J'N'C News 02/2022

J’N’C News – Your insider source for the latest in fashion – Since 1991 – Issue 2/22 – Friday, 17 June 2022

2/ 22 NEWS & VIEWS BRANDS DESIGNERS FASHION OPINIONS

News

BRAINS BEHIND THE BRANDS

MARCO LANOWY / MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ALBERTO

DOING BUSINESS WITHOUT FEAR Our industry is still facing challenging times, as Marco Lanowy is all too aware. Yet he and his team refuse to let fear dictate their actions, choosing instead to take a self-motivating approach and embrace any changes that come their way. In an interview, he reveals how that works and what drives him. p. 12

COTTON CANDY

VON DUTCH

CREATIVE FREEDOM

BACK TO THE FUTURE

NEXT SEASON

Ümit Ekinci works outside of the conventional fashion system to enable him to deliver ‘just in time’. He tells us why that’s exactly what the industry needs right now. p. 24

Almost 20 years after it was founded, Artistic Director Earl Pickens explains where the iconic Y2K brand is headed and why it’s best to pursue your own vision. p. 22

The sustainable lifestyle of ancient civilisations may well stand the fashion industry in good stead for the future – Alessio Berto’s ‘Indigo Eden Project’ is showing us how. p. 34

The collections for spring/summer 2023 are reflecting what really matters after the pandemic and how fashion is gradually rediscovering its fun side. p. 4

NO RISK, NO GAIN

THE TAILOR PATTERN SUPPORT

BITS & PIECES

ALPHATAURI.COM

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Editorial

LET’S BE BRAVE Being able to rely on the best and the most experienced is something that we are all currently profiting from in this industry.

Whereby the amount of experience doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the years a company or person has under their belt, because those who are new to the party or haven’t been ‘tainted’ by endless crises can also bring something valuable to the table. Like an unwavering instinct, which is an important quality to have when routines and plans go out of the window. So it’s up to us to focus more, rally ourselves and act intuitively, but also to help and inspire each other wherever possible.

But how are we supposed to react in times of war and when faced with the ongoing consequences of the coronavirus crisis? Hesitation is certainly the first and most human of all these instinctive reactions. But when fear gives way to strength, it can also lead to a push towards progress – as Marco Lanowy and his team from Alberto have recently proven. Over the past two years, the trouser specialist has chosen to focus less on what he has lost during the crisis, but rather on what he was able to gain from it. A privileged position, which Managing Director Lanowy is more than aware of. This gives him the opportunity to look ahead without having to worry about rigid plans and schedules. Read our cover interview from page 12. Reliability in all its different facets is something that Norbert Klauser can also look back on from various perspectives.

The ‘godfather’ of German fashion retail has brought many international brands to the market here and even played a pivotal role in shaping an important aspect of the tradeshow industry. We spoke to the seasoned distribution expert about the past, present and future of our industry – see what he had to say on page 32.

Amtraq Distribution’s Uwe Maier is having a significant impact on the German distribution sector too. He also swears by consistency and steadfastness, which has resulted in him swimming against the hype every now and again – with success, as he explains to us on page 30. The fact that something tried and tested can be revived after such a long time – another case of bravery over fear – is being demonstrated by Earl Pickens, Von Dutch’s Creative Director.

Read what he had to say about luxury, sportswear and going your own way from page 22. The ‘Indigo Eden Project’ by The Tailor Pattern Support is showing just how inspiring the past, or history, can be when you take a futuristic view. For their latest project, a number of manufacturers joined forces to show us how much traditional craftsmanship has still earned its place in the modern world. Discover more on page 34. Now that the fashion industry is meeting up in real life again, the right locations are playing an increasingly important role. A prime example is Platte Berlin, a new interdisciplinary concept space. Our author Wolfgang Altmann looked into what makes it so appealing (see page 36). And we

are staying in Berlin, at the Funkturm broadcasting tower to be exact, where the Premium Group is celebrating its relaunch in the German capital with a range of formats, including old favourites and new additions. On page 37, Managing Partners Anita Tillmann and Jörg Arntz reveal how they and their team used the last two years and what they are looking forward to most this July.

This issue shows what we as a community, as partners, as colleagues and as sources of inspiration are capable of when we stop for a moment to reflect, even in the shock of the moment, and manage to show astounding endurance in times of uncertainty. I’m so impressed by all this energy and am thrilled to be able to share these unique success stories with you all.

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and the J’N’C News team

CREDITS

Editors Wolfgang Altmann (wa) Renée Diehl (rd) Franka Schmid (fs) Deniz Trosdorff (dt) Kristin Walzel (kw)

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Nikola Köster Kathrin Wimber

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Paula Hedley, Galina Green (trendtranslations.de)

Cheryll Mühlen

TRANSLATION

Nikola Köster

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BITS & PIECES

Marc O’Polo

Off the court Daily Paper

Summer basics Inspired by the colours of the Ghanaian, Moroccan and Somalian flags, the three founders of this brand have designed an homage to their countries of origin with the new SS22 resort collection. It features designs in soft pastel tones, bright yellows and brilliant blues, as well as playful prints that ensure a summery feel, and includes everything from matching cargo pants and jackets to classic shirts, bucket hats and cycling shorts. The label is mixing up the silhouettes with a figureenhancing, knee-length playsuit with logo, a knitted, waistlength cardigan and a roomy cotton beach bag. This season, Daily Paper is also reprising one of its recurring classics: the ‘Remulto’ T-shirt with an artwork on the back showing the words for ‘daily newspaper’ in each of the five African languages spoken by the founders. Also making a comeback: the iconic ‘Reslider’ in pastel green and baby blue. The entire collection is available now from their flagship stores in Amsterdam, NYC and London, as well as online and from selected retailers. /kw dailypaperclothing.com

Joop

Welcome to Miami

With its ‘Off the Court’ collection, Marc O’Polo Denim is bringing the world of tennis to the streets and presenting a streetwear collection for spring/summer 2023 that is adding a vibrant, sporty touch to the grey everyday. Rich colours like College Green, Fuchsia, Dark Denim and Sapphire Blue, flexible materials, retro prints with tennis court quotes and classic

Windsor

Dolce far niente

The spring/summer 2023 Pre-Collection by Joop Jeans is inspired by the easy-breezy lifestyle and summery vibes of the famous Ocean Drive in Miami. At the focus are smart streetwear looks and mix-and-match styles that epitomise a positive lifestyle in the form of relaxed silhouettes and trend colours like Grass Jade Green and Ocean Reef Turquoise. Activeness, sportiness and modernity are the key themes of the collection.

One of the stand-out denim models is the fashionable fit with a wide leg and cropped length, while the different washes include used effects. To match the jeans and chinos, the brand is also serving up a range of denim jackets. All denims from the collection are made from ecological BCI cotton. /dt

For its coming spring/summer 2023 collection, the fashion label has sought inspiration from the Italian way of life and summery carefree ease of the capital of the Italian island of Sicily, Palermo. So it’s no wonder that the women’s and menswear collections for the coming season have a lightness and laid-back vibe about them. While the glamorous 1920s and 1930s served as inspiration for the women’s collection and combine modern tailoring with luxury sportswear, the men’s collection boasts new combinations like casual tailoring paired with jogging looks.

Smart tailoring meets sportswear is the best way to describe it.

Comfort and functionality are key with all the styles, rounded off by interesting volumes, sportswear elements, tailoring, colours and shapes. Highlights of the menswear collection include knitwear, loose monochrome matching shorts and blazers, as well as short and long-sleeved shirts. The focus for the ladies is on flowing materials and summery prints, with oversized and cinched-in silhouettes. Here, Windsor is opting for high-quality materials like silk, wool, double-knit and cotton ribbon yarns. Classics like the cropped bomber jacket, windbreaker and classic parka are also being reinterpreted for the summer. In terms of the colour palette, the brand is experimenting with highlights like Chilli Red and Arancia, alongside its signature natural tones. /kw

joop.com

windsorstore.com

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sportswear details make the sustainable styles absolute musthaves. A collection that is redefining the ready-to-wear concept and positively exudes the Marc O’Polo Denim spirit while underlining the wearer’s individuality with ease. /kw marc-o-polo.com

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BITS & PIECES

Drykorn

Back to nature Deha

fields are represented by the product themes Rhythm, Soul and Pulse. For the spring/summer 2023 collection, Deha has drawn inspiration from the Japanese culture, which doesn’t just define itself through its tradition, serene spirituality and poetry, but also through new trends and a modern mentality. The result?

Kimono cuts, ponchos, sport essentials and colour blocking with pieces that radiate a carefree playfulness somewhere between mangas, American old-school college sportswear and 50s influences. /cm

Inspired by outdoor vibes and classic workwear elements, everything revolves around the true value of nature for Drykorn’s coming spring/summer 2023 collection. The main focus of the men’s and women’s collections is on casual styles for spring and summer, motivated by the feeling of being outdoors and doing what you love the most. For men, the brand has come up with a series of relaxed suit combinations with laid-back shirts, tees and jogging pants.

Long-sleeved shirts give off a casual workwear vibe. One theme running through the collection is abstract, natureinspired prints. For women, the focus is on relaxed and feminine styles, as well as flowing silhouettes for dresses, skirts and trouser suits, rounded off with relaxed knitwear combinations. The colour palette is dominated by earthy natural tones with luminous accents of yellow and coral tones along with scattered flower patterns and black and white. /kw

deha.it

drykorn.com

Rhythm, soul, pulse In the mid-60s, a young athlete met a young designer – an encounter that resulted in the founding of Meeting Group S.P.A., which today represents activewear brand Deha. Inspired by the world of dance, Deha offers a perfect mix of technical performance and fashion, which was developed in harmony with the brand’s values: quality, sustainability, made in Italy, performance, comfort and body confidence. This hybrid identity – a natural blend of activewear and fashion – enables it to accompany young women in their everyday lives and convey a sense of energy and positivity. The collections are based on the trilogy of Hope, Trust and Love, whose three energetic

K-Swiss

Tennis kicks Tennis has been a major influence on the latest fashion trends for a few seasons now. And K-Swiss is something of an authority when it comes to courtside trends. Which comes as no surprise: as most of us know, the American sneaker label has its roots in tennis. Fun fact: the K-Swiss Classic was the first allleather tennis shoe in the world and helped some of the best tennis players of the time to major victories. Over 50 years after it was founded, the company mainly has its sights set on the Central European market and on building up its pop-culture status. So for spring/summer 2023, K-Swiss is presenting a tried-and-tested design in a new guise – more or less. Because with ‘Si-18 Rival’, urban street meets classic roots: with classic K-Swiss elements like the characteristic five stripes combined with an urban hip-hop flair. The new training shoe is based on iconic models from the 1980s and 90s and has a cup sole inspired by cult tennis shoe Si-18 Premier. The result is an authentic K-Swiss sneaker that looks fresh but still harks back to its traditional tennis heritage. Slightly more playful is the new edition of the ‘Surf n Sand’, which was first launched back in 1998. The comeback of this popular and timeless K-Swiss classic will please everyone who wants to honour the tennis legacy and aspires to the Californian lifestyle. For SS23, the style is being brought back to life with all the details of the original version from the late 90s, including the unique front and the five stripes and D-rings. The ‘Surf n Sand’ also has an unmistakeable toe and heel shock-absorber design. With this new collection, K-Swiss is successfully pursuing the strategy is has set itself. A classic case of game, set and match! /cm kswiss.com

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LABELS TO WATCH Marke / Mussels and Muscles / PNTS

MARKE

Mix & match

Mussels and Muscles

Minimalistic jewellery cosmos

Established with the vision of bringing together past and present in one concept and projecting it into the future, the Cologne-based label focuses primarily on jewellery, clothing and lifestyle products. “Art and trash aren’t contradictory ideas, but actually correlate perfectly,” explains founder and Managing Director Mario Keine, adding: “The street has moved on from Classicism. Dom Pérignon and burgers are a perfect pairing, just like Britney Spears and Nietzsche. Motivated by the idea that everyone is a style hybrid anyway and that different styles and stylistic interests can exist in harmony within one person, Marke develops eclectic collections that seek inspiration from the most diverse of sources. References from the past and future exist alongside combinations of innovative serial production and traditional craftsmanship, resulting in stylistically variable but visually homogenous collections.”

Every item in the collections is designed using newly developed production techniques. The two collection concepts focus on eclectic craftsmanship, including jewellery in Cuban chain style. The products in the Infinite Collection are cast in silicone before metal clasps in various electroplating finishes are added. In the Ltd Collection, on the other hand, the focus is on limited products from the premium and luxury segment. All pieces are currently available exclusively from Marke’s own online store. /kw marke-brand.com

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Filigree appeal and precise minimalism are the core elements of this Munich jewellery label established by Lea Köhn in 2019. The young designer graduated with a degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and with Mussels and Muscles, she creates sustainable pieces of jewellery made of sterling silver and gold, with the aim of bringing sparkle to the wearer’s day-today life. Lea Köhn’s approach is based on the tension between art and design. Taking centre stage in her collection are the Sub-Rosa Necklace and the Flower Earring. With these two pieces, the young designer is showing the spiritual and conceptual cosmos that is usually reserved for visual arts. The coral used for the pendant of the Sub-Rosa Necklace, for example, is recycled from nuns’ prayer necklaces. For the Flower Earring, on the other hand, Lea Köhn uses a delicate silver sheath, into which the flowers or leaves of your choice can be inserted, making the earring the perfect way to present nature in jewellery form. On the whole, the pieces of jewellery by Mussels and Muscles are made from sustainable materials. In addition to responsibly sourced semi-precious stones and recycled sterling silver, the designer also uses recycled 14-carat / 18-carat solid gold, not to mention other raw materials such as gemstones and pearls, which are also recycled and come from antique stores and pieces of jewellery that are no longer worn. /kw mm-jewelry.de

PNTS

AN homage to dreams The new premium brand by Leineweber GmbH is starting out as a casual womenswear trouser brand with a collection encompassing around 70 denim and non-denim items. Under the motto ‘Made by humans – for humans’, the brand makes modern trousers for all occasions and is a homage to all people and all their facets and dreams.

“PNTS is synonymous with laid-back, stylish trousers to suit your individual character – for everyday life and any adventure that comes your way. The deliberate decision to focus on a specialist collection, with a consistent emphasis on casualwear, fills a gap in the modern premium segment,” according to the brand. All in all, the first PNTS collection comprises six basic fits from skinny to tapered and straight, as well as modern, relaxed styles. Different washes and dyes, details like cut-outs, zippers, patches and workwear elements give every pair a special touch.

When it comes to the use of materials, the brand is all about sustainability and recycling. “Short transportation routes and close and trusting working relationships within the team, as well as with retailers and suppliers, are our utmost priorities. Long-term success is only possible with teamwork and cooperation,” says PNTS Director Isabel Beckmann. As part of the launch, the premium brand is also treading new ground with their communications – with high-quality campaigns and content productions for digital channels, as well as collaborations with influencers and consumer experiences at the point of sale. The new SS23 collection is being launched first on the D-A-CH market and drops on 11 July with delivery dates scheduled for February, March and April. /kw

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Ice Garden

Recycling, sustainability, handicrafts and creativity are the buzzwords of the moment. And in the denim sector in particular, there is an increasing focus on these idealistic standards being set by the fashion industry. Ideal timing for the return of a traditional, yet highly current handiwork technique: patchwork. The collections for AW 2022 are proving that colourful styles made from leftover fabric scraps are not just for the most daring of fashionistas – these collage-like works of art will make you stand out in any crowd!

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Brain and Beast

Patch it up!

Photos: Imaxtree

Juan

Juan

Etro

Nimph

Emergency Room

TREND PATCHWORK DENIM

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OPINION PIECE Balenciaga

Um, seriously?

Somewhere between art and commerce, true luxury and deep and meaningful subtexts: Balenciaga’s Paris sneaker campaign is certainly dividing the fashion world right now. But how edgy is too edgy when it comes to advertising?

Text: Deniz Trosdorff / Illustration: cheryll Mühlen

It all started when I received a message from our editor-in-chief, which included a Business of Fashion (BOF) Insta post with the subject line ‘What do you think of the new Balenciaga Paris sneakers?’ and her on-the-nose reaction: ‘Um, seriously?’. You can see the shoe in question here… The unsettling thing about them is that they look like a pair of well-preserved Converse chucks that could have been dug up from an early 9th century grave – tattered, destroyed and worn to death. So what’s the message Balenciaga is trying to send us?

Confused but at the same time pondering what this construct of complete destruction could have to do with the revered luxury fashion house of Balenciaga, I tried to find enlightenment on social media. Among the comment threads under the image and other stills of the ‘destroyed shoes’ from the Balenciaga campaign, which were shot by photographer Leopold Duchemin, I encountered – aside from enthusiastic outpourings – quite a bit of confusion, outrage and incomprehension.

Fully destroyed for the fashion elite The solution to this mystery soon popped up on numerous fashion websites that brought us up to speed on the latest coup by Demna Gvasalia, Balenciaga’s Creative Director. According to him, the brand’s ‘Full Destroyed’ edition is available in a slightly less destroyed version as a limited edition (100 pairs) for 1,850 US dollars, the equivalent of 1,450 euros, and they come with Balenciaga graffiti on the sole. Before they are launched on the market, fans of the brand can get a taster with the unlimited minimally destroyed sneaker variations in black, white and red that will set you back between 495 and 625 dollars, from Balenciaga’s online shop. But with a campaign like this one, which has attracted so much attention, there has to be more to it, right? In the official press release

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for the launch of the shoe, the company explains that the exaggerated image of the shoe is an attempt to highlight its longevity. Footwear you can wear all your life, so to speak. “Ahhhh”, I hear you say, and you may even find the idea makes sense as it suggests a desire for sustainability and less production waste with minimal orders. All welcome topics in a (fashion) world of overconsumption, even for a luxury brand like Balenciaga.

The power of bemusement Nevertheless, the whole thing does leave a bit of a bad taste. When you read the online chats and comments, opinions on the campaign are certainly very divided. Some fans are applauding the campaign, seeing a continuation of Demna Gvasalia’s artistic and boundarypushing ways, in which he questions pre-existing states and social constructs, often elevating them to a higher level. Who can forget the now-legendary Arena Extra-Large Shopper Tote Bag they launched in 2017 that looks astonishingly similar to the iconic blue Ikea bag, Frakta. The luxury version costs over 2,000 dollars, while the Ikea model will set you back just 99 cents. This caused a sensation in the fashion world, ensuring that Balenciaga was on everyone’s lips, with both Balenciaga and Ikea experiencing a marketing boost. Also unforgotten are Gvasalia’s DHL shirts in canary yellow for his label Vetements that almost achieved cult status and ensured plenty of confusion and entertainment value. And let’s not forget the most recent Balenciaga fashion show for autumn/winter 2022, where the models were sent through a winter storm catwalk to symbolise the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has forced millions of people to flee their homes.

How much art can fashion handle?

Before we reach a conclusion, we should at least present the other side of the story, of those who simply won’t warm to the campaign.

Many people think that the exaggerated image of the shoe doesn’t reflect a message of longevity at all, but rather tries to romanticise poverty in a tasteless way. Many point out that the especially rich clientele who are willing to buy this limited sneaker with its steep price tag have absolutely no understanding of the actual message, because they consume fashion and other luxury products like there’s no tomorrow regardless. What relevance does the longevity of a fashion item really have if it’s going to be passé by next season anyway?

How much philosophising is suitable for the world of fashion?

Or to put it differently, what tools should be allowed when it comes to communicating socially critical and political statements through fashionable creations? This question needs to be answered from the perspective of the audience. If you’re open to controversial opinions in the fashion world, you’ll probably welcome the fact that the fashion business is currently going through a reflective period of reappraisal. It all comes down to walking the fine line between mockery and frivolity and, in the end, not cashing in at the cost of less fortunate vulnerable groups.

Over the past few years, Demna Gvasalia, and therefore also Balenciaga, have proven with their campaigns and hotly discussed products that fashion can’t always be judged in a clear-cut way. They have certainly benefited by raising awareness among consumer groups and potential buyers who had perhaps never even heard of the traditional fashion house before. Attracting attention and, at the same time, like a fashion seismograph, pointing out grievances and social issues – those are the ultimate aims. And the beauty of it is: whatever your take on the whole thing, it does prove that fashion is alive and well and can inspire critical thinking and reflection.

The KangaROOS trade marks are registered trade marks of and used under licence from Asco Group Limited.

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Brains behind the Brands Marco Lanowy, Managing Director, Alberto

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Brains behind the Brands Marco Lanowy, Managing Director, Alberto

NO FEAR

Trouser specialist Alberto is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year under the most surreal conditions, considering everything that is going on in the world right now, yet Managing Director Marco Lanowy is still excited about what the future holds.

And that has a lot to do with his team, their foray into the uncharted meta level and the ongoing search for the next defining moment.

Interview: Cheryll Mühlen Photos: Patrick Lanowy What will you be focusing on in the years to come?

Our focus will continue to be on trousers. We’re not reinventing the wheel but adapting to the current circumstances. Everyone thinks they should be reinventing themselves but that’s not always the best course to take. If you ask me, it’s best to look at what your strengths are and reflect on those. And yes, we also lost a lot during the crisis. But we also gained a lot too, including new ways of looking at things. Alberto is a team. And change is usually something people are afraid of, but one thing we have noticed in our team is that fear is not a word in our vocabulary. Our team faces every new challenge and change head on. That is down to the way we work, communicate and, ultimately, our ability to reflect. Such situations reveal the true strength of the foundations you’ve built up over the years. Those who are too focused on the planning aspect, which I am seeing a lot of right now, seem a bit lost. I think that it takes resilience and the ability to accept things and recognise new opportunities arising from problems, without losing sight of your own strengths.

As a specialist, we have a product we can focus on: trousers. That’s why I said before that we will carry on making trousers.

Something you’ve been doing with success for 100 years now, as this year’s big anniversary clearly proves. But, amid all the celebrations, still having to prove yourselves during the current crises is a reminder that you shouldn’t take a milestone birthday like this for granted.

It’s a very special moment because we have been making trousers for 100 years now. A whole century of Alberto trousers! But it’s also a product of the here and now, of the present moment: what occasion do I need them for? And which functions do they need to have? Our creativity has permanently grown from this ongoing mission.

In the last two to three years, we have noticed that people are spending more and more time in their own neighbourhoods. And that they aren’t just driving to work in their cars anymore, but also hopping on their bicycles. Five years ago, we learnt that Berlin cyclists cycle an average of 4,500 kilometres a year, so we needed a ‘product of the moment’ that is durable and has the necessary functions. And that’s where the idea for our Bike Jeans came from. Or just take our Performance Pants and Business Jeans: every buyer says to us: “Show me your business jeans.”

But if you look around the shop floors, there’s no section for ‘business jeans’. Why not? After all, so many people go into the stores and say that they need a pair of trousers for the office or for work.

Why don’t we just use the end consumer’s terminology to describe what we are designing?

I’d like to go back to something you said before: that your team has no fear. That means you don’t react out of fear, but have confidence in your strengths, which is why you can probably face the current strained situation so fearlessly. How are you dealing with the consequences of the war in Ukraine? How does a company like Alberto react to the possibility of production facilities closing down or an entire market being blocked, for example?

First and foremost, the fate of the people of Ukraine affects us, just as much as the fate of our

Russian customers who aren’t on the front line.

From a business perspective, we have been positioning ourselves so that we mainly produce in Europe and close to Europe, via Tunisia, Romania and Poland. As Ukraine isn’t one of our production countries, we haven’t been affected in that respect. But we did cancel our entire autumn/winter orders for the Russian market, which we had successfully built up over the past 20 years. That gives us, as a company, the opportunity to rethink how we do things. How can we compensate for that?

Is it as simple as that?

No. On the other hand, of course we are also facing pressure on the market because we are losing money and sales. We have a responsibility towards our employees and their families. And that alone is what drives us because we are a team – and we are always looking for new opportunities based on this team mindset. Due to the pressure caused by the loss of Ukraine as a producing country, there are a lot of market players who are now having to suddenly look for new producers.

But due to our long-standing, trusting relationships with our production facilities and manufacturers, we don’t have to worry about them coming to us and saying, “We’re now producing for this or that brand and no longer have any capacities left for you”. And it works both ways: they continue to work with us because we have built up relationships with these production partners for years. But there are also a lot of brands out there desperately searching for new production facilities and this is having a knock-on effect on the entire workwear and ready-to-wear clothing markets. What are the long-term effects? We know from personal experience that if we walk around a supermarket and everyone is buying the same products, then the shelves will soon be empty. We have been working hard to prevent this for a while now.

How is your supply chain being affected? You won’t be able to source everything from local suppliers, right?

There are over 40 individual components in a pair of our trousers. You might have a finished pair and then right at the end you are missing the zipper. That requires resourcefulness and the ability to problem solve. Do I really need a zip in this special colour, or can I make do with what is currently available? In the end, the detail will be different to how you intended it, but we also see that as a challenge to act early on. We are already blocking certain quantities of goods and assuring our partners of what they can expect from us, because we are rethinking how we do things.

Solidarity and working together are key right now. But the whole chain isn’t just the supply chain of the suppliers, it’s also the transportation route. On the one hand, we have the huge advantage that we source mainly from Europe, which is why we see a lot of things differently. Despite that, a lot of our high-tech fabrics come from Japan.

And we have zippers, which, even if they are by YKK, also come from Asia. We’re dealing with the same circumstances there too. But we can handle that as long as we do some forward planning. I don’t actually like the term ‘planning’ because, in my opinion, planning too much makes you inflexible and rigid. So in certain situations, I think the keyword for me here is agility.

I was just about to throw the word ‘planning’ into the mix because we have talked about this lack of planning security before. But, following your train of thought, maybe we can see this uncertainty as a process that has been thrust on us, but that might actually mean a positive change for the industry in the long term?

Taking a comparison from the food industry: if you want to have decent quality food, you have to plant it, nurture it and be patient enough for it to grow. And I think that should also be the case in our industry. That means that we source and seek out decent fabrics, we produce properly, we have quality processes and we make sure that the end result is a decent product – more than decent, in fact. I think that if we want to

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Brains behind the Brands Marco Lanowy, Managing Director, Alberto

I don’t actually like the term ‘planning’ because, in my opinion, planning too much makes you inflexible and rigid.

learn something, we need to focus more on resources. As things currently stand, they are being pointlessly wasted. That’s why we have orderbased production at Alberto. I am really proud of that because we don’t have to produce for outlet stores or anything like that and aren’t left with any surplus goods. Why don’t we shift the focus to outlet stores when we’re talking about sustainability or resource efficiency?

There’s always a touch of utopia when it comes to sustaianability, which is actually inspiring because the ultimate aim is to come close to that utopian ideal. But for me, there’s a severe lack of talking going on. You can’t build a staircase if you don’t start with the first step, followed by the second and then the third. We need more conversations about how to build these stairs. A lot of brands seem to have already reached the top in this short time. I would much prefer to talk about the initial successes and the facts, as well as the negative consequences.

We are very open to talking about these issues, above and beyond the product itself, also in terms of looking at the bigger picture. Every month we declare the mileage and average consumption of our company cars, to have a record of what our individual CO2 impact looks like. We don’t really talk about it too much; we just want to know what the numbers are. We are looking at what makes up our lorry and supply chain impact in terms of our carbon footprint because we believe that CO2 is still the bigger topic that we should be talking about. Over the last two to three years, I would say that we have all come to the realisation that we don’t need to fly as much. New solutions have emerged from this, such as communicating via our screens. Not that I am trying to replace the human contact or in-person communication in any way. But it’s definitely worth thinking about. If I already know that out of the ten flights I will take, seven could have actually been avoided, then that’s already

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a huge contribution that I can make. And I think that we need to be aware of just how significant our individual, small contributions are, instead of making sweeping judgements. Sustainability is more than just one umbrella term. Yes, it all comes under this one term, but there is so much we can all do individually. And if you want to continue with your staircase analogy, I believe that we are building the steps in a different way because some brands are building much higher steps, while others seem to be leaning against them. I think it’s important that the statics are right from the start and that we take everyone with us on our way to the top and everyone is participating.

Speaking about participation: the metaverse is only in its starting blocks right now, but it has a huge appeal and a lot of future potential. And Alberto is leading the way: with your own online store there.

This is the next level that we are taking and I’m really enjoying it. In terms of retail, the biggest evolution, which, incidentally, no one talks about anymore, was self-service. Today we all just take it for granted that self-service is part of the way we shop. With online stores, self-service has taken on a whole new meaning. But now we have all noticed that we are sitting in front of a screen without the haptics – being able to touch and feel what we buy. And I think that in terms of resources, online shopping will also change and end up on a 3D level. The fact that in the future we will be wearing glasses that will enable us to enter the metaverse and say things with a single hand movement like: I’ll have that or I’ll try that on, and will be able to look down at myself, wearing my glasses, to see whether it suits me or not. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to take different body measurements yet in Decentraland or whatever meta level you want to use. At the moment we all have one size there, but I think that will evolve over time. I’m looking forward to it because we are now making it accessible. The

gaming community, i.e. the community that is engaging with it, has different expectations of it all.

That means that at some point we will develop and personalise our avatars and also build up a different relationship with shopping in those kinds of worlds. But I don’t want to just concentrate on shopping because I see a lot of opportunities in it; later on, we will also be spending more time in this world for different reasons. The people spending the most time on that one platform right now are all very blockchain-driven. And if you are familiar with it, you will know that blockchain still isn’t compatible with mobile devices, which means that we are still all using this technology from our desktops.

Something we regard as futuristic today will, at some point down the line, end up being traditional.

Which is actually pretty old-school.

Yes, but that enables me to see which patent is being filed for which VR glasses etc., and also to know what kind of technology will be used with these glasses in the future. And most of us are already using avatars to a certain extent. Whenever we write a WhatsApp message these days, we don’t take a photo of ourselves smiling and send that; instead, we send our avatar emoji to convey what we are feeling.

I actually created my own avatar on Instagram yesterday. And I spent a long time searching for a suitable look but couldn’t find the right outfit for me anywhere. Not yet, anyway.

I think that will come in the future. In the same way that Nike and Adidas have invested in their NFT products, we are currently doing the same

and creating our first digital twins as trousers, which can already be worn in the meta world.

In the future I believe that we will be exploring the different worlds using our avatar as a shopping twin that is true to size, that conveys the brand’s own style, look and feel and high standards – as a way of possibly reducing return rates and another opportunity to boost sustainability. But also to create another level of shopping from it: we want the stationary store, we want the online store, but we also want the meta level.

This is another example of how fearless you are, because the whole meta topic is still so new that a lot of people haven’t even begun to experiment with it or don’t have the guts to dip their toe in the water. That also opens up opportunities for next-level cooperations, which is definitely your speciality.

One of the most exciting cooperations for us right now is the work we’re doing with DePauli Systems to develop our new NFT trousers. That’s a universe that we haven’t explored at all yet – because it’s so far removed from our fabric sourcing. Here it’s all about pixels and bytes, which is a huge challenge. I’ve always found it fascinating that you can wear our Alberto Golf apparel during a game of e-sports golf. I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved. One day I hope that your WhatsApp avatar will be wearing our trousers too. We have so many opportunities at our fingertips. Something we regard as futuristic today will, at some point down the line, end up being traditional. All these innovations follow on from each other, down through the generations.

And that’s why we are celebrating 100 years of Alberto this year. It worked out really well that Georg Walendy had the idea of turning Albert Dormanns into Alberto and paved the way for us to not only focus on trousers, but trousers for the present moment, the here and now. alberto-pants.com

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Brains behind the Brands Marco Lanowy, Managing Director, Alberto

Alberto’s new spring/summer 2023 collection.

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16

BRAINS BEHIND THE BRANDS LISA SCHWEBEL, ALIFE & KICKIN

Lisa Schwebel, Marketing/Design at 3PLEset GmbH / Alife & Kickin

Vegan to the core With its spring/summer 2022 collection ‘Choose Life’, German streetwear brand Alife & Kickin won the PETA Vegan Fashion Award in the ‘Best Collection’ category. And they didn’t just jump on the vegan bandwagon recently – vegan production has been one of the central pillars of their identity since 2013.

Lisa Schwebel talks to us about environmentally friendly and animal-friendly product alternatives, transparent communication and upcoming collections.

Interview: Renée Diehl

Alife & Kickin has been producing exclusively vegan collections since 2013. What does that mean for the brand that won the PETA Vegan Fashion Award in the ‘Best Collection’ category for its spring/summer 2022 collection ‘Choose Life’?

Receiving the PETA Vegan Fashion Award means a lot to Alife & Kickin. It’s great to have the confirmation that we are on the right path on our vegan mission and it also motivates us to keep on doing what we’re doing. Although we couldn’t be any more vegan, it’s always possible to become more sustainable and environmentally conscious.

There are animal components hidden in a lot of products. Just how important is it to have an official certification like PETA Approved Vegan?

Every year, millions of animals suffer and die because of the fashion industry. That’s why it’s important to PETA to acknowledge brands that have consciously decided to make animal-friendly clothing without animal ingredients like leather, wool, down, fur or silk and to communicate this to the public through the award. Apart from the

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fabrics, the Alife & Kickin collections are also free from any hidden animal materials and product components, such as leather or horn buttons, but also waxes or glues.

Which standard materials are easy to find vegan alternatives for and which ones require new innovations and solutions?

Basically anything is possible – at least when it comes to our fabrics. One of our hallmarks is functional winter coats and we’ve now also added quilted jackets and bodywarmers. Most winter jackets are filled with goose down to store the warmth. Alife & Kickin has developed a faux down fabric made of recycled polyester, which is not only easier to care for, but also better at storing heat than conventional down.

Which vegan product innovations is Alife & Kickin already offering and what can the brand’s customers expect to see in the future?

In July 2022, for the first time in Alife & Kickin’s brand history, we are launching a capsule col-

lection that is based completely on the concept of circular fashion. AKMMXXI (which is the Roman numeral version of AK2021) presents unisex sweat items that are fully recyclable – from the fabric to the last thread and even down to the care label, the products can be fully returned into the circular fashion cycle. The new statement pieces are also made of fine organic cotton and produced completely without the use of salts or chemicals. To reduce the environmental impact even further, only natural dyes like olive leaf extract, lavender and pomegranate skin are used.

Our goal is to further establish the concept of circular fashion on the market and also to produce the Alife & Kickin main collections in a circular way, even though we’re still quite a long way off from that. Until then, we will be working on our current fabrics: we want to switch the Alife & Kickin denim products from recycled cotton to sustainable Tencel and also make our faux wool with EcoVero viscose rather than acrylic.

And last but not least: what will the upcoming Alife & Kickin collection look like? To what

extent are you continuing on from your highly successful spring/summer 2022 collection?

As far as the design is concerned, all I can reveal is that winter 2022 is going to be big on volumes, oversized and brightly coloured.

Our design team is constantly trying to create a good mix of existing styles and innovations, which is why our collections are also steadily getting bigger. But nowadays, it’s more important to become ‘bigger’ and more transparent from collection to collection, also in terms of our marketing and communication. Customers decide what makes it into their wardrobes based on their own personal taste, but they also welcome transparency, approachability and emotion from brands, which is worth a lot in these current times. So our future plans are pretty much about transparency and trying to keep people in the loop by sharing as much information as possible about fabrics, production and supply chains to make the collections even more interesting and successful. alifeandkickin.com

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BRAINS BEHIND THE BRANDS Gianni Giannini, Creative Director, Doucal’s

Italian craftsmanship meets British style ‘Made in Italy’ is, in itself, an expression of excellence, tradition and exceptional craftsmanship. So what else can Doucal’s offer to make it stand out from other Italian brands? An interview with its Creative Director Gianni Giannini.

Interview: Franka Schmid

What makes Doucal’s different from other brands in the shoe segment?

The main difference lies in Doucal’s innovation and design expertise. We are able to maintain the quality and sense of tradition that the brand has built up over 50 years, while also remaining relevant and combining modernity, technical sophistication and elegance.

What are the challenges or advantages of running a family business?

Doucal’s story is the result of passion, tradition and the love of a family who carries the spirit of craftsmanship and business in its heart and mind.

These are the attributes that have brought the company success and growth; but at the same time, sticking to such values can also be challenging.

Doucal’s Creative Director, Gianni Giannini

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What role does sustainability play in your company?

Sustainability is neither an abstract concept nor a model that works according to a preconceived set of rules and logic. That’s why, instead of talking about an all-encompassing and often vague idea of environmental protection, I prefer to refer to systemic sustainability, i.e., a perfectly integrated process that not only respects the territory and common heritage, but also respects the professionalism and dignity of its inhabitants. Our shoes are made from certified leather from Italian tanneries and designed, cut,

sewn and polished by craftsmen and artisans.

Their taste and craftsmanship combined with the extraordinary environmental and artistic richness of our land are the heart and soul of our products.

How do you see the future of traditional shoemaking? Can it be maintained in the long term?

The world of fashion has changed a lot over the past few years and we have also had to adapt a section of our collection to the changing demands. That means we have to learn to be a bit more laid-back when it comes to the shoe’s purpose; the fact that they are no longer as formal or used specifically for a certain occasion, even if this is a little bit contrary to how we see things.

Our more modern and contemporary shoes or sneakers, associated more with casual occasions, are nevertheless just as sophisticated. They are high-quality products made of materials like leather and fine Pallami, characterised by a super flexible and lightweight finish, which is what makes them so unique.

How many working hours and what processes does it take to make a pair of Doucal’s shoes?

Doucal’s was founded in Montegranaro – a city considered to be one of the epicentres of luxury Italian men’s shoes. We create styles that require up to 100 different working steps and each individual step takes time and skill.

Your new lightweight suede sneakers feature leather detailing. How is the process different to those of classic men’s lace-ups made of leather?

Our sneakers are made with the same philosophy and produced just like the more formal models, which is why we like to describe them as ‘nonsneakers’. The difference is in how the upper materials and the rubber sole are joined together.

The sneaker collection is made with ultra-light rubber soles and a Strobel sock that ensures the sneaker is lightweight, flexible and durable.

Every hand-finished Doucal’s product remains loyal to the traditions of the region, which have been handed down from father to son since 1973. To what extent do the quality and production methods reflect the traditions of the past?

Fascinated by the craftsmanship aspect, my brother Jerry and I have become more and more involved in the company over the years.

We’re continuing our father’s legacy, preserving the manufacturing techniques and the unique charm of ‘Made in Italy’, while bringing a new contemporary approach and innovative spirit by using the latest technologies. As it did in the past, Doucal’s continues to offer perfect designs, while continually improving its materials and shapes and combining tradition and modernity. doucals.com

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22

Brains behind the Brands Earl Pickens, Artistic director, von Dutch Paris

He went to the same school as Kanye, worked with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac for 20 years and recently also dressed Barack Obama. Today he is giving one of the most popular and prestigious Y2K brands a new, bolder and more contemporary touch. As the Artistic Director of Von Dutch Paris, Earl Pickens is breaking with expectations and generational constraints. A conversation about liberation and evolution.

Interview: Cheryll Mühlen

Earl Pickens is a man who oozes passion. And it’s contagious. He celebrates beauty, style, design and different generations and is now imbuing a new Von Dutch, or Von Dutch Paris to be precise, with his ideas and visions. During our interview he shows me his latest designs, featuring illustrations of monsters, trucks and monster trucks. But more on that later. He also shows me the new leather pieces that include leather hoodies, leather basketball shorts, leather basketball jerseys, the new denim range, trendy puffer jackets, bowling bags and –

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of course – a huge variety of trucker caps. Typical Von Dutch, but without being typically Von Dutch.

He asks: “Would you wear the same T-shirt you wore 20 years ago? Probably not, unless you’re talking about a retro look. But that’s my point. We can’t make Von Dutch look like it did 20 years ago.

We have to bring it to a new generation of people who’ve never heard of the brand before.” He tells us how he is giving the brand a modern, luxurious update without it losing its identity.

Now that we’re seeing a major Y2K comeback, it’s Von Dutch’s time to shine. But those who remember the brand from the 2000s will be quite surprised because your approach with Von Dutch Paris is clearly very different.

Why is that?

I love to talk about this part! What happened is that we had a group meeting. There were only about three or four of us in the team. Our trucker hats, little bowling bags and slides were all selling really well. We were going our normal way, as always, but we really wanted to make a difference. And to cut a long story short, the conclusion was that we should go a little bit more upscale, which was right up my alley. So I said,

“Look, I would love to do that because I come from a luxury background anyway”. They wanted to know if I have access to the right factories for my vision and I was like: “Of course!”.

Basically, you knew where your strengths lie.

To be honest, in the very beginning, I was a little cautious. I wondered how far I could take it. Because I know that I push a little bit harder, both on the womenswear and the luxury. So I had to learn how to get the balance right between sportswear and luxury. And that’s when I came up with the concept of keeping most of the items and sportswear but doing them in luxury materials. Like the hoodie, but in leather. The other thing we tried to do is to take all of those characteristic Von Dutch images of motorcycles or monster trucks and give them a more modern slant. We want to retain that playfulness and keep it all relatively young, but it’s also got to have an air of sexiness about it. And I like to blur the gender boundaries. For example, when we’re doing the jackets, I don’t really have a girl or a guy in mind.

So you’re not forcing anything?

No, not at all. In fact, I’m kind of leaving it to the

wearer. I’m giving them the option. Like our bowling bags – guys carry them too, including me.

You don’t differentiate between genders, but what about the executives who aren’t that open and imaginative? How do they react when you put your vision out there?

For the most part, they follow through. The president of the group said he would never dress like me. But on the other hand, he also said that I used to dress like him. And it’s true. I used to wear a suit and tie quite a bit because I had a job in New York when we were dressing Barack Obama. And when that happened, I was really big on suits. But when I came to Paris, I wanted to take the tie off. I wanted to feel liberated, you know? Your generation are so open to diversity so differences become less apparent. I had always been that way. So I was identifying so much more with your generation – more than I was with mine, in fact.

I honestly can’t imagine you in a suit and tie.

Your style today is just so natural. It doesn’t come across like you’re trying to look cool.

And I think you, as a designer giving people

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Brains behind the Brands Earl Pickens, Artistic director, von Dutch Paris

Von Dutch Paris is an example of what a brand can be when it doesn’t set itself any limits.

the opportunity to have a certain gender fluidity, can give people even more freedom when it comes to wearing Von Dutch in different ways.

You really touch on a good point here because we had some feedback on some of the presentations we did in New York. And one of them said that it doesn’t look like we have a direction. My response back then was, “We don’t do collections like Yves Saint Laurent or like Balenciaga. We mix things up the way that we see people out in the real world”.

That’s how they’re dressed and that’s how I look at it. It’s not that we’re misguided.

When we talk about Von Dutch Paris, we have to differentiate it from Von Dutch Originals, for example, which is under German license

by Buffalo. As a designer, how do you define a certain image when there’s basically other versions under the same name out there?

First of all, I think they’ve been doing a really good job. But we basically have two different targets or two different demographics that we’re looking for, and we’re kind of touching on both of those. We still have some similarities, for example the trucker hat or the bags are going to be in my collection as well as theirs. So we tie in in certain

ways, but then in terms of demographics, it’s different, which is why in terms of price points, it’s really different. And Von Dutch Originals is only available in selected countries, mainly in Germany. But it’s limited. Von Dutch Paris creates an idea of the brand where we can experiment. It shows what the brand can be if you go there.

WE HAVE TO KEEP MOVING VON DUTCH FORWARD. Is there anywhere you would love the brand to go where it hasn’t been established yet?

You know, I never thought about that. Wow, let me think. Oh, you know, there is a country that I’m so fascinated by: Japan. Such an intriguing country, absolutely steeped in culture and I would love to venture into that a little more. What’s interesting about the Japanese is that they definitely have a way of interpreting something to make it

Earl Pickens, Artistic Director of Von Dutch Paris

their own, to the extent that no one else can come close. And I absolutely love that. So to see Von Dutch being given the Japanese treatment would absolutely be a dream come true.

You’re a very passionate guy, obviously, especially when it comes to the brand and designing. But looking back, maybe even beyond that, what are the steps that you are most proud of?

One is getting past the bosses – once they gave me their approval and the artistic rights. I was very proud of the fact that I didn’t have to stay within the boundaries of what Von Dutch once was. I have to continue to keep an open mind.

And I’m always proud when I see our things being worn on the streets and how people appreciate them. Sure, I have to take criticism as well and a lot of times I’m going to hear more criticism than I hear compliments. But I’m also proud of the fact that I get a chance to listen to what other people think and respect their opinions. I’m not going to use everything, but I will definitely be inspired by those things. And sometimes one little word can inspire me to go much, much further and tell the story of Von Dutch from a new direc-

tion, from a new point of view, and determine how we’re going to expand the brand. Von Dutch was created in 2003 so we’re approaching a new way of telling its story. And not many other brands from that era have lasted so long.

What is Von Dutch to you? Where is the brand headed?

You have to build the brand up to be something that is going to be new and more meaningful for young people of this generation. The majority of brands would just take what they did 20 years ago and revive it. And that’s probably why it often doesn’t catch on. We have to keep moving Von Dutch forward every time with fabric innovations, by experimenting with shapes and also changing different types of vibes, spirits, colours and inspiration. This is the essence of growing the brand.

You have to learn how to make something more than what it once was. You have to grow from it like a flower. The roots are still there, but it’s expanding more and it’s getting bigger and bigger, like an old oak tree continues to grow and spawn new leaves. That’s Von Dutch today in a nutshell. vondutch.com

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BRAINS BEHIND THE BRANDS ÜMIT EKINCI, CO-FOUNDER, COTTON CANDY

Flexible and willing to take risks This year, the Düsseldorf-based fashion brand run by Sandra Csikos and her partner Ümit Ekinci is not only celebrating its 10th anniversary, but also looking back on the challenges, smart moves and the willingness to take risks that have accompanied them along the way. 2022 is turning out to be another defining year that is keeping the fashion industry on its toes and showing us just how high the demands on retailers, suppliers and brands have been over the past two years. We spoke to Ümit Ekinci about Cotton Candy’s upcoming spring/summer 2023 collection, the role of a ‘just-in-time’ supplier and the goals that the company has set itself.

Interview: Kristin Walzel

What can retailers expect from Cotton Candy in the coming SS23 season? Which trends will you be referencing and what is your current focus?

That’s a good question, but hard to answer right now, as we are still making short-term plans for the last quarter of 2022. One thing’s for sure: we will be picking up on all relevant trends in our collections, provided they fit in with our ethos. We don’t want to be trendsetters; instead, we want to offer our partners the right products at the right time, which is why it’s always worth checking out each of our collections.

What is currently the biggest challenge when producing and delivering the collections?

From our perspective, there are no problems worth mentioning in terms of the production, as we work closely alongside our suppliers and have a long history with most of them and a relationship that is based on partnership. The teams work really well together, which means that there are rarely any disagreements during the various processes.

How is the company reacting to the challenges associated with the supply chain crisis? Do you have any solutions to share?

The challenges lie mainly in the availability of specialist yarns that we need for our beautiful fabrics. Modal or viscose yarns, for example, are in limited supply in Turkey right now. But the close relationship with our suppliers also works to our advantage here,

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meaning we can usually access what we need or find other solutions with our partners.

As you work at such short notice, there is a particularly high risk involved for you. Where would you say that there is still a need for action and support from the retailers?

We would like to see consistency and predictability from the retailers so we can plan better. As a ‘just-in-time’ label, during the last few months we were often the ones who suffered most from the industry’s ailing system. The supply chain crisis, the aftermath of the pandemic and rising inflation meant that the retailers, despite making good sales with our products, were no longer able to fulfil their partnership obligations. To offer our retail partners an incentive for the future, we launched our ‘Be Premium’ scheme. From 1 June, partners who help us plan better and work closely alongside us as partners will be able to enjoy a number of attractive benefits.

During the past two years, a lot of processes within the fashion industry have come under scrutiny. But which systems need to be broken down in the long term so our sector and the industry can develop further?

When the pandemic began, a lot of players from the industry piped up, from manufacturers to agencies and retailers – but only very few of them lived up to their promises, with the majority falling back into their old patterns. Good intentions like solidarity, flexibility, short-term approaches and textile supply chain optimisation

were quickly forgotten. From the beginning, we were aware that we had to put the focus on us, knowing that it would be difficult to disrupt the entrenched habits of the industry overnight.

The fact that we carry the full risk for the goods and therefore offer retailers the opportunity to source the latest goods from us as and when they need them and just in time, reflects our perspective of the partial solution – but the emphasis here lies on ‘partial solution’, as both the agencies and the retailers need to play their part. With our ‘Be Premium’ scheme, we are hoping to speed up the process so that everyone involved profits from our system changeover.

We know it’s difficult to look into the future right now, but where do you see your company in the next two years? And what other goals is Cotton Candy pursuing for the coming year?

In the next two years we see ourselves as an indispensable partner of the industry that performs across the board and is a firm fixture in retailers’ collections. In the short to midterm, our focus is on recategorising, optimising and restructuring our assortments. In the future, B2B, platform and D2C assortments will be designed independently of each other, to give every revenue stream the necessary autonomy. From July 2022, this separation will be apparent within the B2B and platform assortments and there won’t be any more item overlaps, which means that the items from the corresponding channels will no longer be in competition with each other. cottoncandy-fashion.de

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26

Brains behind the Brands Adrian Bejan, Creative Director, KangaRoos

Success story of a cult sneaker From 80s cult sneakers to the iconic collaborations of today: KangaRoos has been combining its inimitable brand DNA with new editions and innovative new products for decades now. Creative Director Adrian Bejan on the brand’s enduring appeal and what he has in store for 2023.

Interview: Franka Schmid

Can you remember the first time you came across the KangaRoos brand?

It was a long time ago. My parents bought me a pair of sneakers when we moved to Germany and I seem to remember they were KangaRoos. Back then they had this special pocket where you could hide things. As a kid, I thought that was really cool!

Bernd Hummel purchased the KangaRoos license at the beginning of the 80s. In terms of the sneaker’s core DNA, what has changed since then? What makes a good sneaker?

That’s true, Bernd Hummel owns the Pentland Group master license for the KangaRoos brand so we are the only ones who can show its original DNA. We are always rummaging through the archives and discovering wonderful sneaker treasures from the past that perfectly fit into today’s vibe without us having to invent anything new.

Our sneaker roots are in the 80s and 00s. In my opinion, a good sneaker should be bona fide and genuine!

What is it that fascinates you about the shoe business?

I love trying things out that haven’t been seen before. I want the buyer to feel like they’re buying something special – with a story to accompany the sneaker and not just any old sneaker 'X’ that was quickly churned out. That’s just boring.

What were the highlights in your long working collaboration with KangaRoos to date?

There are quite a few. One of them was the ‘ROOSunited Project’, a project by collectors, influencers and opinion-makers who worked on a shoe in teams. It was about stepping across boundaries and bringing together people from different cultures, countries, genders etc. It was really exciting and challenging to organise,

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especially without being able to have everyone sitting together at one table.

Shoe brands in particular can really profit from collaborations.

Which label cooperation was your favourite? And can you bring us up to speed on any future collabs?

There are simply too many collaborations on the market that aren’t being given the attention that they deserve. It’s all about who is the fastest and who can make it as the bigger superstar. I really enjoyed the two sneaker lines ‘ROOSblack’ and ‘ROOSred’. When putting together ‘ROOSblack’, I became a big fan of creating an honest sneaker – made of fantastic materials and produced sustainably. I want to support our region and source fabrics, laces, insoles etc. locally. We are based in the shoe capital of Germany and have our own factory and produce our ‘Made in Germany’ shoes inhouse and by hand ourselves. ‘Less is more’ is the focus here. We are also launching a new line: ‘ROOSclassics’, a range of shoes made of fantastic materials that will go with everything, like a true classic should. In the case of ‘ROOSred’ – our heritage line – we will be launching collaborations for the first time in 2023. It was really important to me to find the right partner, someone who also recognises the added value of KangaRoos. There will be some great highlights, including a collaboration with Pressure Clothing from Paris and Athens, as well as with Gramps and rapper and producer Badchieff. I’m looking forward to every single one of them.

KangaRoos can look back on a company history spanning more than 40 years. What strategies will the brand be using to continue asserting itself on the market in the future?

We are a company where good, honest shoemakers are still at work, people who have gone through glorious times as well as

hard times. We are always conscious about going step by step and remaining on the same level as our customers and will try to deepen those bonds even further to be even closer to the market.

To what extent were the past two years a challenge for you?

How did you manage to get through it financially?

For us, the last two years have been some of the best in our company history. We can’t really complain. Challenging aspects included things like supply bottlenecks, transportation costs, the rising prices of raw materials, etc.

What role do digitalisation and online retail play for KangaRoos?

There’s simply no getting around them these days. We are seeing it ourselves with our e-shop: how new releases are received, but also normal sneakers – the bread and butter of our business. We’re currently working on the backend of our website, so we’ll soon have a fresh new look.

What can we expect from the upcoming drops?

In 2023, we’ll be entering the world of basketball. With Clyde ‘The Glide’ Drexler, we have a player from the past that had a firm place in the NBA and we want to honour that. We will be revealing other highlights from our treasure trove too, like the 'Aussie 2.0.’, a mix of the past paired with the DNA of the present.

We will also be trying to write history with two of our classics that we want to reissue with a modern twist. These two models have never been seen before and will hopefully earn a place in KangaRoos history. kangaroos.de

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Brands fashion factory / American Vintage

FASHION FACTORY BY MARK GRÜTTERS

It’s all in the mix More than 30 years of experience in the industry – that’s something not many companies can claim, but if they can, you know they’re doing something right. Fashion Factory is one of these rare manifestations that have earned themselves a special place in the fashion agency ranking, all thanks to their great mix of brands, philosophy based on quality and values and healthy work ethic. Mark Grütters, owner of Fashion Factory, which has been located in the light-filled premises of the Altes Stahlwerk in Düsseldorf since last year, is a fashion connoisseur through and through. He sees his agency as a great mix of tradition, history, craft and storytelling for the brands he and his team represent in his showrooms. When asked about the secret of his success, Mark Grütters answers: “In these turbulent times, we are really happy and grateful that our turnover and brands continue to grow. That’s all down to our successful and harmonious brand mix, our extremely professional and loyal clients and, last but not least, our service-oriented and forwardlooking team.”

The agency currently represents 14 brands on the German-speaking market. One of its newest additions is Swedish leisure and lifestyle brand OAS. The letters are the initials of the brand’s founder, Oliver Adam Sebastian,

who started out making summer styles for his friends in 2010. Today, he heads an internationally operating resort brand with a large range of swimwear, bathrobes, shirts, sweatpants, beach towels and more. Another exciting addition to Fashion Factory’s portfolio is a family-run business with real storytelling appeal: from Porto, Portuguese Flannel was founded in 1913 and specialises in premiumquality shirts, trousers and overshirts made by the brothers Antonio and Miguel Magelhaes, who are passionate about the traditions of their country’s craftsmanship. Fashion Factory also represents Astorflex from Tuscany, whose roots date back to the early 19th century. The company combines heritage with authentic products and its hallmark product are shoes made with a natural rubber sole and a visible exterior seam. And they are also big on sustainability: the lining and insoles are made of vegetable-tanned calfskin leather, which is soaked in a mixture of water with powdered oak bark and mimosa, without using dyes or colour finishes. /dt ffbymg.com astorflex.it oascompany.com portugueseflannel.com

Mark Grütters, owner of Fashion Factory

American Vintage

PERFECT PAIRING If it were up to American Vintage, it’s clear which denim trends would stick around forever: the jumpsuit, the ready-to-wear jeans and the five-pocket jacket. In their eyes, they represent values we can rely on – and more reliability is something we could all do with these days.

While comfort is a decisive factor in the coming season’s designs, jeans – which had to take a bit of a back seat during the work-fromhome days of lockdown – are finally celebrating their comeback as a fashion favourite now that we finally get to go out, meet people and attend events again. How is American Vintage reflecting this for the SS23 season?

“With sunny and trendy colours, resulting in a wardrobe that is suitable for meeting your friends at the beach, a café or for a night out – all while remaining comfortable. It’s a wardrobe that adapts to any time of the day,” explains the design team. And the perfect styling partner for their well-fitting jeans? The white T-shirt. Aficionados of the ultimate basic will know that a T-shirt is not just a T-shirt. But what makes the perfect white tee according to American Vintage? “It should be comfortable

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but also enhance your appearance and your personal style and be suitable for any occasion.

The white T-shirt is a piece that adapts to the morphology and style of each and every one of us, without imposing a look.” And the French label certainly knows what it’s talking about: after all, the T-shirt is what set the ball rolling for American Vintage’s success story. Since the brand was established in 2005, this cult classic has been reprised every year – whether with a round neckline or a V-neck for men. With figure-hugging or oversized loose cuts, there is a style for every body type. In short, “the brand has stayed true to its values,” as Michael Azoulay, founder of American Vintage, assured us at the beginning of the year. This firm focus – along with an appreciation of the past and the two key essentials that were key to their success – proves that a simple T-shirt and a perfectly fitting pair of jeans represent a solid foundation that has real staying power, even in the face of fleeting trends and global crises. /cm americanvintage-store.com

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Brains behind the Brands Uwe Maier, founder, Amtraq

The good old days With his distribution agency Amtraq, Uwe Maier has been flying the flag for durable and timeless brands for over 20 years now, which he then distributes from his warehouse in the heart of the banking capital Frankfurt am Main. His choice of labels is meticulously curated: even the products of all sub-suppliers undergo the most thorough of checks. In an interview with J’N’C News, Uwe Maier talks about the ‘good old days’ of trade fairs and retail, and what has changed for Amtraq since.

Interview: Cheryll Mühlen / Text: Renée Diehl

You and your team come from three generations of clothing manufacturers and designers and you have also been in the business for several decades yourself. But what is it that defines your job in 2022? What has changed the most?

More than anything, it’s the type and speed of communication that has changed. The sales seasons have become shorter: we used to have 10 to 12 weeks for meetings at trade fairs, in the showroom or with the client in their stores, but we now only have six weeks. My impression is that retailers also used to take more of an interest in technical details, how things were made, the materials etc. Nowadays it’s often more about the look. Sometimes things are chosen merely by looking at digital lookbooks, photos or videos.

Talking about the past usually elicits nostalgia for ‘the good old days’ – what do you miss about those times and what do you think is better today?

There used to be a lot more retailers and stores; you had more choices. There was more expertise, interest and also understanding for the manufacturer.

On your website you describe your DNA as follows: “We have our roots in the youth culture of the late 1970s, pop art, American film and music, sports and the outdoor lifestyle.

We have been collecting vintage clothing and luggage, art, music and objects for the past 30 years. We have always valued quality, authenticity and craftsmanship more than trends and fashion, and we are fascinated by the mix

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of old-school charm and new-school technology.” How true can you remain to these goals over time and which brands do you consider to be absolute musts in your brand portfolio?

Those are still the guidelines we live by. All the brands and the people behind them are important for us, but if we had to name five, it would be our denim brand Tellason from the US, the jackets by Manifattura Ceccarelli, accessories, bags, luggage and leather goods by Croots from England, knitwear by Andersen-Andersen from Copenhagen and 1St Pat-Rn from Italy.

Where do you find new exciting brands? What criteria do they need to fulfil?

We have our hands full with our current brands and not much capacity for new ones. But we do want to offer our customers something new from season to season and always have our ear to the ground. Sometimes new brands come directly to us, or we are recommended to them by retailers or agencies we work with. What’s important for us is to get to know the people behind the brand – the designers are just as important as the people who make the products. We look at every product and are also interested in the subsuppliers.

What about sustainability – what’s your approach to that? And where do you want to see more clarity?

Our manufacturers were producing sustainably before it became a buzzword. Durable, timeless products of a high quality are sustainable per se.

They only ever produce what is already preordered so they don’t have any deadstock filling

the warehouses. The focus is always on local production in the brands’ own facilities with locally sourced materials rather than outsourcing or relocating the production to low-wage countries. In my opinion, there is way too much greenwashing going on. With all the talk of recycling, people should remember that only 10 percent of the synthetic materials that have been produced since the 1950s have even been recycled. The vast majority of it ended up in landfill or swimming in our rivers, lakes and oceans.

The digital world is growing and growing.

How has Amtraq reacted to this online development? Is there any way around it?

For most of our manufacturers’ products, we favour the classic bricks-and-mortar set-up with trained and well-informed staff. More than half of our retailers meanwhile have an online presence in addition to their distribution and presentation options. At the same time, we also serve online-only retailers.

Amtraq offers quite an impressive service: from representation, distribution, consulting and design to imports, product management, general advice and – very important – reallife communication. What would you say the company stands for?

We see ourselves as service providers – as mediators between the fantastic people who develop and manufacture our products and the great people who then successfully sell them to the end consumer. amtraq.com

Uwe Maier

Partner-up for fashion sourcing 4 - 6 July 2022 Paris Le Bourget, France www.texworldevolution-paris.com

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Brains behind the Brands Norbert Klauser

An authority on the German fashion industry Whenever we look back at the history of our industry, there’s one name that keeps cropping up: Norbert Klauser. In an interview, he tells us why he is the ‘founding father’ of the German fashion industry, what he demands of the brands he represents with his eponymous agency and what he thinks has changed the most over the years.

Text: Cheryll Mühlen

Let’s turn back time: Norbert Klauser’s professional career began in the early 1980s with ‘godfather’ Franco Bruccoleri, owner of the company Fashion Stage. It was there he gained his first experience, became managing director, then partner, and laid the foundation stone for an exemplary career in the European fashion industry. Around 10 years later, after leaving Fashion Stage, he founded his first fashion agency under his own name and added noteworthy brands like Cucciani, Stone Island and C.P. Company to his portfolio, later followed by La Martina.

Today’s big agency players learnt from him and even the Premium Group probably wouldn’t be one of the leading trade fair organisers in Germany without Norbert Klauser. That makes him, if you will, a kind of “fashion father”, as Norbert Klauser describes himself. Some of his protégés have turned out well, others not so much. “But I’m still very proud. I never wanted to keep them small but tried to show them how to stand on their own two feet and be successful.”

Norbert Klauser continued his personal success story in the new millennium. In the early 2000s he built up Wallcity, a 3,500 m² showroom over five floors in Berlin with a premium selection of fashion labels, which also temporarily served as a space for Yohij Yamamoto, as well as being an event location with a restaurant.

The next step followed in 2007 when Norbert Klauser established his own trade fair: Stark celebrated its debut that summer, at the same time as Premium, in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district. By its second event, Stark was attracting over 150 exhibitors and even L’Uomo Vogue celebrated its 40-year anniversary there. Back then, the fair was seen as competition for Premium, but Norbert Klauser had a different intention: he just wanted to strengthen Berlin as a

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fashion location, that’s all. “I’ve always tried to do something good for the fashion sector,” he tells us. But his success surprisingly hit a wall. “I went to Berlin with money and had none left when I came home,” Klauser says. A “crash landing” followed. But when he tells us this, although there is a sense of melancholy and certainly also wisdom through hindsight in his voice, he certainly doesn’t seem to have any regrets. True to the motto: “I have the glory but not the money.” “You can’t keep him down” is what people said about him. And they were right. Norbert Klauser is still very much involved in the scene. Perhaps his secret to success is that the career he has had for the past four decades has never felt like work for him, but more of a hobby and a passion.

Norbert Klauser has the reputation of being something of a truffle pig.

He approaches things with a different level of commitment, a different feeling, he says. “Whatever I do, I do it with a lot of passion.”

And also with a lot of know-how: whether in the denim segment, ready-to-wear clothing, knitwear, fashion, design or sportswear.

These days, he is applying his knowledge to his Munich fashion agency, which sees itself as an “agency of Italian manufacturers”.

Pierre-Louis Mascia, Malo, Lapis, Bombers Original, Blooming, Duvetica, Filippo de Laurentis, Hydrogen, Maurizio Massimino, Lunaria Cashmere, Salvatore Piccolo and Pantofola D’Oro 1886

are just a handful of the brands that the agency successfully represents. When selecting brands for his portfolio, his approach is always: “I’m not a brand user, I’m a brand builder”. “That might sound overconfident,” he says, “but it’s the truth. No one else has managed to develop as many collections and launch them on the market as I have.” And he is still going. “If I take on a brand, then I want to build up their collections from zero.” He doesn’t consciously set out to search for new brands, but he still has the reputation of being a bit of a truffle pig: that’s how good he is at choosing the right ones. But, above all, he invests time, patience and trust in the products. Because sometimes, as he tells us, sales growth only happens after a few years. “You never know what to expect. Fashion isn’t predictable. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.” It’s an attitude that has paid off, even during the pandemic. “The current season is our best yet,” Norbert tells us.

When I ask him what he believes has changed the most in the textile industry, he answers off the bat: “It’s still the same.” But he does admit that the parameters have changed. Nevertheless, “the professionals are still here”, he emphasises. And he should know as he is one of them himself. Looking back at his creative process, it’s important to acknowledge that Norbert Klauser has done so much for the fashion industry as we know it today. When I ask him what a man who has experienced such highs and lows in his career thinks about the current position that the industry is in, Norbert Klauser has a clear and highly inspiring answer for me: “The fashion industry is a lot of fun. And I love it. It never gets boring – it’s just fantastic.” klauserpressoffice.com

B L U E ZO N E M U N I C H

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TEXTILE INNOVATIONS The Tailor Pattern Support

The Tailor Pattern Support

Ancient future Sustainable textile innovations, futuristic cuts and creative exchanges: with the ‘Indigo Eden Project’, Alessio Berto from The Tailor Pattern Support has developed a capsule collection in cooperation with a number of different manufacturers. And the results are anything but conventional.

Text: Renée Diehl

Alessio Berto has been collaborating with a variety of businesses and start-ups in the textile sector for many years now – since 2012, to be exact. The goal of these cooperations is always to pass on his experience in patternmaking, product development and research to support each company he works with. His newest ‘Indigo Eden Project’, however, can be seen more as a creative exchange with the participating brands and has resulted in a five-piece capsule collection that brings together the best qualities of all the partners – a kind of collaborative art project from the textile sector.

The inspiration for the ‘Indigo Eden Project’ lies in the past: long ago, civilisations thrived and survived on our planet for centuries without having such a negative impact on the environment, unlike our present-day culture. The ‘Indigo Eden Project’ is trying to replicate the sustainable lifestyle and respect for future generations of these ancient civilisations. In collaboration with fashion companies, fashion students from the Instituto Europeo di Design and industry insiders, a concept was developed for the capsule collection: inspired by the past, as sustainable as possible but also futuristic.

The following companies are on board: Fashion Art, Panama Trimmings, Jeanologia, Bottonificio Lenzi, Imbotex, Aquafil, PureDenim, Manifattura Italiana Cucirini, Studio 70, Yulex, Olmetex, Riri Group, Ribbontex and the IED, Instituto Europeo di Design. The fabrics and their manufacturing processes, which are used for individual collection items, are based on product innovations from the participating companies.

PureDenim, who dye their fabrics using an electrochemical process called Smart Indigo Dyeing, supplied the fully organic denim. This

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process reduces the environmental impact of the dyes traditionally used in denim production – through local production and the avoidance of environmentally harmful hydrosulphites, for example. The laser technology used to print the indigo fabric on the collection pieces ‘The Hopi Jacket’, ‘The Hopi Trousers’ and ‘The Hopi Blanket’ is by Jeanologia.

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE ‘INDIGO EDEN PROJECT’ LIES IN THE PAST: LONG AGO, CIVILISATIONS THRIVED AND SURVIVED ON OUR PLANET FOR CENTURIES WITHOUT HAVING SUCH A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. Another significant material in the collection is hemp, one of the most environmentally friendly fibres in the world, and was supplied by the upholstery fabric experts from Imbotex. Textile fibre R-Silk and the fabric-bonding, low-melt fibres used in ‘The Inuit Smock’, ‘The Inuit Trousers’ and ‘The T-Gloves’ come from Imbotex.

Fabric innovation Sud Est-Graphene, which is used in the ‘Antibacterial Cape’ and the ‘Antibacterial Trousers’, is even more futuristic.

And the Olmetex fabric is not only antibacterial, but also has waterproof, temperature-regulating and anti-static properties.

No less innovative is Yulex’s Vegetal Rubber, a type of neoprene fabric used for the capsule collection’s ‘The Vegetal Jacket’ and

‘The Vegetal Trousers’. The high-performance, plant-based elastomeric foam is biodegradable, unlike conventional neoprene fabrics, but without having to sacrifice any other qualities.

Last but not least, Econyl Nylon from the manufacturer of the same name joins the fabric innovations used for the garments. This was used for ‘The Renewed Under Combination’. It consists of 100 percent plastic waste so no new resources are required to make it.

Despite this, it offers the same product properties as conventional nylon and is ultra-comfortable to wear.

The collection’s accessories, which are used in almost all the capsule looks, include the ‘G-Loves’ gloves, which were jointly developed by Yulex, Olmetex, Imbotex, FashionArt and Jeanologia.

The ‘Vegetal Space Rubber Bonnet’ comes from Yulex, FashionArt and Jeanologia, the ‘Vegetal Lunar Boots’ from Yulex and Studio 70, and all the looks are rounded off by the ‘Vegetal Space Solar Shade’ made using various plant products such as cornstarch, potatoes and sugar beets.

The trimmings and accessories are from Ribbontex, Bottonificio Lenzi and Riri, with the yarns all supplied by Manifattura Italiana Cucirini.

Although the collection won’t be available to purchase in stores, it will be exhibited at various tradeshows and other events to inspire more companies to use sustainable product innovations and showcase progressive ways to use them. thetailorsupport.com

&

VKP netto 20,00 EUR Bestellungen unter service@textilmitteilungen.de oder Tel. +49-(0)211-8303-100 DENIM IN PROgREss Find out how often you should really wash your jeans and whether hemp is a viable alternative to cotton.

All things cotton

Time to dispel the myths and explain the ins and outs of everything from crop cultivation to the finished fibre.

LET’S TALK ABOUT…

By

N°1/2022 | 20 EUR | greenknowledge.org

Brands and textile certification schemes shed light on the costs and requirements of getting certified.

ThE costs of cErtification

Appears 22 20.06.20

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RETAIL Platte Berlin

PLATTE BERLIN

As Berlin as it gets Platte (the German word for prefabricated housing) is also the name of a new creative space in Berlin-Mitte that includes a concept store, photo studio and office space. And as the name suggests, the interdisciplinary space is located in an austere prefab building dating back to the GDR era.

Text: Wolfgang Altmann

Berlin is renowned for its unbridled creative energy with that typical ‘I can do whatever I want’ attitude. And finally there is a place where this creative freedom can be celebrated in all its facets.

Platte, as the prefabs were called after the fall of the Berlin Wall, opened over a year ago in the heart of East Berlin, not far from Alexanderplatz. The concept store is located on the ground floor of the GDR-era building. Despite its prime location, this utilitarian, heritage ensemble hasn’t yet undergone the usual gentrification process and there is still a good mix of artists, academics and working-class people living in it.

More than just a shop Those familiar with Berlin from the years after the ‘Wende’, the fall of the Wall, will know that the gallery-like location with its expansive storefront windows was often used for various temporary projects. The legendary Apartment Store set up shop here for a while, not to mention a range of initiatives and an architect’s firm.

The municipal housing company that owns the building has now leased the location to the council boroughs of Mitte and Pankow, who are funding the fashion project. Up to 25 Berlin-based designers sell their fashion at Platte. Some of the labels are only known to insiders like Schepperheyn from Neukölln, SF1OG and Bondy.

But they also stock all-time favourites like Starstyling and Claudia Skoda, Berlin’s undisputed queen of knit.

The fashion crowd hanging out regularly in front of the building suggests that Platte is more than a place for mere consumerism.

“We want to be a meeting place for the creative Berlin fashion scene,” explains Kathy de Siqueira, who previously worked as a designer for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton and Dior and organises workshops, panel discussions and presentations in the large store, which covers an impressive 180 m2.

Supporting her in her endeavours is her press spokesperson Arne Eberle, who knows the Berlin fashion scene like the back of his hand. The fashion shows that he and his agency have been organising for Berlin fashion schools and designers for years now take place at Platte.

Egalitarian, not elitist Platte is a kind of hub where all the many local fashion brands, design unis and fashion associations that exist in Berlin can come together. The Fashion Council Germany is, of course, also in the mix.

Platte is not so much a B2B platform, but more of a bridge to the

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owner of the LNFA store at Bikini Berlin, who is also an institution in his own right on the Berlin fashion scene.

Valuable synergies The association is financed with three different income streams: local government funding, company sponsoring and rental income. Photographers, for example, like to use the spacious photographic studio in the basement – William Fan recently shot his lookbook here. And the store is also rented out to companies. If required, it can be completely emptied, like in April for the Press Days when Eduard Dressler set up his showroom there – an important contact for Kathy de Siqueira.

“We are also planning an event series that brings together newcomers with industry partners,” she says. A further income source is the in-house event agency, whose services are also available to other fashion institutions. The Premium Group also cooperates with Platte.

For the tradeshow in July, they are planning a big opening parade that will lead from the Berlin Victory Column to the tradeshow grounds – with floats and loud music, a bit like the Love Parade.

Kathy de Siqueira, Arne Eberle, Gaëlle Martin and Sevil Uguz

end consumer. Professionals are welcome, but also anyone who is interested in fashion. “We’re a safe space that’s open to everyone, as long as they share our values,” says Kathy de Siqueira, the values in question being tolerance, diversity and inclusion, which the Platte community promotes wholeheartedly. The ballroom shows (with performers from the local ballroom community) during MBFW are legendary, where the LGBTQIA+ community is just as represented as people with disabilities.

FILLING A NICHE The need for this kind of place for fashion in Berlin has been clear to the district administrations of Mitte and Pankow for a long time now. After countless working groups and Zoom meetings with all the major Berlin fashion networks, the concept was finally hammered out. It resulted in an association that is still in the founding process. But one thing it already has plenty of is the full support of Berlin’s designers. 15 founding members are currently getting things off the ground under the chairmanship of Sevil Uguz, the

Diverse in every way The central element is the concept store, presented in rough-andready Berlin style – with black floors and walls. Oversized batik sweaters hang on galvanised metal clothing racks alongside fancy patchwork creations and Platte’s own logo tees. Any label can apply to sell here on a commission basis, the only condition being that they have to be based in Berlin or Brandenburg. There are no style restraints. “We want to reflect what’s going on in Berlin and offer the widest spectrum possible,” says press spokesperson Arne Eberle.

That starts with affordable basics and ends with unique one-offs at the corresponding prices. An important aspect is also sustainability.

As many designers are producing their items in small series in their own workshops, this is an easy criterion to fulfil. Many of them upcycle, like Melisa Minca, the label Therapy and firm favourite Tata Christiane. “The store is being very well received,” says Eberle happily, who is satisfied with the sales figures. The Berlin fashion crowd likes to shop here, as well as locals from the neighbourhood. Now that the clubs have reopened, an increasing number of tourists come here to get kitted out for their nights on the town. “But we also have older customers dropping by,” says Eberle. Clearly, the customer base is just as diverse and varied as the fashion on offer. platte.berlin

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Tradeshow Premium

BE OPEN-MINDED AND RESPECTFUL TO ONE ANOTHER! OBSERVE AND EXPERIENCE, INSTEAD OF JUDGING. anita tillmann

PREMIUM Group

Good vibes only At the beginning of July, the Premium Group is not only celebrating the in-person comeback of its events, but also planning a special kind of tradeshow experience with new formats and a new location.

Interview: Deniz Trosdorff

From 7 – 9 July 2022, the Premium Group is inviting the fashion crowd to the German capital and presenting a whole host of postpandemic changes, including the new location. And, for the first time, it will be holding all of the group’s event formats together in one venue. Other changes include the segmentation of the Premium exhibitors into the areas ‘High’, ‘Icon’ and ‘Volume’. As well as the Seek and Fashiontech formats, there is also a lot of anticipation surrounding the new live event and D2C format The Ground, which will put the spotlight on Gen Z. J’N’C asked Anita Tillmann and Jörg Arntz, Managing Partners of the Premium Group, about their expectations for the upcoming edition.

After two years, Premium’s shows can finally take place in person in Berlin again. How do you feel now that the time has almost come?

Jörg: We’re really excited! We have been working non-stop over the past two and a half years. It’s frustrating when you work towards a goal and then have to cancel an event Cr six to eight weeks before it is due to take ed it: place, but we’re really happy now and the J an Kapi taen whole team is motivated. As well as the huge anticipation, we also have a lot of respect for the restart and the new location.

Anita: Yes, I am definitely feeling the sense of anticipation too.

Prior to the pandemic, the very essence of trade fairs was under scrutiny, in terms of whether there is still a need for them and whether it could all be done digitally nor not. It’s astonishing to see how all of that is fading into the background with people now appreciating the fact that we enjoy working in an industry where in-person contact is key. Communication and interaction are so important and that’s exactly what’s been lacking lately.

What’s the mood like among the exhibitors? What kind of feedback are you getting?

Anita: They’re just as positive as we are. During the pandemic, a new brand ranking emerged – many brands have evolved well

under the pressure, which has led to changes in the brand landscape. It’s a change that we also want to reflect with our new brand segmentation, which is being very well received. And it’s great to see that we are adding new brands to our portfolio that weren’t exhibiting with us prior to the pandemic. As well as the segmentation, people are also happy with our decision to merge the events.

And a lot of people are also looking forward to our new format, where we will be introducing and explaining Gen Z to the industry. With Premium, Seek, Fashiontech, The Ground and various sustainability event formats, we have an exciting concentration of content that covers all bases – from edutainment and entertainment to B2B and D2C – all together in one place.

Anita: It’s more of a request that I have for all visitors: be openminded and respectful to one another! Observe and experience, instead of judging. Take notice of everything around you and be inspired. What we are showcasing is far greater than the sum of its parts. We are all dependent on one another in the business, which is why it’s all the more important to treat each other with respect.

Jörg: What I want is for people to inform themselves more and open themselves up to new things. We need to move away from the ‘let’s do everything the same’ mentality.

Try out new ways of doing things and new approaches, even if you still end up taking the more conventional path.

I’m sure that a lot of what you do wouldn’t be possible without your strong team. What are their strengths and what are you especially proud of?

Jörg: First of all, we are proud of our team, because we really are a team.

For us, teamwork means that we push What have you learnt and support each other. We really grew Cr ed it: during the preparations for together during the pandemic – and also J an Kapi the upcoming events? became a lot closer as a result. What makes taen Jörg: The pandemic was very much a it a lot easier is the fact that our team loves what learning process for us. We planned three events that they do. That’s why we are all over the moon that ended up being cancelled. Another challenge is that we are now the time has almost come and we can finally put on an amazing moving to a new location that previously had nothing to do with event together. fashion. A significant learning when it comes to sales is that we Anita: It’s an absolute privilege to be able to work and spend time talked a lot more to customers than we did before the pandemic. In with each other the way we do. The principle we follow as a team general, we try to appeal to everyone in the fashion ecosystem to is: encouraging each other’s strengths. That means that we nurture ensure that we are perceived as more than just an order platform. and encourage everyone’s unique and individual skills. Everyone in We have to think about the different aspects we need to address the team and every opinion is of equal importance. I am also very so that people feel like we are meeting their needs. We see it as proud of how diverse our team is and the fact that we live and our job to offer exciting content to different kinds of retailers. breathe diversity in all its facets. I would like to share this energy, curiosity and passion for our job and what we do with everyone who works with us.

What personal goals have you set yourselves for the three days of the shows and what message do you want to send out to the exhibitors and visitors? premium.fashion

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Photography: Lana Ohrimenko / Styling: Søren Kolborg

The last Word Brian SS Jensen, Co-Founder, Wood Wood

The last word … BELONGS TO BRIAN SS JENSEN, CO-FOUNDER OF WOOD WOOD Even after 20 years, it seems that Wood Wood has hardly aged. Sure, the Scandi brand has gained plenty of experience and coolness along the way, but at its core it is still a connecting link between high fashion, youth culture, art and streetwear. To mark this special anniversary, we spoke to co-founder Brian SS Jensen about the brand’s development.

Interview: Deniz Trosdorff

It all began in 2002, when Karl-Oskar Olsen and Brian SS Jensen decided to open a store in a small wine cellar in Copenhagen, selling products they loved. The culturally rooted label started out with a range of limited-edition screen-printed T-shirts, collectors’ items, art and books, before a collaboration with none other than Adidas changed their trajectory forever. Their first catwalk show took place at the Asbæk Gallery in Copenhagen in 2007, followed in the same season by other cooperations with Nike, Maharishi and New Balance. With catwalk shows in London, Berlin and Milan, Wood Wood soon demonstrated the strength of its cultural brand core: contemporary streetwear with artistic, cultural, musical influences and always with an interdisciplinary vision.

Another part of the brand’s DNA is the aforementioned collabs with a host of brands, artists, designers, photographers and visionaries.

This February, the iconic brand celebrated its 20th anniversary by returning to Copenhagen Fashion Week to showcase its autumn/winter 2022 collection. The venue was an all-black film studio with a circular layout, with the models walking in time to electronic beats by British duo Overmono. Another creative partnership within the presentation was clearly visible in the collection’s looks: Wood Wood was granted access to the extensive archive of Danish painter Tal R for inspiration. This resulted in selected paintings being reworked and applied to styles in the collection. Wood Wood’s autumn/winter 2022 show represents the label’s vibrant connection with the community, while sending a clear

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message about what lies ahead for the brand: more collaborations and even more bold ventures.

I honestly didn’t think he would be up for something like this. Luckily, it turned out that he was, and he was very generous in his approach as well. We got access to large sections of his work, so the challenge was also to limit ourselves and define an area to work within. You might think someone like Tal R would be more protective of his art, but I think he found it interesting to see where we could take it – if he let go a little.

Happy birthday to you! Wood Wood is turning 20 this year. When you look back, which milestones in your brand history left the biggest mark on you?

Thank you very much. I try not to look back to the past too much, but thinking back, opening the stores in Copenhagen, London and Berlin was definitely a highlight. All the travel, of course, meeting and working with so many great people. Lots of amazing experiences.

You’ve been presenting your creations at London Fashion Week for years now, but for the presentation of your AW 2022 collection, you returned to Copenhagen Fashion Week with the brand. What does Copenhagen have that London doesn’t?

Oh, I think London will always have a special energy. And both are great cities. But we have been doing shows in other places as well: Milan, NYC, Berlin – and sometimes it just feels nice to come home, you know? Copenhagen is full of our friends and family and the vibe is just different here than anywhere else.

In the course of its history, Wood Wood has cooperated with many brands. What do the collabs mean to you and what experiences could you take away from them?

We have worked on a lot of very different projects throughout the years. The collaborations often work as a space where we can play around a little and explore ideas that might not fit or be possible elsewhere. The most inspiring projects were those where we were introduced to new worlds and learnt new things – be it technical apparel, art, bicycles, furniture or something else. Last week I visited a stone quarry to do research for a new project and now I want to work with rocks!

Brian SS Jensen, co-founder of Wood Wood

For your 20th anniversary celebrations, you designed a capsule collection with Danish artist Tal R, which you presented at the most recent Copenhagen Fashion Week in Feb-

ruary. How did this collab come about and what made it special?

Tal is a friend of my partner Karl, so it happened very organically. I’m a big fan of his work, but

Wood Wood is much more than a brand. It’s about a style and attitude. With this attitude, what course will you take with your brand in the future? What can we expect from you?

I feel like we are in a perfect place right now.

There are lots of new faces and energy within the company and I think we are in the process of taking things to a new level. But let’s see. Hopefully, we’ll be able to surprise you all. woodwood.com

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