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#BERLIN FASHION WEEK S/S 16
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JULY 8–10 STATIONBERLIN -5-
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„Für Menschen, die sonst nicht zu stoppen sind...“
International brands for contemporary jewellery and watches – www.schmuckraeume-berlin.de -8-
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# I m p r i n t SUPERIOR MAGAZINE Lychener Strasse 76, 10437 Berlin www.superior-mag.com connection@superior-mag.com Publisher
SUPERIOR Publishing UG (haftungsbeschränkt) Lychener Strasse 76, 10437 Berlin
FOUNDERS & PARTNERS Tom Felber, Marc Huth Chief Editor V.i.S.d.P. Tom Felber / tom@superior-mag.com Chief Editor SUPERIOR MAGAZINE BERLIN Lola Fröbe / lola@superior-mag.net CREATIVE Director Franziska Raue / franziska@superior-mag.com fashion Consultant Simon Heeger / simon@superior-mag.com Editors Carla Follesa, Sarah Weyers, Victoria Richter, Laura Sodano, Marlene Charissé PHOTOGRAPHER Julian Martini Editorial Department editors@superior-mag.com Advertising advertising@superior-mag.com PR Management press@superior-mag.com
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COVER: JULIAN ZIGERLI Show Photo by Julian Martini
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IF YOU
DO IT RIGHT 8 – 10 July 2015 Berlin Postbahnhof
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IT WILL LAST FOREVER
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IT WILL
LAST FOR EVER IF YOU DO IT RIGHT
8 – 10 July 2015 Berlin Postbahnhof
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# Editorial Dear Berlin Fashion Week lovers, It’s already a habit, that after BERLIN FASHION WEEK we come out with a SUPERIOR DIGITAL BFW Special. In this special issue you find on more than 100 pages many show reports and interviews and of course lots of photos from MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK BERLIN shows, fittings and backstage as well as our visits at the trade fairs GREENSHOWROOM & ETHICAL FASHION SHOW BERLIN and PREMIUM and last but not least the JOHNY DAR show. Many thanks to the hard working SUPERIOR MAGAZINE team of Anna-Lena, Carla, Elena, Evelyn, 2 x Franziska, Julian, Laura, Marlene, Nina, Sarah and Victoria who made our ONLINE show reporting and the DIGITAL Special possible. Enjoy our SUPERIOR DIGITAL BFW Special... Best, Tom & Marc & Lola (our new SUPERIOR MAGAZINE Berlin chief editor) and the whole SUPERIOR MAGAZINE team
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ZALANDO FASHION HOUSE
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AFRICA FASHION DAY BERLIN X PREMIUM
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GREENSHOWROOM & ETHICAL FASHION SHOW BERLIN JOHNY DAR -INSPIRED BY ME LOVING YOU -18-
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BERLIN FASHION WEEK S/S 16 SPECIAL MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK BERLIN S/S 16
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PORTRAITS @ BFW BY JULIAN MARTINI
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ZALANDO FASHION HOUSE For the first time, in collaboration with leading contemporary fashion talent platform NOT JUST A LABEL, ZALANDO presented an alternative format to showcase fashion and cross-creativity during Berlin Fashion Week - ZALANDO FASHION HOUSE. As a perfect environment they choose Kaufhaus Jandorf, a former department store from 1901, only a few tube stops away from Brandenburger Tor, the location of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin.
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text CARLA FOLLESA | photos JULIAN MARTINI
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Twice a year, Berlin Fashion Week enchants German capital Berlin and transforms it into an even more vibrant, exciting city full of fashionistas. Despite the shows and trade fairs, there are countless events to discover throughout the whole city with all it’s different areas in the hippest and most special locations you can imagine. While at night exclusive parties and events took place, ZALANDO FASHION HOUSE was accessible to fashion lovers, experts, students and everyone else interested during the day. Amongst the exhibition of selected brands by NOT JUST A LABEL and pieces of their collections the multifaceted program offered workshops and symposia talking all things fashion as well as exclusive previews and fashion film screenings. By offering such a varied program and opening it’s doors to anyone interested in fashion, ZALANDO FASHION HOUSE is a great spot to get together as well as an exciting new venue added to the Berlin Fashion Week circus.
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AFRICA FASHION DAY BERLIN X PREMIUM When it comes to African-inspired fashion it’s common for people to look to more established fashion markets like New York, London, Lagos, South Africa, as these areas host the popular African-inspired designers and e-commerce stores. However, with initiatives like Africa Fashion Day Berlin (AFDB), that aim to bring African fashion to a European market, there is the belief that soon, Berlin will be a prominent name on that list of markets.
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text Biki John | photos JULIAN MARTINI
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For Berlin Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016, during the popular international fashion trade show PREMIUM, AFDB featured three designers: Adama Paris, Gloria Wavamunno and Alexandra Tamele. All three designers share a united front regarding supporting African fashion, but use different ways to illustrate what African-inspired designers are capable of in the here and now. For SUPERIOR MAGAZINE Biki John sat down with two of the exhibiting AFDB designers - Adama Paris (AP) and Gloria Wavumunno (GW) - to learn more about the designers and their recent collections. # Where are you from and where are you based currently? AP: I’m from Dakar, Senegal and based in Dakar. GW: I was born in London and live in Kampala, Uganda. # What year did you launch your label? AP: 2002. GW: 2009. # How would you describe your brand’s aesthetic? AP: My upbringing was both European and African, and I like to consider my brand as a bridge connecting these two cultures, so I would describe my label as multicultural. GW: My brand’s aesthetic is constantly evolving. Due to my strong tailoring background, my pieces tend to be structured and tailored. I also like to create simple multipurpose pieces that are versatile. -27-
Beatrace Angut Oola
Founder & Managing Director AFDB
# Who would you say is your typical client? AP: Professional women who appreciate the finer things in life at affordable prices. GW: My pieces largely attract girls who are ‘Coming Of Age ‘and the mature woman. # Due to popular international figures championing African fashion like Michelle Obama, Beyoncé and Lupita Nyong’o, there has been a rise in designers tapping into this niche. What value would you say your brand adds to the market? AP: I like to think my brand shows the range that we Africans have as designers. My label represents the “New African Fashion”; one that isn’t constrained by prints and bold
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Adama Paris
Gloria Wavumunno
color. There are many Africans like myself who are travellers, citizens of the world so to speak, and my collections tap into that.
the heavy embellishment detailing, tulle and use of predominantly pink hues; I wanted to create a collection that’s unashamedly feminine. I also give women the opportunity to layer the pieces, so they can tone down the “Girliness” if they want. For instance, the maxi tunic with slits can be paired with the satin skinny trousers and the powder pink and silver embellished top can be worn with boyfriend jeans and flats. The collection is fluid and open to interpretation by different women, as they so desire.
GW: The value I’m adding through my brand is creating employment for young women interested in pursuing design, crafting and the marketing side of fashion. Also, I’m a single African woman based in Uganda running her business and I hope to empower young women by breaking the popular African stereotype that says to have value as a woman, you must be a mother, a breeder so to speak. # Tell us about your most recent S/S 16 collection and its inspiration. AP: In my most recent collection, I used luxurious fabrics like silk and fashioned them into chic, modern and wearable pieces. With -28-
GW: The title of my collection is I M…P, which can be read to stand for, “I Am Perfection”, or “Imperfection”, depending on how you want to construe the words. I chose to make a play on the words because personally, I don’t like my clothes to be ‘perfect’. However when you look at the detailing of my collection like the tailoring, the deliberate imperfections make it perfect.
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With this collection, I used textures like leather, faux leather and cotton jersey. I also wanted to make a shapely collection, for e.g. with my “Curve-Zip Skirts” where I exaggerate the hips; going back to my Perfection/Imperfection idea, I wanted to show that no matter the size, a woman’s hips are beautiful.
GW: It’s difficult to find fully-qualified and capable people to fill the roles in the company. This can mean from seamstresses to fashion creatives like photographers, to marketing professionals.
# How would you say your hometown influenced your S/S 16 collection?
AP: Well, my team and I work as hard as we can each day, doing the best we can under the circumstances.
AP: My hometown inspired my collection because my starting point was to make pieces for a cosmopolitan African woman who enjoys to go out looking distinct and ladylike. GW: I live in the rural areas of Kampala by the lake, so I was inspired by its landscape. Nature’s colors and textures have an air of imperfect beauty, and that is what I wanted to capture in this collection. The cracks in the leather pieces mimic the lines one sees on a trees’ trunk. The richness of the green earth can be seen in my moss green pieces. I also wanted the silhouette of my clothes to imitate nature; so for example, I translated the softly rounded marshmallow shape of a cloud into the puffy-shaped jackets and tops in my collection.
# How would you say you’ve overcome these challenges?
GW: The lack of fully qualified fashion professionals in Kampala stems from lack of education. I try to overcome this by giving internships at my studio, so for example, we offer seamstresses internships to enhance their skills, and those that rise to a sufficient standard are often retained to work full-time. # What does it mean for you on a professional and personal level to be part of the AFDB initiative?
# Every designer in a large city faces specific challenges common to that area. What obstacles have you faced with running your business in your hometown?
AP: On a personal level, I love to support African fashion initiatives, this is why I’ve supported AFDB from the very beginning of its journey. Professionally speaking, due to AFDB partnering with PREMIUM Exhibitions, it gives designers like myself an excellent opportunity to meet with key buyers and influential press. I’ve been here for two days, and I’ve already had buyers placing orders, and this is great!
AP: I deliberately chose to make my production team Senegal-based and it’s a small team of 12, so keeping up with stock orders can get challenging. Without the workforce power of a large-scale manufacturing company, it also makes it harder to compete with brands on an international scale.
GW: On a personal level, as my collection is not stereotypically ‘African’ in terms of being rich with colorful prints, I’m happy that AFDB embraces how I choose to express myself as an African designer. On a professional level, by being part of AFDB this season, I am appreciative of the press
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and buyers that myself and my label are able to be connected with. Also, with AFDB partnering with PREMIUM Exhibitions, this helps to dispel the negative reputation that African fashion has internationally in the buying market and will hopefully boost its authenticity and value. # Walking around PREMIUM Exhibitions, what are your first impressions? AP: PREMIUM Exhibitions always attracts extraordinary brands, walking through the vast exhibition space, I’m always impressed by the range of high-quality designs on display. As a woman, I just want to buy everything I see here! GW: I love the fact that it gives each brand on display the creative freedom to express their vision in their stall space. Also, the organization and co-ordination on PREMIUM team’s part is truly outstanding.
GW: To expand my studio and employ a large variety of artists working in a space, creating good quality garments from Kampala. # Finally, can you tell us what exciting projects you are working on at the moment? AP: I launched Fashion Africa TV a year ago, and we show in dozens of African countries. Right now, I’m working hard to ensure we show in even more countries. GW: I’m the founder of Kampala Fashion Week, our partners are LDJ Productions from New York. This year will mark our second season. Kampala Fashion Week starts on 14th November and I’ll be showing there with designers from London, Kampala and Rwanda.
# Currently, where can your pieces be bought? AP: ADAMA PARIS is stocked in stores in New York, Paris and parts of Africa like Dakar and Cotonou. GW: For now my pieces can be bought in a boutique in Kampala called Bold. My pieces also sell on the African e-store, Jumia. Currently, I’m having talks with a few online stores, so expect my pieces to be available from more online stores. # What are your future goals for your brand? AP: For this year, the goal is to consolidate the efforts and strides we’ve been making in Asia. -30-
BIKI JOHN
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ALEXANDRA TAMELE
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DESIGNER FOR TOMORROW Again the fashion talent award "Designer for Tomorrow" was one of the most important events of this season’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. Five emerging fashion talents went through the supporting program of Peek & Cloppenburg and its online shop Fashion ID for months, worked on their collections and hoped to win the coveted award. It's a tradition that the award is hosted by a famous patron from the fashion industry. After Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney and Tommy Hilfiger this year US designer Zac Posen provided his support to the five international finalists.
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text Laura Sodano & Lola FrĂśbe | photos JULIAN MARTINI
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In the end German fashion talent Mareike Massing convinced the jury. She will now anticipate a sustainable, individual sponsorship program which will culminate in her first solo fashion show to be held in July 2016 in Berlin. For last year's winner Matteo Lamandini has changed a lot since he won the Designer for Tomorrow award 2014. He travelled all over the world to have a look into the different parts of the global fashion industry. Besides a trip to New York, where he visited the show of the patron from 2014, Tommy Hilfiger, Lamandini also went through an internship at Hilfiger's studio in Amsterdam in order to gather practical experience from Hilfiger's design team. Back in Berlin, whereto he has moved now, Matteo Lamandini presented his first solo collection in the beginning of the Designer for Tomorrow show at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. "Tristesse Contemporaire" looks at the world with the eyes of a child. Inspired by the typical clothing of the 1940s and 50s the collection comes with a great retro attitude. Braces, Bermuda shorts and checked patterns build the main focus of the collection. Short sleeved shirts complete the looks. For the first time Lamandini has also created pieces for women by transforming his distinctive male focused design for the female body. But it's not just his new collection that makes the young design talent proud. Moreover, Matteo Lamandini has designed a jacket for Tommy Hilfiger, which will be available as a limited edition at Peek & Cloopenburg and Fashion ID this fall.
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Matteo Lamandini WINNER 2014
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Mareike Massing
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This year's winner Mareike Massing graduated in 2013 from the HTW in Berlin. The German up-and-coming fashion talent presented a collection highly influenced by Alma Mahler-Werfel, wife of the famous German artist Gustav Mahler. Since this woman is described as a strongly inconsistent character Mareike focused on the idea of contrasts for her collection. A mixture of different fabrics and materials are as striking as the combination of black and white – the main colors of her design and the most visual contrast that can be set. Moreover Mareike check patterns bring dynamic into the looks. By modeling the fabric itself Mareike finally creates pieces based on an interplay of expressive quality and soft shapes at the same time. In the end the jury was convinced by her clean cuts and great know how of crafting. Mareike was speechless considering her success. She will now go though a talent program that gives her a detailed look into the fashion industry and all the support she will need to create her first solo collection, which will be shown at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin in 2016. Congratulations, Mareike!
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Victoria Irving But there were four other nominees hoping to win the award. One of them was Victoria Irving. The design aesthetic of the London based fashion designer is much about classical and wearable looks with a quite commercial concept behind it. Victoria, who came to London in 2013 and founded her own brand in February 2015, does not want "to reinvent the wheel". For her it's more about creating timeless looks, that women really want to wear. For Designer for Tomorrow she followed her personal working progress and developed her design on base of a minimalistic elegance with a focus on special details. Even if the ruffles and bows might remind on the era of rococo, it's not Victoria's objective to create looks around a special topic. Instead of being influenced by the outside, she wants to concentrate more on the pieces themselves. Hence she describes her work like an organic process than a strict concept.
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Nicola Martin Garcia The Columbian-American designer Nicola Martin Garcia lives in Rome and has just worked for famous labels as Dolce e Gabbana. His collection “Lolito” inspired by Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita” and the movies of the French filmmaker Francois Truffaut does completely differ from the work he did for the Italian brand. By presenting colorful and voluminous looks Nicola Martin Garcia wants to bring a change into the common menswear styles. “The classical is dead“, he notes and points out how important it is to him as a finalist at Designer for Tomorrow to show new and innovative ideas of style – and gender. Since traditional gender images start to transform in many ways “the kind of being genderless“ is the big inspiration for Garcias collections. After London and Milan, Berlin is the third city, where the designer showed his “Lolito” looks.
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Oksana Anilionyte “It’s all about the women and femininity”, marks the Lithuanian designer Oksana Anilionyte. Fashion that represents the diversity of “being female” in different shapes, textures and colors is the main focus of the London based designer, who did her bachelor at the London Fashion college and is now studying at the Royal College of London. Oksana showed her Bachelor collection at Designer for Tomorrow. Therefor she got her inspiration from Michelangelo Antonioni’s films from the 1960s, which are famous not only for their wide range of emotion but also their influence on the surrounding architecture. By adapting the typical clean, American patterns from the 1960s and combining it with her self-made prints Oksana created some kind of a “New wave pattern cutting”, that is very colorful and conceptional at the same time. Each pieces was modulated like an artwork when big parts of fabrics are stitched in a way that forms a sculpture.
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Syed Shahid Nisar With a quite serious message comes the collection of the fifth finalist Syed Shahid Nisar. The Pakistani designer graduated in 2014 at the Kingston University in London. Before he worked for several years in the textile industry in Pakistan, where he got his textile design background. Nisar’s collection for Designer for Tomorrow deals with the political and social issues that society is facing because of the radicalization of religion today. “Shrouds” turns against the misinterpretation of the Holy Scripture, when using lines from this text as an embroidery form and element of structure on Nisar’s garments. Especially the claim “If you kill one human soul, you will kill the whole humanity” appears like the big claim of the collection. By knotting, wrapping and twisting Nisar creates not only something new but also very distinctive and sculptural looks with a really dark attitude. The covered faces relate inevitably to the topic of death that seems to be all around in this days. Even if Syed did not win the award this year, his collection appeared to be most striking with a strong reference to contemporary art. -54-
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GREENSHOWROOM & ETHICAL FASHION SHOW BERLIN Being the biggest platform in Europe for 160 exhibitors, GREENSHOWROOM and ETHICAL FASHION SHOW BERLIN opened their doors for visitors, buyers, press and labels during the BERLIN FASHION WEEK last week and again made a clear statement on how many choices a consumer has to live a sustainable lifestyle.
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text SARAH WEYERS photos Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images + MESSE FRANKFURT
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Opening the trade show the morning of July 8ths, Christian Adelsberger, Head of Purchasing at KASTNER & Ă–HLER kick-started the shows with a talk about the current role of eco-fashion in the retail industry. Many ware houses still doubting the positive influence “greenâ€? fashion could have on their retail environment, Adelsberger reputed the skepticism of eco-fashion downgrading the rest of the presented assortment, since, as he said, a consumer never thinks in categories. It is much rather a gain of thought and idea that is put onto the retail floor. For a consumer the fashion aspect is always the most important aspect when it comes to buying a product and sustainability is an add-on. So the big step the fashion industry has already taken is very important and needs to be appreciated, since, also looking at the designers that showed their new collections, have made major progress.
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Adelsberger also spoke about the fear of not selling eco-fashion due to their higher price, but he explained that the good feeling, shopping experience and fun the consumer has when buying fair-trade and eco-friendly products is mostly big enough to overcome the price. He added that fair trade fashion should be residing in the premium segment, since the price-sensibility is already given for consumers. He added that educated sales representatives are an important factor when it comes to the presentation at the point of sale, because costumers have questions about the transparency, the chain of production, the material and answering these questions correctly and patiently is the first step to sensitize the consumer for eco-fashion.
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Young labels such as the Swiss brand CARPASUS presented their line of classic button down shirts for men for the first time. Creating high-end and fashion for men that is wearable for the long term, they don’t only cover the time aspect of sustainability, but also use organic cotton. Giving the consumer the opportunity to follow a code that is sewn into the shirt and see where the product was manufactured and who worked on it, the relationship to a piece of clothing changes completely. Being 139€ a shirt, the brand is placed in the premium segment and can, as Adelsberger had explained before, sell to costumers who have a certain pricing sensibility. Introducing young designers as JAN ‘N JUNE, the GREENSHOWROOM gives room to new labels such as the two German women from Hamburg. Having graduated from the Academy of Fashion and Design together, the two now create fashionable eco-clothing that is as affordable as it is “green”. Clean designs and edgy looks are very popular in their online store, the two explain, because it fills a gap for many young women who are seeking eco-fashion that meets their idea of style. Another business model was introduced by “GOODSOCIETY”, who give away 25% of all income to charitable organizations, such as the S.A. Foundation in Canada that works with victims of sex slavery. The denim for men is CO2 neutral and vegan and one pair of jeans costs about 140€. Due to the minimal use of marketing tools and advertising, the brand can produce in Italy, give one forth of the income away to charity and still exist, which makes the consumer question horrendous prices of many products that neither work in Europe, nor are socially active at all. Having a full schedule including the popular GREENSHOWROOM Salonshow and debuting with the runway show of the ETHICAL -60-
FASHION SHOW BERLIN, also Stefan Siegel from NOT JUST A LABEL gave an insight on his idea of sustainability in the luxury industry, panel discussions and seminars were held during the three days. Breaking every record with more visitors and exhibitors and therefore also more space than ever before, GREENSHOWROOM as well as ETHICAL FASHION SHOW BERLIN proved that the popularity of a sustainable lifestyle is growing consistently.
SALONSHOW One of the highlights of Berlin Fashion Week is always the GREENSHOWROOM Salonshow, that features sustainable high fashion. Presenting 63 outfits from 25 brands, the show was packed with many different styles, colors and silhouettes. Long existing labels, such as LANIUS from Cologne, showed many different styles with 12 outfits. LANIUS had one of the biggest booths at the fair as well, being able to present the great range of their collections. Also young designer, such as the label AUDIANE COJEANE, who has been awarded with the LVMH price “Young Talent” in 2015, presented their very unique style in three outfits and showed how special-looking and edgy “green” fashion can be. Upcycling was also an important aspect at the fair, as well as during the show, as the Finnish slow fashion designer Tytti Thusberg showed her handmade design at the show. Many classic designs were mixed with contemporary, modern looks and proved the great variety of sustainable fashion. The AVEDA styling team created looks fitting the outfits and the loud, electronic music underlined the young atmosphere of the show.
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ETHICAL FASHION ON STAGE Debuting the first runway show of ETHICAL FASHION SHOW BERLIN, expectation among press, exhibitors, labels and visitors were high. Opening the show with male models in nothing but underwear, the show started very differently than expected and created a modern, young and almost wild image of eco-fashion. The Swiss underwear label WONDERLANDS dressed their male models in only underwear and bow ties and impressed with a brave presentation as well as the story behind the label: Cooperating with many charitable organizations from around the world and creating fashion using fabrics that are almost not affecting the environment at all, the fashion aspect is still as important. Another label was STUDIO JUX, who worked with many different trends and emphasized the possibilities fair trade and ecologically friendly produced fashion has: the many different styles assure that the boring or simple image of eco-fashion has been proved wrong a long time ago. MUD JEANS introduced many different denim styles for men and women and were therewith along HEMPAGE and WONDERLANDS the only labels to show collections for men on the runway. Very feminine and stylish fashion was presented by LANA and MARION KRACHT FOR LANA, sticking to their style and taste and convincing the audience of easy and flowing fashion perfect for the upcoming summer season. The young and hip music provided by JOY WELLBACH completed the first ETHICAL FASHION ON STAGE and wiped away every doubt of the dusted image of eco-fashion. The overall conclusion: The show could have not been more successful than it was. -62-
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NOT JUST A LABEL – AUTHENTIC LUXURY – A DECADE OF TRANSFORMATION Stefan Siegel, founder of NOT JUST A LABEL, held an interesting presentation of the company’s idea of sustainability in the luxury industry, being the first in the long program of GREENSHOWROOM and ETHICAL FASHION SHOW BERLIN this July. Siegel explained the company’s work and introduced the audience to a concept of cooperation between classic traditional manufactures and young designers from all over the world. Starting with describing and explaining the developments mega cities such as Dubai have made within the last couple of years. Siegel brought a focus to a different kind of planning of cities. One example for those changes is Williamsburg in New York, where a less fashionable pat of Brooklyn somehow became the most popular and crowded part of the city for young artists. Since creative people often times struggle to live of their art, Williamsburg developed to be a melting pot of designers, artists, painters and the creative, because rent was as affordable as living and selling was. Prices and values of apartments have almost quadrupled. The margin was and is often times too high, so now the Dubai mall, which by now is the most visited tourist attraction with 85 million people, developed a new concept for young designers. The labels can go directly to the store and sell their product to the costumer. Now NOT JUST A LABEL part is to create a connection between classic manufactures and young designers. One struggle in producing ethically and ecologically correct often times is the loss of expertise and the lack of quality, when creating in huge factories with underpaid workers. Some processes need special attention and experience, Siegel -64-
explained, and told a story of a guided tour through an Italian shoe-manufacturing atelier, when a journalist explained she never thought shoes were made the way the sewer did. Taking about 16 hours a pair, the back of the shoe is treaded specially so that the feet won’t blister. Now this is where the problem starts: Cheap production and unqualified factories and underpaid workers simply don’t have the capacity to put this much effort into a single pair of shoes, which, due to a research among young British people Siegel mentioned, should not cost more than £9. Also, the problem with cooperating with traditional manufacturers in for example Northern Italy is the impossible communication due to the lack of websites, language skills and overall communication. Working with this heritage the small ateliers have is dying, because the question remains: How is a young, for example, Ukrainian designer going to get in touch with a sewer company of five in Italy? Not at all. Until now: NOT JUST A LABEL had the vision of hosting a trade bringing 100 designers from all over the world into a pavilion and have them work right next to heritage manufacturers. This way they could overcome any political difficulty and work with their art and not their status or origin. The designers that are in the portfolio of NOT JUST A LABEL have the possibility to present their work in a digital tool that allows a quick look at their style, their education and their products; press and sales can contact them as well as costumers and with this personal relationship they can build to their costumers, they can even create a product that is designed for the need and wish of the consumer. This is the first way of buying luxury fashion online in this special way. It creates a different kind of relationship for the consumer to the product, because he or she knows exactly who designed, made, fabricated and sent the product to them, where
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the designer graduated from and every other needed information. The rate of return is only 3%, which is a sign of the shopping experience the consumer has – and that many people are longing for. 70% of the money the transaction evokes then goes straight to the pocket of the designer, which ensures a stable lifestyle and the difference that is made in the life of the young designers. NOT JUST A LABEL also promotes schools and graduates by streaming graduate shows from fashion schools all over the world, such as the renowned Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Beginning as a Start-Up without any investors, the company started in a decade of transformation. With the constant availability of information, the longing for authenticity as well as the questioning of marketing strategies has exploded within the last couple of years. The clash of old and new makes the consumer look at the way things work and have worked and inevitably also question the luxury market: How much of the money for a product is actually put into the item I buy and how much is spent on marketing tools and advertising strategies? Siegel explains that the consumer wants authenticity in a product; something they can relate to. And “Not just a label” can provide exactly that. One example of a successful cooperation was a young Australian artist NJAL featured on their website. The pink haired artist was portrayed drawing, editing and sewing a garment and Stefan Siegel explained that pop star Lady Gaga took her on a world tour with her to work on her costumes. Now the young women is the face of HP – a company she has nothing to do with. And the goal the technology firm HEWLETT PACKARD is probably not to promote a brave sense of clothing, but to gain authenticity. With the change of individuality, one example that was brought on was the change -65-
from luxury hotels to the lately developed consumer preference of boutique hotels or even private apartments rented out through apps like “AirB’nB” and Siegel draws a parallel to the fashion industry. Being individual has become much more interesting than the concept of fast fashion and again, a study from Great Britain supports the statement. The so called “Fashion Bulimia” has been overtaking the country, meaning that on average a fashion item is worn 4 times, while 85% of the waste that is created is not recycled. The change of the value change is to blame, Siegel says, because young people have no idea how much a pair of shoes, for example, should cost. They don’t know about the circumstances in South East Asian factories or child labor or the manufacturing of clothes. One start to making a change is telling the story to explain the value and the price of items, as well as cooperating with other industries to keep the products in a good shape. Therefore, NOT JUST A LABEL have been working closely with AEG, to look at the process of taking care of the end product holistically. The “Edited Life”, the process of empowerment to write the story of our lives completely individually, is the future. So creating individuality by supporting artists in the fashion industry is the vision and work of NOT JUST A LABEL.
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JOHNY DAR inspired by me loving you This Fashion Week Berlin JOHNY DAR presented his Spring/Summer 2016 ready-to-wear collection – “inspired by me loving you”– in the courtyard of his new gallery in Friedrichstrasse. Alluring and daring, playing with texture and tone, the new Dar collection emanates luxury and elegance with seductive sense of glamour permeating every look.
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text TOM FELBER | photos JULIAN MARTINI
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Click to watch Video of the Show
The new Johny Dar collection features a rich range of intricate designs all exuding a smoldering sense of avant-garde fabulousness that only Dar can deliver. Slick, seductive and cohesive – the line features the unmistakable Johny Dar signature look of constructed pieces mixed with semi-transparent printed fabrics in delightfully desirable and wonderfully wearable styles. Italian silk chiffon and satin mixed with cork and leather, and constructed jackets and corset dresses that summon the super heroine to life. Soft, flowing full-length gowns inspire more subtly seductive elegant expressions. Skin-tight body suits teamed with semitransparent printed dresses impose the silhouette and simultaneously veil it, invoking the sensuality of the wearer, inviting her to reveal as much or as little as she feels flowing from one moment to the next. Pomegranate-red and golden-rose snakeskin and spidery black weave print in a range -67-
of cuts from jumpsuits to mini dresses, and combinations of black mesh, fat black zippers, leather and silk fusions and dynamic innovations in constructed design surprise the senses and redefine the body. Vibrant pomegranate red and neon orange and pink prints made from Dar’s original hand-drawn art brought dynamic splashes of color to the line and the metropolitan scenery.
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JOHNY DAR GALLERY
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INTERVIEW: SOPOPULAR ALEXANDRA TAMELE JULIAN ZIGERLI ANNELIE SCHUBERT BOBBY KOLADE AUGUSTIN TEBOUL MARINA HOERMANSEDER SAMMLER BERLIN
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text VICTORIA RICHTER photos JULIAN MARTINI
SOPOPULAR With simple, geometrical and clear-cut styles meeting high-quality fabrics, menswear label SOPOPULAR has generated it's own distinctive style. We met Daniel Blechman, the creative head behind SOPOPULAR before the presentation of his Spring/ Summer-Collection 2016 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. # Daniel, SOPOPULAR has established itself as a successful fashion brand in the last years. What can we expect from the new collection? A development. I dared to do something more, I did some elaborated designs, partly with the use of untypical materials and colors. In this collection black provides it's staying power, but there is also some cream, white and olive in it. Furthermore, it is still about layering and the use of cut-outs, asymmetry and straightness. In addition to that, there are some woolen-pieces with threads, which are inspired by deconstruction.
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# So where did you take your inspiration from? I went to an exhibition, where sculptures made from threads were to see, so I got the idea of deconstruction. In addition to that, I am still inspired by architecture and Japanese material arts. # There is a co-operation with Palladium. What is it about? I designed boots for Palladium. It's a traditional brand and I like tradition, but I think, today it's possible to break up traditions a bit and provide tradition with a touch of modernism. To work with Palladium was easygoing, the Palladium collaborators are very friendly, who understand my aesthetic. So there was the typical Palladium boot with it's sole that can't be modified and I thought about a design I could create to make those boots look like a more fashioned Palladium.
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My new collection is about hook and loop fasteners and boundaries, so this is what I made out of it; Palladium boots which can be worn by people with an avant-garde style. Those shoes are available in light grey, black and olive and could be worn with jeans or even with a suit. They are adaptable and combinable to a lot of different styles. But they are limited, up to 1000 pairs, worldwide. # The new collection seems more colorful than the other ones, but there is still a lot of black. What do you have to be mindful for, when working with black? When you work with a lot of black, you have to pay attention to the details. And there are a lot of other possibilities: You can mind the material, play with cuts, styles and with the fit. # You mentioned materials - which one do you use? I am really into all kinds of cotton, no matter whether it's pure, coated or waxed. Besides this there are knits and for the first time coated linen to find, but also leather. Contrary to the generally trend, I really like to use real leather in preference to fake leather. And I know where all used materials come from and where they are sewn together. We produce here in Germany and slightly in Poland. # What kind of men wear your fashion? I really like characters. I don't like the typical beau's, earlier I worked a lot with tattooed guys, with bad boys. But for now I like strong, expressive men. And even though SOPOPULAR is not a unisex-label, I think that also strong women could wear some of the pieces. -78-
# In Interviews you are always asked about music. What do you currently listen to? I love music, these days I really love the new album from Marilyn Manson. But I also rummaged around in some old stuff like Bush, The Vines, Arctic Monkeys and the older 30 Seconds To Mars records. # How do you see the fashion-development in Berlin, especially for young designers? The designs and ideas are getting better and better, but it's sad to see that the support is missing, although there are establishments like Berliner Mode Salon. It's tough, because fashion here doesn't get enough attention, especially for men's labels are rarely diffused. # So what would you advice to young fashion designers? Endurance is of greatest importance. It's necessary to have a deep passion because there will be a lot of pressure and problems, which you have to get through. And you have to realize, that it's not only about creativity. Fashion business is a very tough business. # And how did you get through this? I had a lot of lessons to learn. There were very bad days, so you have to be strong. A narrow and good circle of friends and family is really important to keep you up. And at least: Always think positive! # Thanks you very much for the interview.
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text NINA SCHMIDT photos JULIAN MARTINI
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ALEXANDRA TAMELE How does it look when Berlin and Mozambique clash from a fashion point of view? Young AFRICA FASHION DAY BERLIN designer ALEXANDRA TAMELE showed it on the first day of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin: A casual and urban streetwear collection comes to existence, playing with traditional African patterns and fabrics without making them the main point of the collection. Bright earth-tones mixed with apricot and some white, combined with loose-fitting shirts and pants – that's everything you need to design a collection which is simple on the one hand and rich in detail on the other. One of these details for example was a typical African, red patterned fabric, of which Tamele designed a light coat. The pattern also appeared on other pieces in a more hidden way, for example on the back of a plain, taupe shirt or on the collar and pockets of an apricot colored coat.
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Alexandra Tamele’s logo, the tiger head, was also used in different variations – largely printed on a grey shirt or on the side seam of a baggy-like jogging pants. This was not the only hip-hop reference in Tamele’s collection: she combined an orange vest to a mudcolored oversize dress with the tiger-head print. On top, all models wore white sneakers. „I tried to re-interpret the style of the 80ies and 90ies and Miami’s old-school hiphop-scene. I think, I nailed it“, says Tamele about her show. She definitely did. Her Spring/Summer 2016 collection is fresh, young and urban. She reflects the spirit of the AFRICAN FASHION DAY BERLIN, which stands for fashion that is inspired by African styles and global trends.
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text Carla Follesa photos JULIAN MARTINI
JULIAN ZIGERLI JULIAN ZIGERLI’s shows are always kind of different. One time his models are doing yoga, the other time he shows his collection in the form of a theatre performance in an old silent film cinema. This season at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, Zigerli sent plastic rain capes to his guests and announced the offside location 24 hours earlier via SMS. On Wednesday around 8:30 pm, the historical “Geschichtspark” close to Berlin central station was filled with a good bunch of people mostly dressed in black and white, waiting for the show to begin, when the first boys appeared and started walking past the crowd – in flipflops and carrying portable loudspeakers.
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Minimalist tone-in-tone two-pieces took turns with all-over printed shirts and matching shorts as well as colorfully painted trousers and sweatshirts. However, contrasts were not only visible in the looks but also in the different moods the pieces embodied. While some seemed playful and romantic there was something twisted and gloomy about other pieces. Together with the grassy spots and heart shaped sunglasses, the boys made for a serious and sporty yet playful union.
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text Laura Sodano photos JULIAN MARTINI
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ANNELIE SCHUBERT Annelie Schubert was this year’s up-andcoming design talent, who was invited by Mercedes Benz and ELLE to present her collection for the upcoming spring/summer season 2016. The Berlin based fashion designer, who graduated from the art college Weißensee has just won this year’s “Première Vision Award” at the 30th “International Festival of Fashion and Photography” in Hyeres, one of the very important prices for newcomers in the fashion industry. To give an example: Famous design names and labels like Victor & Rolf or Henrik Vibskov were honored with the award, as well. Since 2014 also Chanel is involved into the festival and icon Karl Lagerfeld himself is named as patron for the event. Schubert’s collection was inspired by the apron. By using a great mix of materials that range from heavy wool fabrics to soft and see-through organza, the 28-year old designer transformed the classical item into something completely new. Especially her preference for clean cuts and sculptural elegance appeared as distinctive for her design. -86-
Moreover voluminous draperies, box-shaped tops and peplums bring androgyny to the female silhouette and keep her soft appearance at the same time. A range of subtle earth tones completed the design. Just the usage of fur appeared as an aspect to discuss about. Annelie Schubert, who looks back to one of the most exciting years in her life, is proud and thankful to be part of the Mercedes-Benz and ELLE supporting program for young fashion talents. For 20 years now Mercedes-Benz engages in fashion all over the world. Currently the brand is involved in about 50 fashion platforms in more than 40 countries, e.g. Spain, Japan, China, Turkey and Germany. But it’s not only about style and passion that bonds the global car brand to the fashion industry. The engagement in the upcoming Green Carpet Challenge from Eco-Age in London shows their care for sustainability and eco friendly production, that has become more and more important over the years. An aspect, which was also presented with the new Mercedes-Benz car at this Fashion Week season.
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The cooperation with ELLE seems a logical conclusion since the magazine is one of the most important key influencers for fashion published in more then 90 countries all over the world. With its high fashion competence the magazine is a great partner for young talents, like Annelie Schubert, to establish their reputation in the fashion industry.
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text Marlene Charissé photos JULIAN MARTINI
BOBBY KOLADE After his last show at the famous underground club Berghain, BOBBY KOLADE now presented his Spring/Summer collection 2016 for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin in “Sophiensälen” in Berlin-Mitte. Usually, the premise functions as a theater and so all the guests had to sit in the theater ranks while the photographers took pictures from the back of the stage. Silver tinsel was scattered all over the black floor. Then the models walked on a zigzag trail across the stage. The collection is colorful and diverse just as one would expect from BOBBY KOLADE. Bright yellow, navy blue, green, wine red, orange and cream white are paired with shiny silver. He uses his typical fabric, made from tree bark, and combines it with wool, silver fabric and cotton materials. Blouses provided with laser cuts and only one sleeve, are open on the back and held by a golden ribbon. He let the top of an overall fall down and used the armholes as pockets. Suddenly, in the middle of the show, the lights went down. A model completely shrouded by a transparent dark blue veil stood in the spotlight. -88-
Particularly striking is the fusion of a silver jumpsuit and a bright blue blazer. Both trouser legs, but only one side of the upper part, are made like an overall. The other side of the upper part merges into a blue blazer. The shoes are reminiscent of Maison Margiela boots in silver and white with quadrangular broad heels. As jewelry the models wore a shiny convex lens-shaped pendant hanging on a golden ring around their neck. Their hair was partly braided in cornrows incorporating colorful ribbons and partly creped. As eye makeup BOBBY KOLLADE decorated his models with self-adhesive tattoos, which matched the silver tinsel. BOBBY KOLADE is one of the most promising fashion designers in German fashion. His awareness of sustainable and fair manufacturing processes and this year's show confirm this once again. At the end of the show all the models threw silver tinsel in the air like the celebration of a great victory with BOBBY KOLADE as their great victor.
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AUGUSTIN TEBOUL
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photos JULIAN MARTINI
text Laura Sodano photos JULIAN MARTINI
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MARINA HOERMANSEDER The Austrian fashion designer Marina Hoermanseder was definitely one big winner of this Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin. The young design talent has just founded her label in 2013 after graduating from ESMOD BERLIN International University of Art for Fashion. But the overwhelming interest in her show on the last day of this season’s Fashion Week made it clear: This woman has just turned into a big name, yet. Her design is as extraordinary as it is distinctive. Hoermanseder transforms orthopedic corsets from the 18th century into contemporary looks, which range between art and fetish. Especially the unconventional and partly excessive usage of leather bands just established the typical look of Marina Hoermanseder and raised not only the interest of the fashion crowd but also of famous artists like Lady Gaga. For spring/summer 2016 the Berlin based designer presented a collection much more romantic than ever before. Inspired by costumes (“Trachten”) and garments from the Australian-Hungarian era of monarchy a -92-
number of leather flowers and leather elements in the appearance of lace turned the cool and sexy looks of Hoermanseder into something very soft and female. Moreover lace, puff sleeves and a focus on the waist completed this impression. So did the soft and pastel colors, e.g. rose, nude, mint and lilac. In contrast to earlier collections the design itself appeared more wearable. It seems that the young design talent is preparing for a much greater audience. Nevertheless her hand writing is still distinctive and the specialty often lies in the details. Something that finally becomes clear by a closer look on the accessory items and bags the designer presented for the upcoming spring/summer season as well. Hoermanseder herself seemed highly amazed on her new style, since she never thought, that she could be inspired that much by flowers and spring. And surely the designer will also be very lucky of the great support she gets from the German key influencers in fashion. No one else than editor in chief of the German Vogue and chairman of the German Fashion
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Council, Christiane Arp, has announced to support Hoermanseder to raise her label. By helping her to get in contact with fabric suppliers, purchasers and other parts of the fashion industry, the young fashion talent, who has also studied economics can hope for the famous snowball effect. Moreover collaborations like the one with the sneaker brand Nike and the creation of flight uniforms for Austrian Airlines might be a good step for placing her name in the mind of the public and maybe will once make Marina Hoermanseder as famous as her former mentor Alexander McQueen.
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text Sarah Weyers photos JULIAN MARTINI
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SAMMLER BERLIN The Berlin based label SAMMLER BERLIN just had its runway debut during MercedesBenz Fashion Week Berlin and presented a colorful and feminine collection on a high level. The designer Rebecca Sammler creates, and has since day one, fashion that is wearable for many years, since the style of her collections is as classy as it is timeless. The modern interpretation brings classic aspects into the now. Sammler explains that the use of fur from farm animals such as goats or sheep to her is a natural action, since it would otherwise go to waste. “I think using fur of animals that are used for their meat is a good thing. The animal should be used completely so none will go to waste.” By creating looks that are a modern interpretation of classics, Rebecca Sammler makes sure that her designs can be and will be worn for many years, which also complements the idea of slow fashion and the sustainable aspect to her label.
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Rebecca Sammler’s studio is located in the basement of her impressive SAMMLER BERLIN store in Mulackstrasse. There she works on the designs, she draws and sews. The creative atmosphere of Berlin Mitte’s popular Mulackstrasse is the perfect place for a young designer like her to start her label. The close relationship a consumer forms with a piece of clothing is very different, when he or she is able to see where it comes from, how it is made and especially who designed it and who really made it. The process of manufacturing a piece of clothing can not be unseen in Sammler’s studio, since the combination of the store and the studio downstairs is inevitable to see and feel for anyone who enters SAMMLER BERLIN.
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#AUGUST 2015