Anita Tillmann
Managing Partner at PREMIUM GROUP
Passionate about fashion
Born in Düsseldorf, Germany, Anita Tillmann has turned her love of fashion into a flourishing career. After completing a degree in apparel and textile manufacturing, her professional journey took her from consulting for fashion companies at Kurt Salmon to successful fashion brands such as Joop! and Kathleen Madden. At the beginning of the 2000s she moved to Pixelpark, the pioneering firm in the field of online business at the beginning of the digital revolution, where she advised the likes of Adidas and Mexx.
Tillmann understands her trade better than anyone else in the business. Moreover, she always considers the entire supply chain – from materials, cutting techniques and production processes to marketing and sales.
In 2002 she recognised and seized upon the opportunity to enrich the homogenous German fashion scene by introducing international designer brands and, by implementing the revolutionary new PREMIUM trade fair concept, she set about changing the exhibition landscape forever. With PREMIUM, she developed an international lifestyle platform where womenswear, menswear as well as footwear and accessory collections, which previously could only be found at segment-specific events, were showcased together in one place. At the very first PREMIUM in January 2003, the trade show presented the whole fashion spectrum, including international fashion labels, designers, creative newcomers and lifestyle products from all over the world.
PREMIUM showcases premium fashion and lifestyle products on a wide scale and in such high quality. Each season a completely new mix of brands, long-term players beside newcomers, is presented in order to introduce international retailers to the most relevant collections, the latest trends and the most innovative concepts.
Tillmann also works particularly hard to promote young designers. Since 2005, PREMIUM has been selecting creative up-and-coming designers every season to receive the PREMIUM Young Talent honour, giving winners a helping hand as they embark on a career in the international fashion industry.
In October 2010, in recognition of her services and commitment to Berlin as a fashion centre, Anita Tillmann was presented with the Order of Merit from the Federal State of Berlin by the city’s then mayor, Klaus Wowereit.
It isn’t just her trademark formats that have made Anita Tillman renowned as a successful businesswoman; she has also made a name for herself internationally thanks to her keen sense for spotting lifestyle trends, future developments and innovations, as well as the way in which she develops and implements strategic concepts. As a founding member of the Create Berlin association, she became one of the very first people to advocate for Berlin to become a widely recognised design and fashion hub, and in 2005 she put forward the blueprint for what would go on to become the very successful Berlin Fashion Week. She also expanded the city’s trade fair scene to include new exhibition concepts such as SEEK, and Panorama. And she launched FASHIONTECH Berlin – a conference with innovation at its heart. From summer 2021, Anita Tillmann will be organizing the Frankfurt Fashion Week and surprises the international fashion scene with this step once again.