The Viennese fashion label Wendy Jim designed the Corporate Wear for the Austria contribution at the Expo 2025 in Osaka. The design duo Helga Schania and Hermann Fankhauser created a contemporary collection for the employees of the Austria pavilion. As a mix of High Fashion and Street Wear, she underlines the modern appearance of the pavilion and plays with iconic Austria pictures.
From April 13 to October 13, 2025, the world exhibition will take place in Osaka, Kansai, Japan under the motto designing future society for our lives. Austria participates with its own pavilion. Under the title Composing the Future, the long -term relationships with the host country Japan as well as people and ideas from Austria who offer solutions for a responsible and sustainable future will be presented here.
Design that convinces
The Viennese fashion label Wendy Jim, founded by Helga Schania and Hermann Fankhauser, won the design competition advertised by the Expo office of the Austria Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Austrian Fashion Association for the design of the corporate wear for the employees of the Austria pavilion. The requirement was to develop a wardrobe that not only acts as an image carrier for Austrian design and business card of the pavilion, but should also merge harmoniously with its architecture. The outfits should be elegant, contemporary and portable, but also functional, resilient and comfortable. A total of 16 designers and labels had applied, the decision was made by a jury.
“We are very happy to see our uniforms on the Austrian pavilion employees at the Expo 2025 in Osaka. You have a contemporary, modern, elegant look that is inspired by both Street Style and High Fashion. It is great that the Expo office has given us our confidence in implementing our vision of a modern uniform,” said Wendy Jim.
Modern design meets Austrian tradition
Wendy Jim’s designs were developed with the claim to meet the functional requirements of the pavilion team for the world exhibition without neglecting the characteristic aesthetics of their label. The result is a mix of High Fashion and Street Wear, which “reflects our understanding of fashion today,” said the designers. The wardrobe, consisting of wide pants, T-shirts, shirts and jackets as well as dresses, bags, belts and caps, is suitable for everyday work and for formal occasions such as visits to delegation in the pavilion and does justice to different weather conditions.
“The appearance of the pavilion is very modern, it indicates that Austria is a cultural and music nation. We have integrated some allusions to our clothes,” explain Shania and Fankhauser. These can be found on the T-shirts, for example, with iconic motifs such as Schönbrunn Castle, the Großglockner and other characteristic places-a winking interpretation of classic Austria images.
The factor of sustainability also plays a central role in the corporate Wear for the Expo: the collection was mainly made of floor, organic cotton and recycled materials. Production took place in Austria, Bulgaria and Poland.
Wendy Jim
The fashion label Wendy Jim stands for avant -garde fashion with conceptual depth. It was founded in 1997 by Helga Schania and Hermann Fankhauser during their studies at Helmut Lang at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. The designers presented numerous collections in Paris and collaborated with international brands such as Comme des Garçons, Levi’s and Nike. In addition to your own collections, your work includes corporate fashion, film and theater costumes as well as international teaching orders and exhibition participation.
Austria at Expo 2025
The World Exhibition Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan will take place from April 13 to October 13, 2025 for the general topic of designing future society for our lives. Around 160 countries and 9 international organizations will take part. Idea and architectural design of the Austria pavilion under the title Composing the Future come from BWM Designers & Architect. The conception of the exhibition develops facts and fiction. The Austrian contribution sees itself as a platform of dialogue and presents the diversity and performance of business and society. The Federal Ministry of Labor and Economy bears 75 % of the total costs, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce the remaining 25 %.