Johannes Warnke’s Otherworldly Fashions Are Already a Favorite of Lady Gaga
You can’t miss Johannes Warnke’s designs. If you’ve watched Lady Gaga’s dramatic music video for “911” or opened up this month’s Italian Vogue to Adut Akech’s latest editorial, you were treated to the sight of his high-concept luxury. Warnke’s clothes brim with color and texture and move with their wearers to create arresting tableaux. Fresh from his graduation from Central Saint Martins in June, his clothing is already striking a chord with stylists and global pop superstars, a fact Warnke credits to social media. “Usually there is a press show, but [our class] was unable to have one due to the pandemic, so we all had to rely on social media,” shared Warnke on the phone from Germany. “I’ve been fortunate that people have seen my work and found it interesting enough that they reached out to me. I was overwhelmed at first. I didn’t expect anything. I was at home dyeing fabrics and working from my childhood bedroom.”
Warnke’s interest in fashion asserted itself early on. “I remember sitting in the sandbox and watching my well-dressed kindergarten classmate all day long,” he says. “I played with Barbies and made clothes for them, cut out paper figures from magazines and dressed them differently every day, playing with different shapes and colors.” As a child in the picturesque municipality of Estenfeld in the Bavarian countryside, his earliest inspirations were the urbane teenagers from nearby cities like Frankfurt. “They represented cool clothes and all the things that I didn’t have access to in the countryside,” says Warnke.
Trained in modern dance since the age of six, Warnke has a keen understanding of movement and the body, which informs his designs as much as youth culture and media. “It’s the first element,” he says. “I try to ensure that the person wearing the garment feels free to move. The garments are quite structured, but they are constructed in a way that allows movement. When you walk, it sways a little in the wind and flows with each movement. That’s something you can’t see in a picture, but on the catwalk, you’d notice.” Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater and the drama of modern dance are evident within his work. “Bausch’s plays, which are always a bit sociopolitical and ironic, showcase so many different emotions and contradictions, all you can express within contemporary dance,” says Warnke. “I think if I’d studied ballet, my clothes might be more structured or classical, but I like that they’re free, have movement, and are a bit sculptural as well.”
There’s a cerebral side to Warnke’s work both in its visual impact and origins. A psychology buff, he’s studied human behavior complexities and considers observation a crucial element within his process. “I could sit for hours in the park, and just people watch [and] that’s a big part of the job,” says Warnke. “Designing is about observing and then translating what you see into your language.” His time at Central Saint Martins allowed him to develop that language further. “It’s where I unbuttoned a bit and explored who I was as a person and a creative,” says Warnke. “It was a game changer, coming from the countryside; it blew my mind that you were able to arrive at this place where everyone suddenly was allowed to be their full selves.”
That freedom gave Warnke the confidence to assert his design vision and align himself with like-minded mentors, namely Dutch designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren of Viktor Rolf. As an intern in the avant-garde brand’s couture department, Warnke learned to push the envelope unapologetically. “They taught me how to go crazy, the idea of not just giving half but doing everything with conviction and fully going for it,” he says. “Viktor and Rolf are incredible, and they make such conceptual collections that are never shy or polite. They give themselves the freedom to experiment and take things to the next level.”
One look at Warnke’s work, and it’s clear that he took those lessons to heart. His creations have an otherworldly quality, a transportive element that would make them seem at home in an editorial or a high fantasy like Game of Thrones. Still, his designs address real-world concerns. “Sustainability should never compromise your designs, but the design shouldn’t compromise sustainability either; it should all be in harmony,” says Warnke, who dyes his textiles by hand and utilizes materials with a low environmental impact, such as sustainable, cruelty-free silk and upcycled organza and tapestry. “Most of my garments have zero waste because they are draped without discarding any fabric,” says Warnke. “Because I dye them in my garden, I’m also able to control the water usage and use natural dyes. I’ve also been using bio-resin leftovers made from cornstarch that is biodegraded and so much better for the environment than plastic.”