A LIFETIME OF KNIT
I have spent my life knitting - my mother taught me to knit at four. Growing up in rural Austria, I was surrounded by farms by nature. When I wasn't playing outside, I was painting, drawing, or knitting.
I was always drawn to fashion and art. I attended art schools from a young age. Studying at the Academy of Fine Arts and then at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna under Raf Simons.
At 25, I left Austria, moving to Paris to follow my dream. At that time, working in luxury fashion, the focus was on master crafts - particularly in knitwear. No one was offering hand-knit garments back then. I had something special to propose and that the Buyers of the best independent stores would appreciate it. As a test - I created a few handknit accessories and sent them to the most influential Buyers. it worked - I was invited to create a shop window for one of the world's most significant stores - Colette.
I began creating handknits that combined traditional techniques and pop culture icons, and over the decade that followed, my Brand grew and grew. When the pandemic hit, I was able to take a break; I found I had reached a point where the endless cycles of Fashion weeks and the constant hunger for newness had exhausted me - it was time for a change.
The new evolution of Michaela Buerger was born from the desire to create a collection of pieces that felt more authentic. Returning to my roots and the beauty of Austrian traditional knit - I found a way to translate these traditions to the current moment, placing new value on traditional skills that could be lost.
"I learned how to knit at the age of four; today, I am running my business, sharing my passion for precious handknits with my clients and the women who knit our pieces, " Michaela Buerger
Photographs of Michaela wearing Austrian Tracht outfits in her childhood
