1. Kim, you co-hosted the Munich Fashion Award 2025 with Lara Gonschorowski. Two women on stage – but with quite different approaches. How did that come together?

Honestly? It was a challenge at first. Lara comes from classic fashion journalism – she sees fashion through people, biographies, inspiration. I come from the sports and outdoor industry, with a focus on sustainability and systems. I think in structures, in transformation, in future impact.

But that contrast was exactly the point. We deliberately asked different questions. Lara would ask: When did you first fall in love with fashion? I would ask: What does sustainability mean when you create new products as a designer?

Both had their place – because today, there’s no future without merging these worlds.

2. How did you handle that in the actual moderation?

Through honest exchange – and a structure that made it possible. The team at Kreativ München created the framework, especially thanks to the project lead Mirjam Smend, who was responsible for the Munich Fashion Award. It wasn’t a case of “let’s see what happens,” but rather: strategy, clarity, depth.

Mirjam brought order to this complexity – not to smooth it over, but to make it visible. I have great respect for her work. Especially because she could have seen the friction between different perspectives as a roadblock – and yet, she chose to build bridges.

3. The Munich Fashion Award wants to position Munich as Europe’s capital of sustainable fashion. Do you think that worked?

The work of the Kreativ München team, led by Mirjam Smend, the operational execution by the Fashion Council Germany, the fantastic jury, and the committed partners unleashed real disruptive power. The goal wasn’t to claim sustainability – but to demonstrate it: through design, through attitude, through impact.

The ten finalists proved that impressively. Each of them became a role model – not through perfect solutions, but through a willingness to take responsibility.

4. Which finalists stood out to you in particular?

Each one had a distinct voice and a strong message:

• Estelle Trasoglu (Plaid-à-Porter) creates wearable patchwork quilts – pieces of memory, comfort, and radical Zero Waste.
• Mitya Hontarenko (PLNGNS) designs no-compromise streetwear made from used materials – born in the middle of war, driven by economic clarity and urgency.
• Sebastian Thies (nat-2) redefines material innovation – sneakers made from rose petals, hospital waste or even blood. Not a gimmick – just fearless circular design.
• Federico Cina crafts a deep narrative of his Romagna homeland – regional production, emotional heritage, and textile storytelling.
• Tina Lutz Morris creates high-end bags in Germany under the highest social and environmental standards – luxury with purpose.
• Martina Boero (Cavia) produces hand-knit garments with a textile “passport” – documenting their journey and adding value through transparency.
• Christian Huygens & Natalia Golubenko (Selva Huygens) turn recycled car parts into provocative accessories – challenging every conventional idea of “new” and “beautiful.”
• Luca Reinhardt & Achim Wünsch (halfs) reinvent the traditional Haferlschuh – turning heritage into timeless sustainability.
• Matthias & Johannes Schweizer (OBS) create minimalist bags with 90% local production and 100% function – pure, precise, purpose-driven.

No buzzwords. Just real ideas.

5. What was your personal role on stage?

I wasn’t there to entertain. I was there to make things clear. I didn’t want to showcase the designers – I wanted to take them seriously.

If someone talks about regenerative leather, I ask how exactly that works. If someone says they’re sustainable, I want to know what that looks like in their supply chain.

I see myself as an amplifier for the things that often go unheard. I ask questions to create space – not to label people, but to help us all think deeper. Because I, too, am still searching for answers.

6. What distinguishes this new generation of designers from established brands?

They don’t treat sustainability as an add-on. It’s their starting point. It defines their materials, their process, their business model.

Established brands still often think in campaigns. This generation thinks in cycles.

7. The Munich Fashion Award puts a strong focus on technology, circularity, and aesthetics. Which of those is the hardest to implement?

Circularity – no doubt.
Designing a product that’s repairable, recyclable, durable – and still desirable – is next-level. That’s not just a design challenge; it’s a system challenge.

At Sympatex, we call it Fiber2Fiber. It means returning materials to the cycle without losing quality. That’s complex – structurally, economically, emotionally.

8. You received great feedback for your moderation – professional, clear, confident. What was your biggest takeaway?

I’d call it a confirmation:
Difference on stage is not a weakness – if you make it visible.
Clarity and empathy are not opposites. And asking questions isn’t just a technique – it’s a position.

I’m a moderator – and I’m honored to be one. But I’m also a CEO, a colleague, a partner, a mother, a human being. Hopefully a changemaker.

I need pace, precision, impact. And like the people I speak with – I’m looking for real answers. That’s why I ask: What exactly do you mean when you talk about change?

9. If you could give the Munich Fashion Award one piece of advice for the future – what would it be?

Stay uncomfortable.
Don’t just celebrate designers – give them real access to systems.
And keep balancing form and substance, side by side.

And personally, I’d love to see the award grow in collaboration with other platforms – not in competition, but in coalition.

Thank you, Kim.

You can watch the full award ceremony on YouTube here:

https://www.munichfashionaward.com/