Designer, Educator, Creative Entrepreneurship Advisor
Verena Michels develops products, teaching formats and collaborative projects in fashion and design. She works with new materials and helps creative teams turn ideas into products, public projects and viable ways of working.
She founded Weather Underground, a rainwear label using plant-based film, and co-founded SORRY WE ARE TRYING, a platform for designers working with emerging materials. At Universität der Künste Berlin, she advised artistic startups on their creative vision, product development, production, funding and public presentation.
Verena teaches students how to research, test and develop ideas. Her courses cover materials, sustainability, entrepreneurship and the working conditions of designers. She has taught and led workshops at Universität der Künste Berlin, Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin, Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach, AMD Berlin/Hamburg and Gerrit Rietveld Academie Amsterdam.
Her knowledge of production comes from hands-on work. As Production Manager at BLESS (Berlin/Paris), she coordinated projects with manufacturers and workshops across different countries. She continues to collaborate with BLESS on freelance projects, including print design and the BLESSadvanced Applebag.
Verena studied at Gerrit Rietveld Academie Amsterdam after attending AMFI. Her collection Women of Shreds was shown at Amsterdam Fashion Week in 2014.
Selected work
Weather Underground · Founder and designer
A rainwear label built around CAPEBAG, a reusable cape made from plant-based film. Verena developed the product, worked with a German manufacturer and brought it to market. Explore the archive
SORRY WE ARE TRYING – Biomaterials in Practice · Co-founder
A platform for designers working with emerging materials. Its exhibitions and events connect independent practices and open up conversations about the possibilities and challenges of material change. Explore the project
Creative Prototyping × Sustainability, Universität der Künste Berlin · Artistic startup advisor
Verena supported creative teams as they developed their vision, built prototypes, planned production, applied for funding and presented their work. She also developed programme content and connected teams with relevant mentors. Explore the startups
De/Posium Residency · Research and collaborative practice
An international residency connecting design with local issues and communities. The 2025 edition, Mining & Dining, explored work, skills and the future of the Upper Nitra region as it moves away from coal.
Exit through the Flagship, Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle · Teaching
Students collaboratively designed products for a pop-up shop, working through prototypes, production costs, pricing and how to present and sell their work.
The Politics of Fit, AMD Berlin · Teaching with Gigi Spelsberg
A project week about who clothes are made to fit and who is left out. Students explored the topic through interviews, essays and visual stories.
Synthetics Anonymous, AMD · Workshop with Enver Hadzijaj
A workshop on synthetic fibres, greenwashing and campaigning, based on research by the Changing Markets Foundation. Students examined fashion brands’ environmental claims and developed critical responses.
Bitch Better Have My Money: Design, Class & Community, Currents Festival, 2026 · Moderator
A conversation with various voices from the design community about fair pay, solidarity and how festivals can support the people who make them possible. Explore the program