Elsa-  Brändström – grammar school, Hannover
diploma: high school graduation

1985-1988
education for dressmaker at the Atelier of Fashion Behrens, Hannover

1988/89
Gesellenjahr at the Atelier of Fashion Behrens, Hannover

1989-1990
Gesellenjahre at the Niedersächsisches Staatstheater, Hannover

1991
Gesellenjahr at the atelier for experts at the fashion enterprise Bogner, München

1992
Education for manageress of textiles cutting at the school Müller & Sohn, Hamburg Diploma: manageress of women´s outer garments, final grade: 1,0

1993
1993 Examination for master craftsman´s certificate at the Handwerkskammer (craftsman board) Hannover
Diploma: master craftsman in fashion and design, final grade: 1,7

1993-1995
Freelance with own Atelier Wachs for customization of fashion and for costumes of theatre, Braunschweig

1995-2001

Study of Industrial-Design at university of art Braunschweig
Key aspects of activities: interdisciplinary projects with the departments of Communication – Design and Sciences of Art at the university of art Braunschweig

Diploma: Diplom-Designerin, final grade: 1,0
Theme: „interior – EXTERIOR, The poetry of surface“ –
a design of hand-bag.

since 2002
Product-Design, interdisciplinary cooperation with Technical University Wilhelmina in Braunschweig: lectures at the linguistic institute for example Research; Exposé for PhD

06/ 2003
Interdisciplinary PhD at the University of Art Braunschweig in the following departments: design & social sciences and sciences of art
Title of research work: „Material Mind – Materialgedächtnis, Neue Materialien in Design, Kunst und Architektur“, (Material Mind – New Materials in Design, Art and Architecture)

-10/2007
final grade: magna cum laude – 1,0

Publication in Dr. Kovac publishing house, Hamburg, January 2008

The book “Material Mind” 2008 is written in German language: but the research work is going on and there are some abstracts of this book and other actually research projects on my website – see more at: www.marinawachs.com

Second there will be a revised edition of some part of this book added

Lecturships – Textiles Hogscolan y Borås, Schweden (2008), Academie of Fashion and Design Hamburg and Berlin, Germany (since 2008), University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hannover, Germany – Department Design and Media (since 2009)

Guest lecture at Royal College of Art London (2019) and next at DK within the Erasmus Stuff Mobility program.

since 2010
Professorship for Design Theory at Hochschule Niederrhein – Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology, Mönchengladbach Germany.

since 2008

• Material and design consulting – Research and Development of materials and materials applications;
• Lectures, workshops and experimental development for elementary schools, high schools, schools of art, universities and enterprises
• Material mediation in theory and practice to link the great three: craftsman – industrial enterprises – sciences.

since 2017 until 02/2022
post doctoral thesis within the field: <interdisciplinary design theory and the material culture<: published in 2022: Design Engineering – sustainable and holistic, Marina-Elena Wachs only in English available at Avedition publishers:

https://www.avedition.de/en/design-engineering-sustainable-and-holistic/978-3-89986-362-8