Berlin’s fashion scene and especially our local Fashion Week have gone through some fundamental changes in recent years. What we appreciate most about it is: It has shed the old veil of the past and presented itself in a new guise. What we have seen here in the past year brought together everything our fashion hearts desire: exceptional talents from Berlin, whose creations surprise us, captivate us, blow us away, and inspire us to dream. Believe us: we had more than one moment where we thought: “Wait, what’s happening right now? And is this really happening in good old Berlin?”
In our opinion, six labels in particular have the potential to be true game changers, not only shaping Berlin through their work but also re-establishing the city in the ranks of the international fashion scene. What impresses us most about them is their courage to break with conventions and rethink fashion. They say goodbye to superficialities and celebrate craftsmanship, individuality, sustainability, and diversity. And an equally new and fresh audience celebrated them during Berlin Fashion Week. We have the feeling that Berlin propelled itself into a new era and our favorite city is finally showing again why it can easily keep up with the big fashion metropolises of this world.
Read on…
by Paula | Design, Fashion, Most Popular Posts
While Berlin’s weather is too unpredictable to count on it, at least you don’t have to worry about always having to find the appropriate outfit for the current circumstances. Berliners tend to be quite liberal as far as putting together a look goes. Or taking a look apart, for that matter: showing some skin is often a viable option. At the first glance, it might look like they’re just throwing on random stuff they just picked up at Humana, but there’s a logic to this aesthetic madness.
Together with the illustrator Sophia Halamoda, we’ve analyzed some of the most prevailing Hauptstadt fashion trends for our book Like A Berliner (available here) and extracted some advice for you on how to get the Berlin look from the chapter Look Like A Berliner!
Read on…
by Michalina | Fashion
photo: Andrej Russkovskij
The fashion industry is believed to be one of the most toxic businesses for our environment. Billions of clothes are produced every year and in the process, lots of chemicals and dirt gets thrown into our rivers and oceans. But the saddest part is: most of it will maybe only last one or two seasons before it gets thrown into the garbage bin, and a large portion of the produced clothes that was never sold will get destroyed without having ever been worn. This is the shocking truth that everybody knows but everybody also wants to ignore when it comes to their personal needs.
This is not the case for Hanna and Julia. The two Berlin-based designers and Yoga lovers saw an important opportunity in clothes waste to make a difference with an amazing idea: Why not use the strong fabric of old jeans to create new bags for your yoga mat?
With this concept, they created the brand Dzaino which is nowadays making more products beyond their signature yoga bags. For their crowdfunding campaign, they asked me and other Berlin-based people why sustainable local design is so important and why it’s worth supporting. I think the most important part of this projects is to show that in cities like Berlin alternative concepts of multinational brands are tested and can become a reality. A reality that we really need to save our planet. Check out their video and pics of the campaign below and support them here.
Read on…
by Claudio | Fashion, Products
Berlin is this hilarious place where a tacky discounter with a hot Angebot for plastic flip-flops can sometimes be located literally a few steps away from a concept store. This divergence is definitely among top 5 characteristics of this fabulous city – the city that inspires all different kinds of creative thinkers – many brilliant designers among them!
For our new shopping guide we have focussed on those stores with a especially contemporary concept that combines cutting-edge fashion with other products such as interior design, accessories, beauty products and more. Enjoy our selection of concept stores below!
Read on…
by Michalina | Fashion, Kreuzberg, Mitte, Neukölln, Prenzlauer Berg, Schöneberg, Shops
What if the ugly side of our society could be born into this world in flesh and bone? Fear, envy, and aggressiveness become living creatures that torture, kill and feed on all of us? This nightmarish vision is what you can expect from the new avant-garde dance piece Kreatur by acclaimed choreographer Sasha Waltz at Radialsystem.
The Berlin-based choreographer hasn’t show any new dance piece in Berlin for 12 years now and her comeback is highly anticipated but also critically observed. The reason: her future role as director of the Staatsballett Berlin which caused quite some controversy in the last year.
With Kreatur she definitely showed her critics what she is capable of. Showing transgression, darkness, pain without being obvious or superficial. Especially with the amazing costumes by iconic Dutch avant-garde designer Iris van Herpen Sasha Waltz evokes a turmoil of demons and sinners lost in a world of sterility and artificial light.
Read on…
by Claudio | Art, Theater
There recently seems to be more awareness in the fashion world in terms of the consequences of our choices. We feel more and more guilty about having a stack of clothes at home we don’t even wear. Meanwhile, clothing brands have been adopting a new approach: H&M, for instance, has introduced permanent Conscious-collections, Weekday followed with a so-called Remains-Collection and & Other Stories asked their customers to bring in their empty beauty packaging. All of them actually offer their clients a possibility to bring in their old clothes in order to get discounts or other profits so that the fashion cycle actually is concluded.
In Berlin, we have been conscious of sustainable fashion concepts from the very beginning. Just take the Greenshowroom and Ethical Fashion Show that assembles international top players from the eco-fashion-segment each year. Berlin, as the capital of veganism is definitely bringing a lot of inspirations and potential for fair and sustainable fashion into the world and designers build their young brands based on those values.
When it comes to bags, not solely fashion, it still seems hard to find the real pearls in the city, though. That’s why we put together a list of amazing bag labels that are sustainable and/ or fairly produced as well. Read on…
by Alicia | Fashion
After Berlin Fashion Week and just during the international fashion shows, there comes the question of the definition of a city’s style again. The Parisians are oh so sophisticated and a hot mess, NYC is chic and cool as ice at the same time. And is there one Berlin look? Definitely not. But do we really have to justify ourselves that we’re not as glamorous, or is our definition of allurement just something else? Anyways, we took a look around the streets in Berlin Mitte and asked people about what they think about the Berlin Look. Let us know about your opinion on Berlin style in the comments! Read on…
by Alicia | Fashion, Misc., People
For the collaboration between Spanish sparkling wine brand Freixenet and Michael Michalsky, we were invited to visit the studio and working space of the famous Berlin-based designer.
Sitting around in comfortable couches (also designed by him) we were introduced to his newest collaboration with the Cava brand. Freixenet is a family-run business rooted near Barcelona. One of its best selling products, the Carta Nevada, that is now celebrating its 75th anniversary. For the occasion Michael Michalsky was commissioned to redesign the bottle of their anniversary edition: A slick and modern look for a classic brand. If you want to know more about this collaboration, read on after the jump.
Read on…
by Claudio | Fashion, Party
UY x Evelyn Bencicova
Did we grab your attention? In the last issue of our series A Guide to Berlin Fashion we wrote about the sporty side of style. Now we want to cover the b-side of being en vogue: fetish-inspired fashion.
In both fashion and Berlin anything is possible. What you wear is who you are and vice versa. Fashion is a part of expressing yourself and sometimes even the most private parts of your persona need to find an outlet. Let’s say you have a fetish. Let’s say for latex. To enjoy and express said fetish, you don’t want cheap, smelling rubber materials. You want high quality, prêt-à-porter pieces that combine your lust for latex and your standard of style. Well, don’t look any further, we present to you 7 of the most interesting, exclusive designers of the city with a slight love for kink. Certainly, even Anna Wintour would consider wearing some of these looks. At least in the privacy of her NY townhouse.
If you don’t entertain a specific fetish yet, we’re sure after checking out the following designers you’ll want to cultivate a kinky preference of your own. Enjoy the racy chic straight outta Berlin after the jump.
Read on…
by Yasmin | Fashion
Re-cycle Collection
It’s time for another edition of the Berlin Alternative Fashion Week – some exciting days are awaiting us! A week with lots of cool parties and catwalks which are very special and totally different from the regular Fashion Week. Young designers get the chance to present their fashion and there is no limit to creativity – on the contrary, the more outrageous and crazy the designs are, the more the viewers heart will be delighted. This week music, art and fashion merge into an alternative concept – it’s about freedom, gender roles and a new identity. Many designers offer innovative, sustainable work – and that’s a great opportunity for the young participants to be encouraged in their work and to still be able to remain free in their development and creativity.
The Berlin Alternative Fashion Week takes place for the third time in Berlin – starting on the 23rd and ending on September 27, 2015. The presentations will take place at the Postbahnhof, the opening party is at Maze and together with Apollo.tv there will be a presentation of short films and documentaries on Sunday.
Last time we had a lot of fun and discovered great new designers – we’re sure that the concept this time will be stunning as well. See the teaser by Apollo.tv and a preview of the designers and get your chance to win festival tickets after the jump.
Read on…
by Olga | Fashion
