Biography

Samuel Gärtner is a Fashion Designer from Frankfurt am Main, Germany. From the third grade, he attended the Waldorf School in Dietzenbach and transferred to a school in Frankfurt in the ninth grade. There, he acquired many manual and creative skills that he still uses today. He was creatively active from an early age: from the age of six until his voice changed, he was part of the Children's Choir of the Frankfurt Opera, and afterwards, he played numerous small acting roles. In parallel, he began vocal training at Koch's Conservatory. From 2015 to 2016, he refined his painting talent with the Frankfurt artist Wolfram Sachs.

In 2016, he dropped out of school and started working. Fashion had long played a significant role in his life. In 2018, he took his first step in that direction by launching a collection of bathing shoes. In early 2020, he embarked on an internship at a fashion showroom in NYC, which unfortunately he had to cut short two weeks earlier due to the lock down. Back in Germany, he sought employment and returned to sewing after years of hiatus, drawing on the craftsmanship he learned in school.

Initially, he had no intention of creating a collection, but when the city of Frankfurt and the trade fair announced the Frankfurt Fashion Week, he realized he had to seize this opportunity. So, in July 2021, his first fashion show took place at the prestigious Senckenberg Museum. This garnered him international media presence, including coverage in Harper's Bazaar Italia. In March 2022, the show followed at the Palm House of the Palm Garden, marking his first collaboration with the city of Frankfurt. In June 2022, during the last Frankfurt Fashion Week, Samuel Gärtner became the first person in the history of the Iron Bridge to close it off for his largest show to date. The 64 models walked the entire 180 meters of the bridge, while the guests were positioned unilaterally with a view towards the skyline.

Afterward, Gärtner decided to spend three months in the USA. In Los Angeles, he designed his next collection, which he presented at the New York Fashion Week in February 2023. Back in Germany, he took a break at first. However, in December, he presented a best-of show featuring garments from all his previous collections, which was also filmed for the TV format "Germany's Next Top Model." In episode 8 of the 19th season of "Germany's Next Top Model," Gärtner invited the models to a casting, where the three models Kadidja, Marvin, and Aldin were cast for his fashion show at the NFT Skybar in Frankfurt.
- IMDb mini biography by: Barbra Agoston