Blending AI-powered creative systems with classical photo art direction.
PROFILE:
Strategic Creative & Visual Director with 25+ years of international experience across fashion, lifestyle, editorial, and brand marketing. Lived and worked in Paris for over eight years and gained early professional experience in London, shaping a strong cross-cultural understanding of European brand, fashion, and media landscapes. Specialized in translating brand strategy into clear, scalable creative and visual systems from narrative and identity to photo, video, and content ecosystems. Proven track record in leading large interdisciplinary teams, collaborating closely with C-level stakeholders, and steering brands through phases of transformation.
CORE EXPERTISE:
Brand Strategy and Systems
• Brand strategy, communication, and positioning across international markets, including positioning frameworks, messaging hierarchies, and touchpoint architectures.
• End-to-end creative leadership across brand, campaign, and content ecosystems, translating strategy into distinctive visual narratives.
Creative Direction and Visual Identity
• End-to-end creative leadership across brand, campaign, and content ecosystems, with a strong focus on photography and film from concept to execution across editorial, campaign, and digital formats.
Leadership and Innovation
• Leadership and coordination of international creative teams and partners, ensuring alignment, efficiency, and creative excellence
• AI-supported creative workflows integrating emerging tools to enhance ideation, production efficiency, and quality control while maintaining brand integrity.
SELECTED EXPERTISE:
Lead Art Director Photo/Video – Global Brand Marketing
C&A | Berlin | 2022–2026
Led the visual transformation of C&A’s international brand identity across Europe, establishing scalable photo and video standards across all channels and markets, resulting in a unified and modernised visual system.
Lead Art Director Photo/Video – Global Brand Marketing
Zalando | Berlin | 2013–2016
Co-developed Zalando’s international brand and communication strategy, leading a team of 21 and delivering global campaigns and collaborations, transforming Zalando from a commercially driven online retailer into a clearly positioned fashion and lifestyle brand.
Creative Director, freelance
Berlin / Paris | 2002–2013, 2016–2020
Built an international creative practice spanning fashion, culture, and NGOs, delivering culturally informed brand storytelling through campaigns, editorials, and content formats across European markets.
Creative Director and Publisher
Dong Magazine | Berlin / Paris | 2003–2007
Founded and creatively led an internationally distributed magazine, achieving global reach in 16 countries and institutional recognition, including inclusion in MoMA’s permanent collection.
ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP:
Professor and Dean of Studies
AMD Academy for Fashion & Design | Berlin | 2020–2022
B.A. Fashion Journalism & Communication — Focus on visual communication, storytelling, and media ethics
EARLY CARRER:
Vivienne Westwood Studio | London
Professional experience at the Vivienne Westwood Studio in London as Executive Assistant to Vivienne Westwood, contributing to Paris prêt-à-porter showpieces and gaining early exposure to international fashion production and high-level creative processes.
EDUCATION:
Diploma in Fashion Design
Master’s student in the class of Vivienne Westwood at the UdK (University of the Arts) Berlin,
serving as tutor and press liaison for her fashion class.
Tailoring Apprenticeship, Steilmann, Bochum
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Photographers/Directors:
Jonas Åkerlund, Horst Diekgerdes, Kai Z Feng, Gregory Harris, Julia Hetta, Rasmus Weng Karlsen, Ward Kweskin, Jonas Lindström, Thomas Lohr, Johan Sandberg, Gordon von Steiner, Ben Weller, Cecile Bortoletti, Roger Deckker, Ronald Dick, Nick Dorrey, Chantelle Dosser, Annemarieke van Drimmelen, Tomas Falmer, Jana Gerberding, Peter Gehrke, Astrid Grosser, Roman Goebel, Markus Jans, Axl Jansen, Peter Langer, Anouk Nitsche, Andreas Öhlund, Markus Pritzi, Thomas Schenk, Jessica Sidenros, Ender Suenni, Yannik Schütte, Sybille Walter, Jan Welters
Celebrities:
Arizona Muse, Claudia Schiffer, Lucky Blue Smith, Cara Delevingne, Caroline de Maigret, Marie-Agnès Gillot, Vincent Chaillet, Veruschka von Lehndorff, James Goldstein, Claude Lévêque, Hannelore Knuts, Hussein Chalayan, Bar Refaeli, Sarah Wiener, Til Schweiger, Daniel Brühl, Christy Turlington. Peaches, Sven Väth, Herbert Grönemeyer
Brands
Mustang Jeans, W<, IC! Berlin, Wunderkind, Sixt, Mercedes, Norlha, Lemaire, Anne Fontaine, Tranoï, Fédération Française de la Mode, Encens Magazine, Amarta Magazine, National Geographic, Swarovski, Zalando, C&A, Topshop, Karl Lagerfeld, ELV Denim, Vivienne Westwood, Shu Uemura
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ONGOING PROJECT:
made/in India and Germany develops innovative collaborations between Indian and German craft and fashion through the interaction of designers and craftspeople from both countries.
Visit the Website: made/in
Funded by the Federal Foreign Office.