There is a brilliant, unsettling precision to Linda Artemis Bergstötter’s graduate collection, Cilicium. This is work that doesn't just ask to be looked at; it demands you untangle its layers of historical control, religious asceticism, and raw, tactile experimentation.

The spark for the collection began in the most unassuming of spaces: a retired carpenter’s workshop. Struck by how the natural grain of different woods closely mirrored the flow and texture of human hair, Bergstötter began crafting wooden wigs. This unexpected material pivot unlocked a deeper fascination with hair as both a symbol of raw nature and a site of intense societal regulation.

Her material research led her deep into late medieval Christianity—specifically Tilman Riemenschneider’s Magdalenenretabel, an altarpiece depicting Mary Magdalene covered entirely in hair. From there, Bergstötter dove into the historical mechanics of how the medieval clergy controlled women, their bodies, and their appearances through enforced hair coverings and the idealised mythology of female saints.

The collection's title itself, Cilicium, refers to the cilice: a coarse shirt woven from animal hair or a spiked metal strap worn directly against the skin as a painful, daily act of repentance.

"Cilicium explores the historic friction between the wildness of the physical form and the rigid structures built to tame it."

Bergstötter bridges the gap between medieval asceticism and modern fashion by using historical paintings as blueprints for her silhouettes, colour palettes, and structural details. Rather than merely replicating the past, she subverts it by introducing intense, modern garment manipulation to second-hand clothing.

• Shibori Pleating & Concrete Casting: The tension between fluidity and restriction is rendered tangible through experimental textile techniques. Soft fabrics are heavily manipulated alongside rigid, cast elements, mimicking the punishing, unyielding structures of historical discipline.
• Subverted Corsetry: By integrating corsetry into pre-existing, everyday garments, Bergstötter draws a direct parallel between the medieval control of women's spiritual lives and the contemporary, self-imposed shaping and controlling of the female body.

Cilicium is a masterclass in conceptual depth and technical fearlessness, making Linda Artemis Bergstötter an absolute one to watch as she redefines how fashion can challenge the structures that shape us.