J'N'C Magazine 1/2019

JEANSWEAR & CONTEMPORARY FASHION

N° 75 / 1–2019

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EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

N° 75

Vanessa Pecherski If someone had have told me a few years ago that I would be the editor-in-chief of a magazine one day, I probably would have laughed at them in disbelief. But now it’s a reality and here I am, writing this editorial for you. What it has taught me? That often things turn out very differently to how we expect – in a positive sense.

Welcome to the 75th issue of J’N’C Magazine, for which I am proudly taking over the editorial reins. To commemorate this milestone, it seemed fitting to take stock: of the retail trade, the market, the opinions and moods and the hopes and concerns of everyone involved in it. And to find out together whether things might turn out differently to how we expected.

By ‘together’ I mean with interesting interview partners, inspiring personalities and you, our dear readers. Together with old and new friends and even with our ‘competitors’ who, after all, are in the same boat as us. The time has come to take a look at what the fashion industry as a whole can do better.

Are we motivated by doing the right thing? Or are we motivated by our habits? The time has definitely come for a rethink, as everything needs to be adapted to the here and now over time.

We all know that change isn’t easy, especially when it comes to ourselves. But sometimes we don’t have a choice. If you don’t move with the times, the times will pass you by. So what is the status quo of fashion retail? Which direction should it be heading and why? These are all questions we have clear answers to. We are touching on some of them in our feature article ‘Final Frontier’ on page 36, reinforced by the statements provided by Germany’s key players and decision-makers. Others are showing us what possibilities there are and how to make the most of our strengths – also going beyond familiar terrain, as Zalando’s Dr Carsten Keller explains in an interview on page 74. After all, even the longest journey begins with a single step …

So on that note I would like to thank my predecessor and valued colleague Thorsten Osterberger for the fantastic cooperation, the confidence he had in me and the many laughs we shared between coming up with topics and racing towards deadlines.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue!

Cheryll Mühlen & team

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JOURNALIST Vanessa Pecherski approaches her work with a true passion for fashion and an insatiable sense of curiosity. Words are her biggest strengt. Why? Because, whether in written or spoken form, she is known to use them passionately and with abundance. For this issue of J’N’C, Vanessa is shedding light on two topics currently keeping the industry on its toes.

Mai ZukermanRosenthal MODEL Mai Zukerman-Rosenthal has been modelling since she was 11 years old. Meanwhile 21, the Israeli can often be found behind the camera lens for her photography degree. But for us she posed in front of it: in our ‘Most Wanted’ shoot she is showcasing the hottest new outerwear trends for men and women.

Valentin Mühl PHOTOGRAPHER Valentin Mühl claims that his four-yearold dog Baya is the only reason that clients want to work with him. But we know for a fact that it’s also his eye for the right aesthetic that contributes to the photographer’s success, which he is proving in this issue’s ‘Most Wanted’ section.

CONTENTS 42

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COVER EVOLUTION

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BITS & PIECES

22 BRANDS Closed, KOI, KCA, Skunkfunk 30 MOST WANTED

Calvin Klein Jeans, G-Lab, Pyrenex, Manufattura Cuccarelli, Blauer USA

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36

THE FINAL FRONTIER

40

STATEMENTS

42

COVER SHOOT

54

NAVEENA FACTORY

INNUENDO

60 INTERVIEWS ISKO, Nili Lotan 64 DENIM NEWCOMERS The Feel Studio Inc., Ullac, Unspun, RZR 68 INTERVIEW Denim.lab

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COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: LINA ZANGERS

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TRENDS DIGITAL REVOLUTION

74 Zalando, Asos, #FashionTech, Panorama Berlin

IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO

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GENERATION Z

86

FASHION SHOOT

98

OPINION PIECE Cheryll Mühlen

COUNTRYSIDE INNOCENCE

PUBLISHER EPP Professional Publishing Group GmbH

PUBLISHING MANAGEMENT Nikola Köster, Kathrin Wimber

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N° 75

info@jnc-net.de www.jnc-net.de

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cheryll Mühlen c.muehlen@jnc-net.de ART DIRECTION vista www.studiovista.de

EDITORS Renée Diehl, Vanessa Pecherski, Rachel Siekmeyer, Aylin Yavuz

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Pierre D’Aveta Tel. +49 (0)211 830 31 51 p.daveta@jnc-net.de

COPY EDITORS Paula Hedley

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COVER EVOLUTION

Styleguide Marrakesch interview jason DenhaM 1 / 2013

1 / 2013 Styleguide Marrakesch interview jason DenhaM

FAShion buSineSS, brAndS And urbAn culture

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COVER EVOLUTION

For this 75th issue of J’N’C Magazine we’re doing a #throwback to previous covers and are happy to see that, although we’ve changed, we have always stayed true to ourselves.

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Styleguide Madrid interview diane Pernet

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Styleguide Madrid interview diane Pernet

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FaShion BuSineSS, BrandS and urBan culture

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ENGLISH

No 57 / 3-2014

No 57 / 3-2014

COOL CITIES / LOS ANGELES

COOL CITIES LOS ANGELES STREET STYLES RETAIL TALKS AND SERVICE

Styleguide Antwrep interview Bruno pieters

JEANSWEAR AND CONTEMPORARY FASHION

COVER EVOLUTION

Styleguide Antwerp interview Bruno pieters 3/ 2013

FaShion BuSineSS, BrandS and urBan culture

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INTERVIEWS: BARNEY WATERS, MIKE HODIS,

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JESSE KAMM, MARCO GÖTZ, GIDEON DAY, ADRIANO GOLDSCHMIED, SEDEF UNCU AKI, HAMIT YENICI

JEANSWEAR AND CONTEMPORARY FASHION

No 64 / 2-2016

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N 64 / 2-2016

COOL CITIES / FRANKFURT

INTERVIEWS WITH:

COOL CITIES FRANKFURT STREET STYLES RETAIL TALKS AND SERVICE

ESTHER SCHULZE-TSATSAS & DIMITRIOS TSATSAS, FLORIAN SPENGLER, GUIDO JOHNEN, JÖRG WICHMANN, HAMIT YENICI, ISMAIL KOLUNSAG, TEOMAN ADEMOGULLARI, EBRU DEBBAĞ, ORHAN BAYKAN, FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD

No 74 / 4-2018

JEANSWEAR & CONTEMPORARY FASHION

ENGLISH

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THE FABRIC OF LIFE INNOVATIVE, SMART AND SUSTAINABLE – THE TEXTILE REVOLUTION IS ON!

ENGLISH

N° 75

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BITS & PIECES

STYLE CHAMELEON LIEBESKIND BERLIN Liebeskind Berlin is bringing together what belongs together and creating a whole new bag culture in the process. At the focus of the Berlin label’s autumn/winter 2019 collection are the connections between ideas, objects and also people. With just one click, the new models can be transformed into a whole different bag thanks to the connecting details like carabiners, hooks and other chain elements.

The classic clutch, for example, can easily be turned into a cool belt bag, and the practical coin purses and necklace bags become stylish cross-body bags and shoulder bags. As usual, the autumn/winter 2019 collection is finished to a very high standard and boasts a linear, geometric design. Our summary: a versatile collection that is exciting right down to the very last detail.

LIEBESKIND-BERLIN.COM

NO CHAIN, NO GAME PHONIE Coffee in one hand, keys in the other and your phone is somewhere at the bottom of your handbag — and then it rings! By the time you’ve put everything down and picked up your mobile, the caller has already hung up. But don’t despair, this mobile phone case by Berlin brand Phonie can help: its necklace chain means you can hang your trusty smartphone round your neck so it’s always to hand. Ten different models are available in gold and silver, making the phone case a cool fashion accessory. It is attached by sturdy carabiner hooks, so you can take the Phonie chain off any time and also clip it onto your bag.

PHONIE.SHOP

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THE WILD 80S LIU JO WHITE LABEL With its autumn/winter 2019 collection, Italian brand Liu Jo White Label is breathing new life into ‘la dolce vita’ and presenting styles for those who love being the centre of attention. Based on the wild fashions of the 80s, you’ll find vivid colours and wild animal prints, cool oversized looks and eye-catching accessories. Mini dresses paired with rock-chick leather jackets and glam faux fur coats are the perfect uniform for today’s ‘empowered women’.

The 80s vibe of feminine sexiness is being given a modern interpretation by Liu Jo White Label, complemented by individual 70s-style pieces. Ponchos, flares and linear coats in harmonious earthy tones provide a gentle contrast, resulting in a collection that is both strong and feminine.

LIUJO.COM

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BITS & PIECES

BAUHAUS IN THE HERE AND NOW NEUBAU To commemorate the 100-year anniversary of Bauhaus, Neubau Eyewear is presenting the special ‘Walter & Wassily’ edition – an homage to Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius and painter Wassily Kandinsky. This new model references the revolutionary building style’s modern choice of materials. Its titanium frame, for example, is a nod to curved tubular metal frames, while mirrored lenses with a colour gradient are reminiscent of the famous Bauhaus building complex by Walter Gropius in Dessau. Typical colours and contrasts like brass and black shiny silver can be found in the three colourways.

NEUBAU-EYEWEAR.COM

OTHERWORLDLY

ALBERTO The pieces from Alberto’s autumn/ winter 2019 collection breathe individuality through every fibre. And it’s the details that form the common thread that runs through the various dressy styles, cotton pants, jeans and corduroys: brightly coloured buttonholes, lavish lining, elaborate prints, two-tone quilting, contrasting tab fastenings and waistbands. Not to mention innovative washes, subtle autumnal colourways and sophisticated structures. The silhouettes have also been refreshed: classic stylistic features such as pleats are giving the trousers a major fashion upgrade.

BURLINGTON Eye-catching styles, outlandish prints, mystical symbols and a colour palette that covers everything from intense and bright to deep and dark: Burlington’s autumn/winter 2019 collection is clearly inspired by all things supernatural. Symbols of the solar system in bright neon colours and stars with a glow-in-the-dark effect are shown in their best light on the ladies’ dark cropped styles. You’ll also find animal and floral prints, as well as lace and frills, which can be combined in a number of different ways. Highlights for the men include the ‘I’m Radio Active’ slogan socks, skater styles with alien and UFO visuals and the X-ray all-over print. Spacey!

ALBERTO-PANTS.COM

BURLINGTON.DE

AN EYE FOR DETAIL

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BITS & PIECES

NORTHERN SOUL MARC O’POLO For its AW19 menswear collection, Marc O’Polo is drawing inspiration from classic winter looks: just think Scandinavian combined with a relaxed, natural vibe. To express this, the brand has come up with four different themes. ‘Co.Work’ offers first and foremost athleisure-inspired looks that will also look the part in the office, while ‘Prep.Book’ includes plenty of authentic tartan for a college-inspired casual look.

In the ‘Up.North’ category you can mainly expect outerwear, knits and cord.

And last but not least, tradition meets athleisure in ‘Destination’ with knits, logo prints, fleece shirts and voluminous outerwear playing a key role.

MARC-O-POLO.COM

PARIS AND TOKYO DAWN DENIM When two incredibly inspiring cities collide, something exciting is bound to happen. Allow us to introduce Dawn Denim and its autumn/winter 2019 collection offering French luxury paired with Japanese functionality and all the cool minimalism associated with it. The collection is presenting denim fabrics with technical qualities and a luxurious feel, combined with a minimalist design and sporty details. The ultimate plus for Dawn: the Cologne-based label is committed to using transparent and fair production methods and joined the Fair Wear Foundation and PETA in 2018. They are also increasing their range of #lowimpact denim items made of organic cotton and expanding their trouser offer with models made of recycled polyester. Keep up the good work!

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK PANTONE Difficult to find and hidden away in the deep, deep sea. Once you have set eyes on it, it beguiles the eye and the spirit: ‘Living Coral’, an orange with golden undertones that was designated 2019 Colour of the Year by Pantone. Just like the coral reefs, which serve as a haven and food source for marine life, this powerful yet discreet colour provides its inhabitants with warmth to move comfortably and elegantly through a constantly changing environment. Whether in fashion, accessories, cosmetics or product design, ‘Living Coral’ provides a sense of well­ being, a positive aura and gentle energy to every creative element.

PANTONE.COM

DAWNDENIM.COM

N° 75

BAUHAUS MEETS PHOTOGRAPHY NRW-FORUM Bauhaus again. This time as photography, which is an art form, a medium that represents the modern age and a form of documentation in one.

The Staatliche Bauhaus school of design, architecture and applied arts played not only a key role in design and art history, but also in 20th century photography.

Until 10 March 2019, the exhibition ‘Bauhaus und die Fotografie. Zum neuen Sehen der Gegenwartskunst’ at Düsseldorf’s NRW Forum will be bringing together works that represent Bauhaus practitioners such as László Moholy-Nagy and Lucia Moholy with work by modern-day artists such as Viviane Sassen and Wolfgang Tillmans. Contemporary photography, sculptures and video installations in dialogue with the objective photography of the Bauhaus decade. Not to be missed!

NRW-FORUM.DE

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BRANDS N° 75

DENIM NOMADS CLOSED For the autumn/winter 2019 season, denim label Closed from Hamburg is blending two different types of woman: ‘The Artist’ and ‘The Activist’. For their new women’s collection, the two are merging together into the nomad whose myriad cultural identities are so multifaceted that she finds it hard to limit herself to one style. Layering and laid-back silhouettes are key here.

‘The Artist’ prefers classic checks, tailoring and cargo pants mixed with lightweight kaftan dresses, while ‘The Activist’ is partial to trench coats, workwear, knitwear and utility jackets. Dominating the colour palette are natural earthy and green tones and fresh colours like yellow, pink, skyblue and red. As far as the jeans are concerned, the spotlight is on 80s and 90s-style cuts, in which the waistbands are half-detached, double-layered or frayed. Denim jackets in oversized or grunge looks are part of the collection and round off the strong woman image. /rd CLOSED.COM

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DURABILITY AND DESIGN KINGS OF INDIGO Ever since it was established around eight years ago, denim brand Kings of Indigo has stood out from the crowd with its high sustainability standards. And the Dutch brand is continuing in the same vein for the autumn/winter 2019 season: new materials like Tencel Lyocell and recycled PET bottles are replacing natural raw materials and thereby reducing our dependency on natural resources — always in an eco-friendly way. As of the autumn/winter 2019 collection, the patches on the jeans will be made of vegan leather. As well as the denim and tops from the ‘Royal Core’ collection, other key looks include timeless check patterns and cord. The classic autumnal colour palette is being broken up by vibrant, bold colours.

Long live the King! /rd KINGSOFINDIGO.COM

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Denim for every season

11 – 14 February 2019 Paris Le Bourget France www.texworld-paris.com

BRANDS N° 75

SUPER CLEAN & SUPER HONEST KNOWLEDGECOTTON APPAREL “Probably the most honest denim line ever created” is how the sustainable label from Denmark announced their latest coup for autumn/winter 2019: the first KnowledgeCotton Apparel denim line, consisting of two fits in three different washes, a shirt and a denim jacket in two washes. And the special thing about it? For a long time, the label believed that it would be impossible to create a jeans collection that meets their high sustainability standards. Until now. 98% of the fabric is made of GOTS-certified organic cotton and 2% Lycra.

The dye technology is also GOTS-certified and uses 70% fewer chemicals. And their production facilities are partly operated by solar and wind energy. While the washed denim styles are made using just half a litre of water per pair of jeans, the Raw Denim jeans can be made using an incredible zero litres of water — thanks to their vacuum-compressed washing technology.

“The pride and excitement I feel in bringing you this sustainable denim line cannot be described in words,” says Mads Mørup, founder & CEO of KnowledgeCotton Apparel, with great pride.

And rightly so. /cm KNOWLEDGECOTTONAPPAREL.COM

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BRANDS N° 75

ART & CULTURE SKUNKFUNK At SKFK, everything revolves around colours, shapes and an affinity to nature. So for its autumn/winter 2019 collection, the sustainable womenswear brand has been inspired by the rocky Basque massif Aiako Harria and its history. The result is between-season and winter pieces with an urban look: sweaters in the most diverse fits, colourways and prints, skirts and dresses ranging from mini to maxi, and palazzo and tailored trousers and culottes. Earthy tones meet vibrant colours like cyan, mustard-yellow, burgundy or deep turquoise. As far as the whole sustainability aspect is concerned, the brand is continuing to use Lyocell and organic cotton.

This season they are being joined by Ecovero Viscose, which is derived from wood pulp and reduces both carbon emissions and water consumption during production by up to 50% compared to regular fibres. Just one of many reasons to check out this collection. /rd SKUNKFUNK.COM

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01/15-17/2019 Kraftwerk Berlin

PHOTOGRAPHY VALENTIN MÜHL PRODUCTION CHERYLL MÜHLEN

MOST WANTED N° 75

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MANIFATTURA CECCARELLI

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PRYENEX

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BLAUER USA

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COVER FEATURE

THE FINAL FRONTIER Things we experienced in the past, and are still experiencing today, may no longer exist in the future. But that’s okay, because when one door closes another opens. It’s time we finally opened this new door and had a look what’s on the other side. A snapshot in time of the retail trade.

TEXT CHERYLL MÜHLEN PHOTOS IMAXTREE

I

In the 1960s when cult series ‘Star Trek’ first graced our cathode-driven screens and Captain Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Chekov and ‘Bones’ McCoy boldly ventured to “where no man has gone before”, something special was in the air and paved the way for success that would go on to last for decades.

It may have been enterprising adventure, risk, boundless imagination, the breaking of supposed (social) boundaries, futuristic technology that was too good to be true back then, or simply all of it in its entirety that would go on to dominate the fascination and the influence of this franchise. But what the heck do Kirk & Co. have to do with fashion? Well, we, and by that we mean the retail trade and the fashion industry, should take a leaf out of the Starship Enterprise’s logbook – or at least wake up and allow ourselves to be inspired by the imagination and optimism of people like Gene Roddenberry, the series’ creator.

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A TECTONIC SHIFT

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Speaking of waking up, it seems like many retailers are in a trance-like state and continuing to slumber through undreamtof possibilities, which, inhibited by rigid structures, they are not recognising as such, but seeing as a hurdle – and this is a collective problem. Aptly enough, in its 2019 ‘The State of

Fashion’ Report, the industry magazine ‘Business of Fashion’, together with McKinsey&Company, has now announced the coming year as “a year of awakening”. The results predict that the economy will slow down instead of undergoing rapid growth and, by the year 2020, it will even be behind the year 2018 in terms of figures. That’s a statement that is far from reassuring, given the many seasons we have experienced in the past with weak sales and other unpleasant and unpredictable scenarios. This year, from a global perspective, there will be a large tectonic plate shift for even more change and adapting because China is set to overtake the USA as the largest fashion market in the world. But what does that mean?

For many luxury segments, this development should bring about lots of benefits, but for the mainstream market, the competition will take on different dimensions. Why? Because the driving force behind this tectonic plate shift is the unpredictable consumers themselves. They have a different purchasing behaviour than in the past, they are more informed, more demanding and are a lot quicker, and even more ruthless to judge these days, too. Their former trust in brands and therefore in their products continues to be regarded as a valuable currency in this discussion, but also needs to be recalculated using a different exchange rate.

Keyword: ‘transparency’. But more on that in a moment.

The fact is that consumers can simply allow themselves to make radical decisions in their favour, as supply has long since surpassed demand – unless we find ourselves trawling the shopping streets, searching in vain among the first autumn/winter goods for that elusive last pair of shorts.

But even then, the consumer has the upper hand and, in the seemingly endless offer of the world wide web, can easily find sufficient alternatives, which, in an ideal case, can be delivered

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COVER FEATURE

COVER FEATURE

to their door free of charge by express delivery. And the general concept of classic seasons is meanwhile outdated anyway. This antiquated cycle can be broken down and applied to the entire fashion industry. So resting on the laurels of your current concept could ultimately turn out to be fatal.

SPRING AWAKENING AT THE TRADESHOWS For a very recent example of necessary change we just have to look to Berlin’s tradeshows, not to mention the countless side events that are taking place during Berlin Fashion Week.

And denial helps no one – least of all yourself.

Jörg Wichmann and his Panorama Berlin team recognised this early on and made some important decisions.

After the summer edition last year, the organisers have been working on a complete restructuring of their event. The result is a reinterpreted, more selective Panorama Berlin, which means: a new hall layout, a new brand mix, a new concept, new standards and therefore also new hope for a tradeshow season that flourishes once again. So the ‘point of experience’ concept is certainly something that the B2B fairs have now finally cottoned on to.

And since Zalando’s interpretation of a Bread & Butter for basically everyone, it became clear that the term ‘event’ can also represent something tangible. Customers want to experience something, they want to get something out of it and, above all, they want to be able to identify with a community. Perhaps the retail trade has forgotten that it is, or can be, precisely this community. As a consequence, CEO of the Premium Group Anita Tillmann introduced a new concept for the autumn/winter 2019 season, knowing that the success of a tradeshow isn’t just down to the organiser. “We have come to the conclusion that the responsibility to create a good trade fair doesn’t lie with us alone,” she says. “The brands also have a responsibility to initiate dialogue at the event, which is why we advise our exhibitors to concentrate on key looks and the factors that make their brand unique. The question is: why should a buyer place an order with them and spend their budget on the product?”

But as well as the tradeshows, the big brands have also understood that their business models need to be scrutinised and redeveloped. After all, they have had to sit and watch loyal customers moving to smaller brands out of boredom and oversaturation, which then in turn grew rapidly. These days, it’s flexibility, speed and the capacity to adapt that are required if you want to get the new generation on board.

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SOCIAL SHOPPING FOR DIGITAL NATIVES

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And you can mostly reach them on a mobile level. They are shopping from online stores on their laptops or in between on one of the many apps on their smartphone, where all it takes is one click on the confirm button to have the contents of their shopping cart promptly and conveniently delivered to their doorstep – and sometimes you can even pay by invoice, taking two weeks to settle. Unless you’re exchanging something; in which case the invoice will be paused and reissued with the

Generation Z and the millennials are gaining ground.

new amount and the new payment deadline of another two weeks. Customer service that is not to be sniffed at, suggesting a noncommittal element of choice that, at the end of the day isn’t really that noncommittal after all. After all, once the goods have been delivered to your house where you can try them on and style them with the rest of your wardrobe, you’re a lot less likely to return them. And that is making the cash registers ring. These days, according to the ‘Style that’s sustainable: A new fast fashion formula’ study by McKinsey, 60% more clothing is being bought than was the case 15 years ago. But it’s only being worn for half as long.

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A new and very lucrative addition to the shopping business is the ‘über’ social media platform, Instagram. It’s much more convenient to shop there than anywhere else. Inspiration, offers and service in one – all while thoughtlessly scrolling through the latest posts. Social media as a retail platform favours mainly small brands who, with a small budget, can come into direct contact with customers – ideally at eye level.

With the right influencers, brands with a budget can reach new heights of awareness and turnover. According to the

TRANSPARENCY OVER EVERYTHING But more consuming means a higher demand, which in turn needs to be satisfied with increasingly faster, shorter-term collections that will end up in landfill after their short life­ cycle, or, like at Burberry, will be burnt in an incinerator. Is a more regular and faster delivery of goods therefore a suitable solution for the long term? No, says, Thimo Schwenzfeier, Neonyt Show Director, Messe Frankfurt, and he’s not the only one who thinks so. “The fast pace of the collections and the associated production volume of textiles worldwide have reached their peak. Hardly any garment is sold at its full price these days. An unbelievable amount of clothing ends up being thrown away. At the same time, digitalisation is changing the business models in fashion. For a futureoriented fashion industry, we are convinced that sustainability and innovation need to be at the forefront of the way we do things.” As a result of their knowledge, consumers also have more power when it comes to major issues like sustainability and transparency and are increasingly demanding it too.

“Where do my clothes come from?” is a question that is often asked. Mostly by millennials who make up 52% of the customers who check the background of the products before they make a purchase. They don’t allow themselves to become distracted by old-fashioned systems or global business structures and are enforcing their demands, making them

PHOTO PANORAMA BERLIN

It’s all change at Panorama Berlin.

COVER FEATURE

the ray of hope for a new fashion industry. Fashion companies can no longer ignore this appeal and should realise soon that competitive advantage is something to be made transparent for the world to see. Due to a clientele that is more informed than ever before, the question “What do companies have to hide?” is already becoming louder.

CONSUMERISM TODAY: TEMPORARY OWNERSHIP But there will also be more and more major changes to the concept of ownership. We have been observing a similar development with Netflix, Spotify or Car2Go for quite some time now. Buying DVDs and putting them on a shelf? What’s the point in that when you can subscribe to a streaming service that offers you countless options on a daily basis!

CDs? They have become superfluous thanks to Spotify!

And in big cities, owning your own car has become unnecessary as the trend is moving towards carsharing. So why carry on hoarding masses of clothes if I can rent them out as and when I need them? Kleiderei in Cologne, myonbelle.com and Mud Jeans are showing us how it’s done.

Patagonia, on the other hand, is offering up a highly promising business model for a more sustainable product cycle and is regarded as pioneering with its in-house repair and reselling model: they buy back their own products and sell them as used items at a reduced price. At Allude they have also long since realised that fashion should come down to a whole lot more than just instant gratification and fulfilling a need. “It’s just as important that our customers can enjoy their favourite pieces for a long time to come,” says Allude designer Andrea Kargdie, who has established the so-called ‘Cashmere Clinic’ in Munich, where cashmere garments are carefully repaired and cleaned, stain removal included.

That might not be a world first for many, but it does illustrate the need for such a service and also acts as a clear warning message that is being confirmed by online platforms like Vestiaire Collective and Rebelle with their pre-owned fashion.

So it’s hardly surprising that with its off-season concept Afound, H&M also recently started offering a well-curated range of reduced-price designer clothing. Many other examples that are paying tribute to the anti-throwaway mentality are on the rise. Renting, re-selling or having something repaired are therefore trailblazing concepts that will become increasingly popular this year and offer companies a lucrative opportunity to position themselves so they are fit for the future.

So as we can see, the industry is facing stormy times: it needs to decide now, not tomorrow, where it is headed and how quickly. New values that still have to be established, an industry in a state of flux and politically turbulent times, including the unclear Brexit situation, are all contributing to the fact that since 2016 ‘uncertain’ has been the most-used word to describe the fashion industry for three years in a row.

So, let’s enter into a dialogue and start a new chapter with openness and optimism. Or, to refer back to the Starship Enterprise and Captain Kirk: let’s venture into the unknown that this industry holds for us with a bit more confidence.

After all, we haven’t reached the limit of our possibilities by a long chalk. So on that note: Warp speed ahead!

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‘Millennial Shopper Survey: How Social Media Influencers Impact Purchasing Decisions’ by Dealspotr from 2017, it’s more likely that consumers are getting their inspiration from external sources, rather than from a brand or a retailer directly. Around 41% of the people surveyed even admitted that influencers and bloggers have an influence on what they buy. Responsiveness, target group accuracy and the latest marketing expertise are becoming decisive factors for success.

And even if the Amazons, Zalandos and Alibabas of this world are currently not among the top 20 global big players like Nike, Inditex and the LVMH Group, their digital models are definitely part of the long-term future for the ‘on demand’ retail trade.

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STATEMENTS

MODERN STANDARDS What do the retail trade and the fashion industry really need? We asked five influential names from the German fashion industry this very question. Read honest opinions from the points of view of those in the know, from an event organiser and a PR expert to a brand owner …

“The fashion industry has been undergoing a fundamental transformation for quite some time now. It is facing changes related to demographic change, the use of resources, technology and the availability of products and information.

And money also comes into it, of course. After years of carefree growth, it’s now crunch time. So the question for us is how is the industry dealing with it? Whether we will continue to digitise and want to digitise everything, or whether, in the majority of cases, we would much rather deal with real-life people after all. Whether we continue to flood the market with products at an absurd speed and at a volume that neither retailers nor the consumer can cope with. Aside from the fact that this kind of development is hardly respectful toward the environment. And whether we will continue to inflate the property market and leave our city centres as empty shells or interchangeable synthetic consumer worlds, or whether we transform our cities – as the core of emotions – back into places of experience and identification for their inhabitants (and tourists). Thinking of the generations who come after us, I hope that we will be able to meet these huge challenges with respectful foresight and passionate creativity.”

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MARCO LANOWY — CEO of Alberto

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“What do retail and the fashion industry really need? First of all, a platform and a place to exchange good ideas — both physically and digitally! And we should stop fearing the future and also have the guts to be more authentic.

We should try to get to the bottom of what our customers really want, making it less about the products and more about the experience on the shop floor. And we should always be motivated to do the right thing because business success is then sure to follow! You’ll be able to see a lot of this in January when retailers and the industry come together at Panorama Berlin!”

JÖRG WICHMANN — CEO of Panorama Berlin

STATEMENTS

“The many changes and challenges in retail and the fashion industry are, of course, also having an influence on communications. And the corresponding expectations of PR have changed completely. Just a few years ago the results were still being measured in reach and media equivalence values.

But these days, retailers and brands want to know how individual measures are reflected in sales figures or how they are increasing the number of followers. But as the growing demands on PR rarely go hand in hand with budget increases, it’s important to define a clear goal: what do I want to achieve in which timeframe? A higher level of brand awareness? More traffic in classic retail? More followers on Instagram? Quality stories and interviews? That is the only way that KPIs can be defined and achieved. The watering-can approach won’t get you anywhere.”

KERSTIN GEFFERT — Co-owner of Silk Relations

“Due to the increasing demand from consumers for sustainable fashion, the pressure being put on the industry and retail trade is leading to new material innovations and more innovative designs.

Brands are finally sitting up and listening to their customers. And as customer wishes are being fulfilled and brands are shouldering more responsibility, we are seeing an organically growing sustainable fashion market. This is something we are seeing clearly at our Innatex and Xoom trade fairs, as well as at the regional Innatex showrooms in Bern and Salzburg, more and more with every passing season. But more courage and pioneering spirit are needed from the fashion brands if they are to recognise the inherent potential in the green fashion market.”

ALEXANDER HITZEL — Project Manager at Innatex

JENS FREY — Managing Director of Muveo

“The fast pace of the collections and the associated production volume of textiles worldwide have reached their peak. Hardly any garment is sold at its full price these days. An unbelievable amount of clothing ends up being thrown away. At the same time, digitalisation is changing the business models in fashion. For a future-oriented fashion industry, we are convinced that sustainability and inno­vation need to be at the forefront of the way we do things.

The industry needs to slow right down so that innovation, quality and craftsmanship can return to the fore. With Neonyt, we are giving this topic an even wider stage and creating the suitable framework for our community to find new business partners and exchange ideas and mutual inspiration.”

THIMO SCHWENZFEIER — Neonyt Show Director, Messe Frankfurt

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“In terms of the growing customer demand and the meanwhile extensive offer of sustainable fashion, it’s high time that an independent platform for consumers was established. With the new pop-up shopping event Palais Green in April 2019, we’ll be hosting a sustainable fashion and lifestyle fair for the end consumer for the very first time. Palais Green will take place at the Palais Frankfurt venue in the centre of Frankfurt am Main.”

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T-SHIRT & PANTS: PUMA X BRADLEY THEODORE TURTLENECK SHIRT & BLOUSE: UNIQLO TULLE TOP: STYLIST’S OWN SOCKS: ADIDAS SHOES: MAI PIÙ SENZA

PHOTOGRAPHY LINA ZANGERS

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INNUENDO

INNUENDO STYLING LEANDRA BENDORF HAIR & MAKE UP NATALIA VERMEER MODEL LOTTA LAVANTI

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ODNEUNNI Y H P A R G OTO H P S R E G N A Z AN I L GNIL Y T S F RO D N EB A RD N A E L P U E K A M & R I A H REE M RE V A IL ATAN

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LE D O M ITN AVA L AT TOL

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BERET: SHANGHAI TOFU

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TOTAL LOOK: LEVI’S

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INNUENDO

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T-SHIRT & PANTS: PUMA X SANKUAN GLOVES : STAHLBETON

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DRESS: TARA JARMON T-SHIRT: SHANGHAI TOFU

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INNUENDO

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T-SHIRT & PANTS: PUMA X BRADLEY THEODORE TURTLENECK SHIRT & BLOUSE: UNIQLO TULLE TOP: STYLIST’S OWN SOCKS: ADIDAS SHOES: MAI PIÙ SENZA

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JACKET: ELLESSE TIGHTS: KUNERT X MAILAIKA RAISS SHOES: KURT GEIGER

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INNUENDO

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COAT: JOSEPH TIGHTS: CALZEDONIA SHOES: NIKE

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DRESS: GANNI TIGHTS: CALZEDONIA BOOTS: DR. MARTEN’S CAP: NIKE

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INNUENDO

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NAVEENA DENIM LAHORE

NAVEENA DENIM LAHORE

DENIM MADE IN PAKISTAN For this issue we headed to Pakistan, or, to be precise, Lahore, where we visited the weaving mill Naveena Denim Lahore and took the opportunity to talk to Masood Riaz and his staff. A factory visit of a different kind.

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INTERVIEWS CHERYLL MÜHLEN PHOTOGRAPHY BERND WICHMANN

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NAVEENA DENIM LAHORE Masood Riaz is aware of his company’s strengths and proud of the contribution it is making in terms of sustainability.

And this investment in a better, cleaner future is paying off – first and foremost for future generations.

S

Sustainability is meanwhile of such paramount importance in the contemporary denim industry that it is no longer even considered an option, but more a natural responsibility for the environment and humans. Naveena Denim Lahore, also known as NDL, takes this responsibility to heart and was one of the firtst weaving mills to use not only recycled cotton but also Repreve fibre and organic cotton.

Currently their production consists of 80% fairtrade certified cotton and it is set to rise to 90% this year. A commitment that is going down well all over the world.

We spoke to Masood Riaz, owner and head of Naveena Denim Lahore, about sustainability, the future of the industry, state-of-the-art technologies and about Pakistan as a production location.

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Masood, what does Naveena stand for?

A supply brand that all our customers can rely on. Quality, reliability, creativity and integrity.

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Looking back, what are you most proud of when it comes to Naveena?

Our continued and valued partnership with Levi’s and the Inditex Group, which

has gone from strength to strength over many years.

ous times a year and they feel perfectly at ease here.

Your company focuses on the production of denim fabric. What benefits does that bring you and your clients?

Denim holds a very special place in the textile industry. It’s no longer restricted to the younger generation but popular across all ages and all social strata. Our clients benefit from our creativity and dedicated development, such as our close relationships with specialist branded raw material suppliers like Invista, Lenzing, Unifi and DSM Dyneema, to name just a few.

Let’s talk about sustainability; a must when it comes to modern standards — especially in the denim industry. What role does Naveena play in this story?

NDL has taken big steps towards sustainability. We are making serious efforts in most critical areas, with water being the most critical commodity. We are taking measures from its treatment and conservation to undertaking processes using reduced quantities to reuse and recycle water. NDL is in continuous pursuit of sustainability in denims. Starting from the sourcing of raw materials to the development of the end product. We source BCI and organic cotton for our denim products, using a caustic recovery plant that allows for filtration and re-use of caustic soda, as well as ozone finishing which cuts down on water consumption by more than 70% compared to conventional finishing. And we are also partnering with some environment conscious brands like Levi Strauss & Co, and negotiating or partnering in ventures with other international agencies like WWF, PaCT through IFC (a subsidiary of the World Bank) for better utilisation of renewable energy resources.

How is Pakistan perceived by the market? Are there any prejudices you’d like to clear up?

Pakistan is now well known as being the country for sourcing the best denim fabric for quality, development and creativity. Pakistan has more state-ofthe-art denim mills than any other country. It also grows the best, most suitable cotton. As for prejudice and concern regarding Pakistan — we recognise that many companies are worried about visiting Pakistan due to the press coverage of local unrest. We can assure that we personally take all necessary measures to care for all our visitors, from their arrival to their departure.

We have a number of international foreign consultants who visit us numer-

But will the ‘dirty’ denim industry ever be clean?

No industry in the world has the right to

NAVEENA DENIM LAHORE

“DENIM TOO WILL HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO COME CLEAN, WE OWE IT TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS.” MASOOD RIAZ — CEO OF NAVEENA DENIM LAHORE

By the way: you’re the first company in Pakistan to have installed Jeanologia’s latest ozone finishing machine. What are the benefits and why is it important to keep up with technology?

Because it’s the greenest and therefore most sustainable technology available for the finishing of denim fabrics. It conserves both water and energy and reduces the carbon footprint so we all feel a little less ‘blue’ and a lot more green

instead. This technology has significant advantages such as 70% water saving, the non-caustification process, increased productivity by 30%, laser time reduction by 20%, back-staining elimination and a unique process for PES or nylon weft cleaning. Each of these processes reduces the burden on planet Earth.

What are the greatest challenges when it comes to modern business management?

The business dimensions have been changing very rapidly over the past few years; the role of technology and modern production process is of prime importance these days. In our part of the world, high energy costs are the biggest challenge we are facing. Sustainability doesn’t come cheap.

So what are your main goals for the company’s future?

We want to keep developing the organisation and training individuals to meet

the challenges of the future, and we also want to be leaders in the industry for sustainability, as well as financially successful in supporting the whole denim supply chain.

What can we expect to see next — especially in the coming seasons?

We are working with our branded fibre suppliers to offer even higher stretch — 100% plus. And we will launch a new collection of denim fabrics developed with ‘pre-shrunk yarn’ technology for soft, body- contouring jeans that highlight your curves all day long.

When you’re walking around the mill, what do you enjoy the most?

I take pride in the positive spirit of the workforce, the continuous improvements in the cleanliness of the processes and the unrivalled, consistently high quality of our products.

NAVEENAGROUP.COM

WORK IN PROGRESS The experienced team at Naveena Denim Lahore is not only permanently working on new trends, but also new technologies.

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pollute the environment irresponsibly.

Denim will also have to find a way to come clean, we owe it to our future generations. NDL is making major investments in both its processes and products to improve the environmental footprint in the denim industry. As a part of that effort, its indigo dyeing technology uses environmentally friendly chemicals and sustainable ozone finishing (by Jeanologia) that reduces the water and chemical consumption in the finishing process.

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NAVEENA DENIM LAHORE

DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE FASHION WORLD?

“NOT JUST WEAR, LIVE THE DENIM WAY.” USMAN RIAZ QAZI

HEAD HR & ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT Working for Naveena Denim Lahore since: 2016 What are you most proud of at NDL? Its culture and the brand name.

What makes Naveena special?

The strong leadership, their continuous efforts in research and development, their investment in people and the focus on Learning & Development.

Do you have a message for the fashion world?

Not just wear, live the denim way.

IRFAN MAJID

MECHANICAL MANAGER/UTILITY Working for Naveena Denim Lahore since: 2015 What are you most proud of at NDL? Here are various factors that make employees love and be proud of their company. Based on my experience, I feel it is the culture of transparency, respect, continuous development that holds up higher than the rest.

When employees feel that they are being heard, they are part of the bigger picture, it motivates them. When senior management takes actions based on employees’ feedback, it shows how much their feedback matters.

Culture of continuous development should be encouraged by companies.

What makes Naveena special?

A business can be special for many reasons. Look at your unique selling points and the benefits your customers receive to identify how your business is special. Potential ideas include, among others: expertise and experience, price, quality, fast turnaround, free shipping and excellent customer service.

RASHIDA RANA

MANAGER (EHS & COM­P LIANCE) Working for Naveena Denim Lahore since: 2011

USMAN TARIQ

MANAGER BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Working for Naveena Denim Lahore since: 2018 What are you most proud of at NDL? Naveena is always thinking a step ahead in terms of innovation and I’m proud to be part of the Naveena team.

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What makes Naveena special?

The quality of our products, our innovations and our product lead times.

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Do you have a message for the fashion world?

Fashion is all about what you wear and what you think.

What are you most proud of at NDL? Naveena is always trying to provide 100% quality of life to its employees and 100% quality products to its customers and I am proud to be a part of that.

What makes Naveena special?

Naveena is very keen to reduce water footprints, minimise usage of energy and chemicals and save the planet.

Do you have a message for the fashion world?

Fashion is all about what you are confident to wear.

NAVEENA DENIM LAHORE

BABAR MAHMOOD NASIR

H.O.D Q.A/Q.A

Working for Naveena Denim Lahore since: 2016 What are you most proud of at NDL? The team and the systems we have in place.

What makes Naveena special?

Innovativion and the quality of our products.

Do you have a message for the fashion world?

Food, water, denim; let’s get back to essentials.

DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE FASHION WORLD?

“FASHION IS ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE CON­ FIDENT TO WEAR.”

ZEESHAN AHMED CH

HEAD OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Working for Naveena Denim Lahore since: 2014 Describe your job at Naveena: My key role is recognising the latest denim fashion trends and developing innovative products for those trends. Also interpreting the needs and desires of key customers in terms of fabrics and responding timely with suitable products.

What are you most proud of at NDL? NDL is a brand I feel proud to be part of — it is such an innovative denim mill.

What makes Naveena special?

NDL knows all about quality and we honour our commitments.

Do you have a message for the fashion world?

Fashion has endless possibilities; there are no boundaries.

SABA ARIF

AM/MERCHANDISING Working for Naveena Denim Lahore since: 2018 What are you most proud of at NDL? My team (Levi’s merchandising).

Do you have a message for the fashion world?

We are innovative in our products.

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What makes Naveena special?

Its products.

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INTERVIEW – ISKO, FABIO DI LIBERTO

TEN OUT OF TEN In Amsterdam last December, Isko celebrated the ten-year anniversary of a relatively young fashion icon that has already become a classic: its gamechanging JEGGINGS™ with super stretch denim technology. An opportunity we didn’t want to miss. Shortly before the Amsterdam event we sat down with Fabio di Liberto, Isko’s Brand Director, who told us about the benefits of taking a breath and looking back every once in a while.

INTERVIEW PIERRE D’AVETA TEXT CHERYLL MÜHLEN

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Fabio, congratulations on the ten-year anniversary of one of your most influential inventions of the last decade.

Thank you. We are very proud of our technology. Our JEGGINGS™ have had so much influence over the past ten years and have become a new classic in everyone’s wardrobes. So the reason we’re celebrating this event in Amsterdam is because we wanted to stop and take a breath to reflect on what we have accomplished. Here at Isko we always look ahead and focus on what’s coming next but sometimes it’s good to look in the rear mirror at what you’ve already achieved.

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How will you celebrate?

With friends, people and customers who have been contributing to the success of this technology. We’ve never considered ourselves to be a mere manufacturer, but more as a partner to our customers. Like one of the ingredients of a great dish, so we can only celebrate something once it has become a full recipe.

And what do you see when you do that?

We have positively affected a lot of people’s lifestyles with this invention.

It was either jeans or leggings. You had to choose between something that was super comfortable but not as attractive as jeans and something that was very cool but maybe not as comfortable as a pair of leggings. We combined these two worlds and the hybrid has not just become a basic but a classic. A classic for every body shape and every gender.

How much has the fabric changed over the years?

Well, the quality of the fabric has developed immensely over the years.

For example, we’ve added elements of shape retainment to enhance body shapes. To be honest, I don’t know if the social change came first or if the technology allowed the social change that generated the need for something like the JEGGINGS™. But like every other product, it’s an ongoing process and evolving to match new standards or

even create new ones. Our JEGGINGS™ are a concept and an idea but overall, they represent a family of fabrics that is evolving over time.

From one achievement to another: what’s coming next from Isko’s creative lab?

We never stop experimenting. Sometimes I say that we suffer from a disease: the disease of pioneer syndrome (laughing)! We are never happy with what we know, so we are always exploring to find better and newer things. We never stop.

Innovation never stops. There is always a way to shape the market, but the market isn’t always quite ready. We will see. Up next is a brand-new concept: an interplay of wellness, performance and travelwear. A very interesting new concept. But like any new thing we come up with, whenever people who aren’t ready for it say: “Is this denim?”, we simply say: “Yes!” ISKO.COM

INTERVIEW – NILI LOTAN

NILI’S NONCHALANCE

PHOTO NILI LOTAN

Today she is among the top-selling designers in one of New York’s most coveted stores and is celebrating huge success around the globe. When Nili Lotan established her eponymous label in 2003, she quickly became known for her military-inspired separates and signature cami dresses.

Three years ago, the Israeli designer and New Yorker launched her own denim line within her label and is now also taking the German market by storm.

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INTERVIEW THORSTEN OSTERBERGER TEXT CHERYLL MÜHLEN

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As you design what you like to wear personally, the collection reflects your individual style. Your approach is to make everyday fashion that meets the needs of the modern woman.

How would you describe your own look?

As you mentioned, designing is very personal to me. My style became my personal voice and the voice of my company. Style is, in many cases, about an attitude. For me, it’s about effortless, chic, timeless pieces. I grew up a tomboy, so my look usually has a play on masculine-feminine elements. As a young woman I was never drawn to fashion, I was always fascinated by women and men with strong sense of personal style.

Denim plays a major role in your brand.

How important are jeans to you?

Denim is extremely important to me.

I cannot live without it and wear denim around 50% of the time. I wear it during the day and in the evening, in black and blue. I have an extensive vintage collection of denim that I wear and am inspired by.

Your label has been going for more than ten years now. But the German market is only just discovering you now and, as well as other renowned stores, Nili Lotan is also represented at KaDeWe Berlin.

Where do you see the potential and how do you assess the German market?

I visited Berlin and Hamburg in November and had a chance to meet our German buyers and clients. It was very interesting

to learn that what I design for myself in NY resonates with so many women and fits into their daily needs and wardrobes.

The response was enthusiastic and receptive, so I am very excited by our growing presence on the German market. We are currently sold at 22 stores in the country and I’m looking forward to seeing how we develop. The women I met in Germany are sophisticated and informed and I’m honoured to be part of their wardrobes.

Which ‘Made by Nili Lotan’ item should every woman have in her wardrobe?

A pair of my cotton pants, one of my cashmere sweaters, one of my leather jackets, a trench and a cami dress.

NILILOTAN.COM

INTERNATIONAL LEATHER GOODS FAIR OFFENBACH

THE PLACE FOR NEW TRENDS WINTER STYLES 2019 FEBRUARY 16 – 18 SUMMER STYLES 2019 SEPTEMBER 7 – 9

WWW.ILM-OFFENBACH.DE

DENIM NEWCOMERS

ONE FIT FOR ALL

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TEXT RENÉE DIEHL

This newcomer is very new, in the truest sense of the word: The Feel Studio Inc. was only established recently, in June 2018. The creative force behind the brand is stylist and photographer Stevie Dance, who has also worked for Pop Magazine and Stella McCartney Swimwear, and whose new brand aims to create simple authentic jeans “for everyone”. To date, the brand therefore has only one fit on offer – a straight-leg with button fly and mid-waist rise – which is ideal for all shapes and sizes. But a bit of variation is still to be had: the ‘Genuine Jean’ is available in a blue and a black wash and in two different lengths, regular and tall. All the jeans are made in Los Angeles by heritage manufacturer Cone Denim using robust non-stretch denim, which gives them their authentic look and feel. As The Feel Studio Inc. is only available online, the brand also provides a fit guide on their website to help you ensure the perfect fit for your measurements, height and shape. But all the attention they are focusing on ensuring the perfect fit doesn’t mean that they are neglecting the most important topic of our time: sustainability. Independent of any trends, the brand has created a timeless, long-lasting jean, working with small batches that are washed together in ozone machines. Beyond that, all the denim offcuts are brought to the ‘Blue Jeans Go Green’ programme for upcycling. Even the packaging is made of environmentally friendly biodegradable plastic. And the jeans only have one single tag, made of recycled paper. Thumbs up! thefeelstudioinc.com

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DENIM NEWCOMERS

STOP & STARE

In Scandinavia, the word ‘Ullac’ describes the phenomenon when a person enters the room and all eyes swivel at the same moment to look, with everyone thinking the same thing.

And it’s exactly this moment that brothers Chris and Kyle Lynd and their long-time friend Gavin Weigh are seeking to recreate with their brand Ullac, which they founded in 2017.

The company is pretty much a family-run business and a nomadic one at that, moving between the two homes of the founders, London and Helsinki. But the items themselves are produced at the Dini family’s atelier in Italy, consciously chosen to meet the brand’s high standards.

After all, the quality and longevity of denim are the top priorities here: “We want our pants, jackets and shirts to be an investment. On day one they’re all perfect, crisp and untouched.

That’s a nice day, but they aren’t perfect yet. They’re made to be lived in, that’s when they’re perfect.” One of the side effects of that means that Ullac’s items are only available from their own website — distribution via the large fashion stores would have meant higher prices and a loss of control in terms of customer communication. Another pillar of the company’s philosophy is the gender neutrality of the items on offer. From Ace Jeans, oversized painter trousers, denim jackets and overshirts down to basic shirts, everything appeals to all genders of humanity.

Prices range from around 105 to 225 euros.

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TEXT RENÉE DIEHL

ullac.com

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DENIM NEWCOMERS

LET’S GET PERSONAL

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TEXT RENÉE DIEHL

Denim Unspun’s mission is to create a perfectly fitting pair of jeans made with zero waste.

Based on the philosophy ‘Your size is you’, the Californian brand works with the textile industry’s latest technology: the 3D body scan. Once the customer has chosen their preferred denim and entered their rise and leg measurements, they can then book a place and time for the 3D imaging. The scanning process itself only takes 30 seconds and registers over 100,000 data points providing information about body shape and muscle mass. Algorithms then create the perfect fit for the item of choice, especially tailored to each body type. Two to three weeks later the customer receives their ‘Perfect Fit’ jeans — but even then, if the fit still isn’t quite right the brand’s ‘Perfect Fit Policy’ comes into play to ensure complete customer satisfaction.

In addition to getting rid of the traditional sizing system, the brand also has another mission — to ensure zero waste in the production process. Every single resource used goes into the end product. Denim Unspun offers three different jeans fits — ‘Skinny’, ‘Mission’ and ‘Offline’ for both women and men. So, thanks to the latest technology there is now an end to the guessing game when it comes to choosing the right size in online stores! unspuntech.com

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DENIM NEWCOMERS

RAZORSHARP

When your friends are constantly asking where your clothing is from, then you know you’re doing something right. And when the items those friends ask about have been customised by you, orders from all your mates are a given. When British photographer and stylist Maria Pearl found herself barely able to keep up with all those orders, her idea was born: to set up her own denim brand, RZR Denim. The customisation process, for which Pearl has developed an unmistakeable technique, started with vintage denim products that she then reworks by hand. The stylist imbues every piece with a unique character, bringing the vintage pieces into the here and now. In her London studio she customises denim jackets, jeans, shorts and skirts and, depending on what she finds, also denim accessories for women. Some of her techniques for the different looks include bleaching and fringing – from lightly frayed hems to entirely bleached pieces full of holes. So the good news is that now it’s not only Maria Pearl’s friends who are lucky enough to enjoy her latest creations, but also us customers, via her brand’s own online store.

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TEXT RENÉE DIEHL

rzrdenim.com

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INTERVIEWS – DENIM.LAB

NO MORE MOODBOARDS Denim.lab’s founder Sander van de Vecht certainly doesn’t do things by halves. Compromising on quality to get a better sales price or mulling over moodboards for weeks on end rather than working hands-on with the fabrics are out of the question for him — which is why he simply runs his own small denim label the way he thinks best.

A conversation about authenticity, seasonal design and Denim.lab’s ‘fabric first’ ethos.

INTERVIEW RENÉE DIEHL PHOTOS DENIM.LAB

To start off, please finish the following sentence: Denim.lab is … … a quality-inspired denim brand for men and kids.

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When did you come up with the idea of launching your own brand and why?

Having worked in the denim industry for more than a decade, I’ve experienced at first hand a massive decline in quality clothing. Suddenly everything was about the price. I have seen brands that I loved, lowering their standards year by year just to keep up with the consumer’s demand for cheaper products. I think it’s a race to the bottom. With Denim.lab we aim to revive true denim passion that we think once existed, working exclusively with beautiful rare fabrics, great trimmings, and details that bring storytelling about denim back into the stores.

Of course, creating these kinds of collections comes at a higher cost, but because we are a small, independent company, we don’t need to work with big brand margins and can therefore still offer these jeans at a fair price.

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How did you start and what challenges did you face with the brand in the beginning?

I truly believe in removing the seasonal aspect from the denim business – that was the starting point for me. I wanted to create a compact collection of high-quality NOS products like denims, shirts and chinos that will last longer than the six months of a season.

The challenge was that it meant a bigger investment without having items pre-sold, not knowing how well it will actually turn out. But it finally all came together and the best thing about it is that we can take on new customers at any point of the year and deliver by the following working week.

How many employees does Denim.lab have?

It’s still a very small, independent company. So I do everything myself, from the design, production and photography to the website, DTP and processing online orders. The sales part is handled by agents in various countries around the world.

Which markets are the strongest for your brand and where would you like to expand to?

In the traditional retail landscape we are strongest in our domestic market,

the Netherlands. But the internet has provided us with customers all over the world so we also ship to the US, Germany, the UK, Asia and Australia.

And what do you think makes denim so iconic?

Denim played so many key roles during different eras, cultures and movements, from starting out as pure workwear to finally becoming a lifestyle garment.

Today, the denim segment is thriving, thanks to social media connecting people from around the world.

The Amsterdam Denim Days are a great example of bringing all that together in an offline marketplace. Everybody has a story to tell about their favourite pair of jeans.

You also have a story to share about ‘fabric first’ – an important ethos for Denim.lab. But why is it important to you and how do you source your materials?

I think that many designers and merchandisers have lost their knowledge of fabrics, trims, yarns and so on. They start off their collections with weeks of preparation in the form of moodboards and drawings and, in these cases, fabric

You specifically work with Japanese and Thai denim fabrics. What makes them special and how are they different to each other?

Thailand and Japan have a lot in common in terms of selvedge weaving. The shuttle loom machines and their operators in Thailand are all Japanese and both

But what makes selvedge jeans so desirable?

To me, selvedge denim, compared to the regular denim world, is what Kobe beef is to the regular beef world.

Shuttle loom weaving mills have a whole different approach to fabric making, which all comes down to the tradition of slowly produced fabrics. But most importantly, it is also a quality-driven process: selvedge denim manufacturers select the best cotton, rope-dye the yarn, and the machines are run by the most experienced operators. You know the fabric is being made by someone who really loves their job.

Speaking of love: how many pairs of jeans do you own?

I only rotate two pairs of jeans for most of the year. I just retired one pair and replaced it with a fresh new pair of 17 oz unsanforized dry denims, which are a prototype for our 2019 winter collection.

DENIM.LAB 2019 Sander van de Vecht is currently rocking a fresh new pair of 17 oz unsanforized dry denims, a prototype for the AW19 collection. The rest of the collection features unwashed dark denims, sporty elements and white jeans.

In addition, I have a nice archive collection of vintage Levi’s, Evisu, Denime, Edwin Japan, Prps, RRL, early Diesel and Gapstar.

Canadian tuxedo: Yes or no?

Oh yes, in this day and age definitely!

We also offer a nice pair of off-white selvedge chinos and a jacket.

INTERVIEWS – DENIM.LAB

countries share their knowledge and passion for producing the best selvedge possible. On the other hand, what makes them different is that Japanese denim manufacturers really stick to traditional and conventional fabrics whereas Thailand is stronger in innovating and pushing new concepts.

What is on your to-do list for your company?

We have just finished the ‘360 degree’ product style view on our website (www.denimlab.nl) which was a huge challenge, but the next big thing will be relaunching the Mini.lab collection for kids on its own dedicated website.

To keep prices acceptable without sacrificing the quality, we only sell this collection online.

Your current favourite must-have piece from Denim.lab is …?

We’ve added a new fabric group called ‘Nova200’ which consists of a heavier 12 oz stretch selvedge in super-dark indigo.

This fabric becomes incredibly soft after washing. We offer them in three different washes, but my personal favourite is the classic stone wash look in the M2 wash.

DENIMLAB.NL

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is only a tool to complete the garment.

I personally see it the other way around: I spend a great part of the year on sourcing and development. I prefer to spend my time in the mills and laundries as opposed to sitting behind a computer and collecting moodboard images.

A great fabric constitutes the garment’s future. In other words, I prefer creating on-site with my hands, working with a selected group of passionate mill operators who create amazing fabrics. To me, these mills are a story within themselves, and storytelling is what’s so important today. Constantly working with the same mills as partners is what gives a brand its true signature. And all our fabrics really go together and products from three years ago go perfect with next year’s developments. For the denim, we only have four core fabrics that we always use and the washing improves every time, as we get know the fabric and its potential better and better.

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TRENDS

Masha Ma

Neon Brights

Richard Malone

Byblos

Annakiki

House of Holland

Admittedly it’s maybe not for everyone, but just like a well-organised desk, for AW19, our wardrobes should contain at least one highlight(er). Whether neon-pink, yellow or green, fashion is loving these vivid fluorescent colours, leaving past restraint and ‘normcore’ moments to literally pale in comparison.

But the highlighter look should be done properly or not at all, and by that we mean from head to toe. Anything else just wouldn’t do it justice.

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Emporio Armani

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Jasper Conran

Vetements

Tod’s

Coach

Zadig & Voltaire

A.P.C.

TRENDS

Pyer Moss

Blue Hues J’N’C loves denim, you love denim and we love that you love denim. So it’s a good thing that everyone’s favourite fabric is available in all its multifaceted glory – also for autumn/winter 2019.

Whether light blue, mid-washed, untreated or patchworked, designers simply can’t get enough of the indigo gold and will also be spoiling us next year with a diverse range of blue hues.

Fine by us!

Kith Park

Toga

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Ximon Lee

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TRENDS

GCDS

MiliSafari

Palomo Spain

Annakiki

Givenchy

Kith Park

Vetements

Givenchy

Rambo meets Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft? Well, at least something in that direction, perhaps a little less aggressive and battered, but all the more fashionable for it. For AW19, camouflage has rid itself of its colour and concealment function and can be paired effortlessly with sand-coloured safari elements to complete the adventurous urban look and make it suitable for the street.

After all, function and fashion have always been an excellent team.

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Cividini

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Fyodor Golan

Koché

House of Holland

Fyodor Golan

TRENDS

MSGM

Explosive Colours Bright, loud, eye-popping and very expressive. When it comes to sportswear, for AW19 things are looking explosively bright in women’s and menswear, along the lines of ‘more is more’. A look that works especially well when it’s overdone; i.e. head-to-toe, providing an exciting contrast to the classic, understated nuances of allconsuming wintery greys. The must-have of this trend: the tracksuit.

Kiki Kostadinov

Libertine

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Jeremy Scott

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DIGITAL REVOLUTION — ZALANDO

FROM ONLINE TO OFFLINE In 2018 Zalando celebrated its ten-year anniversary and can look back with pride on an exemplary success story. For over two years now, its VP Direct to Consumer Dr Carsten Keller has also been part of this story and is working together with his team on the company’s future. Or, to be precise, on the connection between the end consumer and the brand and the fusion of online and offline. We met him at the company headquarters in Berlin to find out just what that entails.

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INTERVIEW CHERYLL MÜHLEN PHOTOS ZALANDO

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DIGITAL REVOLUTION — ZALANDO

What are your tasks as VP Direct to Consumer?

We connect our partners directly with the customers, which means: when a customer finds a Nike sneaker for example, that we no longer have in the size they’re looking for or that’s completely out of stock, the order goes directly to Nike and they then send the product from their warehouse or their store directly to the customer. If the customer needs to exchange it, then it will also be sent straight to Nike. That is direct to consumer. Within this context, my main focus is on incorporating the offline store into our direct-to-consumer model.

“In our opinion, offline is still a big growth driver.

That applies to Zalando and even more to stationary retail, which has lost a lot of customers in recent years.”

What does that mean exactly?

That, for example, we can deliver our orders to the stores and make it possible for customers to pick them up there.

That’s why we’re currently working on a model that easily connects the stores to our systems. Via this interface we

Zalando’s HQ in Berlin

update the inventory and send the customer orders to the store with the shortest distance to the delivery address.

The member of staff in that particular store receives the order at a terminal, packages it for the customer, the DHL – or a local courier – comes by, picks it up and brings it to the customer.

This model demands very little of the retailer, meaning that basically every store – whether they’re a big chain or an independent retailer – can participate in it without any problems. Alternatively, we have developed another model that demands nothing of the store and works in a similar way to Uber. For this, the retailer downloads an app onto which we update our orders into the network.

The retailer can see whether they have the product requested by us and can confirm. The first one to confirm will make the sale, so to speak. From a technical perspective that’s easier, if not quite as productive as the other model, but it means that any retailer who is halfway tech-savvy can participate.

You now have your anniversary behind you. In addition to the online-offline conversion, what else can we look forward to?

Let’s put it this way: our to-do list is still quite long. We want to keep on offering the customer better products that are tailored to them, also in terms of sizing.

Which means?

For example, that the customer would directly be shown shoes in their correct size. With over 300,000 products live on the platform, the topic of personalisation is a second focus for us. We want to tailor the offer more to our customers so that everyone can instantly see what suits them best. We’ll also be involving

bloggers and influencers more in the future. And there will be a lot of changes from a marketing perspective. A future scenario could be that one day the customer is walking around Berlin and we can offer them notifications with a message like: ‘The items you were recently unable to find are currently in stock at a store 100 metres from your current location’. We also want to provide even more support to the B2B sector, i.e. brands and retailers, to achieve digital success. We’ll be continuing to work hard here on our logistics, big data and marketing.

“We also want to provide even more support to the B2B sector, i. e. brands and retailers, to achieve digital success.”

Big plans…

Indeed. But here at Zalando we always try to think two years ahead and with our platform we have a clear vision with which we are strongly investing in the future of fashion. Above all, by consolidating online and offline, our customers will experience faster, more personalised, more efficient and more exciting access to fashion. But the next ten years will be very exciting for everyone.

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Is that what the next ten years hold for Zalando?

Zalando will definitely develop into more of an omnichannel platform together with its customers. This is a development that we’ve been observing in China these past few years. We now believe that Europe is ready for this kind of merging of online and offline and are convinced that connecting offline stores to our platform will massively improve factors like stock availability and delivery speed.

We are also giving the customers the opportunity to return goods to the place that is most convenient for them. That could be a DHL service point, but in the future it could also be your corner shop.

In our opinion, offline is still a big growth driver. That applies to Zalando and even more to stationary retail, which has lost a lot of customers in recent years. We see a huge potential in this partnership and there is currently a very high demand for it from the retailers.

ZALANDO.DE

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DIGITAL REVOLUTION — ASOS

“HEY GOOGLE, TALK TO ASOS!” TEXT RENÉE DIEHL PHOTO ASOS

Up to now, shopping — whether online or stationary – has been more of a visual experience. But that doesn’t mean it can’t go beyond that, as currently being proven by British online retailer Asos with the launch of their voice chatbot ‘Enki’ on the virtual Google Assistant. Shopping via voice commando: is that the future of retail?

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With the launch of the voice shopping assistant, Asos is one of the first online shops to venture onto this new terrain, which enables shoppers to make use the search function by talking to Google Assistant. Customers, currently still only in the UK and the USA, can activate the Enki chatbot using the phrase: “Hey Google, talk to Asos”, which will then direct them to browse six of the top-selling menswear or womenswear looks on the Asos site. Suitable products will then be displayed on the user’s Android or iOS smartphone.

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The aim of the voice shopping assistant is to increase the user friendliness of the online shop for its customers — after all, with over 85,000 products permanently being offered on the site and around 5,000 new products being added every day, Asos’ product diversity can quickly seem overwhelming to potential customers. In the next few months the function is set to be further developed with help from the users them-

selves, as well as tailored to their specific needs and constantly improved.

According to US market research company Comscore, already half of customers from the USA use voice tech and it is estimated that voice shopping will reach a value of 40 billion US dollars (approx. 35 billion euros) by the year 2022. If these figures are to be believed, Asos has certainly backed the right horse. However, it remains to be seen whether the offer is used as much as they hope — especially in markets outside the US. Asos has also expressed its willingness to take risks when it comes to further expansion: at the beginning of the year, the online manufacturer had already implemented new features like the curated item update ‘Your Edit’, the image search function ‘Style Match’ and the ‘You Might Also Like’ category.

And the Enki chatbot has also been active on Facebook Messenger. So even before the official launch, the project has already passed the first test with flying colours. But at the end of the day it will be the consumers who decide whether Asos’ Enki chatbot not only understands them, but also listens.

ASOS.DE

THE MUST-ATTEND LECTURE EVENTS AT PANORAMA BERLIN FROM 15 – 17 JANUARY 2019

DIGITAL REVOLUTION — PANORAMA

3 SPEAKERS, 3 SUCCESS STORIES For the first time at Panorama Berlin, there will be a three-day lecture event presenting exciting speakers talking about industryrelevant topics. Here are three speakers you definitely won’t want to miss …

FASHION AND RETAIL FOR THE DIGITAL AGE Dr Andreas Brill — Founder and co-owner of Business4brands Consulting After studying in Cologne, Dr Andreas Brill worked at the private Witten/Herdecke University, where he set up one of the first German research programmes for the digitisation of the economy. But since the mid-90s he has been developing concepts for the digital age. In the first decade of the 2000s, Brill held managerial positions in retail and fashion companies, including director at the KarstadtQuelle group and manager at WOM and s.Oliver. It was during that time, in 2006 to be precise, that he founded Business4brands. Together with a team of 20 specialists he supports companies and brands on their path to the digital transformation, both as a pioneering thinker and advisor, as well as a service provider. His specialisms are research and keynote speeches as he knows how to analyse situations honestly and communicate the consequences of digitalisation clearly and concisely. He not only shares his thoughts, but also specific, solution-oriented examples that prove his arguments in a logical and comprehensible way. See for yourself at 2:30 pm on Tuesday, 15 January 2019 at his lecture ‘Fashion and retail for the digital age’.

CROSS REALITIES: HOW THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN DIGITAL AND ANALOGUE ARE BLURRING Nicole Srock.Stanley — Co-founder of Dan Pearlman Group In 1999, Nicole Srock.Stanley co-founded the Dan Pearlman Group, a Berlin-based group of ownermanaged, strategic creative agencies with over 120 employees. Within this agency group, she is CEO of dan pearlman Markenarchitektur GmbH, a position in which she is responsible for brand and corporate strategy. The successful entrepreneur stands out with her expertise in the retail sector, leisure industry and destination development, which makes her a sought-after advisor for retail brands and shopping centres, from start-ups and SMEs to big corporations. But Srock.

Stanley has also made a name for herself as a speaker, specialising in the subject ‘Future Retail’ and providing answers to the question of how bricks-and-mortar retail can be successfully revolutionised by involving mechanisms of the modern leisure industry. In her presentation entitled ‘Cross realities: How the boundaries between digital and analogue are blurring’ at 10:30 am on Wednesday, 16 January 2019, she will be providing retailers with fascinating insights and sharing her expertise with the visitors of Panorama Berlin.

Niklas Heinen is just 28, but he’s already been a successful e-commerce entrepreneur, influencer and speaker for four years. Together with his wife Joana Heinen, he has built up the ‘Odernicht­ oderdoch’ blog, which originally started life as an online diary, into a social e-commerce brand that is popular throughout Germany. These days, also with his wife Joana, he runs the brands Odernichtoderdoch and Jo & Judy with a portfolio of over 250 self-designed products and their own logistics company in Münster. Right from the outset they worked as a first-generation familyrun company – without investors – and together with their team of meanwhile 50 staff they are passionate about bringing unique, lovingly designed products onto the market. If you want to know how a blog can lead to a successful company, save the date and time in your calendar: Wednesday, 16 January 2019 at 3:30 pm. In this lecture entitled ‘From a small online blog to a social e-commerce & retail company’, the young managing director will be sharing his experience and providing useful tips.

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FROM A SMALL ONLINE BLOG TO A SOCIAL E-COMMERCE & RETAIL COMPANY Niklas Heinen — CEO of Odernichtoderdoch

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DIGITAL REVOLUTION — FASHIONTECH BERLIN

SPEAKERS TO WATCH OUT FOR …

AT #FASHIONTECH BERLIN ON 15 JANUARY 2019 Since being launched by the Premium Group in January 2015, #Fashiontech Berlin has been taking place twice a year during Berlin Fashion Week. Its aim is to connect the fashion sector with the tech industry and start-ups. Under the title ‘How to transform your organisation’, the conference is providing a platform for the following speakers …

“Developing a strong internal pool of people with the right skills and attitudes to lead into the new digital age is the most important thing.

A leadership team that is able to understand the context of its industry, and the challenges they are bound to face, will be able to harness the power of digital. Only versatile and open-minded leaders can ensure that the application of new tech and tools will ultimately be successful and enduring.

A workforce must be constantly learning, unlearning and relearning. That won’t happen unless it comes from the top down.”

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Sofia Wingren — CEO of Hyper Island

“We’ve come full circle in fashion. It used to be editors and power brokers in the fashion press and industry who traditionally dictated which brands the consumer was supposed to cherish. During the past five years, those gatekeepers are no longer relevant, and the means by which they disseminated their opinions have virtually vanished. We now need to begin anticipating these kinds of sea changes on a more regular basis.

We went from editors to lnstagram to bloggers to influencers.

Print has gone the way of the CD and the record store. I don’t believe that influencers are the ones who will continue to own the space vacated by magazines. So brands have to work very hard to stay ahead of the curve and watch digital trends themselves, microscopically. That means being up to date on new technologies, new voices in the industry, and most of all, how they’re reaching the consumer.”

Gary Wassner — CEO of Hilldun Corporation

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“The fashion industry needs to catch up to the online retail space. As consumers, we’re becoming increasingly time poor — at a time when our expectations of service and product quality are at an all-time high. Being able to use digital technology, not only to understand but to speed up your customer’s experience, is not only necessary — it’s vital for fashion brands. Digital has also allowed new routes to further understanding what type of consumer is purchasing your product — and once you’ve understood this it’s much easier to diversify your business into other areas of products that can feed into their wider purchasing needs.”

Louise Troen — Vice President of International Marketing & Comunications at Bumble

“Today’s successful fashion businesses are those built around the consumer and their needs, interests, identities and tastes.

Consumers are the ultimate arbiters of fashion taste and style.

Legacy corporations like GAP, Chanel or Topshop are less competitive in the space where customer proximity secures brand relevance, ongoing brand engagement, word of mouth and repeated visits and purchases. A company that didn’t exist five years ago can have a bigger valuation today than a company that has been around for decades. We are seeing a lot of that in fashion.”

Ana Andjelic — Chief Brand Officer of Rebecca Minkoff

Markus Fuchshofen — Managing Director of Bonprix Handelsgesellschaft mbH

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“The fashion trade needs to respond to the changing demands and needs of its customers through a wide variety of channels and with new technical possibilities.

Concepts that combine the benefits of online and offline are showing particular promise here. After all, the potential is huge: when the classic strengths of stationary retail are connected with technology that, in an ideal scenario, is barely noticeable, it can result in an inspirational shopping and brand experience for the customer.”

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COLLABORATIONS

IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO Popstars are designing collections for luxury brands, newcomer designers are taking traditional department stores by storm, streetwear is making a foray into haute couture.

Wherever you look, all signs are pointing to collaboration for contemporary fashion.

Double the logos will get you double the attention. But will that be enough in the future?

TEXT VANESSA PECHERSKI PHOTOS PRESS

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The moment that luxury megabrand Louis Vuitton announced the six pop-up store locations for its AW17 collaboration with cult streetwear label Supreme, the excitement was palpable on the streets: 7,500 people in Tokyo, 2,000 in London and 1,500 in Sydney stood religiously in line to get their hands on sweatshirts for around 600 euros. And to this day they are still being offered for sky-high prices on various sales platforms like Ebay or Vestiaire Collective. Louis Vuitton x Supreme — just one classic example of many in the current hype surrounding brand collaborations. Wherever you look you can see an ‘x’. It’s almost as if the creativity and desirability of the brands can be multiplied with one another.

It’s hard to say when exactly the magic around the creative fusion of two sometimes completely contrary brands in the fashion world began. If we delve back into our collective fashion memory, it must have been textile giant H&M that started the whole ‘collab’ ball rolling. Remember the iconic collection that Karl Lagerfeld designed for H&M back in the day? That was in 2004.

Today, around 15 years later, we can only smile wearily at the feedback it received back then. Perhaps the odd fashion enthusiast might have caught wind of the collaboration, and even a few self-proclaimed fashionistas. But social media wasn’t

what it is today, and news of capsule collections spread at a snail’s pace compared to today’s wildfire speeds. “This exclusivity is pretty old-fashioned,” commented Lagerfeld when asked about his entry into the world of high-street fashion.

Exclusivity — an important keyword.

FASHION DUETS WITH MANY FACES These days, exclusivity, individuality and ‘newness’ are proving to be the most important currencies in the race to win the favour of consumers. At the same time, recent brand collaborations have developed into a veritable playground, where completely contrary poles have been known to meet: as recently as December, Pharrell Williams modelled for the ultimate luxury brand, Chanel, in their 2019 Cruise fashion show for which he had designed his own capsule collection.

Raf Simons was given unprecedented access to artworks from the Andy Warhol Foundation for his creative designs for Calvin Klein, which he simply transformed into largeformat prints in his collection for Calvin Klein Jeans. Meanwhile, hardly a day goes by where someone somewhere is planting an ‘x’, revealing the enormous potential in the synergies of brand partnerships between fashion, music, art, architecture, pop culture and industrial design – from absurd to confusing, down to the perfect symbiosis – it’s all there!

The culmination of this hype could be considered to be the SS17 show by acclaimed label Vetements, which has taken the art of collaboration to a whole new level. And the show?

It was just one long collaboration between around 18 brands, including Brioni and Comme des Garçons, but also streetwear brands like Schott, Levi’s and Carhartt, whose mix perfectly underlines that not only disciplines can be perfectly blended but also entire sectors, ideologies and genres — certainly a striking difference to how this phenomenon started out.

COLLABORATIONS

The words ‘sold out’ are usually all you’ll see whenever you’re trying to get your hands on one of Virgil Abloh’s sought-after creations. The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star by Virgil Abloh is no exception and marks the final instalment in one of the most-storied sneaker collaborations.

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COLLABORATIONS

CREDIBILITY FROM THE STREETS FOR THE STREETS Admittedly, the principle of ‘collabs’ is anything but new; after all, Adidas was already collaborating with rappers Run DMC back in 1985. At the moment though, it can be described as a real explosion, in which brands from every corner of the fashion spectrum seem desperate to share their DNA with one another. In the democratisation process of high fashion, for a long time it was all about ‘discount meets luxury’, making the luxury brands more accessible for the mainstream. These days though, it’s the other way round and looks are being combined with the ‘street’ in mind: the very place where fashion is made and lived.

A perfect example of this is British traditional brand Burberry, who recently brought streetwear designer Gosha Rubchinskiy on board for a special collection — ironically making use of an OTT chav look, from which the brand had been trying to distance itself for many years. In this way, streetwear is proving its key role in the current discourse, turning the street into a real world — and now for the luxury fashion market as well.

Sports brands like Adidas and Nike were pioneers in this field, always ready to take new paths within the industry and bringing new releases onto the market almost weekly.

Oversaturation? Perhaps. But these ‘drops’ and marketing stunts are highly effective. Just take the example of the iconic ‘The Ten’ collection by Virgil Abloh for Nike, in which he deconstructed existing models by the brand. The multitalented designer succeeded in defining the zeitgeist as well as conserving it at the same time. Obviously, the collectors’ items were sold out in the blink of an eye – bought by a generation who, just like Abloh, are characterised by versatility

and volatility. A generation that is prepared to admire objects, so long as the background story fits, a generation that juggles codes and cultures – symptomatic for our industry in which it’s about so much more than pure consumerism these days.

CREATIVE CO-WORKING, THE BIG PARTY, AND THEN WHAT? “Brands have been trying to get consumers to buy something for a long time. Now it’s about inspiring people to be something,” says Raphael Bemporad, co-founder of innovative company BBMG, in a study conducted by trend research agency WGSN with Walpole to address luxury consumers in 2020. So the grease that oils the wheels of modern-day fashion collaborations not only consists of dynamic and marketing-effective synergies and exclusivity and limitedness, which additionally fuel the hype, but above all the emotional protagonist: the consumer.

For H&M’s latest cooperation with Moschino’s Creative Director Jeremy Scott, an elaborate catwalk show, including a gigantic after-show party, was staged in New York just in time for the launch of the collection. Fashion used to speak for itself, but these days emotions, hypes and desires are coming into the equation. “When I design, I think of my friends,” says Jeremy Scott, commenting on his most recent collaboration and hitting the nail on the head. “It’s about relationships. Between brand and brand. Between brand and fashion.

Between brand and person.”

It’s obvious that millennials and Gen Z are just a large projection screen for this. But it’s not only the younger generation setting the rules about how fashion, collections, presentation forms and marketing strategies function.

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Collab king: Between Off-White and Louis Vuitton, creative mastermind Virgil Abloh has elevated brand collaborations to somewhat of an art form.

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COLLABORATIONS

The desire for individuality is present in all well-informed age groups. Despite the high stimulus threshold of con­ sumers these days due to social media, they still want to be surprised, but also understood and appreciated: personally, socially and economically.

READY TO MATE = FERTILE? But the advantages are plain to see: it’s about drumming up PR and brand awareness, opening up new distribution channels, awakening curiosity and desire. In short, an enormous potential that is well worth awakening. And in the near future, not much will change.

For the coming five years, WGSN is forecasting that collaborations – regardless of whether the focus is on the product or on the artistic aspect – will remain an essential component of the industry and, with the help of co-creation, will have an enormous influence on the emotional ties of the consumers to a product, and even be among the top three trends, provided they are relevant. So it won’t just be enough to add a simple ‘x’.

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Younger, dynamic, more appealing: Established luxury brands like Burberry and Louis Vuitton are reaching a whole new generation with collaborations — from hype to hysteria.

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PHOTO IMAXTREE

What a genuine, successful collaboration needs is a certain moment of unpredictability, the element of authentic storytelling that so often comes across as trite, that fulfils the expectations and attention span of the contemporary consumer. If that calls for a chic, conservative French luxury brand to collaborate with a hip skate label after 160 years of tradition, you can imagine how much unpredictability or even radicalism is required. And dipping your toe in the water simply doesn’t cut it: it’s best to dive right in.

Wanting something new, as well as getting something you know and trust is a recipe that works. Ultimately, during these times of 24/7 e-commerce, modern collaboration concepts are all about evolution. And not revolution. So more about a sensitive development that reflects the zeitgeist and the people who define it. “From buying to being” is a fitting principle to follow.

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GENERATION Z

THE NEW CODE Z Socially engaged, ecologically aware, political. They are the youngest generation to date and on a quest for something completely different to what we might assume: values.

TEXT CHERYLL MÜHLEN PHOTO LEVI’S

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That’s what makes Generation Z, those born between 1995 and 2010, such a discerning group of consumers: consumers that companies should try to understand if they want them on their side in the future. They embody a purchasing power that will grow exponentially over the next few years. The oldest of the digital natives are only just starting to enter the world of work, igniting a powerful consumer machinery that will revolutionise the retail world.

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After all, they are genuine activists, keen to turn their opinions into actions.

It’s important to them that their own values are in congruence with those of the companies and brands they are

buying from. If these values overlap, then they are happy to spend more. But anyone underestimating their value system, does so at their peril. Because by 2020 in the USA alone, 40% of all consumers will be from Generation Z. It’s said that they hardly ever make a buying decision without getting a second opinion, either on social media or from friends. But this generation is also surprising in the way it often seeks out instant gratification offline. They see stationary retail quite differently from the rest of us. They want to discover products, touch them, and ideally own them straight away, provided the politics behind the product are acceptable.

Because a large number of those from Generation Z have lofty values based on cooperation, social values and development, or even evolution. They are the optimists among us, they are prepared to stand up for what they believe in and to put those beliefs into action and bear the consequences. An ecologically valuable footprint, a respectful use of resources and social responsibility are increasingly influencing their buying decisions. This generation wants to know exactly where products come from and sometimes asks the right, if uncomfortable questions, that lead to similarly uncomfortable but necessary answers. In short: they are the progress that shouldn’t be ignored.

Das a –Z Der Nachhaltigkeit für Die BraNche

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OPINION PIECE

FOREVER ALIVE IN OUR MEMORIES At the mere thought of hipster jeans, our editor-in-chief Cheryll Mühlen comes over all nostalgic. Because although not everything was better in the old days, it was certainly a lot simpler.

TEXT CHERYLL MÜHLEN

Hidden away somewhere in my wardrobe is an old pair of hipster jeans that I simply can’t part with. They still fit perfectly, but my god do they look weird! They make me look heavier and my legs shorter and are also really uncomfortable. Why? Because the low rise just doesn’t cut it these days. Every time you kneel or sit, you have to watch out that you’re not flashing your underwear to all and sundry.

But in retrospect, the hipster jean represents a whole lot more than just a trend from bygone days.

It’s a snapshot of the nineties and noughties. A time before Instagram, before blue ticks on WhatsApp and the non-stop deluge of information. And if, like me, you were born in the eighties, every now and again you’ll be reminded that we are the last generation who don’t need to google things like ‘cassette recorder’, ‘floppy disc’, ‘discman’ and ‘T9’ simply because we grew up with them.

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LAQUAN SMITH SS19 PHOTO IMAXTREE

Nevertheless, hipster jeans leave me wallowing in nostalgia and remind me of icons like Aaliyah, Britney Spears (pre-2007 meltdown), Jennifer Lopez, who used to represent something when she was still J.Lo, an exciting new Shakira, Mariah Carey the way we would like to remember her, the fantastic Destiny’s Child, feisty Charlie’s Angels Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu, Gisele Bündchen, Tyra Banks and oh my god Kate Moss(!). But also Carrie Bradshaw and yes‚ even Paris Hilton when she was still living ‘The Simple Life’.

These celebrities, who we called ‘it’ girls back then, date back to an era that was defined in part by its exclusivity and when icons were still shrouded in mystery. By the way, you don’t have to agree with my personal list, the fact is that they represented an era that is on the brink

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of being referenced in fashion once again. That means it’s the last decade that hasn’t been cannibalised, perfectly set in scene, disseminated, hyped and flooding our Instagram feeds. And perhaps it was Instagram who contributed to the development of the trend in the first place. Which leads me to the actual icon: the print magazine.

Print media has played no small part in creating icons and trends in a way that we no longer recognise, in our world of blue WhatsApp ticks and Insta-addiction.

It provided exclusivity, elite status. The creators did the interviews, which were only available to read in the magazine itself, published with a photo that no one else was allowed to have, with selected shots from the runway and backstage of that elite cloistered world of fashion.

And if you wanted to stay up to date and informed, you had to go to your nearest newsagent or well-stocked bookstore and hunt out the most important publications. #throwback Those of you who have forgot‑ ten what kind of status a print magazine once had should simply imagine how Instagram works today. It’s an integral part of our world. End of. Every day, every month, every quarter, every year. And yet even while I was still at university, the question of whether print would soon be dead was already being put out there.

Let me answer the question this way: when MTV revolutionised the music industry and life was unthinkable without video productions with million-dollar budgets, radio also lost some of its relevance. But it didn’t die. Whereas MTV, on the other hand …

INTERNATIONAL FASHION TRADE SHOW

January 26 – 28, 2019 Showroom Concept January 25 – 29, 2019 INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOW FOR SHOES & ACCESSORIES

AREAL BÖHLER | DÜSSELDORF GALLERY-DUESSELDORF.COM

We are international order-oriented trade shows for fashion, shoes and accessories with a mix of young and established brands based in Dusseldorf!

March 10 – 12, 2019

AREAL BÖHLER | DÜSSELDORF GALLERY-SHOES.COM