Rita in Palma Haute Couture in Neukölln

When Vogue Germany's editor-in-chief decides to drop by your studio in Neukölln, rest assured that it means something. Thinking of Christiane Arp's visit still makes shop owner Ann-Kathrin Carstensen nervous.

Rita in Palma's premises reveal themselves room by room. Reminiscent of a giant jewelry box, they're filled with whimsical and unique creations and as if that wasn't enough, the space hosts a studio and a crocheting workshop for Turkish women, too. Jewelry and other accessories are staged on precious hangers and in glass vitrines, all Ann-Kathrin's designs hand-made in Berlin.

Born in Hamburg, Carstensen first started out in Med school, but decided to drop out and move to Berlin to pursue a career in fashion design. Rita in Palma is a dream project of hers, proving to the fashion world that haute couture can actually fuse creative and social components and leave behind all clichés of a superficial industry.

The upcoming weeks will also be crucial to the next move: samples are sent to maestro Karl Lagerfeld to possibly get him onboard as a potential commissioner for the Turkish seamstresses. No easy endeavour, but if you've seen Rita's pieces you know everything is possible.

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In 2012, on top of it all and completely separate from the fashion label, Ann-Kathrin Carstensen launched Rita's Chrocheting Club in order to give Turkish women in Berlin a shot at an independent career path. This social and economical innovation did not go unnoticed and received the Chancellor's Special Award.

German Text Constanze Hallensleben

Constanze Hallensleben

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