Originally from Southern Germany, Tatjana Haupt has spent her recent years studying in Paris, France.
Taking inspiration from her grandmother, who used to spend many hours sewing, crocheting, and knitting, she found that it was never valued.
Furthermore, Haupt’s mother was the first woman to study in her family. She valued independence and found the importance of standing up to her professors to prove she could complete the tasks like anyone else.
Haupt reflected on these stories and wanted to use knitwear, and craftsmanship can express these varied levels of feminism.
Using a mix of deadstock fabrics, raw material, leftover fabrics, and yarns to create diverse pieces.
While Haupt brought five of her seven pieces to Dunedin, her favourite is still in Europe.
“My favourite piece is in Europe, at a museum, as I participated in the ETS competition, which is widely recognised,” Haupt said humbly.
Having learned her skills in Paris, where they specialise in using different knitwear techniques. The stall was a machine that was also born in Germany and helped Haupt integrate different skills.
Haupt uses various diverse colours that aim to reflect traditional German clothing.
Moving forward, while Haupt appreciates her clothing, she wants to challenge herself and create more respected pieces that differ from her current collections that are also commercially viable.
