A Melitta Baumeister is easily identifiable. Marked by oversized silhouettes, innovative materials, and unusual shapes, the German-born designer is making her mark on the fashion industry through sculptural designs. After honing her craft at Parsons, where she graduated from the MFA program, she landed a spot in the VFILES New York Fashion Week show. The standout collection caught the eye of influential industry people, including Mel Ottenberg, who put one of her coats on Rihanna. Soon after, the collection landed at at Dover Street Market – and she’s been steadily building her brand since.

Bridging the worlds of art and fashion, the designer is an exciting talent on the New York fashion scene. Learn more about her fashion background below.

What is your earliest fashion memory?

It might sound like a cliche, but my mother teaching me to sew garments for my dolls must have been one of my earliest fashion memory. With this skill, she empowered me to be creative and bring my own ideas to live very early on. To this day, my view on fashion and garment is still based on a hands-on, makers approach as well as the urge to make something new, something exciting and worthwhile.

What was your reaction to finding out you were a finalist?

It has been an incredibly exciting time in the studio and the announcement has energized us so much. I think we were able to translate that energy into the newest collection. It is also incredibly rewarding to be recognized for our hard work and contribution to the industry we are so passionate about.

How would you describe your label?

We are a design-driven, fashion forward label with a distinct sculptural approach to shape and volume. Over the years, we have solidified our space on the fashion horizon by developing wearable offerings without comprising the vision that gained us a very loyal following.

What is a specific area of focus you are looking for help with?

Prior to the CFDA, our primary efforts were dedicated to broadening brand recognition, enhancing communication strategies, and refining our approach to wearability within our collection. These remain our central areas of development. We believe that receiving mentorship in these specific areas would be highly beneficial for our growth and success.

Is there a goal or milestone you would like to accomplish with your brand in the future?

I believe that our approach to fashion has the potential to stay relevant long term and across different generations. We always say we want every woman in New York to know the brand. It’s an ambitious goal and we are doing great with progressive customers that are naturally more courageous and find their way to us because of the uncompromising vision. For the less fashion savvy customer, I know out of experience that all it needs most of the time is for the customer to try the pieces on to start understanding them and fall in love. Consequently, we are currently focusing a lot on pop up shops and events, which will hopefully end up becoming a brick and mortar at some point in the future. It’s imperative for us to be able to present the collections within their context, tell the story, and also educate the customer.

The 2023 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists will be announced at the 2023 Vogue Forces of Fashion on October 19th.