began her career designing for Rene Lange, Louis Vuitton, and MCM, after receiving her Master of Fine Arts, Design and Tailoring from the Mueller Meisterschule in Munich. "I have always known what I wanted to do," she says. "I take pleasure in making women look good, in designing one-of-a-kind fashions that bring out their individuality and enhance their character. In the twelve years I have been designing for my own customers, I have never done a dress twice. They often live and entertain in the same community, and they know they will never see their dresses worn by someone else."

Even the fabric used by Astrid of Sarasota designs is bought for a unique piece. She never buys in large lots, and she buys from the same fabric designers that serve Ferres, Ungarro, and Escada, among others of the top European fashion houses. Traditionally, these houses of haute couture have designed their collections to look good on the youngest of the three generations of adult women. Accordingly, the high fashion world has had to enhance individuality through the extreme look.

"I design trend-setting fashion for the second and third generation of adults to enhance their developed character through simplicity and distinction. I came to Sarasota because I worship the Sun and the artist’s palette of color. There is room in the high fashion world for the unique visionary individual living in a beautiful natural environment and a creative culture; and Sarasota epitomizes this clientele."