Karl Burgel is a sculptor, painter, installation artist, and jeweler. Obviously, given my weird obsession with all things jewelry these days, I’m most drawn to his adornments. Brugel’s overarching philosophy when it comes to metalwork is summed up in an interview posted on the site: “I am primarily concerned with the sensual and the physical aspects of jewelry and ornament. I have tried to cast as wide a net as possible, not limiting myself to the execution of the object nor the function of a single object. I’m interested in touch of material, intimate surface, weight, light, structure and ideas of concealment but the method of production is secondary. I like to think of my jewelry as a secretion. Like a bee produces honey, the jewelry is what comes out of me.” And on the future direction of metalsmithing and jewelry design, “I would love to see more obsessive craftsmanship, abstract constructions, deconstructivist ornaments, anti-dogmatic and unpredictably honest. Work of divine madness, visually complex and free of seductive packaging. Work that is bold, confident and discrete. Work that makes use of the advantages of the small intimate format to connect with the human psyche.” All of Brugel’s work utilizes geometric shapes and fascinating textural juxtapositions. Be sure to check out his full gallery of work on his website

Kamilla Richter and Katrin Switala of Richter – Switala combine soft draping with printed geometric shapes in their most recent collection (or at least the most recent collection posted on their website!) to pleasant effect (you know the drill-click the image to enlarge). Since I don’t know German, I was only able to pick up a little information about the pair, and it doesn’t appear that they regularly produce collections, but really I have no idea. Definitely some interesting work and I’m curious to see where they end up

Austrian/German label Hartmann Nordenholz has apparently been around since 2000, but they’ve obviously not received much attention on this side of the pond. Interesting, considering that many aspects of their earlier collections feel very much ‘now’. I suppose it just took the rest of the fashion world a bit of time to catch up! Anyways, their latest collection reminds me of the airbrushy, paint splattered tees of my early youth, but Hartmann Nordenholz’s version is much better than the original. While sharp tailoring has played some part in all of their collections, loose, draped shapes seem to characterize most of their work. Be sure to click over to their site to see previous collections(& the image above to enlarge)