sweet anticipation

Past feelings and thought processes can seem unreal, disconnected or simply overrated if looked over years later, have you experienced that?

I am now living and working in these United States of America since the year 1992, well rather, that was when I first put my pretty little feet onto this gravel, it took a couple of years for me to figure out how to live and work here, but putting details aside, it was 1992. That's 17 years ago honey and soon it'll be 18.

So from almost a fifth of a Century ago, here is a picture of me put "en scene" in 1992, a time when I already visited New York once and knew I was going to live there. So it was in sweet anticipation that I made this self portrait. I think it is adorable how much work I put into it, dressed as Wonder Woman - note the apples on my head and the big apple bag - "Just how sweet is it that they call New York the Big Apple?" - must have been what I was thinking...

And you guessed right, that is King Kong in my hand! Handmade by Jack Fäh a fellow from my hometown St. Gallen who was good at these kind of things. All that was missing was the skyline and sure enough I managed to paint that mural... I have a masters in graphic design, in case you didn't know. So yeah, that was done in a snap!

And all this because of a little sweet anticipation about moving to New York City - It's grand!

pre-computer workspace

Another picture from the past... how can I tell?

...on my work table in my apartment in Zurich circa 1991...

photo by Chrigel Braun

Well, while I already seem to be a rock 'n' roll junkie (I have a Suzi Quatro in silver leather body suit poster), my now ever so present laptop is missing in this shot and where is my cell phone, my ipod??!
Plus, I'm still smoking "Parisienne Mild" Cigarettes (A Swiss cigarette brand of British American tobacco) and what about that Heintje poster??! I forgot about Heintje in the meantime, but I am just reminded that he is a cult figure in Europe, at the very least in Germany.

Get a taste of Heintje! It's "Kitsch" as one would label it in Germany.

And yes, I hate to say: that cool 70's hippie leather jacket (purchased at the Bangkok Weekend Market, I'd say it's the very best in the world) does not fit anymore (come on, it was tight then!) - my bad - it would be right on target this season!

There are other indications of times past, such as the corner of the Adriano Celentano movie poster "Innamorate Pazzo" starring Ornella Muti. Hillarious!

Get a taste of Italian Comedy!

I was not a fashion designer yet and working as a graphic designer (my original masters degree) for the Ad Agency Young & Rubicam in Zurich. We were still ordering text, cut and paste it with 3M spray can glue (also on the table) and then took a repro photo. This process is so old school, unimaginable today! But that's all we knew and I loved it...

Now it's time I go check my email, which undoubtedly must have come in while I was re-searching the past.

go nude!

Don't worry, y'all! They're not real!! The piercings nor the nude body... it's all fake! Gain with no pain!

This body suit/sun suit is really cool. Almost exactly 10 years ago, I designed it as part of the Vice Body Culture Collection of which I will post about some more later on. I sold a few of them back then. There was also a dress version, without piercings, which was worn by a TV hosts and has caused sheer outrage by some very conservative Swiss citizens.

Vice Body Culture Fashion Show at Kaufleuten in Zuerich, 1998.

Being so busy with "Fashion Rocks" at the moment I almost did not realize that there is a sort of comeback happening with the nude suits. People from allover the world have been ordering them and I found myself pulling out the hammer, eyelets and rings again... so I just wanted to fill you in on that this "nude-thing" seams to become some kind of trend again: