Between Europe and Japan, between concept and beauty, between everyday life and philosophy: Austrian designer Edwina Hörl, based in Japan, sees fashion as a language – a medium that transcends mere clothing.
In a world defined by fast fashion and fleeting trends, Edwina Hörl seeks depth, integrity, and resonance. Her creations are reflections on identity, society, and the aesthetics of the political – garments that tell stories. In this conversation, she speaks about value, beauty, and the art of finding new perspectives in between worlds.
Fashion as Attitude
“For me, a garment becomes valuable when it tells a story,” says Hörl. Fashion, for her, is not about luxury but about depth – about relationships between people, materials, and ideas. Clothing becomes a medium for expression and responsibility: toward resources, humanity, and one’s own identity.
Performativity and the Aesthetics of the Political
If she had to describe fashion philosophically, Hörl would choose performativity and the aesthetics of the political.
“Fashion is an action, not just a shell,” she says. Aesthetic forms can expose or shift power relations – making each piece part of a wider social dialogue.
Between Two Worlds
Working between Japan and Europe, Hörl moves through spaces of perception and translation.
“Clichés aren’t a problem – they’re material. They reveal how we see, and how that seeing is shaped by cultural filters.”
Her work thrives in the in-between, where connections form and new ways of seeing emerge.
Beauty as Consequence
“True beauty arises where form, content, and attitude come together.” For Hörl, beauty isn’t opposed to concept – it’s part of it. What appears “simply beautiful” is often the outcome of deep reflection and intentional creation.
“Fashion is not a status symbol or a gallery object – it’s a social language.”
– Edwina Hörl
