School of Design / Fashion Design / Lisa-Carlotta Küsters

Lisa-Carlotta Küsters

Lisa Küsters is a German-born fashion designer with a background in textiles and design, whose work explores the relationship between structure, identity, and transformation through contemporary garment design. Rooted in sustainability and material experimentation, the practice combines strong tailoring, sculptural silhouettes, and unconventional textiles to challenge traditional approaches to fashion and construction.

Working with recycled fabrics, vintage materials, and repurposed garments, Küsters approaches sustainability not only as a responsibility but as a creative methodology. Existing materials are reconstructed and recontextualised, allowing imperfections, history, and texture to become integral elements of the final piece.

For Lisa, fashion functions as more than clothing; it is a form of visual communication. Each collection becomes an exploration of silhouette, craftsmanship, and identity, creating garments that challenge convention while remaining deeply personal.

Controlled Chaos

The collection Controlled Chaos explores the tension between structure and chaos through strong silhouettes, layered construction, and the reinterpretation of traditional Japanese garments such as the kimono and seifuku. Historical references are merged with contemporary streetwear, experimental tailoring, and influences drawn from Japanese pop culture, underground subcultures, and the designer’s own evolving visual identity.

At the core of this collection lies the inspiration of the sukeban and bancho subcultures; youth movements defined by rebellion, identity, and visual defiance. While these subcultures were historically shaped by strict gender roles, the collection reimagines them through a unisex perspective, creating garments that embrace tension, individuality and push boundaries of gender conformity.

Strong proportions, contrasting textures and the weaponisation of the cloth create pieces that feel both beautiful and violent, balancing softness with structure and tradition with disruption.

Sustainability is central to the practice, with recycled kimonos, Japanese vintage silks, and repurposed textiles forming the foundation of the work. By giving historic materials new life, the collection seeks to preserve cultural heritage while approaching fashion through conscious and contemporary design.

Controlled Chaos is a visual story that translates emotion, identity, and cultural admiration into wearable form.

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The Gang

Look 2 (Top Dog), Look 1 (The Holy Mother) and Look 3 (War Child)

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The Holy Mother

Reworked Vintage Obi and black denim with studs and embroidery

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Top Dog

Silver denim with contrasting felt finish and embroidery, red vintage tsumugi silk straps and studded bow

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War Child

Handwoven Tsumugi silk in dark blue with embroidery and studded denim straps. Black and silver denim with embroidery and studs.

Sketchbook Pages

Embroidery Placement Look 1
Seifuku
Japanese Flag Zip Placement
Collar Development 2
Bow Experimentation
Bow Experiment Sailor Moon
Pinky Violence Exposure Study
Skitrt Moodboard
Embroidery Placement Look 3 Blouse