When memory becomes an aesthetic, something singular emerges — perhaps even revolutionary. For Spring/Summer 2025, Julia Skergeth crafts an entirely original vision of the past with her new collection, The Modern Heidi. Nostalgic in its foundations, but uncompromisingly contemporary in its execution. Her designs are not a tribute to folklore — they are a deliberate renegotiation of alpine codes. Clean lines, artisanal depth, and a perspective entirely her own on origin, material, and sensuality.
Julia Skergeth on Nature, Childhood & Strength
„The mountains have always been a source of inspiration for me — powerful, and yet full of quiet,“ says Julia Skergeth of the origins behind her current designs. And this duality permeates the entire collection. Soft, organically shaped bags in warm suede stand alongside functional details such as drawstrings and structured silhouettes. The visual world once shaped by the animated series Heidi and the traditional textiles of Alpine mountain huts is not quoted here, but transformed — into design objects that oscillate between urbanity and rawness.
The Tulip Bag as Sculptural Homage
One of the most captivating new additions is the Takeaway Bag Tulip — named for its leaf-like form that curves softly around the body. In the shade Sahne Toffee, it radiates an almost ceramic warmth, enhanced by the velvety finish of the suede. In contrast to the angular language of so many urban bags, Julia Skergeth opts for a feminine, organic vocabulary — without veering into the whimsical. The bag feels simultaneously soft and structured, like an alpine landscape that radiates both calm and quiet power.
TAKEAWAY BAG TULIP (COLOR: SAHNE TOFFEE)
€ 580,-
Texture as Narrative
Beyond the Tulip form, it is above all the interplay of materials that sets The Modern Heidi apart from other bag collections. The mid-size Takeaway Bag Peter was presented for the first time in denim, fitted with interchangeable hiking boot laces — a subtle nod to mountain hiking culture, translated into an urban accessory. It is further distinguished by a crocheted edelweiss detail — the iconic alpine symbol, and simultaneously a marker of the bond between craft and nature.
The large Takeaway Bag Large also returns, in butter-soft leather and a timeless format that works equally well as an office companion or a weekend bag. Its colours — Schwarzbeere and Sahne Toffee — carry names that evoke memories without tipping into the sentimental.
An AI-Generated Vision of Heidi
For the first time, Julia Skergeth collaborates in this collection with fashion AI artist Laura Büchner (@promptlab_laurabuechner). Together they create a „digital Heidi“ — a visual figure that lends the collection not only an aesthetic leitmotif, but also a bridge to the present. Each bag is accompanied by an AI-generated illustration that connects the archaic power of the Alps with the algorithmic aesthetics of the contemporary moment.
This collaboration is more than a visual add-on. It makes clear that tradition, for Julia Skergeth, is not something preserved under glass — it is a living category, one that can be questioned, recombined, and continued forward, both in design and in narrative.
Between Nostalgia and Design Futurism
The Modern Heidi is not a nostalgic retrospective, but a collective memory filtered through contemporary design. Julia Skergeth’s bags speak of a connection to nature, of strength, and of textile confidence — without resorting to Alpine romanticism or artificial ethnic codes. In their place: a quiet poetry of form and function. A bag that doesn’t need to be loud to be present. An object that doesn’t follow trends — it marks a position.
With The Modern Heidi, Julia Skergeth achieves a subtle, layered staging of alpine heritage. Her collection feels like a textile hike between childhood memory, material research, and futuristic curiosity. In an era when origin and identity are increasingly up for negotiation, she designs a piece of fashion that doesn’t provide answers — it asks questions. What remains? And how do we carry it forward?
