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
(one of the costumes designed by Claudia Hill is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
). - Costume Designer for William Forsythe'sWilliam Forsythe (dancer)William Forsythe is an American dancer and choreographer resident in Frankfurt am Main in Hessen. He is known internationally for his work with the Ballett Frankfurt and The Forsythe Company...
Decreation. The only other fashion designer that William Forsythe has worked with before is Issey MiyakeIssey Miyakeis a Japanese fashion designer. He is known for his technology-driven clothing designs, exhibitions and fragrances.-Life and career:Miyake was born 22 April 1938 in Hiroshima, Japan. As a seven year-old, he witnessed and survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. He studied...
. - Costume Designer for The Wooster Group's production of HamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
.
Collaborations
Claudia Hill has been a frequent collaborator with a diverse set of artists:- Japanese Photographer ArikoArikoAriko is a Japanese photographer.-External links:* *...
- Co-Designer of the The Number After 10 Line
- Ariko has been filming and photographing the Claudia Hill line from the inception to the present.
- Icelandic musician Skuli SverrissonSkúli SverrissonSkúli Sverrisson is an Icelandic composer and bassist residing in New York City.Over the past two decades, bass guitarist-composer Skuli Sverrisson has worked with a veritable who’s who of the experimental world, from free jazz legends to music icons Skúli Sverrisson (born 23 October 1966) is an...
- Music for her Spring/Summer 2000 show
- Music for her Spring/Summer 2001 show
- Music for the opening of her Berlin store in 2004
- Architects Hani Rashid, Lise Anne Couture and Ruth Berktold of Asymptote ArchitectureAsymptote ArchitectureAsymptote is a New York-based architectural office founded in 1989 by principals Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture.-Overview:Asymptote Architecture recently announced the opening of the Yas Marina Hotel, a 500 room Hotel complex in Abu Dhabi. The Yas Hotel is the world's first building designed...
- Art direction for the Spring/Summer 2001 show
- Israeli Artist Nelly Agassi
- Collaborative Designs
- Performance “Schlafsahne”
- Performance “Wasserwünsche” with Israeli musician Ori Drumer
- Japanese Artist Daisuke Nakayama (official homepage in English)
- Art Director For the Fall/Winter 2001 Show
- Director of the Fall/Winter 2000 Movie
External links
- http://claudiahill.com/