Interview: Frau Ana

This Friday, Not Me hosts the first fashion show from locally-based German designer Frau Ana. Inspired by the pop ephemera from her youth, Ana cites TV, comic books, and digital music as her influence, and her clothes reflect a punkish, adolescent aesthetic. Read on for Ana on what went into her first collection.

Head down on Friday night for fashion, freaks on the dance floor, and free candy. Check her out on the web here. Not much there now, but keep it bookmarked for when the site developes, and keep your eye on this new Shanghai designer. Note: open to the public from 11ish onwards.

Firstly, who are you? Where are you from? How long have you been in
Shanghai? What do you do to pay the rent?
Frau Ana: My name is Frau Ana. I am from Germany and I have been in Shanghai for three years now. I am working here as a fashion designer.

What's you background in fashion? Where did you go to school?
Frau Ana: I studied fashion design in Hamburg, Germany. After finishing School I moved to Shanghai to work here as a designer and start my own label.



What's you're experience in the Shanghai fashion scene? Is this your first show in Shanghai?
Frau Ana: I have been working in Shanghai as a designer for three years, but this is the first show here with my own name.

The clothes are billed as “8-bit inspired”. Can you talk a bit more about what this means? Is it inspired by a certain music genre? Sub-culture?
Frau Ana: For the clothing line the inspiration came from comics and superheroes, because I’ve been working on my own comic for a while now. Also, because the clothes come from what was popular during my childhood and when I was a teenager -- trends back in the ‘90s. And some major memories of this time are watching silly TV stuff like Knight Rider with David Hasselhoff and playing Game Boy. So I came up with the accessories collection based on all those memories.



Who are you designing for? What sorts of people do you think would be interested in the style?
Frau Ana: I design for everybody! I don’t want to tell people they are too old, too young or whatever, so they cant wear my styles. I started with women’s wear, but I do have some unisex styles in the collection. One thing is for sure; you need to love colors to like my collection.
It’s all about colors!

Is it easier working in fashion in Shanghai or Germany? And why?
Frau Ana: For the designing process, for me it doesn’t matter where I am. Some of the ideas I got at home, some on the beach -- as long as I am inspired and feeling good, it doesn’t matter where I am. I even get ideas on the dance floor at parties, (if the music is good) and need to put it on a paper or even go home to sketch.

But for the realization of a collection, of course Shanghai is much easier. You can get here everything you need here.



Shanghai is often characterized as a destination on the rise for young fashion and young design. Do you agree with this characterization? Do you feel that Shanghai still has a ways to go to be counted among the international cities for fashion?
Frau Ana: That was the reason why I came to Shanghai, or actually why I stayed here. I think Shanghai has great creative energies, not just in the fashion field. I just love the possibility that you can work with so many different people together from different parts of the world and different backgrounds.

I think Shanghai should be watched more from the rest of the world. We got great creative heads over here!

How are the clothes going to be available to people who want to buy them?
Frau Ana: With this show I want to introduce myself to shanghai and the rest of the world. I will open an online shop on my website at frau-ana.com soon as well. I will also have a listing of shops where the clothes will be available.



Can you tell us about the fashion show planned for Friday at Not Me? What's going to happen?
Frau Ana: The main show will start at 11.30pm. The whole night will be about fashion, music, and fun! After the show we will celebrate on the after show party with great music, amazing friends and a lot of candies.

What's next for Frau Ana?
Frau Ana: Frau Ana cannot think about ever stop doing fashion! So I am already working on the next collection in my in my head. I will build my label in Shanghai and work on different lines, like accessories, menswear and an evening dresses line.

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