ARACHNE is an annual publication that weaves together text and imagery to document and reflect Vienna’s contemporary landscape of fashion, aesthetics, lifestyle, and culture. With a rich and diverse mix of content—including music, art, illustration, essays, short stories, interviews, and reviews—it forms a cultural tapestry that captures the city’s creative spirit while engaging in an ongoing dialogue with the wider world.
At the heart of ARACHNE lies a focused engagement with the fashion design department at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Through a close look at the students’ and designers’ work, classroom practices, exhibitions, and creative perspectives, the publication presents a space where experimentation and forward-thinking design converge. Yet ARACHNE reaches beyond fashion alone, extending its gaze toward lifestyle and pop culture, investigating the stylistic expressions and cultural dynamics of urban living today.
The title ARACHNE is inspired by the mythological figure of Arachne from ancient Greek mythology—a mortal weaver so skilled she dared to challenge Athena, the goddess of wisdom and crafts. As punishment, she was transformed into a spider, destined to weave forever. In today’s context, the myth becomes a metaphor for the creative spirit: bold, independent, and resilient, continually weaving one’s own narratives and identity in the face of convention.
True to the significance of its name, ARACHNE is more than an observer—it is a participant in the cultural landscape it documents. With an independent and open editorial approach, the publication becomes both a record and an active agent in shaping Vienna’s creative scene. Through the rhythm of print and page, it opens a window onto the city's contemporary cultural fabric, acting as both a mirror of the present and a platform for the aesthetics of the future. ARACHNE is not just a magazine—it is an ongoing, evolving conversation.