ACHTUNG tends to be very conservative when it comes to covering talents who just graduated from fashion school. Too many brand-sponsored design prizes are out there now and it often feels people are dragged into the world of these competitions for the benefit of the prize and not the student. Then attending the world’s greatest fashion schools sounds like a goal not too many dare to dream of in Germany. How to do it without the right resources, sufficient funds, or overwhelming self-confidence? Studying fashion is often a risk – expensive tuition fees don’t mix well with uncertain job opportunities – but as the industry has entered the mainstream and more and more youngsters want to get into the field, we couldn’t help but spotlight Paula Dischinger who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design at Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) in Paris and is currently doing her Master’s degree in Performance Arts at Central Saint Martins (CSM) in London. She was recently rewarded the FASHION X CRAFT price from the German Fashion Council for one of her designs in Berlin. We met up to talk about her journey from applying to fashion school with a single project in her portfolio to declining an internship at Bottega Veneta – she had a lot to say.

ACHTUNG: Where are you from and what got you into fashion?

Paula Dischinger: I was raised in Bavaria, Regensburg. When I finished high school at 17, I initially wanted to be a midwife. I spent one year in Malawi, where I did a volunteer service and taught expressive arts. Back home, I did a small project on the side, making fashion out of paper. Surprisingly, that got some local attention. I won the youth cultural prize for aesthetics and art in Bavaria. With this prize, I applied to fashion school. I thought it was worth the shot, but I wasn’t even that into it.

A: Looking back, do you think Paris was right for you?

PD: At the end of the day, yes. I did not have the money to go to Paris, it’s a private school and incredibly expensive. You must be very conscious of how much money you spend on your education. I applied for endless scholarships and managed to get one. I could only go to fashion school because of that scholarship.

A: How did the other students around you finance fashion school?

PD: IFM is filled with super rich and famous people. Almost every person is funded by their parents. I was one of the only people who funded it by themselves. This is also the reason why I was always in class on time – I knew how expensive my education was. A lot of students were usually late, they were never aware of how much money their parents spent on university. Scholarships are a great option for financing it yourself. In Germany there are a bunch of options for scholarships, so there is a good chance that you might get one and you should never be too shy to apply anywhere.

A: Why IFM?

PD: Basically fate, if you want to call it that. I did not really know about fashion schools before applying, I was a little lost. But I looked up the best fashion schools, trying to aim as high as I could. I applied from Malawi with a super bad internet connection. I missed the Central Saint Martin’s, UdK Berlin and Antwerp Academy deadlines. IFM was the only one left.

A: How did you get in?

PD: AT IFM you apply with a portfolio. By the time I applied, the only thing in my portfolio was the price I won on fashion I made from paper. I only had two pictures that I could upload to my application. Also, during my interview, the internet connection broke down. But it didn’t matter in the end, maybe it even made me stand out? At IFM, 90% of the students do a one-year portfolio course before applying. Don’t get me wrong, I think that course is amazing, you learn a lot about the foundations of fashion. But I didn’t have the time and it worked out anyway.

A: Why did you go into fashion in the first place?

PD: I was never a great student in high school, nothing ever really motivated me. The only thing that kind of caught my attention was art. We had this seminary called “Everyone is an artist”, named after that one Joseph Beuys quote. This really got me. As a final project for that course, I did a runway show in my school. We stole euro pallets and built our own runway. It was a wholesome introduction to the fashion scene. This project is what got me through high school.

A: What is it like to be in such high competition at IFM and now CSM?

PD: There are people who thrive under pressure and people who suffer. I personally work well in high competition. In the last year at IFM, we were around 100 students and only 20-25 of those got into the final fashion show. It’s all people think and talk about, and you can really feel the pressure. I can translate pressure into good energy, which makes me work a lot. All in all, it can be very motivating. It’s also so special to see all these students work so hard to achieve their dreams.

A: How did you experience the fashion capitals that you lived in?

PD: The whole energy on the streets during fashion week is so impressive for the eyes. Experiencing it firsthand whilst simultaneously studying fashion is amazing. But there is a huge difference between London and Paris. In London, you only have to show your student card and you get in backstage. In Paris, you try to get into all the shows and backstage areas and people are super harsh, it’s not that easy. But I still tried, going to a fashion show means getting inspiration. And contacts. This is a platform you must utilize for yourself.

A: What shows did you go to?

PD: As a student, you also always have the option of working as a dresser for the shows. When I had the time, I always did that. It’s super interesting to experience the energy backstage. You have to see the people and feel whether this environment really is something for you. I did a lot of shows as a dresser at Coperni and Botter. Also, Issey Miyake, which was amazing. My one dream in life is to work for Issey Miyake. Seems almost impossible, unfortunately. Japan is super exclusive and if you don’t speak Japanese fluently, it can be hard to get in. But who knows, I won’t stop dreaming. I really love Issey Miyake. I was in Japan when he died. I worked for Kajihara Design Studios and my boss worked for Issey Miyake for eight years in textile development. During lunch, people checked their phones and suddenly everyone started crying because news came that Issey Miyake had died. It was so sad and beautiful to experience in person what he meant to the people who worked with him.

Fashion show in Paris, 06/2023 (IFM), backstage with Tony and Dario

A: Let’s talk about CSM. Why did you choose to do a Master’s in Performance Art instead of Fashion Design?

PD: The other day I talked to someone who said that there is such a huge difference between performance art and fashion. But I see similarities. The dressing-up culture and all the self-presentation are very closely connected to the idea of performance. I really love the performative aspect of fashion. My favorite part of the fashion industry has always been the shows. There is so much energy floating there. I am a very energetic person myself and I feel it at the shows. A fashion show is a platform that brings people together from different artistic backgrounds, let it be make-up, stage design, or lighting. I could think of more. This is basically the direction I want to head towards: The curation of fashion shows. To do that, I needed to fully understand the connection between the public and artists. That’s basically why I chose this master’s in performance art at CSM. With the small dream of curating fashion shows one day. And my master’s program is amazing. All in all, we are seven students in my course. A lot of good-thinking brains. It goes a lot deeper than in my bachelor’s degree if I’m allowed to say that. But maybe that’s also because CSM is next level. They have such a long teaching history: It feels like most people you look up to in the industry went to CSM at some point.

A: Your education sounds very interdisciplinary – combining knowledge from two different yet connected fields.

PD: Totally. It’s not about focusing your knowledge on a tiny matter, but rather about combining knowledge fields. And you can connect anything if you want to.

A: What is your perception of the fashion world right now?

PD: This industry has huge potential. To be honest, it’s a beautiful industry to work in. Everyone loves to put on clothes and feel beautiful. On the other side, we can’t ignore the negative aspects. I’m going to New York City tomorrow and I’m really struggling with taking this flight and harming the environment just so I can do an internship at Melitta Baumeister overseas. Also, the conditions are usually horrible. Bad production standards, unpaid and overworked interns. But then again, people agree to do these things. I had the option of doing an internship at Bottega Veneta, where I would not have been paid fairly. It was a hard decision, but I decided against that, there are other ways. And things are changing. Jean Paul Gaultier wrote the names of everyone involved in his show, including interns, on his show notes. Those are little things, but they mean a lot and they change the industry step by step. There is hope! I’m not too negative about it, otherwise I would not do it.

A: Tell me more about your process of finding a fitting internship and eventually declining Bottega Veneta. 

PD: This is a funny story. I had my internship planned at Bottega, but I was not really satisfied with my situation, mainly because of the lack of financial compensation that I mentioned earlier. One day, I was really frustrated and went to a café. I usually like to go to cafés and restaurants at the end of the day to try and save the food that they would otherwise throw away. That day I met this waiter. He was annoyed with me at first, but we started talking that evening. At some point, I told him that I’d really love to just go to Japan. He said that his mom is Japanese and works in the fashion industry, connecting small Japanese brands to huge fashion houses. I sent my portfolio to her, and she sent it to her friends in Japan. That’s how I got my internship at Kajihara Design Studio in Japan. It showed me that I should trust the process. Being open and talking to people around you is what makes your career.

A: Do you agree with this statement: The higher the education the higher your chances in the fashion industry.

PD: To generalize, yes. But there are still examples that prove that statement wrong. I mean, Philipp Plein managed to get up there by studying law. Simon Porte Jacquemus dropped out of fashion school after the first year. You can have a very creative mindset and be incredibly successful through that. Or you think professionally and from a business of fashion perspective. That can make you super successful, too. There is more than one way of being successful and that is a good thing. So, thinking about it, maybe I don’t agree with that statement. Of course, having that Antwerp stamp or that CSM stamp helps. The name of the school makes things easier and at the end of the day, I’m also benefitting from it. But there are so many more ways. Don’t give up just because you did not get accepted into university, it’s not the end of the world. School is not everything. And from my own experience, around 50% of the people I went to IFM did not end up working in fashion.

A: Compare IFM to CSM.

PD: To me, CSM is incredibly beautiful because it’s an art school. During lunch, you can sit in the canteen and talk to an architect, a textile designer, a woodworker. The energy at CSM is amazing and I can’t compare it to anything else. Truly inspirational. IFM always felt like a big family to me, which is also a huge advantage. You know everyone by name and can ask anyone for anything. I think very highly of the bachelor program. IFM is a merge of two big schools: Chambre Syndicale and French School of Couture. The merge is quite interesting to me. The program is supposed to be student-friendly and not as “cruel” as Antwerp supposedly is. I really enjoyed the courses. A good mix of theory and practical courses. It felt like a high school at times. Teachers led the students, which some students really liked. I was struggling with that system sometimes. At CSM I have way more freedom in what I do, but I had to get used to that too. If you are burning for something, the system doesn’t matter.

A: Do you feel like your personal fashion style has changed throughout your studies?

PD: My clothing style has not changed too much. I was never a person who cared too much about how I looked and what I wore. For some reason, I never wear the clothes I make myself. I got some pieces from the companies I worked for, but there is also such a high emotional value attached to them. Daily, I wear black head-to-toe. It’s not about me, it’s about what I do. I don’t really like make-up or nails on myself either. I do love watching other people dress up – CSM is like a runway sometimes. It’s very inspiring to me, but it’s not for me. I ride the bicycle too much for that.