Mara Michel, CEO of the Association of German Fashion and Textile Designers (VDMD), was unanimously elected to the board of the Verdi union.
Michel’s first focus as part of the board will be on basic fees for self-employed creatives, the VDMD said on Friday. The aim is to establish binding collective agreements that ensure fair remuneration in art and culture.
Michel’s focus is also on giving label designers access to the artists’ social security fund again, according to the statement. Since 2011, designers have been rejected by the Artists’ Social Fund (KSK). The VDMD association and Verdi are now working to enable design creators to have access again.