In Conversation with Tata Christiane

An interview taken from our new issue THE CLASS OF 2025! At the crossroads of fashion and artistry, Berlin-based designer Tata Christiane presents her latest triumph: the “Nature Morte in Antarctic” Autumn Winter 2024 Collection. In a realm where imagination thrives, Tata’s brand is celebrated for its unique and unconventional vision of beauty—there’s a bold embrace of eccentricity, extravagance, and immoderation that invites a captivating discourse on the nature of style. Here, the borders of elegance and rebellion elegantly entwine, breathing new life into forgotten memories while recycling the remnants of our civilization.

This iconic collection draws profound inspiration from the frozen, breathtaking landscapes of Antarctica, revealing a compelling juxtaposition of beauty and fragility. As we face the unsettling realities of climate change, Tata’s creations emerge as a poignant mirror reflecting our shared responsibility and interconnectedness with the environment. Through her nostalgic lens, this collection not only symbolizes climate change but also delves into a contemplative exploration of our relationship with nature and an ever-evolving landscape.

Central to “Nature Morte in Antarctic” is the philosophical themes explored by Friedrich Schiller and Benjamin Constant, particularly the concept of “making man aesthetic.” Schiller’s assertion that life ought to align with the principles of beauty resonates deeply within Tata’s designs. Every garment is meticulously crafted to embody beauty in its purest form, guiding wearers towards personal growth and transcendent experiences. In this collection, Tata Christiane invites us to reflect, revive, and embrace our connection to nature, all while donning garments that embody exquisite artistry and philosophical depth.

Can you elaborate on the inspiration behind the “Nature Morte in Antarctic” collection? What elements from Antarctica did you find particularly captivating?

My way of working is always made up of associations of images or ideas circulating in my head for a while before I can express them properly. Sometimes, it’s just a phrase that resonates poetically in my head and dances there. All this is influenced by the information I receive from newspapers, social networks, and the books I listen to while working.

I think what’s so striking about Antarctica is the sublimity of this unique landscape and the terrible sadness of all those images of melting, collapsing glaciers that I keep seeing on my news feed.
All this immense, majestic white page of the earth’s crust, on which another rapid history is beginning to be written, whereas until now it seemed immutable, eternal and therefore very reassuring. I love almost empty spaces, yet this emptiness is a complex, living presence. And in recent years, all these images of change have made me think of the advance of nothingness in Wolfgang Petersen’s movie “The NeverEnding Story”.

I had these words in my head turning Nature Morte – Antartique. so I started generating images to try and put into pictures what I was feeling.

How does climate change influence your design process, and how is that reflected in this new collection?

To be honest, I think for a lot of people it makes me feel stressed and helpless. For this collection, I wanted to communicate what for me is an emotional landscape. And this may only make sense to me, but I’ve always felt a great emotion for nature when I see a still-life painting. My grandmother also painted a lot of them, and in the history of art they’re almost my favorite. For me, they’re synonymous with restraint, attention to detail, and partiality for the whole. If you take this much care to paint a fruit basket, for example, for me it opens up the quality of attention that the world deserves.

That’s why I imagined these Nature morte scenes set against an Antarctic landscape. It may not change the course of history, but it’s an invitation to slow down and take the time to look, to melt into the contemplation of the landscape. This is why the model offers a figure that harmonizes with Nature Mortre. Like a mise en abîme. It’s an invitation to be in harmony with Nature, and for me, this doesn’t mean the minimalism often advocated by fashion critics. I’m not interested in uniforms, even if they’re made of organic cotton and recycled. I find it dangerous and highly stressful. The designs in this collection are inspired by the flowers in the various scenes. The designs in this collection are inspired by the flowers in the various scenes. I find nature an organic source of inspiration.

What specific materials and techniques did you choose for the Autumn/Winter 2024 Collection to convey its thematic concerns?

For the collections, I work mainly with deadstocks that I receive throughout the year, and after a while, I find the balance of colour and texture that suits me. It’s a slow and sometimes imprecise process. On the other hand, for this collection, I tried for the first time the tools of artificial intelligence to create my images, and I found it exciting to clear up the images in my head and sometimes be amazed and so on. The tattooing dimension is very interesting and also allows me to bypass the automatisms of generation. Never use the word “weird” if you don’t want that sexy ladies appear. To do the print on textile I work mainly with prints on demand, and even if it’s more expensive to produce, I avoid any overproduction. I like solid materials that last over time. When possible, I also use recycled polyester.

How do the concepts of beauty and fragility manifest in your designs for this collection?

For me, human beings are as moving as nature. I often find silhouettes made of superimpositions, patchworks and mixed materials a symptom of human fragility. We need all these layers of fabric to survive in a frigid environment. It’s all subjective, but these are silhouettes that appeal to me throughout the history of human costume, I’d say. Stacking, layering, accumulating, mixing.

Can you discuss how Friedrich Schiller’s philosophy of “making man aesthetic” influenced the collection?

I would say that this influences my work all the time. His idea of “making man aesthetic” implies that through aesthetic experience, individuals can develop a sense of ethical awareness and emotional depth. I came across Schiller’s concept when I was writing the text for the collection, and it resonated with me because it made me think of Immanuel Kant, who had a big influence on me when I was studying philosophy. And in particular Kant’s distinction between the experience of the beautiful and the experience of the sublime on a moral level. Beauty is a human affair, so to speak.

It is what man creates, and what unites men equally. Kant argued that aesthetic judgments are subjective but can have universal validity. The sublime, on the other hand, refers to experiences that go beyond mere beauty. It evokes feelings of admiration mixed with a form of awe or anxiety. The spectacle of melting glaciers is of the sublime order. The experience of the sublime is the grandiose spectacle of nature that is morally uplifting. We men experience the creation of beauty through art, and Nature obliges us, as they say, to surpass ourselves. The ethical dimension of art, and for me also of craftsmanship, is all the more important I think, because our relationship with the climate shouldn’t just be an economic one, it’s a moral duty. But unfortunately, morality isn’t really on the agenda.

In what ways do you think your work encourages wearers to pursue self-improvement and transcendent experiences?

I think through the variety of approaches I’ve been able to propose over the years with Tata Christiane. Over the past two years, we’ve changed our website and I’m gradually republishing all my work, making an effort to explain it in more detail. In the beginning, to be honest, it was just to try and create good content for SEO, but I find it fascinating to do and I also call on contributors to enrich my work with articles that interest me and that may also interest my wearers if they take the time to browse the site, particularly in the universe section. The work is progressing, so I’m gradually publishing my work, interviewing artists with whom I’ve collaborated, etc. I think my work sometimes seems chaotic or eclectic to some people, but I claim this as a form of creative freedom. And I think that people who wear my clothes co-create by wearing Tata.

Benjamin Constant’s influence is evident in your designs. Can you explain how his concept of attraction to the absolute affects your creative approach?

Benjamin Constant’s approach, which considers beauty not just as a quality but as a means of personal growth, resonates with me as well, as I am not very interested in the end goal but rather in the paths I take to accomplish things, which are a perpetual source of learning. I have been self-taught from the beginning, and I continue to be so constantly. In the same way, by wearing beautiful creations, individuals are encouraged to embark on a journey of self-discovery.

The idea is that these aesthetic experiences, evoked by the beauty of the garments—regardless of what each person finds beautiful elsewhere—can lead to personal reflections and a heightened self-awareness if the experience is profound and not superficial. This can help develop a sensitivity to values and realities that transcend the every day, thereby fostering a form of awakening. In this approach, for me, Emotional clothing is the most important somehow to go against fast fashion. It refers to the idea that garments are not just utilitarian items but also carriers of emotions, identity, and personal stories. This concept, when integrated with sustainability, transforms emotional clothing into a means of fostering deeper connections and responsible fashion practices.

How do you balance the juxtaposition of elegance and rebellion in your designs, particularly in this collection?

For me, oversized cuts combine just these two aspects, because elegance often comes from the very look and attitude of the wearer. It’s Jane Birkin’s oversized sweater. Oversized garments have the power to reveal personality, independence, freedom and fluidity. For me, there’s a strong erotic charge in this very expression of the body – I’ve never really defined Tata properly in terms of rebellion, because this way of making and wearing clothes is a positive act rather than one of opposition to something else. It’s more of an inner process.

What role does nostalgia play in your work, especially when reflecting on the past landscapes of Antarctica?

I know that sometimes nostalgia can be seen as a negative feeling, perhaps even reactionary. I always feel that people judge nostalgia rather harshly. And in a way, I’m wary of it too. But I also think it echoes that inner space of happy times. It doesn’t necessarily mean that things were better before, but I don’t think we should be afraid to celebrate the sweetness of certain images or sensations from the past. In my opinion, it’s a harmonious way of making the different strata of time resonate within us. And also of not forgetting what the past teaches us. Recently, we’ve seen many examples of a return to older techniques, whether in agriculture, construction or even fashion. In this sense, nostalgia can be a vector of remembrance to nourish modernity in depth.

How significant is the concept of storytelling in your collection, and what story do you aim to tell through “Nature Morte in Antarctic”?

I’m not sure I want to tell a specific story, but I’m happy to talk about some of the reflections that come to mind on this occasion, as I’m doing here in answering the questions, and I hope that the collection, through the images it creates and offers to the viewer, also provokes associations of ideas, sensations, feelings and reflections of its own.

Can you share your thoughts on the collaborative process and the creative partnership with Wut Store over the past 15 years?

I’m incredibly grateful to have had the chance to meet Yann Le Goec, Wut Berlin’s buyer, in 2009 I believe, because it was thanks to this opportunity to sell in Japan regularly and for such a long time that I was able to explore and express fully the spirit and creativity of Tata Christiane. It gave me a great deal of freedom that I’m not sure I could have had if I’d only sold here. It’s been a wonderful adventure, and it’s also introduced me to Japan, which I love very much. When I did the article on their 20th anniversary, it was a great pleasure to see all the archive images of all the pieces and collections I’ve made over the years, and I’m grateful to have been so well received.

What significance does the tribute dress for Yann Le Goec hold for you, and what elements from “Peau d’Âne” did you integrate into its design?

First of all, for me, the Peau d’Âne film was my first impulse towards making clothes. When I saw this film as a little girl around 7-8 years old, I was immediately seduced by all those wonderful dresses. I admit I didn’t immediately grasp the cruelty of the tale. But the sun dress that the princess wears under her donkey skin and the association of images for me was simply magical. So this film played an important role for me. What’s more, Yann Le Goec and I share a common admiration for Catherine Deneuve and princesses.

The dress itself is made from vintage scarves with leopard, tiger and other similar animal prints. These are prints I don’t normally like. I’m putting them aside. I had a nice collection of them. But if you’re willing to recycle, you often have to embrace elements you wouldn’t have chosen. On the other hand, there’s this short article I read one day that caught my eye: it talked about donating royalties to animal protection from prints using animal inspiration (leopard, snake, tiger, zebra, etc.). I don’t know if this has been implemented. Anyway, all these elements are in this piece for Wut’s birthday and Destination Tokyo.

Finally, Wut asked us for a designer portrait to present the piece, and I wanted to do a photo inspired both by Demi’s world and with a nod to Iris Apfel’s universe. I worked with Memo Schmage, with whom I’ve been collaborating for about the same period.

How does your collaboration with Wut Store influence your design philosophy and the pieces you create?

Wut has always given me great creative freedom. They’re always very curious about the story I’m going to tell them with the new pieces, so I’m always very motivated to surprise them, but also to keep the elements I love while going beyond myself. A form of continuation and rupture all at once. For me, it’s a great dialogue that’s been going on for 15 years. It’s the essence of sustainability that’s so essential. This relationship is rare and precious. I’ve had many other experiences with stores that throw you out as soon as a season is less successful and don’t do the work of accompanying and introducing a label they believe in. I find in this relationship a great respect that should govern exchanges between designers and boutiques more often.

In celebrating 20 years of Wut Store, what do you think has been the key to maintaining a vibrant creative partnership?

I think the key is work and desire, play and seriousness. Respect and politeness. It’s a very human adventure. You have to take the time.

How do you envision the future of your work in terms of innovation and sustainability, especially in light of the themes you’ve explored in your latest collection?

Sometimes it feels absurd to make clothes, to be part of fashion. Not the fashion industry, however, strictly speaking, because since I started Tata Christiane in 2007 and until now I’ve chosen to remain a small label, producing in Berlin. In that sense, Tata Christiane isn’t a good representative of the fashion industry, which is fine by me, even if many find it reduces my credibility. For me, the sustainability of my mini-business is a desirable model, and I love Berlin because there are hundreds of labels like mine that have been around for a very long time, making the landscape of possibilities rich and varied.

Last August we opened Rare Store, which we call a Sustainable Fashion Collective, with three other Berlin labels, Fade Out Label, Therapy Upcycle, Every Days Pieces and Tata Christiane. For me, this is part of the future of my work but I hope as well the future of collaborating between designers, offering new options and creations to the visitors, and customers. Enter into a dialogue and don’t try to monopolize it. To coexist with others.

I’m also experimenting with other designers at Tara Store in Bikini Berlin. It is really interesting and it is about proximity, involvement, being local and at the same time based on collaboration between designers to free ourselves from the laws of the market and just offer our diversity.