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Vice Blog

CHRISTINA BERGER IS NOT A HOUSE

I last

spoke

to Vienna based designer

Christina Berger

over a year ago when

Vice

's fashion blog was just a sporadically updated typepad thing. Christina calls her collections weird names like: Auto: Erotik (Lips, Hips, Tits, Power) and You Did A Great Blow Job Brigitte. The latter is based on some fictitious Brigitte Nielsen and Freddy Mercury oral sex scenario. Christina was taught by Raf Simons and Veronique Branquinho, and her clothes major on provocative prints and simple shapes as well as color, but there's always a deeper concept--normally something to do with sexuality and consumerism.

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Vice: Hi Christina, it's been almost exactly one year since we last spoke, what's happened since? Christina:

Well, I'm still dreaming of a gold-shitting donkey and a knight in a white Lamborghini. In the meanwhile I've been on a guerrilla tour of London, Berlin, and Paris.

A Guerrilla tour, what the hell is that?

I went to about 50 shops with a big bag with my collection's name printed on it, all the stuff and some catalogs, but the shops weren't impressed with some designer just storming into their shop, and they're not into taking risks. So I'm stuck selling online now.

How's Vienna these days?

Vienna is still very intellectual and dusty. But working here is easy for me. I've got about 5000 jobs on the side, including cleaning and working in shops. I've also built up a good production line and a functioning fashion infrastructure here.

Hold on, you're a cleaning lady?

Yep. I'm cleaning apartments and photo studios. In the mornings I also work in a shop selling leather and fur and then in the afternoon I do the cleaning. That means I have the evenings and from five to eight in the morning to do my own stuff.

Wow, OK. Tell me about your exhibition HEAVEN, BUTT'N / = THREAD (free art.transl.) and what the hell that title means.

It was a part of Vienna's festival for fashion and photography. I was aiming to show the visitor how fashion first appears in my head and then progresses to the final product. I staged it as a giant equation, that's also where the title comes from: combining the good and the bad parts, which eventually results in fashion. We had like huge wooden puzzles the visitors could play with, there were male models working out, and we had a liquor tasting.

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So you prefer to see fashion in a gallery rather than on a runway?

Well, this wasn't really a presentation of my collection, more a general thing. But in my opinion fashion is made to be worn. I don't understand these super-structured architectural clothes--they're a nightmare. I'm a woman, not a house. Sometimes people push me into this art corner--which I don't really get because I make really wearable clothes--but I've come to appreciate it more now.

Do you show regularly at fashion week?

Actually, I really want to escape from seasonal collections. I think that you can only be successful if you find your own way, which also means your own way of presenting your work. I don't like being forced in this stiff fashion business structure. During Paris or Berlin fashion week, I'm just another small label.

I LOVE the invisible tennis socks. is this just a one-off or part of a whole invisible clothes collection?

They are a part of my little CB Sexual Sportswear project along with swimming suits, shirts, and jackets.

What's next?

I'm working on another small, more commercial project about contemporary design and traditional costume, and I'm going to sell prints of the posters I make for every collection. Everyone always asks if they can be bought so why not sell them?

Makes sense. Your work is quite sexual, why is that?

Hmm, I've never really thought about that, I guess it's just something that interests me. I don't really think of my collections as sexy, I like to play with those clichés but always in a humorous or political way, not a seriously sexy one. I also make clothes for real women who are not afraid of their sexuality and feminine shape, a lot of the fashion out there seems to be ashamed of boobs. I don't think putting supposedly sexy dresses on super skinny teenage girls is really the point. The way I see it: much ass equals much pleasure!

Are you consciously protesting against fashion or are you just having a laugh?

I think it's both, I need rules to break otherwise I feel bored, and besides all these exhausting daily fashion chores, I want to amuse. And of course, provoke a bit as well. NINA BYTTEBIER