Sister Christiane: The last school nurse is retiring!

Sister Christiane: The last school nurse is retiring!

The Hallein Fashion School experienced an emotional farewell last Friday: Sister Christiane, the last school sister of the Franciscan Sisters, said goodbye after decades of service. Its final bell rang the end of an era, celebrated last year with the school's 300th anniversary. Sister Christiane came to Hallein from Bad Gastein in 1997 and has always been committed to creative work and sustainability, as she explained in an interview.
“I definitely won’t be bored in retirement,” she says with a smile. Despite her retirement, she plans to remain present at special fashion school events and continue to pursue her passion for crafts. The concept of simplicity that she was taught as a nun remains important to her: “I don’t have to do luxury circles,” she emphasizes, adding that she already has a formative connection to her work.

School future in Sigmaringen

At the same time in Sigmaringen, the Hopf couple are redesigning the future of their fashion school. They have been shaping the educational landscape with a strong vision for almost 50 years, and the school is currently being led by a new team of three: Christa Sutter, Ute Schmieder and Elke Lenkeit are taking on important leadership roles. Christiane and Hartmut Hopf share responsibility, with Hartmut being responsible for creative aspects and Christiane for organizational tasks. The founders plan to hand over their school successor step by step, but will remain actively involved to ensure that future management continues in their spirit schwaebische.de reported.
The now non-profit GmbH has around 250 students who undergo three-year training to become state-certified fashion designers. Absolute proximity to the students is important to the Hopfs; They live in the immediate vicinity of the school and see their commitment as their life's work.