Katja Ehrhardt
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Katja Ehrhardt |
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| Personal | |
| Also known as: | Fräulein Ehrhardt |
| Real name: | Katja Ehrhardt |
| Born: | Ludwigshafen, Germany[1] |
| Years active: | 2000-present (fashion designer)[2] 2005-present (photographer)[3] |
| Nationality: | German |
| Professional | |
| Occupation(s): | Photographer, fashion designer |
| Field(s): | Latex, fetish |
| Influenced by: | Ralf Fischer (fashion designer) Thomas Rusch (photographer) |
| Influenced: | Ashley Pomeroy (photographer)[4] |
| Personal pages | |
| Blogs: | Blog |
| Communities: | MySpace |
| Profiles: | Model Mayhem | Flickr |
Katja Ehrhardt (pronounced ['katça 'eːɐ̯haːt]), also known by the name of her label Fräulein Ehrhardt ("Miss Ehrhardt"), is a German latex fashion designer and photographer who lives in Hamburg, Germany. She started her own collections in 2000 and is today recognised as one of the leading German latex fashion designers by both the international fetish scene[5] as well as an increasing number of non-fetish publications and organisations.[6][7][8]
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[edit] Work
[edit] General
When she was 20 years old, Ehrhardt had many contacts with the German Gothic and fetish scene. About her first experience with latex she states:
- "The parties had something naughty and forbidden to me, half-naked people in fetish-outfits having sex in a dark corners – great! There [I] touched a man in a tight latex-trousers for the first time and that was it for me.....this soft, sleek, glossy, shiny material was my thing."[9]
Over the years, however, she got tired by the (predominantly black) clothing style of the scene and is not part of it anymore.[9] But her interest in latex remained, and, together with her preference for strong colours, was to determine her future career in a significant way.
[edit] Latex fashion design
[edit] Beginning
In an interview, Ehrhardt told that she actually wanted to study literature and that it was rather by accident that she became a fashion designer.[5] She spent a lot of time in the studio of her then-boyfriend, latex fashion designer Ralf Fischer:[10]
- "I began to help him here and there, and soon I was working for him full time. After a few years, in 2000, I started my own little collection."[5]
This first collection consisted mainly of bikinis and tops which she sold to boutiques and private customers who visited her studio in Hamburg. After designing a line for the newly created fashion label of Peter W. Czernich's Marquis magazine in 2001, she took a break for more than a year and created hats, handbags, shoes and theatrical costumes in Berlin.[11]
[edit] The Marquis year
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After her time in Berlin, Erhardt was hired as a designer for Marquis and moved to Solingen where the label is located. Although now working for an established fetish producer, her first Marquis collection was a series of colourful fifties style bathing suits which contrasted strongly with all then known types of latex clothing. The collection was presented at the 2003 Kink in the Caribbean party and modelled by pin-up star Dita von Teese.[11][12]
In the following year, Ehrhardt contributed many of the most outstanding designs to the Marquis clothing range (such as the Pascal body or the Emily military blouse) which are sold and shown in pictorials until today.
In March 2004, Erhardt's contract with Marquis ran out[13] and she moved to Dubai.[14]
[edit] Style
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In October 2004, Ehrhardt's first collection after her Marquis time was shown at the Skin Two Rubber Ball in London, United Kingdom.[15]
While initially being influenced by Ralf Fischer from whom she had learned how to work with latex,[2][16] Ehrhardt now had developed a very special style of her own with more references to haute couture and fashion labels than to the fetish scene.[14]
Her intention was and is to "get rubber out of the hidden fetish zone"[17] by designing clothes "rather for normal use or for the clubs".[1] She has a preference for lingerie and often deliberately breaks the rules of "typical" fetish design or photography:[2]
- "Another difference is that I don't look at my outfits or photos with a fetish eye. For me it is just very sexy fashion, and that is how I handle it. But I do know that some of my models would never shoot with one of those so called 'fetish-photographers', because they don't like the fetish look. So, now that I think about it, I guess I really am a bit different!"[9]
There had been attempts to introduce non-fetish latex clothing before: In the 1970s, the Canadian label Inn-Skin produced a full range of everyday latex garments containing dresses, bikinis, bras, trousers, blouses and even pyjamas.[18] In the 1980s, haute couture designers like Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier started to experiment with the material[19][20] and made it known to a greater public in a non-fetish context. Finally, in the 2000s, the British label Atsuko Kudo established a range of haute couture latex designs that was picked up by many mainstream fashion magazines and designers like Hussein Chalayan.[21] But in the end, latex never made its way into everyday clothing.
Ehrhardt's approach of "very sexy fashion"[9] goes another way. She added printed lace patterns to a part of her latex underwear which made the pieces look more like classic lingerie than fetish clothing, introduced innovative colours, combined latex with everyday clothing like bikinis and cited haute couture designs for some of her more extravagant creations. In addition to this, she uses many breast-focused elements: Her collections contain a considerable number of open bust dresses, bodies and bras, transparent clothes as well as underwire cups that accentuate the breasts.
Apart from the extensive use of colours, some of the main characteristics of her designs are trims in contrast colours (KE210 top, TinyTeaserBra or Pascal body), clearly edged areas and lines of a certain thickness (SeamBra). Even her lace prints contain these more comic-style clear lines, which distinguishes Ehrhardt from Atsuko Kudo who also began to introduce printed lace on latex in the 2000s, but used much finer patterns (compare Atsuko Kudo's 1/4 Cup Bra).
Fräulein Ehrhardt collections are limited. Designs of former years are not available anymore, which already produced a circle of collectors who constantly buy items from her clothing lines.[14]
[edit] Recognition
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The blending of innovative latex design with classic clothing styles on a high quality level already attracted the attention of both the fashion scene and people who would never have bought a latex garment before.[14]
In addition to this, many pieces of Ehrhardt's collections found their way into the works of various photographers and models, and her growing recognition already led to unusual co-operations:
The futuristic EyesWideShut body was so unique that it almost achieved cult status. It is a transparent grey body with an attached mask that covers the eyes. It was worn in picturials of many known latex models.
The HoodBody was featured in an advertising campaign by Thomas Rusch for the French jewellery designer Hélène Zubeldia. The whole photo series was published in the Australian Oyster magazine, and the photo shown to the right won the Canon ProFashional Photo Award 2004.[22]
In 2007, the international flower delivery company Fleurop asked Ehrhardt to create colourful latex outfits for their annual general meeting. Together with German star florist Sabine Haller, she created four designs combining latex with real flowers which were presented on a fashion show during the Fleurop general meeting in Berlin on August 26, 2007.[6]
[edit] Photography
[edit] General
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In 2005, Ehrhardt started to shoot her own photos.[3] In an interview, she desribed her main motivation as follows:
- "I was tired of asking friends to shoot my new stuff or wait for an upcoming shoot, then take everything with me somewhere to get some photos. I just can't work that way and keep my online shop running, so I decided to take matters into my own hands."[5]
In addition to this, she often was not satisfied with the results of other photographers. Of course, there were exceptions, such as Thomas Rusch who did much of the photographic work for her in the beginning and with whom she works until today as a stylist when he shoots models wearing her latex fashion.[2]
After returning from Dubai where she had build her online shop with German webdesigners,[11] Ehrhardt launched her site HighGlossDolls in December 2005 to present her photographic work.[5] Her online shop followed in summer 2006.[2]
In August 2008, all content from her former fashion label site fraeulein-ehrhardt.de (frle.de) was moved to highglossdolls.com which became her main site. A member zone and a blog were added, and the online shop was integrated into the new site.
As of 2008, Ehrhardt had no plans to further expand her business:
- "I have often thought about expanding, but then I would be trapped with a company I am responsible for. I want to keep it small and flexible for the moment."[16]
[edit] Models
- For a list of big bust Katja Ehrhardt models, see Category:Katja Ehrhardt models.
[edit] Magazines and websites
Today, Ehrhardt's photographic work and fashion creations attract the attention of both the fetish scene and people who are new to latex.[10] Her creations have been featured in publications like
- FHM (Dutch edition),
- Marquis,
- Max,
- Penthouse (German edition),
- Playboy (Dutch edition),
- Playboy (German edition),
to name but a few.
[edit] Personal info
Katja Ehrhardt was born and grew up in Ludwigshafen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. After graduating from secondary school, she moved to Hamburg where her label Fräulein Ehrhardt is based.[1]
She is married[14] and, contrary to her occupation, prefers to wear jeans and t-shirts in her spare time.[2]
[edit] Free galleries
- Picture gallery (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) - Monique Vegas in latex fashion and photographed by Katja Ehrhardt
[edit] See also
- Category:Katja Ehrhardt photos - photos by Katja Ehrhardt
- Category:Katja Ehrhardt fashion - fashion designed by Katja Ehrhardt (including designs for other manufacturers)
- Fräulein Ehrhardt - the fashion label of Katja Ehrhardt
- Category:Fräulein Ehrhardt clothing - clothing by Fräulein Ehrhardt
[edit] External links
- Model-Kartei profile (German). (Google translation)
- Net-Model profile
- Flickr photostream
- Rubbercouture - latex fashion label of Katja Ehrhardt's former partner Ralf Fischer
[edit] References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Interview: Dohrendorf, Rüdiger (2001-06-21). Feel good - Existenzgründer aus der Bernstorffstraße im Portrait (German). Gründer-Info Hamburg. Retrieved on 2008-05-09. (Google translation)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Interview: Nickel, Ronnie. “Fetish Special - Shop: Fräulein Ehrhardt” (German) (PDF, Reprint). Sonic Seducer 2006 (11). OCLC 85643970. Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Interview: La Garda, Gianfranco (2007-12-11). Fräulein Ehrhardt spricht (German). La Garda. Retrieved on 2008-05-09. (Google translation)
- ↑ OneModelPlace profile of Ahsley Pomeroy. Retrieved on 2008-09-19.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Interview: G., Sez (2007-02-20). Katja Ehrhardt (English). Eros Zine. Retrieved on 2008-05-09. “[...] one of the top latex designers in Germany”
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "frech und reizend" (German) (PDF, Reprint). Fleurop-Magazin 2007 (10): 1-3. Retrieved on 2008-08-19. “[...] a star of the scene”
- ↑ Lingerie brand directory entry: Fraülein Ehrhardt (sic!) (English). S. Lingerie. Retrieved on 2008-11-19. “For once we discover a latex lingerie collection of undeniable quality with a real work on design that won't find its place in any sex shop but that you might consider.”
- ↑ Lingerie: die wirklich exklusiven Marken - Fräulein Ehrhardt (German). Land of Plenty - Die Welt der Dessous (2008-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-11-19. “[...] the No. 1” (Google translation)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Interview: LucyBoots (2007-07-04). Confessions of a Latex Fashion Photographer: An Exclusive Interview with Katja Ehrhardt (English). Kinky Confessions. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Interview (excerpts from LucyBoots 2007) with introduction: LucyBoots. Polished to perfection: Katja Ehrhardt's High Gloss Dolls (English). The Fetishistas. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Fräulein Ehrhardt and Highglossdolls (English). HighGlossDolls blog. Retrieved on 2008-08-10.
- ↑ Kink In The Caribbean (English). HighGlossDolls blog. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
- ↑ 3xL (2004-09-13). The Adventures of Fräulein Ehrhardt! (English). Lust, Love & Latex. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Horn, Alexander. "Fräulein Ehrhardt und ihre lebenden Gummipuppen" (German) (PDF, Reprint). Fet-X 2007 (4): 8-15. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
- ↑ Rubberball Fashion Show (English). HighGlossDolls blog. Retrieved on 2008-08-18.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Interview: Rene (2008-05-28). TLP Interviews Katja Ehrhardt (English). The Lingerie Post. Retrieved on 2008-08-19.
- ↑ “Das quietschbunte Fräulein Ehrhardt” (German) (JPG, Reprint). Marquis 2002: 106. Retrieved on 2008-08-10.
- ↑ 3xL (2008-08-01). INN-SKIN: Latex Fashion from the 70'ties! (English). Lust, Love & Latex. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
- ↑ Kaiser, Alfons (2007-04-03). Paulis Mode: Kann denn Latex Sünde sein? (German). faz.net. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved on 2008-08-10. (Google translation)
- ↑ Wenge, Birthe. "Glanz und Gummi" (German) (PDF, Reprint). Max 2005 (8): 42-53. Retrieved on 2008-08-18.
- ↑ Rene (2008-04-08). Couture Latex: Atsuko Kudo (English). The Lingerie Post. Retrieved on 2008-08-22.
- ↑ Canon ProFashional Photo Award 2004 setzt aktuelle Trends in der Modefotografie (German). Canon (October 2004). Retrieved on 2008-08-18. (Google translation)