For a few years now the fashion shows by Berlin avant-garde designer Esther Perbandt have been not only about fashion but also about performance and music. For her 10th anniversary last year she had an experimental choir and an expressive dancer open her big show at the Volksbühne. The following season she herself stepped into the spotlight singing live for the first time during her fashion show. This season Esther once more created a bridge to the world of music and theater bringing in the opera singers Nadja Michael and Felix Räuber who were performing magnificently to the electronic soundscapes by Sven Helbig.
Of course such a music-driven fashion show requires a sound expert as a partner. Already for the second time Esther Perbandt has teamed up with the Berlin-based company Raumfeld that produces high quality wireless multi-room speaker systems that play music in true high fidelity thanks to the use of high-end audio components and the playback of lossless audio files. We featured the brand a while ago with an interview and store visit of their shop at Bikini Berlin and we also got to try out one of their impressive speaker sets. During the fashion show of Esther Perbandt we spotted several Raumfeld Stereo Cubes all over the place which we remember from our interview is one of their best reviewed products.
Some backstage impressions, the show review and photos of the new collection after the jump. Enjoy!
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by Frank | Fashion, Music, Photos, Products
In Germany we have two essential traditions for the Easter holiday: The first one is hiding chocolate Easter bunnies and nests or eggs filled with candy that the kids (or the grown-up kids who don’t want to let go of their childhood memories) have to search. And the second one is that we artfully paint real chicken eggs to make them into Eater egg ornaments that we have on some branches in a vase. Sometimes the eggs are simply colorful, some have more elaborate paintings or even carvings on them.
A few years ago we asked a couple of Berlin-based designers to create avant-garde fashion Easter eggs for us. It was great fun back then and we thought we should show you these eggs again for all of those who didn’t follow us back then. We hope these Couture Eggs, as we called them, will inspire you for your own Easter eggs. Happy Easter!
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by Frank | Fashion
photos: Mercedes-Benz Fashion
Berlin Fashion Week has passed by once again, and this bi-annual style extravaganza brought us lots to look forward to with the amazing Autumn/Winter 2015/16 Womenswear collections presented. Featuring an interesting line-up of local and international designers, this Fashion Week focused on providing a platform for lesser known talents and up-and-coming contemporary brands. Fashion Week filled the city with stylish parties, impeccable street style, and of course, fashion shows that set the bar pretty high for the years to come. We reviewed the Womenswear collections and gathered the 8 that caught our attention. Click on to see which designers made the cut!
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by Skylar | Fashion, Photos
If you are looking for a place to get some fashion from Berlin designers there is one address that you absolutely need to visit: The two LNFA concept stores at the Bikini Berlin. LNFA is short for Live Networking for Fashion and Art and actually started as an event series. But as things go in Berlin one thing leads to another and suddenly you find yourself opening a shop in a brand new concept mall. You have to give the owner Sevil Uguz a lot of credit for really making a big effort to promote local designers the way she does, beside her shops she is also going to host a whole string of runway shows and events during Berlin Fashion Week next week.
But let’s get back to the shops. When the Bikini opened last year so did the first LNFA store that brought together a lot of young labels of different styles. The concept was so successful, probably because there was no other store like this in town, that they opened yet another one right next door with a selection of designers that is a bit more premium than the ones from the first store. A lot of our favorite designers are represented here, including Esther Perbandt, Marina Hoermanseder, Sopopular, Barre Noir, IVANMAN, Vektor, Tata Christiane, DYN and so many more it’s impossible to name them all. During next week’s Berlin Fashion Week there are going to be lots of specials and events where you can meet the designers themselves. Stay tuned to their Facebook page to find out more. After the jump some impressions of both stores as well as the details.
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by Frank | Fashion, Schöneberg, Shops
Dear Volksbühne,
with 100 years you might be a granny (still pretty young in comparison to other theaters in Berlin) but you are still sexy and edgy as hell. We had so much fun, you and I. You were one of my first friends here in Berlin and I spend so many hours in the third floor that I can’t even count them. Not only did you make me enjoy so many great pieces, concerts and parties and fashion shows. With your banners you always get my attention and around you I feel somehow safe. You were my favourite place in Berlin when I came here and you still are ranked pretty high. I hope I will spend so much more time with you and I promise to come visit more often.
LOVE!
C.
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by Claudio | Party, Theater
On Thursday the highly anticipated Bikini Berlin opened its doors to the public after years of rennovations. What was once an old building with terrible shops is now a fancy, hipster shopping mall. Their slogan “Shop different” is really taken quite literal because this is surely not another Alexa. Instead of highstreet fashion you will find boutiques of local designers such as adddress, Umasan and Mykita, as well as concept stores with a mixed offering of international and local brands such as Acne, Stella McCartney and Esther Perbandt. You will find not only fashion but also exceptional interior design products for example in the amazing new Gestalten Gallery as well as books and selected design consumer electronics. Get a first impression with my photo set after the jump and than head over there, it’s also open on Sunday this weekend.
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by Frank | Charlottenburg, Places, Shops, Tiergarten
photo: Oliver Rath
Last week a very special event that I have anticipated a lot happened at Volksbühne Berlin on the big stage of this prestigious theatre. Esther Perbandt, one of my favorite avant-garde designers in Berlin, celebrated the 10th anniversary of her label. Knowing beforehand what she had planned for this special occasion I was super excited.
I was one of the few photographers that were installed on stage right in the middle of the show, so I saw everything up close. When the big curtain opened the light stayed off and an eclectic experimental sound choir began to sing hauntingly. The mood was set perfectly. After a while the lights came on a contemporary dancer dressed in Perbandt gave a performance in the vain of Valeska Gert, the inspiration for Esther’s new collection titled Grotesque. It was great to see fashion combined with dance in such a theatrical manner. Once the dance was over the runway show started and models came from the side walking into the audience and back. Seeing it from the back with all the lights and people in the background was really stunning and the excellent electronic music that was playing really gave me goosebumps. What a fucking cool show! And the collection was also great to look at, the best one she has done so far for sure.
Once the show was over Esther came out with her assistant with confetti rain and standing ovations. It was such a moment of glory. As if having your name spelled across one of the most impressive buildings in town isn’t already enough this show was probably the biggest highlight of her entire career. Right after the curtains closed I gave Esther a hug and she was still shaking of excitement. Very understandable! For me it was one of the best shows that I have seen in all of the years that I went to Berlin Fashion Week.
After the jump we have 3 photo sets for you from this amazing event. On page one we have backstage photos by our guest contributor Olga Khristolyubova, on page two we have the runway photos by Oliver Rath and on page 3 we have photos from the big after show party by me. Enjoy!
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by Frank | Fashion, Party, Photos
It’s time to win something amazing again here on I HEART BERLIN because it’s your Lucky Thursday! In anticipation of the upcoming Berlin Fashion Week we are raffling off tickets for one of the biggest highlights of the season: The Esther Perbandt 10th Anniversary fashion show and after party at Volksbühne.
Esther was born and raised in Berlin, but moved to Moscow and Paris in the course of her education and practical experience in the fashion world. When she returned to Berlin in 2003 she started her own, self-titled label and in the following 10 years became one of the most important local avant-garde designers with her own flagship store in Mitte and retailers all over the world.
Her new collection titled Grotesque is inspired by dancer and performance artist Valeska Gert who was famous for her edgy, provocative and androgynous style in the Golden Twenties of Berlin which ties in perfectly with the elegant, yet unconventional style of Esther’s label that often plays with gender roles in a sophisticated manner.
Find out how to win tickets for the show & party on Wednesday, January 15th 2013, after the jump.
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by Frank | Fashion
Not only is Esther Perbandt one of the coolest designers in town, she is also one of the sweetest and most inspiring characters that I have had the pleasure to meet and work with in the creative scene of Berlin. I love her style, not only for her clever collections, but also her personal signature style. She is a truely remarkable individual and I’m glad to know her.
For the upcoming Berlin Fashion Week she is having one of the biggest off-sight shows of the season at the Volksbühne theater for the very special occasion of the 10th anniversary of her self-titled label followed by an aftershow party in collaboration with I HEART BERLIN. Of course we couldn’t resist to get our hands on this 😉 Unlike most of the fashion shows during fashion week the show will have a limited amount of seats open to the public, so every fashion enthusiast will have a chance to see the big show. You really shouldn’t miss this one, it’s the first time ever that the Volksbühne hosts the fashion show of an avant-garde designer. Tickets are available through the website of the Volksbühne or as part of a variety of special fan packages through a StartNext campaign.
After the jump a couple of more shots of my favorite Esther Perbandt piece and some details about the show and party.
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by Frank | Events, Fashion
Earlier this year Katja shot this charming fashion film for my Designer Scouts project featuring the designs of Berlin-based labels Esther Perbandt, Von Bardonitz, Moga E Mago, Augustin Teboul and Sadak. The video was commissioned by the Fashion & Art Toronto Festival for their Focus Germany program and it was a great way for us to show the work of our Berlin designers abroad.
The film, titled The Visit, showcases a diverse range of avant-garde fashion in a very unexpected setting while making a tongue-in-cheek statement on the quirks of dating behavior of our modern society. Have a look after the jump.
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by Frank | Fashion, Videos
