voyage
some of the big steps in my life so far (written with the modern attention span in mind):
1989… at the age of 19, i went on a dangerous adventure and escaped from east-germany to the west. PUFF! that was huge. i quickly found a job in a west-german advertising agency and worked there until… the next big one…
in 1997, i presented my graphic design portfolio to a couple of agencies in miami and by the end of that vacation i had a job offer as a senior graphic designer. PENG! another huge one. i immediately moved from germany to the united states and started working – handling big accounts, winning awards… you know… (chuckle).
in 2005 i found freedom once again when i began to sew. instant liberation! within the first year i produced men’s and women’s clothes as well as bags, hats, belts… all without formal training in sewing or pattern making. BOOM! very big.
then… 2013… “project runway”… SMASH! that was huge for me. i made it to new york fashion week and was asked back to compete in “all stars” the following year (details for every episode are here on my site!). with that exposure came inquiries for me to host fashion events and i was invited to talk with students at universities. plus, an investor was interested in my one-off creations and WHAM! fäde zu grau, llc was established. orders for my creations came in from around the world as the shows aired in many countries.
talent and determination got me far, but none of my accomplishments would have been possible without the help of my family, friends and many people that i met along the way. a special thanks goes to lézar, my husband and partner of more than twenty years.
ambition
so, with many years of work experience as a multi-faceted graphic artist in german and american advertising agencies, i am adept in concept development, project management and final production. my on-the-job experience has afforded me a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and a well-rounded skill set along with insane attention to detail that makes it easy for me to stay on budget and within set time frames.
company
fäde zu grau, llc, coral gables, florida
graphics and fashion since 2015
bachelor’s degree in design
vortex communications, coral gables, florida
senior graphic designer, 2001 – 2014
public image limited, coral gables, florida
senior graphic designer, 1998 – 2000
system-werbung, versmold, germany
senior graphic designer, 1993 – 1998
richter & lanwert, lengerich, germany
graphic designer, 1992 – 1993
imprimatur, osnabrück, germany
advanced program for design, 1990 – 1992
tube
project runway all stars, season 5, 2015
new york fashion week, 2014
project runway, season 13, 2014
awards
arts & business council, miami, florida
graphic design 2007
miami art museum, miami, florida
graphic design 2001
languages
german, english, some russian, learning french
what else?
anything else you’d like to know? call, text or email me immmmediately and i’ll fill you in!
