Introducing: Ottolinger

10 December 2021

Berlin-based Ottolinger places a heavy emphasis on deconstruction and reconstruction, prioritising unconventional fabrics treatments and experimental cuts.

Berlin-based Ottolinger pursues couture in an unconventional way, tearing up rulebooks and placing a sense of imperfection and story as a priority. The process of deconstruction is viewed as a necessity: a way of breaking down garments, elevating each divided element and then reconstructing them as something new and experimental.

The duo behind Ottolinger, Swiss-born designers Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient, formed their partnership after meeting at Basel School of Design — a chance encounter that ultimately led to the realisation of many mutual interests, fashion being one of them. This would eventually blossom into the creation of Ottolinger in 2017: a canvas that allowed their harmonious ideas to come into fruition.

What results is clothing that shatters the foundations of the traditional; an approach to design heavily influenced by punk music and the DIY styling synonymous with it. Think unorthodox fabric treatments, bold graphics and experimental cuts all coming together, with each piece possessing that DIY, one-of-a-kind aesthetic. The Berlin-based label’s AW21 collection captures that perfectly; there are shirts and blankets covered in artwork by Cheyenne Julien, knits that are pieced together using mismatched materials and tees with chains integrated into the neckline.