WORTH STEERING BOARD INTERVIEW: JULIA KOERNER

It was an amazing opportunity for us to hear from our WORTH Partnership Project Steering Board Member Julia Koerner. Julia is an award-winning designer working at the convergence of architecture, fashion and product design – specialised in additive manufacturing and robotic technology.

Her amazing career includes the creation of her own brand JK Design GmbH where her recent collaborations involve 3D-Printed fashion pieces developed with Haute Couture Houses for Paris Fashion weeks and Hollywood Entertainment Productions. We could not wait to find out more about her industry experience and what advice she has for WORTH participants through our interview:

You have an amazing multi-disciplinary career merging architecture, fashion and product design. Do you think that this has contributed to your success within the creative industry?
Having a background in architecture and emergent technologies and design enables me to collaborate with other progressive designers, Haute Couture Houses in Paris and the Hollywood Movie Industry. My extensive expertise in computational design and 3D printing enables me to work across multiple disciplines and scales. I seek to pursue to push these boundaries in the future.

You are the founder and director of JK Design GmbH in which your work ranges from fashion to the Hollywood entertainment industry, what made you want to establish your own company?
Beyond being an architect and designer of my own brand, I further wanted to provide services to the industry. In 2015 I designed my first entirely 3D printed ready to wear collection and beyond that started to have many business opportunities in Europe. I decided the best place to start my company was in my hometown Salzburg in Austria. This year JK Design was awarded the WIKARUS prize from the economic chamber in Salzburg, for best founding company.

What would be your best piece of advice for other creative entrepreneurs in regards to starting up your own business within the design industry?
Being as flexible and open as possible towards the future, it often comes differently than you expect. I originally dreamed to become a fashion designer but then decided to study architecture and emergent technologies and design, little had I known back then that this would equip me with a skillset which one day would enable me to be involved in the most cutting-edge fashion projects of today.

You are a big part of the WORTH Partnership Project which brings together cross-boarder creatives to work together towards a mutual outcome, how do you feel this is import for the European industry?
I think collaboration is a key to innovation in the creative field. Different disciplines inspire each other and I think it is important that we share knowledge. WORTH Partnership Project is a great platform to connect and help the industry to progressively advance in this way, I am glad to be a part of it.

Find out more about Julia Koerner through her WORTH profile here.