JULIA TIETZE, BORN IN 1981, IS A CULTURAL SCIENTIST AND AUTODIDACT WHO, DURING HER STAY IN BARCELONA, DISCOVERED THE PERFECT CHANNEL FOR HER CREATIVITY. SHE STUMBLED UPON A SEWNING MACHINE AND SOON HER SELF-MADE  CREATIONS WERE SELLING THEMSELVES. MOTIVATED BY POSITIVE FEEDBACK, SHE FOUND THE RIGHT SURROUNDINGS AND ENVIRONMENT, AND ONLY HALF A YEAR LATER, SHE PRESENTED HER FIRST FASHION SHOW. THIS WORKING EXPERIENCE CATALYSED A PROFESSIONAL CAREER. BACK IN BERLIN, JULIA ESTABLISHED A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LOCAL CREATIVE COMMUNITY. IN ADDITION TO HER WORK AS A STYLIST AND ART DIRECTOR, SHE CONTINUED TO FORWARD HER FASHION ENDEAVORS. THE DESIGNS BECAME CLEARER, BALANCED AND STRONG, AND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CLOTHING AND ARTISTIC EXPRESSION BECAME CONSOLIDATED. THIS IS DEMONSTRATED NOT ONLY IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS, WHICH UTILIZES BOTH TACTILE AND AND EXPERIMENTAL EXPLORATION, BUT ALSO IN HER SHOWS, WHICH JULIA ARRANGES AS HAPPENINGS, WHERE FASHION, PERFORMANCE, MUSIC, PROJECTION AND PRODUCTION COMPLEMENT ONE ANOTHER. HER CREATIONS BREATHE WITH CONCEPT: THEY EVOLVE FROM INNER ATTITUDES AND CONCRETE OUTER INFLUENCES. WITHOUT THE PERSPECTIVE OF AN HONEST AND CRITICAL DIALOGUE WITH SOCIETY, FASHION WOULD MAKE NO SENCE FOR JULIA. AS OF NOW, POPOVA PRESENTS TWO ANNUAL COLLECTIONS AND PARTICIPATES BI-ANNUALY AS A DESIGNER AT THE BUTT AND BETTER FESTIVAL, THE HIPSTER CUP, BERLIN FASHION WEEK AND OTHER FASHION, ART AND LIFESTYLE EVENTS IN BERLIN. THE LABEL ALSO CONTINUES TO EXPAND ITS EFFORTS VIGOUROSLY ABROAD. IN AUGUST 2015 JULIA OPENED THE FIRST POPOVA SHOWROOM IN BERLIN'S CHARMING BOROUGH NEUKÖLLN. 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LENNART BREDE