Martina Starke has been one of the leading employees in the BMW Coloring and Materials department in Munich since 2001. She came to work in the company as a designer in color, materials and seam ornaments. Three years later, Martina became manager of the design of colors and materials. The first project under her leadership was the creation of color options and materials for BMW 3 Series Coupe and Convertable (E46). During Martina’s visit to Dubai, we managed to talk with the designer.
Martina, what have you been working on lately?
Among my recent work is the design of color combinations and materials for the new models from the BMW 7 Series and BMW Concept CS. Currently, I am the head of the color and material development department at BMW Individual, which offers both off-the-shelf combinations and personalized color and finishes tailored to customer needs.
The design of each BMW car is interesting and unique. What's the secret?
The uniqueness of the BMW design is largely due to the fact that every international team of professionals works on the creation of each series, each of which has different types of education, knowledge and experience. The BMW Group has several design studios in Los Angeles, Munich and Singapore. A constant exchange of ideas between all the employees of these studios and leads to the creation of unique BMW cars. The work of the whole team, aimed at achieving a common goal, is the main component of BMW's success.
Martina, when did you start doing textile design?
I started my career as a designer of textile ornaments. It was then that I realized that I had a passion for a variety of fabrics and materials. I entered the Faculty of Textile Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Hanover (Germany), where I received a bachelor's degree. Before joining BMW, for four years I had been creating ornaments for carpets and furniture fabrics for European markets.
While still a student, I considered the greatest sources of inspiration for the work of designers such as Lee Edelkurt and Angelo Dongiya. These designers not only challenged the traditional vision of modern textiles, but also explored the possibilities of combining tradition with modernity.
What do you like most about your work?
I was always attracted by the process of transforming natural materials such as silk, cotton or leather, passing them through many stages of processing and turning them into fabrics that have a magnificent appearance and tactile sensations that can be used in interior decoration. Metamorphoses occur not only on the surface of the material, the structure of its fibers changes to a greater extent, which gives the material completely different characteristics. This process fascinates, intrigues and attracts me from the very first steps in my career, and is a constant driving force, a source of inexhaustible inspiration.
What do you do in your free time?
I live with my husband and daughter in Munich. In our free time, when it is, we love to attend art exhibitions and take walks in the fresh air.
Thanks for the conversation, Martina. Until we meet again.
During her visit to Dubai, Martina visited the American University of Dubai, where she met with students of the faculty of interior design, held master classes for them and revealed some of the professional secrets of working with various fabrics. We did not find out what color and design the BMW cars of the new series will be, but now we know for sure that they will be created in the studio, headed by Martina Starke.
