The Women of SPITTELBERG

In the Victorian & Belle Epoque era when Viennas small district SPITTELBERG was known for its roaring frivolous nightlife, lust & sinful worldly delights of an insatiable flesh. A time when the harlots where claiming the streets by night.

the historical Victorian era, where fragility and hard life went hand in hand. Colored only slightly by a fascinating yet antiquated culture of patriarchy. We feel a sense of responsibility in giving tribute to the women of this historical period through our newest Gender Neutral collection; a remembrance that needs to be appreciated and simultaneously guarded.⁠⁠

In this Blog-post I will introduce to you some inspirational Women from the past who where the name givers to some of our current pieces.
The Name of the collection focuses on my hometown Vienna, but the inspiration came from women all over the globe who had one thing in common, their social status. While having these women in mind I tried to create Gender-Neutral fashion garments with a Unisex and Avantgarde twist to them.

HENRIETTE MENDEL
July 31, 1833 - November 12, 1891 (aged 58)

Born in Darmstadt as the daughter of a reportedly protestant couple she started working as an actress at the Hessische Hoftheater where she, later on, met the Duke of Bavaria Ludwig Wilhelm. What started out as being his mistress & having a daughter out of wedlock lead to romance & marriage as it was expected of a Duke.
Henriette was created Freifrau von Wallersee on May 19, 1859, and was now seen as a Royal.

(Henriette Mendel Coat, made of 100% cotton Corduroy featuring a big hood, waistbelt & Half-way printed inner lining)

JOSEFINE MUTZENBACHER
February 1852 - Devember 1904
(fictional character)

Probably the most famous Harlot of the Viennese scene back in those days was a fictional character based on the novel from Felix Salten (who was also the author of Bambi).
The story is about the manuscript that Josefine allegedly left to her physician before her death. Josefine Mutzenbacher was not her real name but the protagonist is said to have been born on February 1852 in Vienna and passed on December 1904 from complications after surgery.

(Josefine Mutzenbacher Bag, made from reclaimed leahter featuring adjustable straps & two inner compartments)


MINEKO IWASAKI
November 2, 1949

Mineko Tanaka (Birthname) is a Japanese business woman, author & former Geisha.
Iwasaki was the most famous geisha in Japan until her sudden retirement at the age of 29. She is most famously known for being portrayed in Athur Goldens 1977 Novel MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA.
Though she later sued Golden for breach of confidentiality. In 2002 she told her own story in her autobiography titled GEISHA OF GION.

I was so impressed & Inspired by her story & the journey she had been through out of which she gained such respect that I created two sister dresses in tribute to her. The Mineko Dress & The Iwasa Dress.

(MINEKO DRESS & IWASA DRESS)

PHRYNE
(4th century BC)

Phryne's real name was Mnesarete, but owing to her yellowish complexion she was called Phrýnē which translates to Toad & was a common nickname for courtisans & prostitutes back in those times.
She was known for her beauty & it was said that she was the inspiration of the famous painting Aphrodite Anadyomene by Apelles when she once let down her hair at a party & stepped into the ocean nude.
Allegedly she was so rich that she offered to fund the rebuilding of the walls of Thebes, which had been destroyed by Alexander the Great.
On the condition that the words "Destroyed by Alexander, restored by Phryne the courtesan" be inscribed upon them.

 (PHRYNE Dress)

SU XIAOJUN aka LITTLE SUE
c.479 – c.501

Su XiaoXiao also knows as LITTLE SUE was a famous Chinese courtesan and poet from the Qiantang City (Now knows as Hangzhou).
Known for her Intellect and being a patron of the arts she pursued the values of love, beauty & humanity as reflected in her writing.
Her work provided very influential inspiration to later Chinese writers & artists. She was the romantic heroine of Tang Dynasty poets such as Bai Juyi, Li He, Wen Tingyun & Ming Dynasty writer Zhang Dai.

Her grave was destroyed during the cultural revolution but later rebuilt in 2004 with Pavillion & is now a major tourist attraction in Hangzhou.

(LITTLE SUE DRESS & LITTLE SUE FLARE PANTS)

many of our pieces from the SPITTELBERG collection are named after famous women who made their way in society.
I hope you liked this little post & you can let me know what you think in the comment section!


xx
-Mark