Julia Cranz, * 1981, is Austria’s youngest and most extravagant master milliner owning studios in the lower Austrian city of Eichgraben and in Venice.
4 years of training in agricultural economics had a noticeable and massive influence on the designer’s relationship to nature.
A one-year training at the Vienna fashion school in Hetzendorf castle that focused on „Fashion Design and Garment-Making“ left her with the feeling that the fashion tailoring alone would seem “too two-dimensional”.
The three-year training at the Vienna fashion school in Hetzendorf castle that focused on „Tailormade Millinary” opened up completely new possibilities in terms of technique and materials.
Preferred materials of the artist: leather, miscellaneous feathers and Swarovski stones.
A several month long training at the San Francisco Arts & Fashion School as well as numerous travels all over the world continue to expand the artistic horizon and is still a source of new inspirations.
A shoemaker internship at Venice’s renowned Maestro Rolando Segalin did not only deepen her knowledge in the handling of leather, which is one of the preferred materials of the milliner, but it is also the reason for the opening of the second studio later in Italy.
A visit of the British Grand Dame of fashion, Isabella Blow († 2007), to the studio in Eichgraben resulted 2005 in the creation of the „Julia Cranz Hats, Hat pieces and more“ label.
The presentation of her Valentine Collection during the New York Fashion Week 2005 before an audience that included Donna Karan and Patricia Fields helped the label to their first international recognition and earned her an entry as „Milliner of the Month“ on the renowned website: www.millinery.info.
Numerous film and theatre productions at home and abroad for which Julia Cranz worked as a costume or set designer and even as an actress continue to be the source of artistic inspiration.
Celebrities such as opera diva Anna Netrebko, Sex-and-the-City icon Sarah Jessica Parker, the rapper Jan Delay or Mieze, the lead singer of the German formation Mia use the services of Julia Cranz.
Constantly changing cooperation, for example, with graffiti artists, dancers, musicians and other creative people continues to have an influence on the designer and gives each one of her collections the unexpected and distinctive fancy touch.
Between July 18 and 20, 2008, Julia Cranz presented her collection at the Premium Spring/Summer 2010 during the Berlin Fashion Week.