As a pioneer and icon of Berlin’s underground culture, Claudia Skoda defined the fashion of the 1970s and 1980s. She knitted delicate yarns - having taught herself the handwork techniques - into groundbreaking, body-hugging designs that triggered a revolution in our understanding of knitwear. Superstars such as David Bowie and Iggy Pop were soon among her friends. Skoda’s performance-like fashion shows became famous: they were staged as spectacular events in the Congress Hall or the Egyptian Museum and caused an international sensation.
This comprehensive catalog is published to accompany her first solo exhibition and presents fashion, photographs, films, and music by a wide range of artists, including Martin Kippenberger, Luciano Castelli, Salomé, Jim Rakete, Ulrike Ottinger, Silke Grossmann, Manuel Göttsching, and Kraftwerk. The book not only highlights Skoda’s fashion designs, but also looks at how they were produced and marketed. In addition, it explores her living community and workshop “Fabrikneu”, her fashion shows and stores, her time in New York, as well as her social networks and her collaborations with many different artists.
Published to accompany an exhibition at Kunstbibliothek, Berlin, between 18 December 2020 and 11 April 2021.
Text in English and German.