x-ray 1.12 EN

Issue 01/2012 . 17th Year . 造 6.90

Blue wonder at the crossroads Turkey on the path to becoming a denim superpower Bye, bye Total Look A change of direction for new menswear Iggy Pop exclusive Belly dancers, nudity and free Berlin Stop the (final!) sale Six voices against helplessness Coverdesign by I ARE UGLY

PEPE SENT THEM.

pepejeans.com

misssixty.com

Editorial

On a Rollercoaster of Emotions There was a time when promoting optimism was an easy task. But most people agree that the sector is facing a very difficult season. The erratic weather conditions are currently as unpredictable as the developments of the global economy.

on the Cover

F

or these reasons, it's worth taking a look at countries that are 'having a pretty good run' at the moment. Interestingly, Turkey - Greece's neighbour - is experiencing higher growth rates than average. It's no accident that the country, whose textile industry is an important pillar of development, is one of the most significant locations for high-quality denim production. We see this as reason enough to put the strengths and opportunities of Turkey under the microscope in a denim special. (Ab Seite 46) .

On page 56, you'll find out where else in Europe the blue heart of production beats.

Speaking of matters of the heart: for Stephan Huber, it was a particular joy to meet and interview one of the heroes of his youth. On page 42, you can read why Iggy Pop is concerned about the future, as well as his association with the Cologne-based label Peng Cesar.

Another focus of the issue deals with 'real men.' Quietly and steadily in recent seasons, there has emerged a global movement of young, avant-garde menswear - with their own labels, a very special look, their own trade shows and their own stores. If you'd like to be involved, you can read more on page 28.

We hope you enjoy this issue.

08 ––

"Talented people will always show what they're capable of."

I ARE UGLY

International denim production is currently experiencing a stormy period. The wind is blowing westward and it's becoming increasingly strong. The cover design of our current issue features a similar energy. Munich-based artist Paul Hintermeier, alias I ARE UGLY, has depicted fabric running through the fingers of one of his signature hand characters. And it isn't an easy fabric as you can see from the sewing machine. Whilst the denim market has constant variables to deal with, business with graphic T-shirts is better than ever. In the cover interview, Paul Hintermeier reports on his success with the design agency FPMD and his big table tees project for Foot Locker Europe. More on this in the interview on page 80.

BREAD & BUTTER BERLIN 18 - 20 JANUARY 2011, DENIM BASE, STAND D13 WWW.FIRETRAP.COM

content

content

42

64

10 ––

08 Editorial 16 Right Now 26 Fairs

so läuft’s

New Menswear Special 28 Man or Mouse? Fashion as men want it 36 "A slowly evolving process" Marco Götz from Drykorn in interview 38 "Buying less, but buying better" Indigo & Cotton from South Carolina 39 "It has paid off" The Capsule fair hits the nail on the head 40 Newcomer Four exciting protagonists in new menswear

42 If You Say A, You Must Say B What Iggy Pop has to do with fashion

Denim Special Türkei 46 Blue City Istanbul The Turkish denim industry shows strong signs

of confidence 52 Collective Know-How Who's who in Istanbul and Izmir 54 "Early on in our development we looked to the global arena."

Mavi in interview 56 Go West Why production in the Mediterranean is attractive once again

58 61

62 64 66 69

Born to be Young? Has the younger generation written off denim?

"Customers are no longer as willing to take risks" The relaunch of Freeman T. Porter For Real Men Alberto ventures into the blue terrain - ADenim Chiemsee Revisited! An iconic brand celebrates their 30th anniversary Come to the Table! The sales potential of table tees Passion for Blue Thomas Wirth's vision for Replay

Lass uns reden

70 74 76

79 80

Stop the (Final) Sale? Five experts on the 'red pen' misery Galloping Straight Ahead Heiner Sefranek from Mustang has made a change "One company, one strategy" The European denim market complains, Pepe Jeans London grows Out of a Niche From a start-up into the denim world - Levi's Made & Crafted We is All Ugly Cover artist Paul Hintermeier on the hand with four fingers

MODE

84 Want it 90 Little Less Conversation New menswear fashion report 98 Indignez vous – Shock Yourselves! Denim fashion report

vor ort

106 108 110 112

114 One Last Thing. Imprint

90

Retail News Gentle Rebellion Greenwich Man Time, Cologne Streetwear Treehouse Good As Gold, New Zealand Inspirational Blue Amsterdams Blauw, Amsterdam 108

spring-summer 2012 preview

freemantporter.com

energie.it

right now

Right Now Text Isabel Faiss, Ina Köhler, Nicolette Scharpenberg Photos Brands

01 Tommy Hilfiger

New CFO

The Tommy Hilfiger Group has appointed Avery Baker as chief marketing officer. Baker was executive vice president of global communications and marketing for over 15 years.

He has been managing the repositioning of the brand in the US since 2006, and has significantly influenced the brand's global image. Baker was responsible for past advertising campaigns such as'The Hilfiger's, 'the'Prep World Tour,'the Thierry Henry sponsorship, and the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Tommy Hilfiger brand. In his new position, he will continue to be responsible for global marketing and communication initiatives, as well as for brand-specific operations of the Tommy Hilfiger Group at their head offices in New York and Amsterdam. www.tommy.com 02

Lacoste Footwear Class Instead of Mass

Lacoste Essential Design is the name of the new line of Lacoste Footwear that will be exclusively available in some 20 to 25 shops in Austria and Germany from autumn 2012. The 'essentials' of the LED line consist of classic elements such as leather, coarse stitching and small details. The design team were influenced by designers such as Eames, Jacobson, Charlotte Perriand and Le Corbusier. Rydal is the flagship of the winter outdoor LED collection, and was inspired by outdoor shoes.

The collection will be introduced at BBB in January 2012 with four new sneakers on offer. www.lacoste.com

03 Levi's

Global ColleCtion

For the autumn/winter 2012/13 season, Levi's is presenting a globally oriented collection for the first time. The idea originates from Levi's design headquarters in San Francisco, and involves a standardised look for all countries around the world. The most significant changes to the men's collection are two new tapered fits for jeans: the 508 (Regular Tapered), and the 520 (Extreme Tapered). Both fits sit low on the hip, have a looser cut, and run slimmer at the bottom. Levi's is also reissuing their non-denim legends from the'60s, from their own Sta-Prest company archive. In the women's collection, Levi's is presenting a new skinny fit as a bootcut variation - the Skinny Boot. It will have two silhouettes - as a skinny stovepipe jean and as a flare - in addition to a number of finishes. www.levi.com

04 Tommy Hilfiger

Disney KIDS‘ Collection

Tommy Hilfiger is presenting a limited Kids' collection with Disney for spring/summer 2012. The sub-collection includes four T-shirts and a jumper for boys with typical Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. Girls will also be able to choose from four T-shirts as well as a dress with Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Ducky, and Dicky. The line is characterised by a special logo, which combines the Tommy Hilfiger logo with Mickey Mouse's famous ears. The collection will be available online in February 2012, in retail and wholesale stores in Europe as well as select stores around the globe. www.tommy.com

16 ––

www.mustang-jeans.com

18-20 January 2012 | Denim Base, Hall: Airfield, Booth: D 33

right now

05 KatwickDistribution

Distribution of Lambretta

The Hamburg distribution agency Katwick Distribution UG is in charge of distribution for the British motor scooter brand Lambretta Clothing in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The Palmercash brand from Idaho, USA, is another newcomer to the brand portfolio - known for their T-shirts which are designed with vintage advertising motifs. "For South Germany, Austria and Switzerland, we are currently in search of distribution partners for our Lambretta, Svensson and Palmercash brands," says managing director Matthias Meyer, who has been developing the agency together with Daniela Dicke since 1998. In addition, Meyer runs his own retail store Baretta in the Schanzenviertel district of Hamburg. At Capsule in Berlin, the agency will be represented alongside the brands Svensson and Palmercash. At Bread & Butter, they'll accompany the brands Chunk and Toonstar. Brand list: Chunk, Dephect, Lambretta Clothing, Svensson, Toonstar, Palmercash, Baretta. www.katwick.de

06 Wrangler Welcome Aboard

Last year, the jeans brand Wrangler welcomed two new employees to their markets in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Since November 2011, Matthias Herrmann has been the sales director of the Wrangler team for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He took over from Christa Overhues, who decided to pursue other ventures. The 47-year-old managing director's most recent position was at Buckles & Belts. Before that, he worked in sales and marketing at Oakley, as well as at Levi Strauss, Germany. He reports to Marc Svojanovsky, sales director Wrangler EMEA. Since August, Hermann's partner has been Christian Beidatsch, Wrangler's marketing manager for German-speaking countries. He works closely with the team in Bornem (Belgium), where he reports to Jeanette Olsen, trade marketing manager EMEA. www.wrangler.com

07 Sixty Group

founder, dies

Wicky Hassan has lost his four-year battle against cancer. He died in Rome on 16 December 2011. Hassan was the founder, creative director and majority shareholder of the Sixty Group. He was 56 years old. "Today we have lost one of the world’s great fashion designers," says Piero Bongiovanni, CEO of Sixty Group. To ensure the continuation of the company, Hassan recently put a new management and design team in place to assist Bongiovanni, his successor. "Wicky was a friend, a visionary, and a man of great values.

He was also a business partner who gave me the privilege of working with him over the past years," says Reanto Rossi, co-founder of the Sixty Group. Other brands produced by the company in Chieti include Miss Sixty, Energie, Killah, Murphy & Nye and Refrigiwear. www.sixty.net

18 ––

08 Adenim Blame it on the weatherman

The chemical additives and the water wasted in the jeans finishing process are currently under fire. The time is ripe for environmentally friendly experiments.

ADenim turned their idea of an all-weather wash into a project. Up to twelve pairs of jeans were laid out on the flat roof of the head office in Mönchengladbach from December 2010 to December 2011. They were exposed to the elements night and day for one year to obtain a natural patina. The roofdestroyed jeans will be used as style models for the ADenim jeans collection, and the partial bleaching by the sun could turn into an interesting trend theme for ADenim. The experiment is proof of the company's innovative spirit and expertise with denim. "We've been fascinated by the destroyed-effect theme for quite some time. We wanted to see what happens to our jeans under extreme conditions; how the colours and fabrics change, "explains Marco Lanowy, managing director of ADenim. www.a-denim.com

right now

11 Fresh

Pop-Up Trade Fair in Cologne

At the beginning of December, at the initiative of Bardia Beigui, for the first time ever the Supreme Agency presented the new idea for a pop-up sales fair for fashion and lifestyle in Cologne-Ehrenfeld. Its name? Fresh – urban.fashion.addiction. The focus of Fresh is casualwear and streetwear, shoes and accessories, as well as collections by young designers and newcomers. Exhibitors included Agenturflux, Big Bufo, Herrenbude, Hongandfriends, Monsieur Courbet, Sales Affairs, Schöngeist and the Supreme Agency, with labels such as Adidas Originals, Ben Sherman, Billabong, Boom Bap, Boxfresh, Denim Demon, Diesel, Element, Herrlicher and Sessun. The sales fair is likely to be held a second time in April 2012. www.fresh-exhibition.de

09 Novomania

Moves to Expo Grounds

Moving to Shanghai's former Expo grounds, Novomania - Asia's premier trade show for denim, sportswear and streetwear - will take place from 7 to 9 March 2012. The exhibitors will have 25,000 square metres to play with, all on one floor. "This opens up new opportunities and brings the brands closer together,"says Uwe Scherer, member of the European Novomania team. The trade show will feature denim, fashion & chic, sport & street, shoes & accessories, contemporary, and real estate - which is an important sector for China. In the'Fashion House' area, participating brands will put their fashions on show. New faces to look out for in Shanghai include Desigual, American Vintage and Custo Barcelona. www.novo-mania.com

10 Mustang

Happy Birthday

To celebrate the company's 80th anniversary, Mustang is launching their own capsule collection. The designers dug out over 5,000 denims from the company's own archives.

The result? An outfit for men and women which consists of a jacket, jeans, a denim shirt and a T-shirt. The men's model is classic: a heavy 14.5 oz. denim that is dyed an ultra-deep indigo. The women's model consists of classic drain-pipe jeans made of stretch denim. The shirts are printed with historical designs from Mustang's history of advertising. The pieces in the collection are limited to 832 items each, include a'limited edition' label, and are lovingly packaged. The collection is sold at select speciality stores as well as at Mustang's own outlets. www.mustang-jeans.com

20 ––

12 Bravado

Promotion

13

The previous sales director of fashion retail for Universal Music Sales, Stefan Sommer, has now additionally been assigned the position of general manager of Bravado Merchandise. He reports to Tom Bohne, senior vice president of Universal Music, who was the acting manager of Bravado. "Stefan Sommer is an experienced manager with good instincts for the fashion and merchandising business," says Bohne.

Stefan Sommer will continue to be responsible for the B2B fashion distribution. He is in charge of key account acquisition, manages the British trend label Amplified, and works with partners to drive forward the development of the marketing agency P4 and the fashion producer Fresh Air. In this position, Sommer reports to Frank Hohenböken, managing director of Universal Music Sales. The Universal Music Group is a global market leader with its own licensor in 77 countries. Bravado is a subsidiary of Universal and a market leader in the merchandising rights of international artists,music and entertainment brands. Bravado has added fashion labels, including Amplified, Rock & Rebellion and Psalm 23. www.bravado.de

At the end of the 2011 German fiscal year, Ralf Meier, head of LTB in Germany, stated that the Turkish brand made a profit of approximately 30 per cent. A large slice of the company's growth can be directly attributed to shops-in-shops, 70 of which were opened in 2011 alone.

LTB Jeans opened a store in Dortmund with a new franchise partner, and more stores are being planned for the future.

The company already have outlets in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dresden, Weiterstadt, Leipzig and Nuremberg - all of which are run by their own internal retail organisation. The extended sales team work from fixed showrooms in Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Munich. The showrooms in Sindelfingen, Offenbach and Leipzig are provisional. A design team focussing on the needs of German customers will be put in place for the Central European market. The never-out-of-stock programme guarantees fast deliveries. LTB will also soon be launching a high-fashion flash programme. www.ltbjeans.com

LTB jeans Expansion

right now

16 kidswear Berlin The Next Try

After trade fair guru Karl-Heinz Müller from Bread & Butter was visibly disappointed last year when he had to withdraw his announcement of the children's fashion fair Kids Camp due to the big brands' lack of participation, another project is in the pipeline that is also fairly daring. Directly after Fashion Week in Berlin, on 8 and 9 July, a new children's trade fair will be launched: Kids' Wear Berlin in Arena Berlin. "The industry is demanding an international children's fashion fair. With Kids' Wear Berlin, we are offering an event next to the trade fair that will present the special'emotionality' of children and their lifestyles in a new way," says Achim Lippoth, founder and director of Kids' Wear Berlin, and publisher of the magazine Kids' Wear. Flexible stand concepts are likely to enable the participation of smaller brands. From July 2012, the trade fair will be held twice a year and will follow the trade fair week in Berlin. www.kidswear-berlin.com

14 M.O.D.

Establishing Store Concepts

The denim label, launched in 2004, is taking further steps towards becoming a brand accessible to anyone. The Dietzenbach-based company has initially developed a flexible store system, which is to be installed for retail partners. The new system has been established as a module and can be flexibly adapted to different spaces. With this, sales manager Rainer Ksoll would like to reach small and medium-sized multi-label retailers in particular. With regard to shop-in-shops, a collaboration with 15 to 20 retailers is planned for 2012. The first store to date is being tested at Underground in Brandenburg. M.O.D. launches four collections annually in staggered delivery dates, and aims to become a lifestyle brand in the long run. www.mod-denim.com 15 ispo

On a Path to Growth

Both the Munich-based ISPO and its Asian counterpart, ISPO Beijing, are growing. The Munich event, which took place from 29 January to 1 February, attracted 2.8 per cent more exhibitors and featured a slightly enlarged exhibition space. In the record-breaking spring of 2011, 2267 exhibitors were listed over an area of 100,000 square metres. Newcomers for 2012 include Black Yak, Eagle Creek, Ecco, Sigg and Nixon. In China, growth is even more dynamic: the number of exhibitors and net space grew by 36 per cent in comparison to the previous year. IPSO Beijing, which was extended by one day due to the high demand (22 to 25 February 2012), has more than 270 registered exhibitors, including new brands such as Deuter, Salomon, Vaude and X-Bionic. As a trendsetter in the Asian sports business, the organisers want to focus on topics such as'action sports' and 'sports style.' Sports style exhibitors include K2 Snowboards, Oakley, Protest, Roxy, and Bogner and Phenix. Alpitec China, a trade fair for mountain and winter sports technology, is also held in cooperation with ISPO Beijing. www.ispo.com, www.ispochina.com, www.alpitec.cn

22 ––

17 Antony Morato

Distribution Expansion

In November 2010, Allessandro Menegon, managing director of Antony Morato, announced that during the course of the European expansion five new agencies would be added to the sales teams for Germany and Austria. "We aim to win over up to 150 customers throughout the next three seasons, from fashion department stores to fashion boutiques. We target the 'ow luxury generation,' consumers who value quality and the perfect fit, as well as a low price," says Menegon. Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are now headed by the fashion agency Arno Przewoznik from Munich. Gayk Fashion Lounge from Düsseldorf is in charge of North Rhine Westphalia, Hesse and Saarland and Rhineland-Pfalz. Their fashion direction comes from Offenbach, while Eyegasm Textilvertriebs GmbH is in charge of Hamburg and Berlin. Andreas Kaltenmarkner from the Salzburg based company Trade Port Fashion is responsible for Austria. Antony Morato Deutschland GmbH has its own showroom in Munich. www.morato.it

18 replay

Innovation on Four Floors

The Italian brand Fashion Box (Replay, Replay & Sons, We Are Replay, Red Seal, White Seal) has added underwear and nightwear for men, women and children to their licensing range. Their licensor is Impetus Portugal Têxteis S.A. "The partnership with Impetus is being established as part of a general brand expansion strategy, which was already successfully launched in the last few years," explains Matteo Sinigaglia, managing director of Fashion Box. Impetus Portugal Texteis has more than 40 years of experience in the production and distribution of underwear. Replay also focuses on innovation in its regular collection. In December, they delivered a capsule collection featuring laser technology.

The inside waistband is embellished with the Replay logo, using a new kind of laser technique. For the first time, in autumn 2011 Replay sponsored the MTV European Music Awards in Belfast. www.replay.it

right now

22 Bench

Concentrated trade show presence

Bench will be attending two trade shows in January. At Bread & Butter, the company will be showing their streetwear and kids' collections. At Bright, they'll be showing their sportswear collection. There, the exhibition area will be larger than it was in July, with an additional 65 sqm. "Berlin will continue to be our main exhibition platform," says Norbert Loew, marketing manager. For the Munich-based Americana GmbH, Bench will also be presenting their sportswear collection at ISPO Munich - making this trade show somewhat of a 'home game' for them. In Bench's autumn/winter collection, they'll be introducing a wealth of inspirational themes ranging from folk to grunge, through to military and utility. Notable are fabrics such as washable canvas, waxed surfaces, sueded cotton, nylon twill with denim effect, as well as peach and sheen finishes. The predominant features of their tops will look handmade, with traditional details such as cable and Norwegian patterns. Waterproof jackets, some with fur trimming and soft fleece lining, round off the collection. www.bench.co.uk

19 Sixty Deutschland

Success as a Discount Generator

A different kind of discount. Fans of Miss Sixty, Killah and Energie can participate in 'wynshing' in selected Sixty stores. This means that customers can save up to 50 per cent on their purchases. Here's how it works. In the store, take a photo of the product, send it to the wynsh app, and then start a countdown. The percentage is randomly decided on and then the digital discount voucher is sent to the smartphone display, where it is shown at the cash register. If the discount generator displays a zero per cent saving and the garment is still purchased, the customer receives a free Sixty Sessions CD. The campaign has recently expanded to Austria and the Netherlands. "We are very pleased that the wynsh campaign has gone down so well in Germany because we also want to offer this option to our customers in Austria and the Netherlands," says Nico Hoffmeister, head of marketing of SIXTY Deutschland. Wnysh is a product of WindoWin, developed by the founder Marc Schwieger, who acquired years of experience in retail communication as a partner and creative director of Scholz & Friends. www.sixty.net, www.wynsh.com/de, www.facebook.com/wynsh

21 Ben Sherman Germany Gets a Boost

20 Firetrap

Two New Aesthetes

In late autumn, Firetrap reinforced their German team, headed by Managing Director Frank Götz, with new members Rainer Hückelkempken and Stefan Bus - who own the Offenbach-based Agentur Schöngeist, which has showrooms in Neuss and Offenbach. The experienced sales and distribution experts Bus and Hückelkempken – who previously offered a great deal of support to brands such as Khujo, Fornarina or Rich & Royal in their entry to the German market – were in charge of sales and distribution for the districts of Hesse, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to Firetrap, Agentur Schöngeist has also taken the brands Lavand, Ana Alcazar, Rosebowl and Bricks and Circle of Trust under its wing. www.firetrap.eu

From 1 December 2011, Dennis Steinborn and Sebastian Heinke will support the German sales team of the British brand Ben Sherman. Steinborn will take on the position of area manager for the northern German region. He previously worked as a sales consultant at Paul Smith Ltd. in Germany, and as a brand manager for the Andy Warhol collection by Pepe Jeans London. Heinke is the former buying and sales manager of Privates Textiles GmbH, and recently worked for Esprit Men. He will now be responsible for the region of eastern Germany. With this post, Ben Sherman is taking another important step in the repositioning of the brand. www.bensherman.com

24 ––

23

14 oz. Berlin Something New on the Western Front

In autumn 2012, another 14 oz. store by Karl-Heinz Müller, owner and managing director of Bread & Butter, is set to open in Kurfürstendamm. In Berlin's most prestigious shopping district, collections for men and women will be shown in the historical Cumberland House over a total of 600 square metres. The product range of the former 14 oz. will be continued. "The larger floor space now gives us more options to present the brands and labels on a larger scale," says Karl-Heinz Müller. The offering for women in particular is larger than in the previous store. There will be separate entrances for men's and women's fashion, which, in the back section, will merge into a joint store. By moving into the heritage-protected building, Karl-Heinz Müller hopes to reinforce Berlin's standing as a fashion hub. "We're pleased to have found such an spacious location in an attractive environment," Müller says.

The former hotel houses more than just stores; it also has luxury apartments, office spaces, and a restaurant. www.14oz-Berlin.com

Š Copyright and Design Rights Pentland Chaussures Ltd. 2011. www.lacoste.com

AREA | SPORT & STREET HANGAR 1 BOOTH No. S 2

DELEVAN | A sophisticated outdoor-inspired work boot in premium Keman pull-up leather, with waxed canvas panel detailing.

Bread & Butter Gourmet Berlin

Fairs Text Isabel Faiss, Ina Köhler, Nicolette Scharpenberg Photos Fairs

03 Ethical Fashion Show

BERLIN 01

Bright Tradeshow

Dates: 19 to 21 January 2012, 5 to 7 July 2012 Organiser: Bright GmbH & Co. KG Segment: Streetwear, skateboarding, sneakers Size: Roughly 300 exhibitors What's new? Opening of the All Tomorrows area with stands, art exhibitions and a lounge area www.brighttradeshow.com www.alltomorrows.de 02 Capsule

Dates: 19 to 20 January 2012, 5 to 6 July 2012 Organiser: bpmw Agency New York Segment: Men's and women's wear, up and coming Size: Roughly 70 exhibitors What's new? An additional building section with approximately 300 sqm www.capsuleshow.com

26 ––

Dates: 18 to 20 January 2012 Organiser: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH Segment: Casual-, urban-, street-, womens-, kidswear, men's outerwear, accessories, cosmetics, lifestyle products, Pret-a-Porter Size: Roughly 40 to 50 exhibitors What's new? First event in Berlin as an independent trade fair, shop in cooperation with Esmod Berlin www.ethicalfashionshowberlin.com 04 Green Showroom

Dates: 18 to 20 January 2012, 4 to 6 July 2012 Organiser: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH Segment: High-end, up-scale, green fashion, women's & men's outerwear, kidswear, accessories, cosmetics, lifestyle products Size: Roughly 30-35 exhibitors What's new? Shop in cooperation with Esmod Berlin www.green-showroom.net 05 In Fashion

Dates: 18 to 20 January 2012

With a new location and two expansions, Bread & Butter is gearing up for a new round of trade fairs. 'Treasury' is the name of their current area, and will focus on high-quality accessories. Right at the entrance to the denim hall, individual accessories - from jewellery and bags to watches and headphones - can be found on the upper floor, over a space of 800 square metres. New labels such as Luise Keller, Pantone, and Wool and the Gang have 800 square metres of room, and even more space for this important revenue earner is expected to be created in the summer. There's also more space in L.O.C.K hall in the Fire Department - a new floor space in the old Tempelhof fire station where you'll come across individual designs from all over the world. Labels such as Dehen1920, Tellason, and Sportswear Reg. are exhibiting here in familiar settings, while Carhartt is a new entry in the authentic hall. Even the Sport & Street Hall is growing: D.O.C.K. (Department of Contemporary Keynotes) is to be used to present grownup streetwear labels, limited collections, and sporty designer lines. The striking shipping container architecture 'will dock' directly in the hall. The spectacular theatre event 'Fuerzabruta' heats up the Bread & Butter guests every evening with music and visual effects in the Sin Saloon. On opening night, the electronic sounds of 2 Many DJs will be a draw card.

18 to 20 January 2012, www.breadandbutter.com

Organiser: In Fashion Munich Segment: Women's, men's, and kids' fashion collections, sustainable designer labels, accessories Size: Roughly 80 exhibitors What's new? 700 sqm more floor space www.in-fashion-munic.de 06 Panorama

Dates: Summer 6 August 2012 Organiser: Panorama Fashion Fair Berlin GmbH Segment: Brands of the volume segment Size: Roughly 350 to 400 exhibitors What's new? New event www.panorama-berlin.com 07 Premium

Dates: Premium Berlin: 18 to 20 January, Premium Order Dusseldorf: 4 to 7 February, Premium Order Munich: 18 to 21 February 2012.

Organiser: Premium Exhibitions GmbH Segment: Premium womenswear, menswear, accessoires, denim Size: Roughly 800 exhibitors What's new? Expansion of the station area, young designers from Japan. www.premiumexhibitions.com

08 SEEK

Dates: 18 to 20 January 2012 Organiser: Premium Exhibitions GmbH Segment: Scandinavian and international street fashion as well as menswear brands Size: Roughly 60 exhibitors, 1.000 sqm What's new? New location in the Kühlhaus www.seekexhibitions.com 09 Show & Order

Dates: 17 to 20 January 2012 Organiser: Show & Order GmbH Segment: High-end fashion Size: Roughly 100 to 150 exhibitors What's new? New event www.showandorder.de 10 THE Gallery berlin

Dates: 18 to 20 January 2012, 4 to 6 July 2012 Organiser: Igedo Company GmbH & Co. KG Segment: Designer, avant garde, and accessories collections Size: Roughly 80 exhibitors from Europe What's new? First event in the Café Moskau. www.the-gallery-berlin.com/contact, www.igedo.com

fairs –– right now

Jacket Required

CPH Vision, Terminal 2

International

Stitsh Menswear

01 CPH Vision, Terminal 2 Copenhagen

Dates: 2 to 4 February 2012, 9 to 11 August 2012 Organiser: Copenhagen Fashion Fairs Segment: Scandinavian and international menswear, womenswear, accessories and shoes, denim, sportswear Size: Roughly 230 exhibitors (CPH), roughly 250 (Terminal 2) What's new? The event will take place for the last time in the Oeksnehallen. Starting in August 2012, CPH Vision and Terminal 2 will merge in the building of the Terminal 2 halls at Lokomotivvaerkstedet. www.cphvision.dk

Munich Fabric start, Blue Zone Already Fully Booked The organisers of the Munich Fabric Start and the Blue Zone were extremely satisfied with the last trade fair at the end of September 2011, which once again attracted more international visitors. For this coming trade fair, around 80 international denim suppliers are expected to fill the Zenith hall, and will offer their designs for spring/summer 2013, as well as a small taster of the autumn/ winter 2013/14 collections, under the motto: TIST (Today is Tomorrow). The TIST concept has proven to be a successful, prestigious and competent project for the organisers. The motto of the coming Munich Fabric Start in January 2012 is: Flirt. It aims to express joy, clarity, lightness and optimism – the keywords for the new fabric season. The event is already fully booked. The organisers are expecting 800 exhibitors from more than 35 countries. The new platform Shirtings offers suppliers of high-quality shirt fabrics a joint stage to present their wares in Hall 4 of the MOC. In addition, this will be the start for ‚ R.M.S. – Ready Made Solutions' in the Blue Zone, where around 80 denim manufacturers and outfitters will present their developments.

31 January to 2 February 2012, www.munichfabricstart.com

02 CPD Signatures Düsseldorf

Dates: 4 to 6 February 2012 Organiser: Igedo Company GmbH & Co. KG Segment: Designer-, avant-garde-, accessories collection Size: Roughly 430 exhibitors What's new? From July 2012, the Gallery Dusseldorf relocates from the cpd signatures www.igedo.com 03 GDS/Global Shoes Düsseldorf

Dates: 14 to 16 March 2012, 5 to 7 September 2012 Organiser: Messe Düsseldorf GmbH Segment: Shoes, accessories Size: Roughly 850 exhibitors GDS, 400 exhibitors Global Shoes What's new? New Image kampagne www.gds-online.com, www.globalshoes-online.com

04 Ispo

munich

Ispo

Dates: 29 January to 1 February 2012 Organiser: Messe München GmbH Segment: Sportswear Size: Roughly 30.000 exhibitors What's new? Increase in exhibitors, applications and the exhibition area. www.ispo.com 05

Jacket Required London

Dates: 12 to 13 February 2012 Organiser: Jacket Required Segment: Contemporary menswear Size: Roughly 80 exhibitors What's new? Double the amount of exhibitors in a new beautiful historic location in central London. www.victoriahousewc1.com 06 Stitch Menswear london

Dates: 12 to 13 February 2012, 7 to 9 August 2012 Organiser: Stitch Menswear, Brian Duffy, Business Design Centre Segment: Men's clothing and accessories Size: Roughly 100 exhibitors What's new? New location in the Business Design Centre in Islington, focus on the Vision Area: Niche, contemporary, and urban brands www.stitchmenswear.com

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new menswear special –– what's the story

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Man, or Mouse?

Fashion, just as men want it: honest, to the point and without frills. Crossover designs with influences from sportswear and streetwear have once again made menswear accessible for a younger target group. Independent labels are setting the tone and have control of the compass, which has long pointed in the direction of Scandinavia.

Text Isabel Faiss Photos Brands, Stores

"Nobody has to withstand temperatures below 20 degrees anymore; however, men like the romantic idea of chopping wood, going fishing, and doing very manly, menacing things." Philipp Stolte, Harvest, Folk Munich

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uffoons in ties, people who look good for a living, people who wear silk scarves - anyone entering the world of menswear is bound to encounter such fixed ideas and readymade images. Without pre-existing cultural stereotypes, I suppose there isn't really much else to work with. The unanswered question of menswear still remains: how much is a 'real man' allowed to be fashion-conscious, if at all?

Because real men are obviously completely uninterested in fashion. If they look damn good, then it's probably just by chance. The coining of the term 'metrosexual' has added fuel to the fire, triggered by the extroverted style of the football player David Beckham.

In- the blink of an eye, the last man was chased away from the fashionable realms, as the line between welldressed and this slick image of a man had suddenly been crossed. At the same time, fashion absolutely had to be turned into art, and this was pushed to an excessive degree.

Inspired by this notion, designers such as Hedi Slimane and Dries van Noten very successfully promoted the image of the sensitive, intelli-

gent, clean-shaven and well-read weakling of a man, who wouldn't even manage to fill out half of his shirt. Just when men were starting to get used to the fact that good, high-quality clothing comes at a price, fashion trends like slim looks and androgynous glamour started coming out of the woodwork. Although this really only played out in high fashion and avantgarde lines, it still caused a stir in menswear generally, causing the cool guys to retreat back to their sportswear and streetwear corners. And they're still there, except they're now sporting beards thanks to a return to masculinity. This trend owes a lot to the new Scandinavian look, in which new menswear combines 'fashionably sophisticated' with 'absolutely manly'. This is done with a flair for fashion, but it's mostly in terms of products rather than labels.

This situation in retail is a reflection of the underexposure of the masculine target group, and, in fact, the reluctance to see menswear as a commercial component to be taken seriously, rather than just another impulse-buying channel of wives and girlfriends. There have only been a few concept stores and boutiques designed exclusively for men which offer a good service and a harmonious selection of products to their customers. Why? It's a known fact that once men have been won over as customers, they're often there to stay. Although pioneers such as Burg & Schild, the Soto Store in Berlin, Harvest in Munich, and Uebervart in Frankfurt have presented sound and suitable concepts that work, further development here has been rather sluggish. Even interna-

tionally, new names only occasionally ever make it into the ranks of top references, such as Trés Bien in Malmö, French Trotters in Paris, Cowboys to Catwalk in Amsterdam, Opening Ceremony in New York, Centre Commercial in Paris, or Number Six and The Hideout in London. Within the network, stores such as Oi Polloi from Manchester, Cultizm, and Context Clothing still hold a near monopoly. "I think that men seek out stores with integrity, and retailers they can trust," says Kyle Stewart from the London store Goodhood, which sets a high standard for menswear.

It's Just Like with Cars The Firmament store in Berlin began as a sort of insiders' tip, and then quickly developed into one of the few premium suppliers of choice fashion for men. "We're not a highfashion store, but we carry labels exclusively in various segments. That's our concept," says André Storvoll of Firmament. The project started in 2004 with the blog Beinghunted and the online store The Glade. It moved to an apartment in Berlin in 2006, where shoppers had to ring the bell to enter - that is, if they even knew where they were. Firmament has been represented more democratically since May 2010, with its new location on Linienstrasse in the centre of Berlin. André: "Most of our customers have been loyal fans 01

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The collection of the Munich-based fashion label Hannibal reduces new menswear to its essence: progressive designs that interpret modern classical elements.

The British brand Ben Sherman focuses on their strength: young menswear.

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what's the story –– new Menswear special

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manship of the Japanese when it comes to traditional clothing. It's their way of investigating historical clothing down to the smallest detail, and then reinterpreting it for today's customers. That describes to a tee what we, and our customers, are so enthusiastic about when it comes to fashion."

AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK 03

01 Goodhood

41 Coronet Street London N1 6HD/England www.goodhood.co.uk Labels: Alyssa Norton, Bag 'N' Noun, Bedouin, Be Positive, Bernhard Wilhelm, Carhartt, Dog State, Fallow, Hansel from Basel, Il Bussetto, Indigofera, Junya Watanabe, Mark McNairy, Norse Projects, Opening Ceremony, Pendleton, Perks & Mini, Prism, Soulland, Tender, Unused, Universal Works, Vans, Wood Wood, YMC, amongst others 02 Hunting and Collecting

17, Rue des Chartreux 1000 Brussels/Belgium www.huntingandcollecting.com Labels: Adam Kimmel X Carhartt, Assembly NY, Bless, Bleu De Paname, Carin Wester, Common Projects, Hope, Kitsuné, Lavenham, Libertine Libertine, Mark McNairy, MM6, Monsieur Lacenaire, Opening Ceremony, Pendleton, Peter Jensen, Petar Petrov, Soulland, Surface to Air, amongst others 03

Making Things

Grüngasse 20 8004 Zurich/Switzerland www.makingthings.ch Labels: A Kind of Guise, Folk, Hixsept, LibertineLibertine, Norse Project, Surface to Air, Uniforms for the Dedicated, Won Hundred, Wood Wood

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from day one. Right from the start, they valued us for the fact that we carried labels exclusively from the US and Japan. That was always our concept. Colette and Hideout were the only ones that had a similar range of products at that time. At first, they primarily carried streetwear labels such as Pointer, Penfield, and Wood Wood. In the meantime, both our brands and the product range have grown along with us, as well as our customers."

André reaffirms the assumption that men are more critical than women when it comes to scrutinising products, arguing also that men are less likely to be impulse buyers or bargain hunters. "They can't justify buying a product simply for its level of fashion or for its particular look; they're more interested in substance.

Men are also no more sensitive to price than women when it comes to appreciating a product. Most of our customers are very well-informed and know exactly what they're looking for.

They know all of the technical details. A person doesn't have to justify a price, but he has to be able to explain it," says André. He compares it to cars: "Everyone knows that a Mercedes costs more than an Opel. Anyone who wants the perfection of a Mercedes has to be willing to pay the price. The same can also be said here. Of course, men can go to another store and buy a cheaper product, but they also want to show that they know their way around. And that's communicated through fashion. It's no longer about using the label as a status symbol. Instead, it's an expression of a lifestyle, or a value system. A label is only ever a reference. It's not a matter of showing off what a man has, it's about being pleased with himself because he knows the value of it. This is also why Japanese designs move so well. They're always based on values, tradition, and different cultures. It's something the Japanese do well: they take the best and make it even better." Kyle Stewart from Goodhood also sees the strongest driving force in menswear at the moment in Japanese design: "The strongest influence right now is the crafts-

Intercultural influences play an even greater role in menswear than they do in womenswear. This was perhaps best reflected in the opening night celebration of the London trade fair Jacket Required, which first took place in London on August 7 and 8 in 2011.

The trade fair was held during the London ordering days, and was similar to the Stitch and Pure trade fairs. Its aim was to offer a new platform that combines information on the newest developments in the segment of new menswear, with a mixture of already established brands, labels and promising newcomers. Jacket Required showed a clear trend

"The customer wants quality and a timeless look. A return to the 'good old values' and to a time that, by the way, none of the customers have actually experienced themselves."

Philipp Stolte, Harvest, Folk Munich In 2001 Cathal McAteer founded Folk Clothing in London.

In November 2010, the first german store opened in Munich.

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04 uebervart

Kleiner Hirschgraben 14 60311 Frankfurt am Main/Germany www.uebervart.de Labels: Acne, Adidas, B.D. Baggies, Filson, Folk, Grenson, James Perse, Levi's, Libertine Libertine, Mark McNairy, Opening Ceremony, Paul Smith, Penfield, Steven Alan, amongst others 05 firmament

The Danish menswear label Soulland began in Copenhagen in 2002 with a line of DIY T-shirts. It is now a top trader in the new menswear segment.

within the collections: that Japan is not just setting the tone in denim, the country is also redefining 'avant-garde' in their design. Their current look is defined with a mixture of traditional English craftsmanship, a pinch of Scandinavian purity, and every bit of inspiration from New York. Incidentally, Jacket Required is invitation-only, focussing on labels such as Edwin, Pointer, and Plectrum by Ben Sherman.

The London based label let go of their women's collection in autumn 2010, in order to focus more attention on their men's collection.

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With its typical British look combined with elements from other cultures, the Ben Sherman collection fills a large supply gap in terms of design and price, between Zara and H&M on the one hand - which understand the current trends, pick up on them, and then sell them at low cost - and labels that start from around 49 euros. In order to establish themselves in the difficult young market, for the autumn/winter 2011 season Ben Sherman split up their collection into four segments for the German market: Heritage as an NOS programme, Script as a

Linienstrasse 40 10119 Berlin/Germany www.firmamentberlin.com Labels: A Bathing Ape, Acronym, Arcteryx Veilance, Billionaire Boys Club, Carhartt Heritage, Comme des Garcons, Original Fake, Stone Island, Stussy Deluxe, Supreme, Visvim, amongst others 06 The Annex Concept Store

Shop 8, The Beachhouse 178 Campbell Parade Bondi Beach, NSW 2026/Australia www.theannex.com.au Labels: Ampal Creative, Black Noise White Rain, Chronicles of Never, Henson, Life Imitating Art, Mere Footwear, Pearly King, Practice, Vasuma Eyewear, Virr Footwear, amongst others

new menswear special –– what's the story

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fashion line, Plectrum as a premium menswear collection, and Modern Classics as an exclusive centrepiece. "We have completely repositioned Ben Sherman as a label. Of course we're very proud of our 47-year history, but our main goal is to address the modern customer. With Plectrum, we're geared first and foremost toward stores with premium departments that are to the point; meaning that they're contemporary on the one hand, and a bit nostalgic on the other. Plectrum is our newest innovation.

Our focus here is on the customer who dresses well, is informed, and is fashion-conscious, but who is not interested in showing off. He wants a well-designed product at a fair price," says Pan Philippou, CEO of Ben Sherman.

Substance over Status Star designer John Galliano, with his bad behaviour and his arrogance that recently resulted in a considerable fall from grace, now symbolises an entire shift in the fashion industry, after being a fixture of every high-fashion marketing strategy for far too long. His fall symbolises the much-publicised end of constant hyperventilation and vanity. No segment has achieved this as much as menswear. The general slow-down temporarily deprived the public of men's fashion, but it ultimately gave it a productive and healthy ground on which to stand on. "Menswear has changed in a big way. Ten years ago, there was suit fashion, sportswear, and casualwear on the one hand, and designer brands and labels on the other. Streetwear hype ap-

peared early in 2000, pushing menswear into an entirely new direction, and initiating a demand for limited editions – products that men could hardly get a hold of because they were only available in a handful of select stores, and,of course, new pricing," argue Aude Gribomont and Niels Radtke of the Brussels concept store Hunting and Collecting. "It resulted in the need to stand out from the crowd, to be part of a culture, and to no longer be concerned with status. Since this time, new labels for independent menswear have popped up all over the world, offering really good looks which combine street credibility, influences from workwear, a certain heritage, and even fashionable elements. They make a man look good without making him a fashion victim or turning him into a chav. At the same time, there has been an increase in new trade fairs such as Capsule and Rendez-Vous. There are also new blogs like SlamxHype, Selectism and Hypebeast, which focus exclusively on the newest and hottest menswear trends. This market has an enormous amount of potential, and several of the designer labels are getting their inspiration from the newcomers. There has been a lot more going on in menswear in the last ten years than in women's outerwear." Since launching the Hunting and Collecting website in early 2010, Aude Gribomont and Niels Radtke have provided a platform for young, progressive labels as well as for contemporary design. Their range of menswear concentrates on what they believe their masculine target

group wants: products with a strong identity, an honest price, and with substance to make the man feel strong, assured, up to date, and to show how informed he is when it comes to fashion. Informed awareness has taken the place of high-priced status symbols.

Uncomplicated and Informed Contrary to female clientele, men are much more selective and perhaps even more demanding – at least that's the general consensus in the retail trade. Stephanie Reeve, owner of the menswear store The Annex in Bondi Beach in Sydney, explains: "Today we're purely a men's store. We used to sell womenswear in the past as well, but we found the market to be completely oversaturated and much too trend based.

With menswear, we address a more individual customer and encounter higher standards.

That's the attraction. Men take a much closer look at the materials and cuts. We have noticed that men fill their wardrobes mostly with high quality mass products, like good denims and basics. They then go about highlighting these

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Menswear for a new generation of men. This standard has been set by the three siblings Raffaele, Giovanni and Tania Caldarelli, who founded the menswear collection Antony Morato in Naples in 2007.

As the premiere party for contemporary menswear, the London-based trade fair Jacket Required showed, once again, who is best representing the theme.

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what's the story –– new Menswear special

with a few very delicately selected individual pieces." The target group of Trüffelschweine in Berlin is between 20 and 35, which is much younger than it used to be. According to Daniel Steindorf, owner of Uebervart - a concept store for men in Frankfurt - this is largely due to the unmistakable fashion statements found in Scandinavian design, with their honest prices and harmonious designs. He has geared the concept of his store towards individual pieces with a certain degree of cult: "Uebervart wants to give men a masculine shopping experience, meaning without frills, honest, to the point, and uncomplicated when it comes to the goods, consultation, and look."

The Details are not the Details.

The best example of a completely no-frills concept is the store 1LDK in Tokyo. Men's fashion veteran Takayuki Minami opened the concept store in 2010 to finally give the young men of Tokyo a menswear store where they could find young, independent labels from Japan and Europe. The product range is a colourful mixture of newcomers and a few established labels. The store is located in a small apartment, which underscores the familiar, grounded atmosphere that is currently the trend in Tokyo. Takayuki Minami believes that service comes first. In a menswear store, this can be intelligent and considerate, but in no way overstated. The Japanese are pioneers in this regard, and sympathetic restraint and simplicity are the catchwords in

menswear right now. This also carries over to the collections, especially those of Folk Clothing.

Cathal McAteer, founder and creative director of Folk Clothing, describes his design philosophy with a quote by Charles Eames: "The details are not the details. They are the design." Since its founding in 2001, Folk has propagated a typical look, which is suitable for everyday use and at the same time well-styled. Their clothes show that the wearer has an eye for fashion. The design is relatively simple and the sophistication of a piece is usually in its materials. "For us, it's about quality and about surprise. Our philosophy is hard to put in words. We just enjoy creating products. This process is almost instinctive to our design team when we decide what constitutes a good Folk piece and what doesn't," says Cathal McAteer. Detours are taboo in every regard. This was also confirmed by Hanna Kawasaki from the store Making Things in Zurich: "It's about that certain something. We always hear that everything starts out looking the same.

The difference is in the details and the quality.

That's not something you can fake." Kyle Stewart, owner of Goodhood in London, has also observed a love of detail and a penchant for perfection. "Male customers today are more finicky. At the same time, they're also more loyal to labels and they can stick to the ones that they know and trust for years. We sometimes watch men explore every centimetre of a piece, from the jacket pocket to the labelling. They really take everything into account."

Inspiration Pot Pourri The interdisciplinary twist to design in Europe has worked rather modestly up to now. There have been ludicrous crossovers between streetwear, sportswear and classic menswear, such as jackets with camouflage prints, and shirts with hoods. They have contributed more to a shift away from the themes of the past than to the constructive exposure to contemporary menswear. Overstyled looks that come across as deliberate and disguised are especially effective at scaring away the target group of young men between 20 and 30, and this is a sustainable effect. The proof of this is the advance of Scandinavian purity and the casual trend the Americanised T-shirt and jeans look that remains the same no matter the time of day or the occasion. But before we get into a 'chicken or egg' discussion on the system of supply and demand, whether it is the young generation of men's lack of interest in fashion or the approaches of labels and retailers that have alienated the young target group in terms of classic menswear, the summary of talks with retailers and designers are positive. Today, there's young and informed customers, a new value system, and no definitive look to go by anymore. The product now counts more than the label. Function and attention to detail are the top priorities. Young customers are less sensitive to price than before and specifically seek out quality products. x

"I buy things first and foremost for myself," says Sari Seki from the menswear store 1LDK, which is styled like a typical one-bedroom Tokyo apartment.

07 1ldk

1-8-28 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku Tokyo, 153-0051/Japan T 0081.3.37801546 www.idland.jp/1ldk Labels: Bless, Frank Leder, Gambert, Griffin, Grime Effect, Over the Stripes, Parrot Canvas, Unused, Yaeca, Wrap Foot, amongst others

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three-2-one.com

Visit us in Berlin

18 - 20 January 2012

BreaD & Butter st 22.2 style society

a-denim.com

Drykorn

"A Slowly Evolving Process"

The tides are turning in new menswear. Marco Götz, CEO of Drykorn, explains why even the large wave of authenticity is likely to come to an end soon. The Drykorn label was one of the first to recognise that men do not define their fashion standards through extravagance or particularly bold designs, but through service.

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ost young men just feel damn good in jeans, a T-shirt and a hoody. Where does this collective listlessness in classic fashion come from?

Marco Götz: I think there are definitely more men today who are interested in fashion than ever before. But the casual look is comfortable and, above all, simple. Generally, men can't go wrong because everyone else is pretty much dressed the same way. For the most part, men don't want to stand out from the crowd. It's also probably not in their nature to forge new trends. In most cases, it doesn't work out well. Any time a man is asked if he's wearing a new jacket or trousers, he'll always say: "no, no, I've had it a while." I'll probably never experience complete fashion hysteria breaking out amongst men. Various blogs and media have been instrumental in pushing the issue of menswear, and male customers are definitely more informed than before. But it's a slowly evololving process.

ly skinny look without subjecting themselves to physical torture. At the moment, we're seeing a return of real, rugged men, that's for sure.

It's a look that's easy for men to adapt to, and it's seen almost everywhere - this image is easy to identify with. These types of issues come across better commercially than in terms of profound fashion topics like skinny silhouettes or shine.

The market is glad to accept this, but the life cycles are significantly shorter.

How are you actively promoting this to your target group?

MG: In principle, there are only a few classic media outlets that centre on this special target group. We therefore try to communicate mainly through collaborations, and we promote our image through various events, in the music industry for example, where we supply individual musicians.

So there are signs of a change?

MG: Yeah, but the question is how long this new cycle will last. And then this narrative will really start to develop from this very tough look to subtler silhouettes and materials. The next winter will get off to a slow start in my opinion.

Some young men at the moment are reverting back to suits and elements from classic menswear. Why do you think this has happened?

MG: Even the older generation is now sporting the casual look. For fashionconscious young men, and by this we do not mean the masses, this was the last straw before reversing the trend in order to clearly set themselves apart. Because your Dad is never cool. For every action, there's an opposite reaction. And if you look closely, you can see that this has already been happening for around eight years, pushed by bands such as Franz Ferdinand, who have shown this extremely smart suit look that conveys a new understanding of contemporary men's fashion.

At the same time, very rugged, manly fashions are also taking over - a full beard instead of a slim fit. Why is this so important in menswear?

MG: It's based on anatomy alone. Not a lot of men were able to participate in the extreme-

How does Drykorn react to such a 'turning of the tide' within the collection?

MG: We present different topics and therefore have the option to show both the smart look and the more rugged look. In doing so, we're mostly led by our own taste. This has largely revolved around products that have a sense of authenticity; however, a new trend towards cleaner, subtler looks is beginning to come through once again.

Where will that lead exactly?

MG: Materials will no longer be so washed-out; instead, they'll be of a cleaner quality, with cleaner colours. The look will no longer be so tough. There'll be less two-colour schemes that you get through washes, particularly in cotton trousers and denims. The used look will be reversed, especially in trousers. Cords are also a major topic right now, but these are heavily washed-out in all divisions. This will be significantly cut back so that the colours can simply be more dominant once again. 'Colour shading' will be an important catchphrase.

MG: The most important thing for us is to show a certain break in the collection, and also to bring our product and our brand's focus closer to the customer. We are pursuing the wardrobe concept, which aims to represent a complete wardrobe in the collection.

This is based on the image of a very special key customer, for whom we are developing a complete wardrobe for every occasion. This means a suit also includes a cool T-shirt and some great cotton trousers, but in a smarter look. We then supplement it with the themes that we see as being relevant for the times.

That can be either a dinner jacket or a biker jacket. More fashionable pieces, of course, only work in more urban areas. A casual collection for a label like ours is therefore an absolute must. Most people outside the cities lack a reason to dress particularly fashionably, nor do they dare to. Once men discover a brand or label that they like, they buy several styles and they begin to establish a deep sense of trust. Therefore, they naturally look for a bit of security in the brand or label. We also try and suggest this to our customers. x

Marco Götz from Drykorn sees menswear taking a change of direction.

We have noticed that, in terms of young menswear, Drykorn has hit the nail on the head with its casual collection. How are you establishing your collection?

"I'll probably never experience complete fashion hysteria breaking out amongst men." Marco Götz, Drykorn –– 37

Indigo & Cotton

Buying Less, but Buying Better When it comes to contemporary menswear, there are some stores you just can't go passed. Foremost is Indigo & Cotton, based in Charleston, South Carolina. Breet Carron is the owner and founder of the store, which could outfit an entire wardrobe.

Brett Carron: I think the world of menswear has become smaller in some respects. Young brands have broadened their reach, and the playing field has been levelled a bit. It's now possible to know the craftsman who produced your wallet or your jeans. That's the new luxury. I also think that most guys are dressing a lot better.

In general, are male consumers more demanding than female consumers?

BC: I don't think so. They're probably more selective than they were a few years ago.

Guys build their wardrobe around a few key pieces and replace them as necessary. Most guys don't go shopping for pleasure. Today's menswear consumer has a better idea of what he's after – he's more focussed. Generally, men are buying less, but buying better.

We aim to answer that call. Our selection range isn't huge because it's been edited down to the essentials, so to speak. You won't find an over-abundance of products in the store.

"Guys today know much more about the clothes they wear."

Brett Carron, Indigo & Cotton

Indigo & Cotton

79 Cannon Street Charleston, South Carolina/USA www.indogoandcotton.com Labels: u. a. Billy Kirk, Birdwell, Gitman Brothers Vintage, Jack Spade, Keds, Mark McNairy, Pierrepont Hicks, Quoddy, Raleigh Denim, Tellason, The Hill Side

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Indigo & Cotton reflects what should be found in a well-stocked wardrobe.

From button-down shirts to Chinos.

How would you describe your typical client?

BC: He is a guy who is looking for something different, something special, but he also doesn't want to stand out too much. He appreciates the details. We have a broad range of customers: younger guys that are starting to consider what they want to wear more carefully, as well as guys with more established tastes, looking for something fresh.

What brands do you choose for your store and why?

BC: We offer mostly American made brands whose designs have an understated, timeless quality. Recently, there's been a shift in focus to domestic manufacturing. A number of companies, both young and old, have stepped up and really focussed on quality and craftsmanship. We offer Gitman Vintage, The Hill-Side,

Raleigh Denim, Quoddy, and Billykirk, to name just a few. The basic idea is to showcase what I feel are essential pieces for any guy's closet.

Classic Oxford button-downs, hand-sewn footwear, top-notch leather accessories, and, of course, some quality selvedge denim.

Looking at new menswear, where do you think the influences are coming from at the moment?

BC: There are so many. The military and workwear influence is still prevalent. Generally, there's a desire for pieces that are a little more tailored. A lot of heritage brands still have the limelight. Companies that have been around for many years are finding a younger clientele. Their 'old' products are new again, or else they've updated them. A lot of brands are designing with an eye to the past. x

new menswear special –– what's the story

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Capsule

"It Paid Off" In 2007, BPMW presented the (Capsule) trade fair format in New York for the first time, and from there it quickly expanded to Las Vegas and Paris. This past summer saw (Capsule)'s first launch in Berlin.

Its portfolio of labels and brands for new menswear hit the nail on the head like no other event could.

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The new menswear segment is heating up at the moment. What are the most exciting developments from the perspective of retailers and labels?

Edina Sultanik: Menswear is definitely reaching a high point right now, from designer labels to streetwear. Men are a lot more informed about fashion, production techniques, and customisation. They are looking specifically for quality goods that are worth the price. The internet is playing an important role here. For example, it gives small, niche markets or very well managed stores in rural areas the possibility to address a global public.

That sounds similar to the trajectory of (Capsule).

What's the concept of your show?

ES: (Capsule) is a platform where designers at a particular level of the market can meet with like-minded retailers and editors, in order to do business. We offer a pared-down and open environment with a high level of service. Basically, we try to make it as easy as possible for people to do business together.

How did you come up with the decision to go to Berlin?

ES: Berlin is obviously an important fashion capital and a destination for buyers. We had many requests from members of the (Capsule) community who wanted to show in Berlin but were looking for the intimacy and community that (Capsule) provides. We felt that the time was right, and that our name was well known enough to launch another European show. With the right partners on the ground - Steven and Nina Vogel of Blacklodges - we felt confident that (Capsule) Berlin would be a success. And our first season exceeded our expectations in so many ways.

Against all the other shows and events in Berlin, (Capsule) has been a real force of innovation in the city. What has the feedback been like from exhibitors and visitors?

Deirdre Maloney: We couldn't possibly be

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f.l.t.r. the management team of (Capsule), BPMW agency: Edina Sultanik, Deirdre Maloney and Minya Quirk.

In Berlin in July 2011, the first (Capsule) exhibition took place.

happier with our first edition of (Capsule) Berlin. We really appreciate the warm welcome and support that we received both locally and internationally. It has truly been a wonderful experience. The 45 brands that we started with took a chance with us, and, judging by all the positive feedback we have been getting, it really paid off.

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How do you think you can keep this portfolio so selective?

Are you open to accepting larger, commercial brands?

ES: We are highly selective about who we invite to participate in(Capsule). Many are small, emerging brands; however, all are focused on growing and becoming commercial whilst maintaining their individual standards and aesthetics. We do welcome larger brands that fit in with our aesthetic and outlook. When our selection committee discusses whether a brand is right for (Capsule), we look at aesthetics, innovation, quality, marketing efforts, current stockists, and their potential for sales.

What are the plans for the upcoming show?

DM: On January 19 and 20, we'll be back at the same location: the Alte Münze, Am Krögel 2, in Berlin-Mitte. We expect it to be a bit bigger, and we'd love to highlight some more German brands, but we try to stay consistent and, as always, true to who we are. x

"In 2007, bringing (Capsule) to life was our goal – to create a unique exhibition for brands retailers and journalists." Deirdre Maloney, BPMW Agency –– 39

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New comer There's a lot going on in new menswear.

Here are four examples of some recent labels that have come up with clever ways to bring classic menswear back to life.

Text Isabel Faiss Photos Labels

01 A Kind Of Guise_Munich Everyday Classics

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A Kind of Guise from Munich represents the latest addition to new menswear. Behind the label are the designing duo Yasar Ceviker and Susi Streich, who began by sewing bags from old leather balls about two years ago. Their love of materials that have histories, and clothing with added value, resulted in a menswear collection that combines stylistic sportswear elements with ready-to-wear fashion. In practice, this translates to classically cut jackets which are made from cotton instead of pure virgin wool. Yasar Ceviker has taken his own standards to heart: "I'm actually a skateboarder through and through; it's where my style comes from. But at some point you start to get older and so there are times when you just have to put on a suit. We wanted to expand upon this idea by making aspects of classic fashion available for everyday use.

We achieve this by focussing on small and practical details, like putting inside pockets on a jacket that wouldn't ordinarily have them. Function really plays a important role. Rather than making extroverted fashion for the sake of it, we make everyday clothing with a twist, to show how unconventional materials can be put together," says Yasar. Production is carried out in Germany, often at Yasar's own studio in Munich. A Kind of Guise has already made its way into image stores such as Schwittenberg and Harvest in Munich, and was presented at the last Capsule show in Paris.

A Kind of Guise presents a counter-model to getting the total look off the rack.

Susi Streich, Hündin Wilma and Yasar Ceviker form the team behind the new Munich brand A Kind of Guise.

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ContaCt: A Kind Of Guise, Yasar Ceviker, 80339/Munich/Germany, T 0049.176.81059398, yasar@akindofguise.com, www.akindofguise.com

new menswear special –– what's the story

02 Rascals'_Copenhagen

A Couple of Rascals

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Martin Jørgensen founded the label Rascals in May 2008 as a side project to Kanalje, his store in Copenhagen.

It's a kind of house brand for the band of rascals in the store, many of whom once revelled in Copenhagen's bike and streetwear scenes. The result is a menswear brand that mixes elements of streetwear with sportswear for bikers. To make it all the more fashionable, a few excerpts from classic menswear appear here and there – in the form of topstitching, patricide collars, or piped shirt pockets, or with a look that is broken up by camouflage patterning. "I want Rascals to combine effortless fashion and sportswear with an emphasis on subtle detailing and solid quality," says Martin Jørgensen. Since 2009, Rascals has been represented in Scandinavia, England, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Italy and Japan, amongst other places. They can also be found in stores such as Freshcotton in Amsterdam, Streetmachine in Copenhagen, A Cut Above in Antwerp, and the Voo Store in Berlin.

The collection appears twice annually with 60 to 70 components. Retail prices range from 35 to 200 euros, with core prices between 80 and 89 euros.

The central theme of the 18 Waits collection is also the design philosophy of its menswear: 'Made in Canada.' "It's about honest, clean, rugged clothing that doesn't go out of style. We're not about fashion, and we're not about colour trends. We have that slightly outdoors vibe which some people might call 'Canadiana.' We're okay with that," says William McCullough, who, together with label founder and creative director Daniel Torjman, is responsible for marketing and sales. Since the duo started with some printed T-shirts and accessories for the 2010 spring/summer season, their dream to become a label with a biannual collection for men has become a reality. They describe their typical customers as "stylish folks." They are also informed fashion enthusiasts for whom long-lasting fashion and quality take priority over short-lived trends. 18 Waits is already represented internationally in smaller boutiques and stores such as Alan's Annex in New York and LA, and Adam et Rope in Japan. They are still hoping to acquire future reference customers in Europe. High on their wish list are Colette in Paris, Tenue de Nimes in Amsterdam and Oi Polloi in England.

The collection retails from 50 Euros for T-shirts to 400 Euros for jackets and coats.

Lapses of taste have always gone this way. Many people want to know how to mix something old with something new. The Danish label Soulland, founded in 2002 by Silas Adler in Copenhagen, has taken on such a challenge. The label uses traditional Scandinavian crafting techniques from classic menswear to create new products for the man of today. Soulland really took off with the Adler Fedora: a hybrid of a fedora hat and a baseball cap. It gained further momentum when Jacob Kampp Berliner stepped in as an investor in 2007 and, in 2010, became Soulland's CEO and head of sales. It soon transformed into a complete collection. Retail prices range from 46 euros for T-shirts to 120 euros for trousers. Soulland can be found at international trade fairs in Berlin, New York, Copenhagen, Paris, Las Vegas and Oslo, as well as in prominent stores such as Opening Ceremony in New York, Hunting & Collecting in Brussels, Beams in Tokyo and the Soto Store in Berlin. The label is produced exclusively in Portugal, and the hats are made by hand in Copenhagen.

In 2010, the Soulland crew also opened the store U.S. Import in Copenhagen.

ContaCt: Rascals, Rasmus Bak, Showroom Rascals, 1715 Copenhagen/Denmark, T 0045.31.364043, rasmus@rascals.dk, www.rascals.dk

ContaCt: 18 Waits, William McCullough, M6J3X5 Toronto/Canada, T 001.416.3030018, william@18waits.com, www.18waits.com

ContaCt: Soulland, Jacob Kampp Berliner, 1908 Copenhagen/Denmark, T0045.26150186, jacob@soulland.eu, www.soulland.eu

18 Waits_Toronto Made in Canada

04 Soulland_Copenhagen

Something Old, Something New

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Charismatic legend: James Newell Osterberg, aka Iggy Pop, is a vital part of music history.

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Peng Caesar –– The talk

IF YOU SAY "A" YOU MUST SAY "B" James Newell Osterberg, aka Iggy Pop, may not have the perfect measurements of a catwalk model, but his larger than life persona fits perfectly with the the tightly fitted jackets jackets of the Cologne based label Peng Caesar. During this year's Open Flair Festival in Eschwege, the 'Godfather of Punk' talked to us about how he became a fashion icon at the age of 64, and where he's at right now.

Text Stephan Huber Photos Stefan Milev

Y

ou play quite frequently in Germany. Has your music always been well-received here?

James Newell Osterberg: Not at first. Like everywhere else in Europe, when I first came here there'd be as many people in the audience as in my crew. And they'd go: "Hmm…we will think about this and tell you in one year or so." It took a long time. It's always been a great place to make the music though.

Why is that?

JNO: I don't know if this is really a German saying, but in Berlin I had a couple of friends who said: "If you say 'A,' you must say 'B.'" I really liked that. There is a tradition here of scientific inquiry, of experimentation and the application of ideas. It's almost a compulsion: "We have this theory, we have this idea, and we have to try this out." So this made it a very good place for me.

You moved to Berlin in 1976?

Yeah, I tagged along with David Bowie.

What stands out in your memory?

For a moment in time, there were no Yankees, no Westies, no French, no Brits. It was a free-zone. It was probably the only free, white place on Earth back then. The wall acted like a beach – a beach of ideas. Basically, you had lots and lots of grumpy students, who were like: "I don't want to conform to your program, and I'm willing to fight!" Also, there were many little traditions left over from before the mess of the 40's, and there were a few people still trying to keep the-

se traditions alive. There were some really good drag shows, really good political theorists, really good Schnellimbiss, you know?

And good prostitutes too, standing like a flag against society on the corner with their heads held high. It was pretty porno. Now that's all gone.

"At some point I realised that I was of use to some people in their lives, whether they were musicians or just average people." James Newell Osterberg

Have you been back recently?

Yeah, and it's totally different. It's dominated by the typical Western style, but I don't think it has been entirely destroyed. That city has great bones, a great skeleton: huge streets, beautiful canals, many well-proportioned buildings with well-designed and spacious rooms.

Did you have any particular role models for your style during this time?

Many. And I always forget about half of them.

But the biggest thing was belly dancers. I used to listen to a lot of Tuareg music. I used to get these Bedouin records, and they were just chanting and clapping their hands or beating on a can, but they had great vigour.

So I thought: "wow, this is the shit right here."

But, other than that, you get similar kinds of things from Jackie Wilson, James Brown – from preachers and rock stars.

The Stooges were a revolution in terms of sound and content, and they obviously had an enormous impact on the development of rock music. But in my opinion, you also had a substantial influence on fashion. Was this important to you? Were you even aware of it?

I didn't expect it. I just looked at what was happening around me at the time. I said to myself: "well, if so and so is this, therefore – nächster Bahnhof ." It just evolved naturally in that way. I was surprised that not everybody saw this. To me, it was just obvious. I was just looking at what other people were doing, and so the next thing was to just turn the screw. But, of course, we ran into some problems too.

To me, your style instigated a complete change.

Yeah, but I didn't know it at the time. I just thought that I would continue to develop certain things and everybody would go: "Yeah, that's great."

One of the honorary titles that is commonly associated with you – and you may not want to hear it again – is the 'Godfather of Punk.' Was this something you could relate to?

When it first started, I hated it. But afterwards, I thought it was funny, and that I should have a cape and a ring so that people could kiss it.

At some point I realised that I was of use to some people in their lives, whether they were musicians or just average people. When I was young, I just wanted to be Bo Diddley, you know. Like: "Wow, check the suit! Check the women! Check the guitar! Listen to the mystic sound!" He freed me. So, I guess at some point I started to realise that it's a gift. I appreciate anybody who bothers to listen to me.

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The Talk –– Peng Caesar

what's happened to me is that, since I've become "used up by success," I've become a kind of target. And in my daily life it's no longer in my interest to say anything. Now when I write a good song, it upsets a lot of people.

That's why I did this cover album – to express myself through other people's songs. Other than that, I do a little work in film. I worked for someone named Sophie Blondy. She's doing a remake of the Fritz Lang film Liliom, and I play the part that Antonin Artaud did. I'm writing with James too... hey, and I have a new toy out. I have an action figure at Toys R Us. What was it like getting back with James Williamson?

He took a long break didn't he?

He was doing something else. Ron passed away, and at about the same time the economic downturn came. Sony asked James to retire early so he became available.

"I'm most worried about the fact that cell phone satellite technology and all this communication is supposedly in the service of democracy.

Which means it's really in service of what? Commerce!" James Newell Osterberg

I have only seen you on stage wearing a pair of tattered jeans, or even less. How would you describe your personal style today?

I spend a lot of time naked. That was half the reason why I moved to Florida. I never wear clothes around the house. Even the gardeners are used to it. I'm nude most of the time, so that's easy. But I do love to keep the clothes that I have for a long time. I view each object that I put on my body with a kind of a religiosity. I like to keep things and that's why they get tattered. Something I also love to do , but I haven't been doing enough lately, is to go to a very nice restaurant in Miami with my beautiful, statuesque wife Brioni, and I'll 'wear her' for the night.

Since you've just mentioned religion, are you religious in any way?

People who follow organised religion are constantly forced to deny themselves all sorts of things. I'm not into organised religion, but, in order to do what I do, I've had to give up a lot of things – parts of normal life that other people take for granted. So I am religious about what I do at this point. But all that really means in the end is finding one

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thing that is more important than anything else. That's pretty much it, isn't it?

What actually led to your collaboration with Peng Caesar, and what do you like about the brand?

Oh, I had to meet this Peng guy because I liked the name so much, and he sent me two jackets. They were both cool, but most of all ... let me recite this [he reads from a brochure]: "The melancholy mania. Used up by success.

Pity for the ordinary." Peng Caesar, man. That's pretty extreme. It's well written and it's funny too. It's pretty fucking good actually.

It fits with your style?

Yeah, "Nice boys don't wear it." But basically, they gave me two nice jackets. I can get my picture taken in them and I'm not going to feel like an idiot, you know?

What projects are you currently working on?

I've recorded an album-length work of old French and US standards. I don't know if it will come out or not. There are certain problems with contracts and other people say: "No, you're a punk." But I'm trying. It's all covers though. I'm writing well right now, but

I cannot resist asking: Do you have a favourite song amongst your extensive and diverse work?

Yeah, from time to time. There's a very obscure song called Gimme Some Skin. I always loved Gimme Some Skin because on my royalty statement every three months it would always earn one penny. We tried to play it when we reformed with James on guitar, but the drummer couldn't play it. I couldn't sing it and James couldn't play it because we were just…it's pure, sick energy. So this one right now is my big favourite.

A feature of your career has been your highly intuitive, and to a certain degree visionary, social and political observations. What's your take on these strange days that we live in right now?

I don't know. I'm most worried about the fact that cell phone satellite technology and all this communication is supposedly in the service of democracy. Which means it's really in service of what? Commerce! So it seems to me there's going to be a war, or a series of big conflicts somewhere, over who gets to know what. I hope not. But this may happen in large areas of the world where you have impoverished people who don't know jack shit in contrast to other areas where there's a wealth of information. It worries me.

Any idea of what will happen in 2012?

Well, I'm just going to put my head down and try to do some more Stooges gigs. I will see if I can get my little record out. See if I can stay alive and not get sick. Plus, I'll be a model again for the second season… x

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turkey SPECIAL –– what's the story

Istanbul – The Blue City For many years, Italy was the place for all things denim; however, things have long since changed.

The Istanbul area is currently home to some of the most innovative and important manufacturing facilities in the world. Turkey has become a key player for the blue sector.

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Text Ina Köhler PHotos Tunçsel Ülkü Illustration Andreas Klammt, 53,5°

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t's 8:30 in the morning and I'm stuck in a traffic jam somewhere between Taksim Square and the Galata Bridge. Welcome to Istanbul. My taxi driver edges slowly into the street and almost knocks over a colourfully painted vegetable cart.

Welcome – or "Merhaba" – to the colourful mix of East and West, and to the only city in the world located on both a European and an Asian continent. Istanbul's inhabitants seem to be just as divided, with conservatives and nationalists on one side, and the young and progressive on the other. A street musician stops playing whilst the muezzin conducts his call to prayer. Minarets twinkle between ten storey high buildings. Alcohol is officially forbidden here, but raki is served in half-litre bottles. The cosmopolitan bars and hotels in the chic district of Sisli could just as well be in New York or Frankfurt.

Mavi's office, the biggest jeans brand in Turkey, clearly belongs to the modern part of the city, and is furnished with designer classics from around the world. "We are Istanbul," says Cüneyt Yavuz, General Manager of Mavi, who lived abroad for many years. For him, Istanbul is a symbol of multiculturalism, openness and youthful optimism.

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01 A palace of glass and cement in the middle of Istanbul – this is what manufacturing at Özak Tekstil looks like.

02 Welcome to the Loft, where the fabric manufacturer Dynamo creates innovative cotton fabrics.

03 In the showroom, Özak Tekstil hangs complete collections – washed and finished.

04 Akbal Ahmed, C.E.O. of Özak Global, sees a positive future for the Turkish textile industry.

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Turkey’s Market Boom Yavuz deliberately downplays the eastern part of Turkey, in which the country's capital, Ankara, is located. The policies developed there don't necessarily propagate open-mindedness and liberalism. However, the very same government has also provided a stable business climate. In 2001, when the economy was still at rock bottom, the government stepped in, regulated the banking system and got inflation under control. These measures created the fertile ground for entrepreneurs to start new companies. This city of ten million people is undeniably one of the most dynamic places in the world. On

an international scale, Turkey ranks number two in terms of growth, just behind China.

This is a growth rate that the European Union, not to mention Turkey's ailing neighbour Greece, can only dream of.

Textile and clothing are major contributors to the growth because they're still part of Turkey's key industries. "The economy is growing at 8.9 per cent a year, which is second to China's.This makes Turkey attractive for investors and customers," says Hadi Karasu, general manager of the manufacturing company Denim Village, and who is on the board of directors for Euratex. "On the other hand,

"The most important things at the moment are flexibility and being able to deliver at short notice."

Ahmet Akbalik, Özak Global

our customers don't have to get lumped with sharply rising costs. The economy is stable and the prices are under control."

Class Instead of Mass Despite this relative stability, the role of Turkey's textile and garment industry has

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Denim manufacturing (here at Özak Tekstil) still requires a lot of crafting by hand – skilled employees are therefore a must.

Modern laser machines are a matter of course in Turkey.

The eye sees more than the machine – quality control at Fashion Point.

Modern laser machines are a matter of course in Turkey, and they have partially replaced washing processes.

noticeably changed over the years. The aggressively priced mass market has long since moved to Asia, and local companies have felt the pain."I don't see any possibilities for mass production in Turkey anymore," says Teoman Ademogullari, owner of Fashion Point, which focuses on premium quality. The sheer numbers speak for themselves. In 2008, more than half of all the jeans sold in Germany came from China and Bangladesh. Turkey came in third place. This gap has widened in just two years. According to Germany's Fede-

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ral Statistical Office, the import of jeans from Turkey between 2008 and 2010 increased from 14.7 million to 15.3 million pairs. However, the real winners were China (from 48.5 million to 76.5 million pairs), Bangladesh (from 28.6 million to 34.7 million pairs) and Pakistan (from 12.7 million to 14.7 million pairs). Turkish textile companies are looking for alternatives, evolving from mass producers to quality suppliers. The need for such a change has been observed by the owner of CP Fashion, Reinhart Oberstein, who has worked very closely with Turkish fabric and garment manufacturers for over 20 years. "In my opinion, there's no going back," he says. "It's incredible how much skill and knowledge there is here. The manufacturers should use it."

Price Pressure and the Return to Turkey Manufacturers have observed the migration of business practices towards cheaper locations around the world, and they are coming up with very different ways to get around this problem. In countries such as Egypt, Bahrain, Syria and Bulgaria, factories have opened, with varying degrees of success, in order to compete with prices demanded by current global markets. There has also been a revival of interest in Turkey's manufacturing capabilities. Political instability in other Mediterranean countries, long delivery channels from Asia, the unreliability of factory workers and the necessity of high volumes and long term planning is making some brands rethink their competitive strategies.

turkey SPECIAL –– what's the story

Interestingly, the high price of cotton could aid Turkish businesses because, as manufacturing prices increase around the world, Turkey's higher wages would be more inconspicuous. This is how Ahmet Akbalik, CEO of Özak Global, explains it. Akbalik epitomises the young and dynamic entrepreneurs that are easy to find in Turkey these days. Özak Tekstil recently invested in a modern manufacturing facility in the centre of Istanbul, which made quite a statement in terms of Turkish industry. The elegant glass palace isn't only home to showrooms and offices, it also features spaces that are filled with laser, stonewash, bleaching and ozone machines.

"The most important things at the moment are flexibility and being able to deliver at short notice," says Ahmet Abarlik from Özak Tekstil. "The designs and developments change a lot faster than they used to. We're faster in development than other countries, and we speak the same language as the Western brands.“

Quality Investments and Quality Staff Speaking the same language also means a similar appreciation of good products, style, design and overall quality. This is where Turkey can score some really big points. "The future looks very bright in my sector," says Teoman Ademogullari from Fashion Point. "If you want to achieve the same level of quality in China, the price wouldn't be that much different." A lot of money was made from (and reinvested in) textiles in the last decade. A tour of the factories around Istanbul is proof of this. Most of the factories have highly qualified staff and ultra-modern machinery.

If you ask Tamer Eyerci, the general manager of Özak Tekstil, you will always hear the same reasons for the success of the Turkish model. Firstly, there's the high productivity of the sites, many of which have a well-oiled team – from the cutter all the way through to middle management. "We have skilled employees who guarantee high quality," says Çetin Akay,who works on the board of Erak; which famously began as a manufacturing company before introducing Mavi, their own jeans brand, 20 years ago. Akay's point is confirmed by all of his colleagues. "I still haven't found any other place in the world where people work as has hard as they do here in Turkey," says Hadi Karasu. "They're really committed, efficient, and they're also interested in new technologies."

According to Turkish law, a working week consists of 45 hours, often more, and workers are usually only granted two weeks of holiday a year. The average income is around 600 euros a month and the minimum wage is around 400 euros. Despite the low wages, social standards among factory workers are a lot higher than their counterparts in many Asian countries.

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The Next Few Years: Speed, Quality, Creativity How will Turkey develop in the future? Will it maintain its status as an important manufacturing location for denim? Turkey can still score points with speed, flexibility and quality, but how long can this be sustained? Perhaps the country's real strength lies in its proximity to Europe. In general, six weeks after orders for Turkish goods are placed, they arrive in Frankfurt, Amsterdam or London – all of which are barely three hours away by plane. The best denim production in Europe, once located in Italy, has migrated eastwards.

Spinners, weavers and accessory manufacturers are all in the one country. Orta, Isko, Bossa, Dynamo are all in a position to quickly supply materials to their corresponding denim factories. According to Dynamo owner Kamil Coskun, his fabric manufacturing company has never-out-of-stock programmes (NOS) at the ready for immediate delivery. This is how garment manufacturers stay flexible. Fashion Point, for example, also specialises in this area. Owner Teoman Ademogullari makes sure he's never too dependent on his customers. Ademogullari: „I was never really interested in the volume market. We prefer to focus on smaller production and better quality. We make some 250,000 items a month and could easily make more. But I want to stay flexible, big ships can't change course so quickly."

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06 "I was never really interested in the volume market; we prefer to focus on smaller production and better quality." Teoman Ademogullari, Fashion Point 07 "In my opinion, there's no going back."

Reinhart Oberstein, cp fashion

08 "There's a textile culture here that you can't simply transfer from one country to another."

Hadi Karasu, Denim Village

Design – Made in Turkey Businesses face increasing customer demands, especially in terms of creativity. The elegant representative offices and showrooms of fabric and garment manufacturers in and around Istanbul reflect the progress of the whole sector. They demonstrate a greater concern for the style and taste of European consumers, rather than being simply concerned with manufacturing products as cheaply as possible.

All the manufacturers have invested in their own design departments and their showrooms are filled with their own collections.

Erak supports young, up-and-coming Turkish designers who are still at university because they see it as an investment in the future.

Teoman Ademogullari from Fashion Point believes that Italy lost their grip on the market because things stopped being produced locally. "That's why there's hardly any innovation," he says. Of course, they showed us how to do it, but now we're the ones delivering the full package: research, design, fabrics, manufacturing and finishing." Together with his project managers and designers, Ademogullari now has the design expertise that

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what's the story –– turkey SPECIAL

says Hadi Karasu from Denim Village. "What we do instead is encourage brand designers to choose something from our own collections. They can actually look at over 3,000 samples, and our latest developments are always on display in the showroom."

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01 "We have skilled employees who guarantee high quality." Çetin Akay, Erak 02 "Pakistan, India and China have improved their production. But Turkish exports continue to grow."

Kamil Coskun, Inhaber Dynamo

The staff in charge of designing the customers also work alongside the actual style designers, such as the head designer Gökhan Ildeniz.

"We give the designers their own collection," says Emre Seljuk, CRM Director at Denim Village. "This could be commercial or more innovative focussed, depending on what they want. It's what makes us an important partner for a company. All of the customers that come here want their denim product to make a specific statement, and we work with the customer to make sure that happens."

Therefore, manufacturers take over some of the work as partners with European design teams. This is how Istanbul evolved into the most important jeans lab. This is where the looks for the (European) denim world are created; this is where the products are made; this is where the right machines and the know-how to use them can be found; and this is where they know how to do the correct washes. "Turkey has produced a lot of innovative designers in recent years," says Malik Kardakli from Fuga Denim, which has a manufacturing site in Izmir. "So you're not only focusing on production, but also on product development. VAV and its innovative machines are, for example, products of this development in Turkey. You not only make the trousers, you make the machine that goes with it too."

Sustainability as the Goal of Innovation companies in northern Europe may soon want to have at their disposal.

Denim Village, which is located two hours outside of Istanbul in the direction of Edirne, also reflects these developments. Once it was one of the most important manufacturing sites for the high-selling Levi's 501s, but today it's a manufacturer, innovation engine and strategic partner for a variety of brands.

Collections of brands such as Levi's Made & Crafted, Levi's Vintage Clothing, Lee 101, Kuyichi or Replay are not only made here, they're also created here. "We aren't very good at copying jeans, whatever the brand might be. Our people aren't trained for that,"

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Almost all the manufacturers in Turkey are now focussed on sustainable manufacturing.

Turkish manufacturers are fully capable of manufacturing according to strict standards such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) – if their brand customers want them to.

However, according to feedback from most of the manufacturers, this seems to be the exception rather than the rule. You get the impression that brands could do a lot more if they or their consumers just said "yes!" Turkey has alternative materials and finishing processes that are not that much more expensive, they just have to be used.

Sandblasting, for example, was banned in Turkey in March 2009 due to health problems caused by exposure to silicon. Although many

international companies ended this practice well before this time, they are now applauding the ban as an achievement in their communication. Other hot topics for companies – besides their product – are energy conservation and the recycling and purification of water. This is also not just because the local energy prices are sharply increasing.

The Domestic Market as an Engine Turkey doesn't just manufacture for Europe, it also has a huge potential to further develop its domestic market. The prediction is that the Turkish retail sector will grow 20 per cent by 2014, and that the growth will be driven by a well educated, dynamic and free-spending middle class. Turkey has over 200 shopping malls, more than 70 of which are in Istanbul – and usually located in ultramodern centres such as Istinye Park. Purchasing power has risen substantially in recent years. According to a survey conducted by GfK, one of the largest market research companies in the world, average household spending is around 5,100 euros a year, with very large discrepancies between communities. In Istanbul, purchasing power is generally higher than in the rest of the country. In districts such as Sisli, purchasing power exceeds 16,000 euros and is closer to that of other European regions. This is why a lot of manufacturers, including Mavi, see the domestic market as a lucrative investment and important engine for their development. CPI, a new fashion trade show, established themselves in Istanbul for a very good reason.

Uncertain Future The European Union, and Germany in particular, may still be Turkey's most important trade partners. However, the voices calling for Turkey's accession to the EU have gone quiet.

This could be because other markets are becoming more exciting. Russia, for example, is currently perceived to be just as ‘around the corner' as the Middle East. In these times, nobody dares make a long-term forecast for the Turkish textile industry. As quickly as the denim know-how developed, it could just as quickly move on to other attractive locations such as the Maghreb states, India or Pakistan. And these places might advance just as fast as manufacturers in Turkey did. Hadi Karasu from Denim Village counters this argument by claiming: "creativity is the product of knowledge and discipline." Turkey's been in the business for over 100 years. There's a textile culture here that you can't simply transfer from one country to another." x

GREEN ZONE The New Way TisT-TommorroW is Today Visionary itmes aW 13/14 GRUNGE NOUVEAU Trends ss 2013 R.M.S. ready made solutions

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what's the story –– turkey SPECIAL

Concentrated Denim Know-How In one spot: The metropolitan areas of Istanbul and Izmir are among the most important locations for denim production in Europe. x-ray would like to introduce a few of the denim and fabric manufacturers in these regions.

Text Ina Köhler

Egypt. Erak organises competitions to support young Turkish designers.

Customers: Mavi, Esprit, Mexx, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger www.erak.com 08

Özak Tekstil

Founded in 1985 by the Akbalik family, Özak Tekstil is currently headed by Ahmet Akbalik. The company opened a new ultramodern factory with some 560 machines in the centre of Istanbul. About 1,700 people work for the company, which makes approximately 500,000 items a month at their factories in Istanbul, Malatya and Çatalca.

In addition to denim jeans, jackets, dresses and overalls can be made on short notice.

Brands: Fornarina, Guess Italy and USA, Replay, Emporio Armani, Zara, Massimo Dutti, Esprit, Liu Jo, Hugo Boss, Gap www.ozaktekstil.com.tr 09 Taypa

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Baykanlar

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Çak Tekstil

Founded in 1999, Baykanlar is one of Turkey's leading manufacturers. Their factories in Kütahya and Malatya have a production capacity of 450,000 items per month. www.baykanlar.com

as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Denim Village also have a factory in Bulgaria.

Customers: LVC, Lee 101, Levi's Made & Crafted. www.denimvillage.com 05 Fashion Point

With a monthly production capacity of some 1.4 million items, Çak Tekstil is one of the country's major manufacturers. Over the years they have successfully developed their own brand, LTB, into a complete range of clothing.

LTB is successfully distributed in several European countries including Germany, where the company now boasts six stores as well as franchises. www.caktekstil.com.tr

Founded in 1983 by Teoman Ademogullai, Fashion Point specialises in the production of small volumes of innovative denim pieces that can be implemented very quickly.

Laser or ozone washing processes are intensively used to achieve further refinement. The company has a monthly production capacity of some 250,000 items.

Customers: Philipp Plein, Freeman T. Porter, Replay, Mac, Guess, Miss Sixty, Joop Jeans www.fashionpoint.com.tr

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06 FG Tekstil

Cross Jeans

Founded in 1939 by the Kolunsag family, the company introduced their own brand of jeans, Cross, in the '70s.

Their target group is 18 to 24 year olds. The company also produces for brands such as DKNY, H&M, Zara and Abercrombie & Fitch. A German subsidiary, which distributes the Cross brand, was established in 1995. www.crossjeans.com 04 Denim Village

Denim Village was established in 2001, and has a monthly production capacity of around 400,000 items. A policy targeted towards nnovation has shifted their focus on creative collections. Some 50,000 samples are developed every year. Denim Village run customer workshops in order to help them put together their collections.They are also committed to sustainable entrepreneurship. They make garments according to industry standards such

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Fuga Denim is a German denim brand by Fashion Generation GmbH.Their head office is located in Pulheim near Cologne. The denim for Fuga is made by FG Tekstil and Fashion Generation in Izmir and Istanbul. FG Tekstil use new technologies such as laser and spray machines that are developed by their subsidiary VAV. Fuga Denim is available throughout Europe as well as Japan. www.fuga.eu, www.vavtechnology.com 07 Erak

Founded in 1984 by Sait Akarlilar in Istanbul's Çerkezköy district, Erak is one of Turkey's leading jeans manufacturers. They have their own jeans brand, Mavi, which became an independent company in 1994, and helped to advance Erak's industry know-how. Today, Erak employs 1,700 people and have a production capacity of some 400,000 items. The company also have a factory in

Taypa have been making garments for 37 years. They have their own product development division, in which they constantly create new designs. According to the company, 100 per cent of the electricity that they use is generated by wind turbines. Their factories in Istanbul, Çorlu and Bolu have a production capacity that exceeds 1 million items. Taypa also have a factory in Egypt.

Customers: Dockers, Levi's, THD, All Saints www.taypa.com.tr

fabrics 10 Bossa

Founded in 1951, Bossa specialises in denimwear, sportswear, shirting, formalwear and smart-casual wear. www.bossa.com.tr 11 Dynamo

Dynamo specialises in cotton, flat-woven fabrics, cotton blends, elastane blends and innovative washed looks. www.denimkubas.com.tr 12 isko

The Turkish company Isko have their head office in Bursa.

They are among the world's largest fabric manufacturers and are market leaders in denim. www.isko.com.tr 13 Orta Anadolu

As one of the most famous Turkish denim spinners and weavers, Orta Anadolu have been committed to producing innovative organic cotton items since their early beginnings. www.ortaanadolu.com

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ow important is the domestic market for Mavi?

Cüneyt Yavuz: It's very important because we are leaders in the market here. We depend on it financially so that we can grow globally. Mavi is the biggest Denim brand in Turkey, with a market share of more than eleven per cent. We've been the market leader for the past fifteen years. Business has been quite dynamic here and it's still growing.

Why are you in such a strong position?

CY: In the beginning we were a denim manufacturer, but very early on – more than twenty years ago – we began building our own brand. Over the last five years, Turkey has really revolutionised the whole retail environment. It has more than two-hundred shopping malls now, and our brand has more than two-hundred mono-brand stores. We had an historical moment in 2010 when, for the first time, we made more money in retail than in wholesale. Over the past three years, we've developed into a quality retailer, aligning our product range to more of a lifestyle than a denim brand. It's 50 per cent denim and fifty per cent non-denim now. And don't forget, early on in our development we looked to the global arena – to markets such as the USA, Canada and Germany. We've worked this way for over 15 years now.

"Early on in our development we looked to the global arena" The denim brand Mavi is one of Turkey's biggest fashion industry players. In Istanbul, we spoke with Mavi's general manager Cüneyt Yavuz about the home market, the role of the manufacturer and the inspiration that the city provides.

Text Ina Köhler Photos Mavi Jeans

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Where do you see the Turkish roots of the brand?

CY: I think it's more Istanbul than Turkey.

We love the word 'Maviterranean.' Istanbul's heritage spans thousands of years, with so much culture and history. We build our lifestyle around these facts. We are a Turkish brand, but our city is our inspiration, our head office. How can there be such a thing as a truly global look? We are actually more of a southern European brand.

So are you a counterpart to Italian brands?

CY: Sure, you could say that. We have also forged our own path. Some of the world's best design companies are based here. We have the sewing technology, the washing and finishing. It's a good place to be.

Are you still producing a lot in Turkey?

CY: Yes, about 75 per cent of our production comes from Turkey. All our denim is from here. What we can't do is linen, which is done

turkey SPECIAL –– what's the story

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in China. Some of our outerwear and knits are also produced in Asia. For special embroidery, we have to produce it in India.

In your opinion, what is Turkey's future in this industry?

The turn to Asia in recent years resulted in a decline in Turkey's mass market. Are people coming back?

CY: I don't envisage a decrease in the popularity of denim, and I think this will remain the case for the next three to five years. This is a great country. There is a very educated workforce based here. You can't compare it with China or with more nearby countries such as Egypt, Tunisia or Morocco. I still believe in the engineering and the value of Turkish workmanship. You are right in the sense that companies such as Wal Mart might not come back to Turkey. But if we can produce more quality products overall, that's a good thing.

As long there is a European market in proximity, there is always an element of speed, newness and the repeat factor. Turkish entrepreneurs have the ability to understand what Europeans need and which price points are necessary. When I look at the industry, the export of textile still remains in the top three or four exports. Strategically, the business should move in more brands.

Do you worry that Pakistan and India might start to speed-up their production turnaround times? Given that Turkey superseded Italy in denim production, could the-

se countries become a second Turkey within the next five to ten years?

CY: First of all, I'm not worried. With our production company Erak we have just opened a factory in Egypt. My strategy for the future is that we should start to look at India and China as a consumer market. In this scenario, production must be on-site. As far as Turkey is concerned, I think that our current set-up is working fine. x

"Our city is our inspiration."

Cüneyt Yavuz, Mavi Jeans

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Dynamic, young and very cosmopolitan - this characterises the denim market in Turkey.

Mavi's head office in Istanbul produces denim designs for the entire world.

Cüneyt Yavuz, general manager of Mavi, strongly believes in Turkey as a production site.

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Price has its Price Last year, the Greenpeace team travelled around the region of the world capital of jeans, Xintang in South-east China, and reported catastrophic environmental damage.

260 million items a year leave the factories there and are obviously responsible for the alarming concentrations of heavy metals and other toxic substances in water and sediment. This doesn't mean that all factories in China act so inconsiderately. But it's no surprise that the low production prices in some areas has its price. But the consumer is more aware of this today than in the past. Society's change in values is making some denim brands rethink their strategies. "We can definitely refer to a trend 'back home,' and a shift of production from Asia to Europe," says Panos Sofianos, development expert at denim manufacturer Tejidos Royo in Spain.

Go West Many denim brands, particularly in the high price range, are rediscovering Mediterranean countries and Eastern Europe as attractive production sites, which particularly come up trumps where sustainability is concerned.

Tentative Rethinking

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Text Sonja Ragaller Photos Brands

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hina is the number one denim producer – not just on the mass market, but also increasingly for quality brands. But China's image as a production site is quite controversial.

The Greenpeace homepage severely criticises the production conditions of China's denim industry: "Blue jeans – a catastrophe for China's environment." It's not revelations such as this, but rather the pricing pressure on manufacturers and brands that make companies opt for other countries such as India, Bangladesh or Vietnam. In addition, there is, however, a small, but rather significant trend for companies to move their manufacturing back to Europe. Changes in society's values, and the topic of sustainability, could create a turn to countries in Eastern Europe or in the North African Mediterranean region. Some companies are even dreaming of reinstating Germany as a production site.

But how suitable are such considerations for mass production, and how might European companies hold their own in the bitter price struggle of the globalised world?

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01 "The location of Europe is becoming more interesting due to the topic of sustainability.

But brands really need to work more towards this." Mathias Braunagel, Freshtex 02 "Manufacturing in Germany is theoretically possible. But the base prices in Germany are still extremely sensitive."

Oliver Schultz, Mustang

03 "The fixed costs – cotton, indigo, machines – are the same all over. It's the problem of labour costs. But is it really worth it to have production in Asia for one euro less?"

Michael Oswald, Boss Orange

Even though end consumers are currently still showing little willingness to spend more money on environmentally friendly and resource-saving processes, everyone agrees that the topic will, in the immediate future, play a much greater role. "Consumers are still a bit schizophrenic," says Erwin Licher from Herrlicher. "They want more sustainability, but they don't want to pay more for it." Nevertheless, production companies and brands such as Boss Orange or Marithé & François Girbaud are already investing much more energy and money into technologies that save water and use environmentally friendly bleaches. Laser technology has become a topic of interest for many people in recent years. Enthusiastically propagated by denim guru Girbaud and production specialist US Denim Mills, the technology has the potential to partially replace complex washing and finishing processes. "I'm taking a close look at this sector. Once everything is fully developed, it is sure to offer very interesting possibilities," says Michael Oswald, denim expert at Boss Orange.

"We can't ignore the fact that China is continuing to develop. But things are still chaotic there. European manufacturers are more efficient and are more focused on the topic of sustainability," says Panos Sofianos from Tejidos Royo.

This creates opportunities for European sites, and for African Mediterranean countries. "Sustainability, environmental protection, social standards. These topics are becoming increasingly important. We hope

turkey SPECIAL –– what's the story

that this will turn into a new trend," says Mathias Braunagel from Freshtex. The South German company washes and dyes on sites in Asia (India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines), as well as in European countries such as Poland and Bulgaria. Braunagel is also noticing a trend of companies moving back home, but he hasn't discerned a categorical shift as yet.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria is among the biggest Freshtext sites. Mass market manufacturers such as the Inditex Group, as well as brands such as A-Denim or Alberto get their products made in Morocco. In these instances, exemption from customs charges, and proximity to consumer countries in the EU withdelivery times from three to six days, offer big advantages for global competitiveness.

For the mass market, companies are continuing to produce their wares in Asia. Together, China and India make up around 50 per cent of the global market – even if chain stores such as H&M don't want to admit it. (We received no comment from Hamburg, and no comment from the Swedish headquarters on the topic.)

More Innovation, More Quality Markets in the medium and higher price range, on the other hand, are focusing more on Europe and North Africa, with strong production countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco. It's not only the rising costs in China that play a role. "Quality has continued to develop. But I don't see much progress in terms of innovation and sustainability," says Tony Tonnaer, founder of the Kings of Indigo label. "It's all about producing as much as possible as cheaply as possible, but not necessarily about making it as good as possible." Patrick Stupp, owner of Rich&Royal, is also a proponent of the shift to European manufacturing. "We didn't jump on the Asia bandwagon because innovation, quality and speed are more important to us. Europe has a real edge in the high-price segment."

Eastern Europe Profits Countries such as Bulgaria, Romania and Macedonia are experiencing new momentum. In Romania alone, according to the German Fashion association, jeans exports to Germany doubled between 2006 and 2010.

The advantages are evident: easier to reach locations, the speed, the flexibility, the mentality. "For smaller brands, i.e. the niche market, Poland has also become highly interesting," says Braunagel. Even Chinese producers are investing in factories in Eastern

Europe. They are having trouble with the rising labour costs, lack of manpower and high customs charges. "You have to expect around 12 per cent customs surcharges in China.

This is not the case in Europe, Turkey and North Africa, which makes these countries more attractive," says Oliver Schultz, global brand director of Mustang.

Export of Italian Expertise In Italy, the birthplace of jeans, the figures are looking better than in the past. In spite of this, the Italian textile industry is far from how it was in its heyday. According to the Milanese market research institute Databank, denim production generated a turnover of around 2.2 billion euros in 2010, which is 3 per cent more than the previous year. The denim production abroad generated well over 1 billion euros, which is 6.5 per cent more than the previous year. These figures reflect the global export of Italian expertise.

The famous Martelli laundry, for instance, is currently running production sites in Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Romania. "The best thing that Italy did was to invest in factories abroad. This enables them to offer well-made and innovative products at a reasonable price," says Tony Tonnaer. Italy is regarded as a pioneer in terms of sustainability and so it‘s currently finding most of its producers in North Africa and Tunisia. "These areas have many good denim manufacturers and laundries, as well as a lot of Italian and French expertise," he says. He not only praises the quality, but also the fast processes and the low minimum orders.

"When there's something to discuss, you're always there fast. And as a small company you simply can't compete with the numbers of units that are required in Asia. Small numbers of units are our focus," says Erwin Lichter from Herrlicher.

"The national unrest has obviously scarcely affected the productivity there," confirms Florian Gonser from the South German textile company Gonser, which has been operating denim laundries in Tunisia for years now.

"Surprisingly, the Arabian revolution didn't greatly affect the production sites. The situation is very stable."

Unrest in North Africa, floods in Pakistan and Thailand, customs politics in China – these uncertainties will always exist and often make the business for sourcing experts unpredictable. So it's no wonder that some

companies dream about producing locally or even in Germany. "Something exciting is always going on. Due to all these circumstances, you have to very carefully choose the locations," says Oliver Schultz from Mustang.

"It is at least theoretically possible to manufacture products in Germany. That would be quite something; to have 'Made in Germany' on your labels as a German brand." x

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04 "China is no longer as attractive due to its rising costs. On the other hand, the European crisis favours the local production conditions."

Panos Sofianos, Tejidos Royo

05 "I'm seeing more and more denim producers from China and India return to Turkey and Tunisia. The prices in China are still lower, but the quality and the flexibility in Europe and North Africa is better." Tony Tonaer, Kings of Indigo 06 "Europe represents innovation, quality, speed and reliability. In addition to this, thanks to the proximity, we can bring trends to the market much faster." Patrick Stupp, Rich & Royal

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Born to be young?

In the recent past, jeans brands have greatly dropped in popularity among teenagers. Vertical brands such as H&M, Esprit or New Yorker present the greatest competition for denim brands. Have the jeans brands written off the young generation?

Text Ina KĂśhler Photos Brands

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erry Richardson's Lee campaign features Andre van Noord, a sturdy guy over 40, and the slogan 'A Lee Never Ages'. Levi's has launched a fit campaign for its female customers, and Diesel has introduced a high-quality and high-priced women's range. What do the new generation of kids think about these ideas? If you look at them from the perspective of a 15-year-old, many jeans brands lookpretty old. In brand surveys, teenagers list vertical brands such as H&M, C&A or New Yorker as among the most important brands they personally consume. Sports brands such as Puma, Converse, Adidas or Nike appear in the rankings. But what about jeans brands? Fuggetaboutit! Even more worrying is that market research studies show that a large part of 14 to 25-year-olds haven't even heard of many denim brands. What does this mean for an industry that primarily defines itself by brand loyalty and youthfulness?

looks that you need to find in the shops."

Wrangler's core target group is even a little bit older. "We don't focus on teenagers.

The large proportion of our customers are in their mid- to late-20s or older," says Marc Svojanovsky, sales director Wrangler EMEA. "That's the age in which many people can identify more with brands. We first have to attract customers who are 25." The younger generations are generally more fickle than the older generations, and the product is more important to them than the brand.

"We try to address all target groups, whether the young and progressive, or the more conventional." Torsten Widarzik, Levi's

Shift of the Core Target Group "As a traditional and democratic brand, we serve the mass market," says Judith Jahnke, Lee marketing manager. "We must succeed in being relevant and attractive for various target groups. We can do this, for instance, with campaigns that communicate the 'ageless' spirit of the brand." Lee defines itself as a brand for adults, although Judith Jahnke is against categorisation by age groups. But when it boils down to it, the under-20s age group is not as important for Lee. "Commercially, this target group plays a less significant role for us. This target group knows traditional brands and these often enjoy popularity among them, but they lack the means or the desire to pay more than 40 euros for a pair of jeans. It's more about fast trends and funky

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"That's why we don't focus on teenagers. We would like to offer customers a product that gives them acceptance."

Diesel also uses its Diesel Female range to attract female adult customers aged 25 and up.

The company features smart styles and higher price ranges. "We have to target a more prosperous and older female customer," explains Thorsten Link, country manager for Diesel Germany. "There has been a complete about-turn in the last few years. We had to use strategic positioning to make up for constantly dwindling customers in sales areas," says Link. The core target groups of the big players have therfore become visibly older – but what about the young ones?

try manager of Pepe Jeans for Austria and Switzerland. "Our strength lies in giving the kids' collection a similar image to the adults' collection. Later on, we can target teenagers with our Portobello range and even later with the Pepe collection," says Sommer. G-Star is following a different strategy. "We have so much potential in our collection that we don't have to diversify it," says Joris Asperghis, chief marketing officer of the G-Star brand.

Address Adults – Don't Lose Teenagers Most brands such as Levi's or Reply depend on a diversification of the brand or several sub-brands in order to cater for various age groups. "We can use our package of brands to attract customers between the ages of four and 50," says Raphael Sommer, coun-

Kids' collections, on the other hand, such as Replay & Sons, Diesel Kids, Lee Youth, or the young range by Wrangler, fulfil a practical purpose. "It is interesting for us to address the consumer from an early age with a kids' collection – this enables us to familiarise the consumers with the brand so that we can attract them again later on in their mid-20s," says Wrangler's Marc Svojanovsky. Generally, kidswear ranges are targeted at children no older than 15. But what then?

Diesel has the answer. "We are considering placing our DSL55 label where the Diesel kidswear segment ends," says Thorsten Link.

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01-04 Practically ageless role models: From G-Star to Lee, denim

brands have set their sights on several generations when it

comes to communication. 1: G-Star, 2: Killah, 3: Lee, 4: Diesel

To date, 55 DSL has offered mostly streetwear. As part of the Diesel family, teenagers should be more strongly represented by the label in future.

Another example of a collection which explicitly targets teenagers is the Killah collection of the Sixty Group. "We accompany female customers on their path to adulthood," says Jörg Korfhage, managing director of Sixty Germany.

What's important is not only the right fits, styles and the right price, but also the right timing.

Korfhage: "We have to increase the intervals between new product launches to enable us to keep up with the vertical competition. This is a real challenge for us as a company."

A High Price does not Entice The politics of upgrading have meant that jeans have increasingly raised their prices so that older customers are now automatically being targeted. But as Thomas Wirth,

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what's the story –– born to be young 01

"We have to increase the intervals between new product launches to enable us to keep up with the vertical competition. This is a real challenge for us as a company."

Jörg Korfhage, Sixty Group 02

dern' models priced between 70 and 75 euros. The skatewear scene has been successfully attracting customers recently through their use of highly fashionable and inexpensive skinny models. "The demand from retailers confirms this," says country manager for Levi's Germany Torsten Widarzik. Lee are also targeting young skater kids with adjusted price ranges. "We are definitely not excluding the young target group. And we are undoubtedly successfully represented by streetwear retailers who address a very young target group, such as Titus in Berlin, The Flashgib in Stuttgart or Laden 12 in Nuremberg," says Judith Jahnke.

Communication for Everyone!

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Forever young – But many jeans brands no longer can or want to attract teenagers.

1: Levi’s, 2: Wrangler

managing director of Fashion Box Germany (Replay), explains: "Jeans should'nt be too expensive." Replay wants to also provide good products for young people. This means we also want to offer an attractive pair of jeans for 99 euros." Levi's has also worked on attracting more young customers. Within their women's collection, there are 'young mo-

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The dichotomy between young and old is also reflected in the communication. "We have always been a very young brand in terms of our brand address," says Thorsten Link. "It's the balance of communicating youthfulness so that the customer wants to buy the image." In their award-winning campaigns, Wrangler uses timeless means and protagonists. Levi's, who see themselves as pioneers, also address both young and old, especially in their 'Go Forth' campaign.

Replay is a sponsor of the MTV Awards and therefore demonstrates their involvement in the young music scene. G-Star relies on the character and the product instead of just youthfulness; using celebrities such as Liv Tyler or chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, with whom different age groups can identify.

Teenagers too? "Character is not a question of age," explains Joris Asperghis, chief marke-

ting officer of the G-Star brand. "Social media such as Facebook play a very important role for our young fans," he adds.

Decisive Positioning In the retail trade, it's not always easy to cater for target groups of all ages. "We try to address all target groups, whether the young and progressive, or the more conventional," says Torsten Widarzik of Levi's. "We must segment our brand and bring it to the PoS where the corresponding consumers shop.

That's the most important thing of all." Theoretically, denim brands must find themselves in one of three different placements: in the very young department, the department for a specific product group and in an area that can be described as 'contemporary,' but which doesn't seem to exist yet in this form.

"Particularly in men's departments, there's something missing," says Wrangler's Marc Svojanovsky. Many men don't shop in the classic menswear department, nor in the designer boutique, nor from teenager ranges.

Svojanovsky believes Germany has a gap in the market when it comes to fashion-conscious men who would buy their wares from stores like Selfridges if they lived abroad. "All department stores are currently putting a lot of thought into this," he says. "Contemporary departments – as they exist in other countries – are unfortunately not very widespread here," says Diesel's Thorsten Link. We must find other ways to strategically forge future brand cooperations. And the retail trade must consider whether it has, after all, given up vying for the attention of young clientele. x

Freeman T. Porter –– what's the story

"Customers are no longer as willing to take risks" Three years ago, the French distributor Ep6 took over the brand Freeman T. Porter from its German founder Rainer Geilfus.

Today, marketing, PR, design and the entire production are controlled from Paris. Ep6 managing director Pascal Müller talks about the relaunch, his goals and the willingness to take risks.

Text Nicolette Scharpenberg Photos Freeman T. Porter

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ou took over Freeman T. Porter as a long-standing distributor in France. What was your motivation?

Pascal Muller: Freeman T. Porter had lost some of its charm and desirability. The German market was suddenly demanding cheaper prices. Back then, the brand was headed by Rainer Geilfus, and had been sucked into a dumping price vortex that was not in line with our brand strategy.

Our philosophy was to sell a product for its high quality, not for its price. In Germany this failed, so unfortunately brand figures went into decline. The ball was passed to us, and so we were faced with the decision of who should buy up whom. If this hadn't have happened, it would have sounded the death knell for both company locations. Our main goal was to change our focus back to quality and the product.

How has Freeman T. Porter been developing since the takeover?

PM: We have been able to really strengthen Freeman T. Porter on a local level. Our local team has grown and has been restructured.

Since the takeover, in 2010 we have enjoyed 20 per cent growth in France, and in 2011 there's already been 15 per cent growth. The export to our former main market of Germany, Austria and Switzerland has to date been a little more difficult. Currently, we are working on adjusting our former target group and at the same time acquiring more highquality retail partners in the fashion sector.

What international prospects do you envisage for Freeman T. Porter? Particularly in the German-speaking markets, the brand has long been successful and is an important partner of the speciality retail trade. Should

these markets now be aggressively targeted?

PM: We are continuing to focus on the German-speaking markets. But we are also exploring other avenues. Our goal is to offer quality rather than cheap prices. Our long-term goal is to have 300 to 400 customers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We hope to achieve this by strategic reorganisation of the existing sales team, introducing new marketing and PR measures, and placing a special focus on service. Most of our customers are not as great risk-takers as they used to be and they want to avoid stock items as much as possible. We give them the option to order extra stock that is delivered to their store the following day.

The foundation of the brand's success was originally its expertise in trousers. Does this continue to be your focus?

PM: Of course, our focus is still on trousers.

Freeman T. Porter was, and is still, primarily a trouser company. A year ago, we also began promoting our tops. We reduced the collection from 500 to 300 items. It was simply too big and the retailers felt overwhelmed. But we continue to focus on jeans, as well as offering other styles such as chinos and trousers made of linen, as well as classic fabrics with special fits and details. Coated denim and lycra are really popular right now.

What are Freeman T. Porter's medium-term objectives, and what strategies do you plan to use to achieve them?

PM: In addition to the acquisition of new,

Pants with a special fit have always been Freeman's area of expertise. Now, in addition to this, their focus is on tops.

high-quality retail partners in the Germanspeaking countries, we are planning on opening our own stores. In France, we are currently running four mono-label stores and three partnership stores, together with partners to whom we provide the products for sale on commission. This is working really well for us. This is now also in planning for the export countries. x

"Sophisticated, innovative and service-oriented – that's today's Freeman T. Porter."

Pascal Müller Managing Director of Ep6

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For real men

From classic menswear to denim; trouser specialist Alberto ventured into blue territory with the young spin-off ADenim, which effortlessly bridges the gap between classic and trend.

Text Ina Köhler Photos ADenim, Alberto

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hat motivates someone who specialises in men's trousers to create their own jeans brand? It's actually quite obvious.

In the company's main collection Alberto Pants We Love, which caters to the classically oriented man, 63 per cent of the articles are made from denim. The idea was born when the company opened a new factory

For men only: ADenim's beautiful washings are currently only available for men.

In the sewing room, models are manufactured on old machines.

A head office rich in tradition. The family business was established in 1922 in Mönchengladbach, Germany.

in Casablanca. They wanted a brand that was a bit younger, trendier and more jeanslike than their previous products. ADenim was launched in 2009, positioned alongside Alberto and Alberto Golf. "Our customers want honest products with good value for money. The brand's a perfect fit," says Marco Lanowy, managing director of Alberto.

ADenim –– what's the story

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"We're really good at everything that has to do with trousers." The company successfully filled a niche with its trousers, without getting bogged down by complete collections, stores or system sales. "Retailers should operate as an umbrella brand – we'll support them," is how Lanowy explains the concept.

Each Piece is Unique ADenim consists of some 25 different styles of jeans, chinos and linen trousers. Italian denim, innovative washes, typical jeans fits – that's how simple the recipe for the look appears to be. Philipp Walendy, son of founder Georg Walendy, is product manager for the young collection and, like his sister Anna, is an integral part of the family business. He's responsible for the creation of styles such as 'Andy,' 'Alex,' and the chino 'Ashton', which is hand-brushed, polished and washed in Morocco, making each pair unique. Washes and special treatments are also used to give the linen, corduroy, satin and wool trousers their typical 'touch and feel' and casual wrinkle.

Casualness aside, when you know just how much effort Alberto puts into quality assurance, you know that ADenim has to meet equally high standards. "Sometimes a fabric doesn't pass our internal inspection and we can't use the material," says Philipp Walendy.

The quality assurance department, which tests fabrics and ingredients before they're used in production, is on the ground floor of the company's head office. According to Lanowy, inspecting the products before they're used keeps return rates under one per cent.

"The market wants reliable products with good value for money," he says confidently.

Alberto has another strength that ADenim can capitalise on: the huge logistics centre that the company built in 2005 when it remodelled part of the premises. The modern warehouse has space for 85,000 items, some of which are available very early in the season.

ADenim's customers appreciate the ability to place replenishment orders for four to five of the collection's styles. "The replenishment bottleneck isn't so much in production as it is in weaving," says Lanowy regrettably.

Where does ADenim see itself as a brand?

"Somewhere in the triangle between Alberto, Drykorn and Tommy Hilfiger," says Marco Lanowy, who deliberately refrains from naming reference customers. "ADenim will position itself alongside Alberto as a modern brand. We'll grow with the brands and the brands will grow with us," he says, without ad-

ding sales targets because organic growth is important to the traditional company. ADemin has always targeted customers in German-speaking countries as well as in Scandinavia and Russia.

The company has an export quota of more than 50 per cent, and supplies 42 countries.

In 2012, the company will be celebrating its 90th anniversary at its original location in Mönchengladbach. This isn't necessarily a reason for Lanowy to focus on the textile company's long history. He's very much open to new projects, one of which will be a store on the ground floor in Rheydter Strasse. It won't be a factory outlet but a normal store where the company can learn from its customers. The upper floor will have a room for the creative team, which comprises product management, sales, marketing and customer relationship management. The traditional perception of the Abteiberg in Möchengladbach is misleading: the old textile city is clearly looking towards the future. x

Facts and Figures

Alberto GmbH & Co. KG is a family business in Mönchengladbach, Germany that is run by managing director Georg Walendy (owner), Marco Lanowy (managing partner) and Jürgen Schmiedel (business manager).

The traditional company arose from the manufacturing company Albert Dormanns Hosenfabrik, which was founded in 1922. Production in Mönchengladbach was discontinued in the‚ 90s but they still maintain a patternmaking and cutting room. In 2005, the company invested in a modern logistics centre at its 10,000 square metre head office, where some 90 people work. The building is home to the design department, the sales and marketing department, administration, a showroom and quality control. With a production volume of 1.4 million items, Alberto GmbH achieves annual sales of 37 million euros.

The company has over 600 sales floors and 2,400 customers in 42 countries. The main markets are DACH, Scandinavia, the Benelux and Russia.

Brands: Alberto, Alberto-Golf.com, ADenim

04

"ADenim will position itself alongside Alberto as a modern brand."

Marco Lanowy, managing director of Alberto 05

www.alberto-pants.com, www.alberto-golf.com www.a-denim.com

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Chiemsee – revisited!

The cult label is celebrating 30 years of operation, and beginning a search to find their own roots.

Text Stephan Huber Photos Chiemsee

Chiemsee is back with a new old self-concept.

As well as with humility with regard to the work ahead. Cornelia Schmidt: "We're still in the process of doing our homework."

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CHIEMSEE –– what's the story

American Dream in Upper Bavaria Personal passion is always the best motivation.

In 1982, brothers Christoph and Martin Imdahl's passion for surf sports prompted a business idea, which turned into a phenomenon.

What began in their parents' garage in the idyllic municipality of Grabenstätt, soon became a lifestyle movement with the launch of their label Windsurfing Chiemsee. Years later, the previously unheard of term 'funsport' was invented to describe what they had begun. It went on to become a huge money spinner. Their alliance of truly new and authentic design with the rebellious aesthetics of surf-inspired subcultures became a cult hit almost overnight. The tailwind it experienced helped establish Chiemsee as a zeitgeist phenomenon that went far beyond their original target group. It was actually a kind of American dream, but in beautiful Upper Bavaria. Retailers today still talk about how they had to ask to sell Chiemsee - as if they were petitioners with a clean application. But they also tell of how customers ripped the expensive pieces - which were revolutionary for the segment - from their hands.

What Goes Up...

This high lasted until the middle of the '90s and was followed by a crash, which came in its now well-known form. With various subcollections and second lines, Chiemsee visibly distanced themselves from the authentic essence of the brand. Licences were issued rather indiscriminately, and all were poisonous for their exclusive image. In addition, Chiemsee really suffered from label piracy.

In particular, the engine driving the passion began to noticeably sputter, and one of the Imdahl brothers, Martin, made his exit in 1999.

"Chiemsee doesn't have to reinvent, but must find itself again."

Cornelia Schmidt, GF Chiemsee

ters, new software – remarkably quiet and subtle – in order to make the cut in 2010 they approached the reorganisation of the Chiemsee label strategically. In doing so, Cornelia Schmidt was responsible for production and logistics. Feodor von Wedel, the former head of the Munich-based advertising and creative agency Saint Elmo's, was the strategic head of the label's establishment. Cornelia Schmidt summarises it nicely: "Chiemsee didn't need to reinvent itself, it needed to regain itself. We're not alpine skiing, not Formula 1, not fashion; our roots are board sports."

It sounds simple, but carrying it out is a challenge. Because making Chiemsee shine again would first require massive efforts and investments, especially in product design.

Cornelia Schmidt: "The Chiemsee label has to once again stand for functional products with a cool, individual design, but it also has to be interpreted in a modern, contemporary way." Chiemsee has defined this new brand essence as 'functional effortlessness.' And of course this also means new, higher price ranges. It's also in this sense that they want to return the brand to its roots. Cornelia Schmidt: "But first we have to convince retailers and end consumers of this. We shouldn't promise anything we can't deliver." x

Back to THEIR Roots

"W

e are really starting again from a blank piece of paper," says Cornelia Schmidt, a member of of Chiemsee management since 2010. She goes on to explain: "After years of dilution, it was about exposing the essence of the label. We also wanted to show that we have the courage to cut out everything that has diluted this essence." We need to backtrack now in order to contextualise Chiemsee's 'back to basics' approach.

After the crash, Chiemsee was taken over by the Schmidt Group in 2003. The very quiet Hanseatic family-owned company - dating back 100 years in the textile business - attracted public attention in 1999 when they took over the German licence for the Kappa brand. This marked the entry into the brand business and Cornelia Schmidt's start at the company managed by her father Peter. As a result, she was able to celebrate not only the success of Kappa itself, but also the football championship title of Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund in Kappa.

The new owner at Chiemsee has long blended into the background. New headquar-

ABOUT THE BRAND

Chiemsee turns 30 years young in 2012 and is starting the anniversary year with a campaign calling on all athletic people to have the "sportiest year of your life." In 2013, the winning team, to be selected by a jury, will experience all types of board sports with which Chiemsee has always been active in the past and continues to be today. www.chiemsee.com

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come to the table! –– what's the story

Come to the Table!

Own brands were once the talk of the town, and seemed to be something that everyone wanted.

Now, all that's heard is eerie silence. The new stars on the horizon are brand-to-retail collaborations with a focus on flexibility and quality.

However, the sales potential of table tees is enough to revive interest in a topic that still had a stale aftertaste not all that long ago.

Text Isabel Faiss Illustration Van Data Illustration & Design Photos Omen (Gisi Rameken)

"W

e're producing unprecedented quantities of table tees in a very reasonable amount of space. Our table tees are not classic brand products but the designs are so modern that customers practically throw themselves at them," says Mark Petereit, purchasing manager at Snipes and head of strategic management for the company's own brands. Table tees turn over 30 to 40 per cent more merchandise than other store products. Multi-brand retailers can only dream of such high volumes per square metre. Since January 2011, Snipes have been collaborating with Mr Tee: a small designer agency that regularly delivers new designs for table tees in close collaboration with Snipes' purchasing team and other key accounts. Even more impressive, and at an international level, are the five-digit quantities of Sneaker Freak, Footlocker's own brand of table tees that the chain sells in their European stores. The designs are delivered by the Munich-based designer duo FPMD, who

have had to prove themselves against really big players such as Nike, Adidas, Puma and Converse. Such companies have long recognised the potential of a product group. Table tees, which are basically T-shirts displayed on tables at the entrance area of a store, are always on sale and sell in large quantities. They guarantee a huge inventory turnover, they are easy to sell, they attract young customers from a low price segment, and they are the 'foot-in-the-door' for companies wanting to attract a youthful target group. They clearly show that own brands are still relevant but are just handled differently.

The decision to produce table tees was initially based on creating a complete design collection that enabled a company's own ideas and expertise to flow into the design.

They were born from a desire to focus on low, entry-level prices, and as high a margin as possible, with individual product groups that are safe and do well in sales - such as Tshirts. Table tees are risky for image stores because they can damage reputations, or ruin the trust that they have gained from their target groups. Snipes tried a lot of different routes, which enabled them to gain both positive and negative experience with the production of private labels. When the urban segment - Snipes' core market - began to falter in 2007, with the crumbling of more and more brands, they decided to fill the gaps in the product range with own brands.

"We wanted to cover the best product groups ourselves; the ones that had been predicted over the last years. Alternatively, we could have drawn on other brands, but that would have weakened our concept," explains Petereit. In 2007, the first brand Black was added, and the girls' brand Very Berry soon followed. A year later, 9Iron was launched: a fully independent collection with its own design statement to which the in-house design team added original ideas. 9Iron was produced for the last time in autumn/winter 2009. Very Berry fell victim to the shrinking market share of women's streetwear collections. Snipes no longer see Black as an independent collection but as individual items that complement the product range. Snipes no longer develop their own brands actively, but operate reactively - in the form of brands such as Mr Tee. Mark Petereit claims that this is the future of professional brand-to-retail collaboration: "The '90s were the days of the strong brands. Back then, brands created

"In the beginning, you stock your stores with loads of T-shirts.

Then, after about two weeks, you'll know which designs work.

That's how you get the flexibility you need." Mark Petereit, Snipes mass trends, but the recent competition with the vertical markets has evened that out. As a result, each brand is looking for a strong partner to guarantee themselves a window to the world. The brand-to-retail collaboration, vertical integration or tight partnerships are definitely the models of the future. Information flows in both directions and you have a lot more flexibility. Business is also easier to plan because you can use synergies and spread the risks on both sides."

THREE MAIN BARRIERS The profitability of own-brand table tees is clearly delineated, as are the barriers that are associated with an own brand. The barriers mainly affect integration with the supply chain - meaning production itself. One of the main goals is flexibility, which depends strongly on the manufacturer. The second is brand positioning, which is derived from the goals that have been set. Should the input margin be particularly high, or is inventory turnover, meaning the output margin, more important? The third decision consists of defining the price ranges you want to be in, especially in relation to the rest of the brand's product range. "In every sales channel, your own brand has to be priced lower than the brands in the store. The idea is that you deliver at least the same quality for a lower price. So you wonder where the prices will

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what's the story –– come to the table!

From the start, the Omen collection pursued a distinct design signature, and attempted to close a gap in menswear.

take you. Are you going to relinquish the input margin and operate in a price range you know your brand will never reach? With 9Iron we noticed that the closer the price got to the brand level, the more customers demanded what we do in terms of brand building."

Richie Löffler put the cart before the horse with the Trap brand and, perhaps unknowingly, set an example of how an own brand can establish themselves in a demanding and sceptical environment such as the core skateboard community. In 1992 he introduced his own skateboards and other hardware under the Trap brand. Then came the garment collection. Since 2000, he has also

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been running the Mantis Lifestore in Hamburg, which sells the full Trap range. Trap is also available in stores such as Goodstuff in Munich, Rocs in Berlin and Street City in Zurich. The brand is currently backed by a team of pro-skaters including of Jürgen Horrwarth, Paco Elles, Kilian Heuberger and Pat Lindenberger. Projects also take place at regular intervals with artists such as the Kingdrips Crew from Hamburg. Trap is distributed by Löffler's own distribution agency MDCN Distribution (1998), which also distributes brands such as Close Up, King Kong, Randal and Selfish Skateboards. Alongside Trap, which is now an independent brand with its own worldwide distribution and retailers, Richie Löffler's store on Grosse Theatherstrasse 7 in Hamburg's city centre also carries the own brand Mantis, which gained world renown with motifs such as 'I skate HH' and a candy cane (designed by the Hamburg Illustrator S-Fly) that is printed on T-shirts and hoodies for boys and girls.

In response to the market With their brand Omen, Thomas I Punkt in Hamburg is a pioneer of own brands. Thomas Friese first opened the store back in the '60s' and introduced a concept that is still breaking new ground today. Omen was launched in 1984 in response to a gap in the market that the fashion retailer instinctively took advantage of, and to which they added classic menswear that men actually

"We are not a strategically driven own brand. Omen is an independent collection with designs that we think the market is lacking."

Alexandra Friese, Thomas I Punkt

like wearing. "My father noticed that all the brands had stopped dealing with certain styles, details and qualities, in a way that he thought they should be dealing with them.

Something was missing. Japanese designers such as Yamamoto were too eccentric for the German market and the classic designers were caught in a rut," explains Alexandra Friese, who has been her father's assistant for more than 20 years, and manages the original shop at Hamburg's Gänsemarkt. The full collection is still produced mainly in the North German cities of Hamburg, Lübeck and Bremen. Omen is the role model for an own brand that has made the leap to a fully independent and established brand. It also demonstrates that a respectable own brand has to create a lot of added value in order to be accepted by customers. Those who succeed, like Thomas Friese, to express their fashion expertise in their own brand are certainly among the top. x

fashion box Germany –– what's the story

Passion for Blue Thomas Wirth, Replay Germany's new managing director, knows his way around denim.

He not only has a professional passion for the blue merchandise, it's his private passion as well.

Text Ina Köhler Photos Replay

01+02

03

The Replay stores will be remodelled based on the internatio- nal flagship stores in Milan, Paris and Barcelona. Cologne will be the first to be remodelled.

Fashion Box Deutschland's new managing director Thomas Wirth.

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WWW –––––––––– www.replay.it

I

t wasn't easy to make an appointment with Wirth because he was constantly travelling in the first few months of joining Replay.

When asked what he likes about the Replay brand, he smiles and says: "Replay rolls off the tongue so easily and has such a nice ring to it that it has to be one of the greatest jeans specialists, with a history to match. It's a really authentic brand, so I accepted the job without hesitation."

Wirth knows his brands, and he knows denim too – he's been collecting jeans garments for many years. "My wife despairs every time the garage starts filling up again," he says. Wirth has a good rapport with the product, with Fashion Box (including brands Replay, Replay & Sons, We are Replay, Red Seal and White Seal), and the brand's majority shareholders Matteo and Massimo Sinigaglia. Wirth brings years of experience in the denim sector to Replay. Following positions at Tommy Hilfiger Denim, Sixty and LTB, the 40-year-old has now embarked on a new adventure. He took over the helm from Wolfgang Friedrichs who left the company in March 2011.

02

He wants the transition to be smooth and gradual without any major disruptions. "I'm a really good listener," says Wirth. "And I have no intention of doing things differently." Sven Adam will continue as head of sales for the men's line. The position of sales manager for the women's line was finally filled in January. The company will keep its head office in Düsseldorf until a new location for it and the showroom is decided upon. The German warehouse will be closed and the logistics will be restructured. "This will take two to three weeks off the delivery times of many items," says Wirth. In addition, neverout-of-stock items can be delivered from Italy within 48 hours. "Our customers are very grateful. Speed is decisive and we want to make sure that the merchandise is on the sales floor when it‘s supposed to be."

Denim is Replay's most important product group and will now be delivered in May and November so that there will be enough time for sales. Wirth is keen on providing good service to his retail partners. "I want to be closer to our customers and actively communicate with them." This is exactly what he's doing, as can be seen by the new delivery intervals.

"We aspire to deliver a high-quality product that also fits particularly well with Replay. But we also have to ask ourselves where we see our price ranges in relation to the market."

Once this has been established, the company will spend more time on womenswear.

"The products will be given a more feminine fit and we'll check whether mixing materials can make the prices more attractive. We don't want to be a niche provider; speciality stores are just as important to us as high-quality boutiques."

Sponsoring And Flagship Stores

03

"I want to be closer to the customers, and to have more open interactions with them." Thomas Wirth, Replay

Replay's stores are also facing changes. The brand currently has stores in Düsseldorf, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and Oberhausen - all of which will be remodelled based on the international flagship stores in Paris, Milan and Barcelona. The store in Cologne will be the first to be remodelled in 2012. The others will follow gradually. And that's not all. Replay will not only be exhibiting at Bread & Butter, they're also planning an alternative. They started sponsoring the MTV Music Awards in 2011. A new wind is indeed blowing in Düsseldorf. x

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The End of (Clearance) Sales?

Discount chaos has been reigning in the retail sector ever since the legislation on clearance sales was abolished. This 'confusion,' and the growing discontent with solutions that some colleagues have come up with – such as the extensive use of the red (discount) marker – have reignited the discussion about meaningful dates for clearance sales. Everyone is complaining that things are spinning out of control, but no one's doing anything about it. Eight experts talked to us about their approach to solving the problem.

Text Isabel Faiss Photos Brands, Stores

Christian Greiner, Ludwig Beck AG When You're Thirsty, You Drink!

I think the most important headline is 'ready to wear!' Most people buy things to satisfy specific needs. When I'm thirsty, I buy something to drink; and when I'm tired, I go to bed. In fashion, we seem to be telling people that they should get something to eat when they're tired, and to have a drink in case they get thirsty. That doesn't make sense . So what's the solution? Either we keep spinning the wheel until it fixes itself, or we focus on our customers' needs and give them the products they really want. Let's face it, no one discusses the price of a bottle of water when they're thirsty.

You have to keep the peace for as long as possible. It's also a question of how you educate, or have educated, your customers.

The less they're used to sales or collecting points through various programmes, the more important the product range, the service and the product will be. It may be timeconsuming but it's the best way of selecting your real target group. Customers need to

70 ––

understand that products are worth their original price and that they're not being duped when they buy things at the regular price. We focus on the two traditional end-of-season sales periods. Other than that, we don't mark down merchandise. When we celebrated our 150th anniversary, we deliberately chose class instead of mass, and we only marked down a very limited number of special items.

I don't think that reintroducing a legal framework would solve the problem; however, focusing on your strengths and knowing what kind of customer you're serving might. Just because I'm carrying expensive products, it doesn't automatically mean that I'm targeting wealthy clients. The bigger the imbalance, the quicker I find myself having to sell marked down merchandise.

Rainer Ksoll, MOD The Chaos is Hurting Everyone A possible solution would be to reintroduce a legal framework for clearance sales. Everyone, even the large firms, must have got

fashion discourse –– the talk

it wrong if we have to mark down winter jackets as early as November. In our case, marking down seasonal items so early leaves us very little time to sell our products at their regular price. In essence, I think we simply begrudge each other. Instead of putting our heads together and taking a step back, we keep trying to outsmart each other, and the only one who benefits then is the consumer.

We might see a change in mindset when we start marking down winter jackets in midOctober. But I do think that change will have to come from a centrally organised initiative.

Retailers used to make their own agreements with each other, but that's unfortunately no longer the case. It's is a shame because I think this approach has a lot of potential. Today, retailers have to fight against powerful shopping centres and discounters. What better opportunity than to join forces and fight back?

Customers no longer recognise a bargain when they see one, and that's a real problem.

Nowadays, an item that is not marked down is automatically a bad buy, and there's not much that we as brands can do about it. The problem is that we don't make the rules anymore.

The market gets nervous as soon as H&M starts marking down merchandise, and the furniture store next door has no choice but to follow suit. Brands aren't as important as they used to be; vertically structured corporations are so dominant that speciality stores have to adapt their timetables to theirs.

I'd really like to call upon retailers to take action against this development. If you have a good brand that performs well, fills a niche and enables you to do what you're good at, there's no reason why you should have to go along with the mark down fever.

Team A-Game Distribution EU Legislation The fashion calendar is suffering from the huge discrepancy between the corporations' and the retailers' timetables. A corporation usually introduces the same programme months before a small store does. For corporations, December is the ideal time to deliver the spring/summer collection, whereas retailers don't want the new merchandise until February/March. This creates a discrepancy; the seasons shift and early sales become the

norm. The market is stuck because retailers don't have a common timetable anymore.

We would definitely welcome common rules for clearance sales, but they would have to include online retailers as well. And that would probably require legislation at an EU level. Right now there's no such thing as a clearance sale because too many sales are going on at the same time, such as midseason sales and so forth. New arrivals are devalued really quickly, and that's a problem for us too. We do our best to offer an excellent service and we even enable clients to place replenishment orders. The merchandise is devalued in a matter of weeks because stores start a new sale almost as soon as the previous one ends. This means that we have to mark down our stock items for retailers too, which makes it hard for us to keep a lot of merchandise in stock.

We don't see a mid-term solution because everyone can do as they please. Some manufacturers try to impose rules on retailers and then threaten to stop supplying if they break them. On the other hand, only really wellestablished brands that sell well can get away with something like that. The only sensible solution is one that applies to everyone. Our brands would certainly benefit from the reintroduction of a legal framework. Brands that launch intermediate collections every two months would probably have a hard time with only two clearance sales a year. But for our customers, the seasonal rhythm is perfect.

slumped by 20 per cent, putting distributors under enormous pressure. This doesn't exactly improve the quality of the distribution policy. Take Element, for example. Element is now sold by Otto Versand even though it's a core product. My customers are literally saying to me, "why would I buy something at its regular price?" There's always a sale on somewhere online, and it's created a global problem. Where we are in Ansbach, you'll find Wellensteyn jackets marked down by 50 euros already – at the end of October. In December,

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02

Björn Müller, Dresscode Ansbach I Won't Have It The problem starts at the distribution level.

Distributors are putting retailers under a lot of pressure by imposing stricter requirements on the one hand and less than selective sales and marketing strategies on the other, which also implicates their own mono-label stores and outlets. Distributors really have to start developing a clear sales and marketing strategy, especially for online retail. The market is basically flooded with merchandise. Some 2 billion euros are said to be spent every year, but if 4 billion euros of merchandise is on the market, the sum can only be negative. In countries surrounding Germany, the fashion business

03

01 "Customers have to understand that they're not being duped when they buy things at their regular price." Christian Greiner, Ludwig Beck 02 "Instead of taking a step back, we keep trying to outsmart each other." Rainer Ksoll, MOD 03 "The only sensible solution is one that applies to everyone."

Ibrahim Diarra, A-Game Distribution

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the talk –– fashion discourse

the strongest month of the year, everything's put on sale in order to reduce stock before the summer merchandise arrives in January/ February. A tangible solution for retailers like me would be all-season products such as jeans or chinos, which aren't as susceptible to sales and therefore less susceptible to brand devaluation. The quality of the products is constantly deteriorating anyway, as is that of the offer. All you have to do is walk around the main trade shows and you'll see

04

05

06

04 "There's always a sale on somewhere online, and it‘s created a global problem."

Björn Müller, Dresscode

05 "There's no straightforward solution to the problem." Frank Götz, Firetrap 06 "In the German-speaking countries, it's almost impossible for a multi-brand retailer to not have mid-season sales."

Henrik Soller, Komet und Helden

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that everyone's doing the same thing. My strategy for the future is to take a firm stand against distributors. I won't have it anymore. We really have to stop doing this. Business is simply no longer enjoyable. www.my-dresscode.com

Frank Götz, Managing Director Firetrap Germany We are not Pressuring the Market Why do people always mention the brands, the industry and even the legislators when the topic turns to clearance sales? We're only doing what our retailers want us to do.

A brand cannot put pressure on the market and get away with it unpunished. We work with eight delivery dates a year as well as stocks, so we try to balance the requirements as best as possible. It's not easy because we also have to take regional and state differences into account. People have a tendency to forget about southern Europe, where a lot of turnover is generated. Here, the brands are constantly juggling. There is simply no straightforward solution to the problem.

We wish the sector was more uniform; we actually get hit twice because we have an online store as well. On the one hand, we don't want to alienate our wholesale customers with early mark downs. On the other hand, we also have to run a business. Being the last to get ready for the new season doesn't help our brand or our customers; however, we still don't mark down merchandise until most of our customers have marked down theirs. Anyway, an official framework and a specific time frame would be welcome. I think the unions rather than the legislators or the industry would be the most challenged. It doesn't make sense for legislators to get involved in the details. They don't know what's going on and any rules that they come up with would discourage entrepreneurs, which is usually counter-productive.

The fashion calendar needs to be adjusted in a number of places, but the many different opinions and requirements are an obstacle.

For a lot of retailers, summer starts in November and winter in May. Others focus more on the demand period: such as no shorts or T-shirts before March. Winter jackets are marked down in December although winter only really starts in January – meaning that you

can't find a warm jacket in February. It sounds really strange to people who aren't familiar with the sector. As the saying goes, when in Rome you have to do as the Romans do. People who think they can outsmart the market usually end up being outsmarted themselves.

Henrik Soller, Komet und Helden GmbH, KuH Retail GmbH The pressure to sell-off stock is the problem.

With Superdry, we try to maintain the regular flow of merchandise, and to stick to traditional sales rules. Mid-season sales are usually started by retailers like Weekday, H&M and All Saints, who are under a lot of pressure to sell off their stock. They basically have sales all year round. In the Germanspeaking countries, it's almost impossible for a multi-brand retailer to not have midseason sales. If legislation could help to get things under control, it would have to be at an EU level, especially in the online arena where there's a sale on somewhere every day. Free shipping across Europe is now the norm, especially during sales. There's just no way that you can stop anyone doing it anymore. However, we have noticed that high-quality, multi-brand retailers are trying to work around these sales and are focusing on the traditional end-of-season sales. Every fashion retailer whose livelihood depends on margins is, of course, trying to avoid this at all costs. Fashion retailers are important partners for Superdry, which is why we strive to create strong brands, even in the mid-range. In my opinion, it's the only thing a brand can do. We can't offer our trading partners commissions, discounts or the ability to exchange merchandise. If we start doing that, we'd need new outlets - and that would put us on the same road that takes merchandise straight to online retailers, such as Brands for Friends. A lot of brands promote this as customer service, but I see it as a fundamental problem for the flow of goods in the retail sector.

Customers have to take responsibility for the merchandise that they buy. We keep telling retailers that we're all in the same boat. As long as we buy and sell merchandise wisely, we have nothing to worry about. Up until now, we've been doing well. x

ASSERTIVENESS IS BASED ON RELIABILITY.

strong people, strong portfolio, strong business ---------------

a very strong show!

---------------

heritage signature brands & authentic contemporary newcomers sharing their passion for craftsmanship, precision & quality, united at one place, one platform, one tradeshow:

the L.O.C.K. BREAD & BUTTER BERLIN januar y 18–20th, 2012 w w w. br e a d a n d bu t t e r.c o m /lo ck

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Galloping Straight Ahead Heiner Sefranek, managing director of the Mustang Group, has made a change. In the past year he sold the majority of the family-owned company to a group of investors. Dietmar Axt takes his place as managing director.

Text Ina Köhler Photos Mustang

"When someone has built up a brand like this, it's important to establish long-term objectives to keep the company, and its employees, going." Heiner Sefranek, Mustang 74 ––

I

n the Hohenlohe region of Germany, entrepreneurship flourishes. Several global companies such as the Würth Group and Berner SE are located in the town of Künzelsau, which has a population of just under 15,000 people. Albert Berner and the 'king of screws' Reinhold Würth, both founders of empires that are worth billions, created lasting value in the post-war period through hard work and an ironclad determination to succeed. Mustang isn't turning out billions, but there are certainly parallels with its prominent neighbours in the history of the Künzelsau-based jeans brand. Albert Sefranek, who celebrated his 90th birthday in 2010, built the professional clothing company in

the economic wonder years - rising from modest beginnings to become the first successful European jeans brand. After he retired in 1995, his son Heiner became the sole successor, and expanded the business.

Heiner Sefranek sold the majority of the family-owned company - spanning 80 years - to the investor group ACapital. It certainly wasn't an easy decision, but it ensured the continued existence of the brand as well as the company. Mustang was ultimately left without a successor from within the family - as Sefranek's children pursued other plans. "We considered how we would be able to secure the company in the long run," says Heiner Sefranek. "There would be no point burying our heads in the sand. When someone has built up a brand like this, it's important to establish long-term objectives to keep the company, and its employees, going. We've also expanded a great deal in the past and we'd like to put this expansion on solid footing. For me, it was also important to know that the corporate culture is respected and that the brand will progress with a lot of passion.“

Mustang –– The Talk

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

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The sale has furthermore prompted a rearrangement of staff. Heiner Sefranek, until now the managing director of Mustang, will become the chairman of the advisory board on 1 April 2012. This will be a new role for him after having actively held the reins at Mustang over the past year, following the departure of Theo Birkemeyer. He's minding the spot for his successor Dietmar Axt, who began as the managing director in Künzelsau on 1 January. Axt, a former member of the management at the Schmallenberg-based Falke Group, is looking forward to his new post. "Mustang is an authentic denim brand

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"Mustang is an authentic denim brand with an unbelievably amazing history." Dietmar Axt

Jeans Pioneers from Day One

05

– 1920 Albert Sefranek, father of Heiner Sefranek, is born.

– 1932 His mother-in-law Luise Hermann founds a production company for professional clothes, which produces the first jeans outside of the US - at the initiative of Albert Sefranek in 1948, under the name 'Hermann cowboy trousers.'

– 1958 Albert Sefranek uses the 'right' denim for the first time, creating the Mustang brand.

– 1973 L. Hermann KG is renamed Mustang Bekleidungswerke GmbH & Co, and the product range expands in the '70s to include tops.

– 1974 Heiner Sefranek begins working for the company.

– 1995 Albert Sefranek resigns from the operating management.

– '90s The company causes a stir together with Walter von Beirendonck and his Label W & L.T. – 2003 The clothing line is discontinued. Licences are successfully formed with Joop! Jeans (1989 to 2003) and Bogner Jeans (2001 to today). The Mustang brand has gradually expanded in the last few years as a lifestyle brand with licences for leather, bodywear, shoes, and watches. The group is investing heavily in its own retail, making up some 30 per cent of the current sales volume.

Mustang operated 110 stores in 2011. The EU and Eastern Europe are important markets for the supplier. They co- own stores in India, and their involvement in China has been discontinued. There are over 1,400 customers around the world, half of which are in Germany. A sales volume of 127 million euros is expected in 2011.

– The company will celebrate 80 years of operation in 2012. www.mustang-jeans.com

with an unbelievably amazing history." Axt's employment history before Falke is rather denim-friendly, having worked for Tom Tailor Denim and Diesel. These experiences will prove useful for him at Mustang. "The company began expanding into a lifestyle brand early on, both in terms of the product and the vertical integration. As a strong partner in the retail trade, I'd like to continue this success story." Axt is also no stranger to new investors. "I know Dietmar Axt very well from his time at Tom Tailor, and I'm pleased to continue our very successful collaboration at Mustang," states Thomas Schlytter-Henrichsen, a partner at ACapital Beteiligungsberatung.

The investment of ACapital will also bring in fresh capital to the company, enabling the company's continued expansion. Investors expect to see the sales volume double from the current level of 127 million euros over the next few years. "The brand has the potential to do so," says Sefranek. "Even if Mustang is positioned in the very competitive mid-market."

However, the next step will be to consolidate. There has been a strong focus in the last few years on the vertical retail business - too much so, in Sefranek's opinion. "It wasn't at the right pace. Some sites were built that didn't work, and we've had to close them."

The wholesale business with the existing customers is immensely important, particularly for the German market. In addition, the collection will be optimised. "A person has to be able to easily recognise a brand; we need a more distinguished product. We have such great expertise when it comes to denim, and that has to show through," says Sefranek. The potential is there - the brand even has their own small jeans museum at the Künzelsau branch, which affectionately documents the company's 80-year history with a variety of product displays. In times when brands are creating heritage artificially in order to come across as more authentic, this is something that could really be treasured once again. x

02 Handing over the reins: In April, Heiner Sefranek will

become the chairman of the company's advisory board.

03 Dietmar Axt, formerly at Falke, became the new managing

director in Künzelsau in January.

04 Heritage in abundance. Mustang releases a Birthday-edition.s.

01+05 Focus on product: the collection will again become

more visible.

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76 ––

Pepe –– the talk

"One Company, One Strategy" At a time when the European jeans market is complaining about rising cotton prices, the weakening economy and sinking consumer confidence, Pepe Jeans London is showing steady growth. Over the last ten years, managing director Carlos Ortega laid the ground for this success - particularly outside of Europe, where he sees great market potential for Pepe Jeans.

Interview Stephan Huber Text Isabel Faiss Photos Pepe Jeans

A

bout ten years ago, you took over as director, specifically for strategic development, of Pepe Jeans London. These ten years can only be described as a success story. What were the most important elements in this success?

Carlos Ortega: In my opinion, there were three factors that made Pepe Jeans one of the key players in Europe today. The first was the product. We decided to go deeply into product development and to create the best product for the consumers every season.

The second factor was the focus on our key markets. In the past, Pepe was trying to do everything alone. They were opening subsidiaries from Switzerland to South Africa or Australia, to give you an example. That led to an unfocused strategy. When I took over the management, we tried to focus on the big markets in Europe such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain and UK. During the first step, we bought back some of the distributors in those markets and looked for strong local partners for the rest of the market in Europe. Our main goals were to focus on the key markets, to rebuild our connection with Europe, and to find the right partners and people working in smaller markets so that they could spread this strategy as our distributors. The last factor, and one we are still working on every day, was building a great team.

Could you name some milestones in the development of Pepe Jeans during the last couple of years?

CO: In 1989 I performed a management buy out and we bought the business for Spain and Portugal. In Europe, the collection was divided in two segments: the northern and

Showing the heart and soul of Pepe Jeans, the current campaign represents the British spirit an London lifestyle.

the southern collections. At that time the management gave us a lot of support and abundant capital in England. And with the help of 3i, we bought the Pepe business for Spain and Portugal. In 2000 we bought the rest of southern Europe. Essentially, we were like two companies for a while. In 2002 we came together in one group. 2002 was a real milestone, when we became one company with one management, strategy and collection.

There was no more misunderstanding between the northern and southern collections.

That was the key factor in starting to build a global brand in Europe. In 2005 we found the Torreal S.A. fund as a new investor - a very good partner because they have experience with a lot of different businesses. That year we also bought Hackett London. 2005 was definitely another key date in the company's history. In 2010 L Capital und Artá Capital came on board as investors and we decided to go for new markets. The last milestone was 2011 when we finally managed to buy back the trademark for US and Canada from the licensee.

Besides this development, where do you think Pepe jeans stands as a brand today in the market?

CO: I think we're one of the premium European denim brands and quite an important player in most of the markets we're in. To compare it to soccer, we're playing in the Champions League in every market. This year we'll pass the 300 Million euro mark, with 70 per cent of our business in wholesale and the rest in our own retail. Now we're planning to expand outside of Europe. We already have some subsidiaries in Latin America, for instance in Mexico, and we have partners in Chile, Peru and Panama. It's always

with the same strategy: we try to do the big markets like Mexico and Brazil by ourselves, and we're looking for local partners in the smaller markets. Latin America is one of the focuses and the other is the Middle East, India and Asia. In South Asia we've signed partners in Malaysia and Thailand, and are very close to signing the Philippines and Indonesia as well. We see India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia as very important markets for the future. In China, we're looking for possible joint venture partners and local operators; people who know the market and how not to make too many mistakes.

What's more important for the success of a denim- or fashion brand today? Product or image?

CO: I'd say product is the key factor. Without the product you can have a very nice strategy, a very nice image and you can live and be quite successful for a while, but in the long-term it won't work. Consumers are too clever. 70 per cent is the product and 30 per cent is the image.

Do you think that product quality has become a more important concern for consumers over the last few years?

CO: It's getting more and more important to have the right product, with the right price.

The days of overpricing are gone. The product is more relevant today because there are so many offers on the market.

In their TV ads, Pepe has used celebrities for years: soccer players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, actors such as Sienna Miller or Ashton Kutcher and supermodels such as Laetizia Casta. How do you choose a potential brand ambassador for Pepe?

CO: We're really looking for people who can represent the brand in all ways: their age, their look and what they do. They don't need to be models but they need to be up and coming celebrities in their own world. Right now we're in the process of trying to focus

"The days of overpricing are gone. Product is key." Carlos Ortega –– 77

the talk –– Pepe

For spring/summer 2012 Pepe Jeans presents a fashion collection, standing for the approach to be more than a denim brand.

this approach in London with the British people because we want to show our DNA as a British brand in London.

What about Hackett London? The acquisition of the British style icon menswear brand caused quite a stir.

How did this connection, which at first impression seems kind surprising, come about?

CO: To be honest, we jumped into it. We were all fans of Hackett - the whole management team and me. And we thought it would be a good opportunity. But when it came to the buying process, we were really late so we had to hurry and jumped on it. I wouldn't say we bought it 'blind', but we had to make a quick decision. Today we're very happy with that decision; the business is developing in a very good way. We run Hackett totally independent in terms of sales people, of sourcing, of design. We think that's part of its success today. This year we'll pass the 100 million euro mark, five years after we started expanding the brand in Europe. We're running a different strategy, trying to give the brand a clear identity and the strategy of treating Hackett as a part of the group but independently run.

We've opened shops throughout Europe. We started conversation with very important

78 ––

people in the States; we opened in Japan and that's working well; we're also talking to people in Korea. In my opinion, a certain group of people is looking for this kind of product in most of the countries around the world.

Are you planning to acquire other brands?

Yes, but it depends on the brands and the opportunities they would offer the group.

We're always open to new opportunities. For instance, a women's brand - that's what we're missing in our group. We have a joint venture in Europe for cult accessories with the US company Coach Accessories. That takes care of accessories in our portfolio of brands. At the moment, we're starting to develop that in Europe and opening shops in UK, in Spain and soon in Germany. So yes, we are expanding, but in today's market you have to be very careful what to buy. We need to find concepts that really bring added value to the whole group. And we'd be very happy to find a strong women's brand for the group.

The jeans market as a whole has seen drastic changes over the last few years. The boom of the so-called premium denims has raised the price level immensely. Was this a positive development? What kind of influence has it had on Pepe?

CO: In my opinion, it all started with the currency change in Europe to the euro. This didn't only happen in the jeans market, it happened in many sectors. Before the euro I remember that there were some maximum prices in many markets. In the UK it was something like 50 or 55 pounds; in Denmark it was 100 Danish marks. When the euro went abroad, everybody used it to establish new pricing in Europe. Obviously some brands placed themselves at less than 100 euros and others at above 100 euros. Some went on to the super premium market. One of the reasons why Pepe is still continuing to grow is that we are quite realistic and conservative in our price approach, sometimes at the expense of other models. We first need to learn how to deal with lower prices in the market, but not with denim products where the prices are increasing. For me, it's very important to situate the brand in the right price bracket. Our wholesale price is between 90 and 120 euros. Only five to ten per cent of the collection costs more than 120 euros, depending on the market. We think global but act local. I think people should go back to more realistic pricing. Above 100 euros, there's enough space for every brand. You have to be true to your brand and your consumer.

Finally, what are your expectations for the coming season?

CO: We're expecting a ten per cent growth in our market for European business. That's very good in my opinion because the business in some markets is suffering from the weak consumer environment, especially in southern Europe. But I think if you do the right things, have the right products with the right delivery and the right pricing, consumers are still willing to buy. Our goal is to expand into new markets as well. As I already said before, we're really looking to develop our business in Latin America and Asia. Expanding the business outside of Europe is crucial for us and our future growth. I'm very optimistic concerning the growth of the group over the next five years. And there's another trend that I see as very important for the market: sustainability and being more ecologically aware of the environment. We're taking this very seriously in the company. We're developing a new line where we use 80 to 90 per cent less water and no chemicals in the washing process. This part of the collection will be called True Blue; it will be launched at Bread & Butter in January and will be in the stores in May/June 2012. x

levi‘sxx –– the talk

Out of a Niche From a start-up, to the denim world. After a test phase, the premium denim line Levi's Made & Crafted has recently been integrated into Levi's main collection. After five seasons, the label presently has about 500 points of sale worldwide. Miles Johnson, design director for Levi's XX, talked to us about the future strategies of Levi's Made & Crafted.

Text Miranda Hoogervorst Further flagship stores are the next logical step for the premium denim line. This should be realised in 2012.

Photos Levi’s Made & Crafted

W

hat was the starting point for the label Made & Crafted?

"We wanted to establish a premium business, and to focus more on the, let's say, 'mature' consumer - a market that we might have been slightly ignoring in the past. So the starting point was not based on a concept, it was based on an opportunity in a new price category. It was actually all about quality. Levi's have always had the tag line 'quality never goes out of style.' The denim for the Levi's Made & Crafted collection comes from all over the world.

We buy Cone Denim in North Carolina - where we have been buying our denim since 1915 - as well as from Japan, where there are some beautiful denim fabrics. We also use some of the best Turkish denims."

The line has recently been integrated into the main collection. Why? Maurizio Donadi, senior vice president of Levi's XX, played an important role in launching our XX division as well as in the development of Levi's Made & Crafted. We developed the premium denim almost like a start-up. It was managed by a separate team, in a separate office. Today, Levi's XX has matured and has proven its viability, so we decided to integrate it into our main line in order to offer premium denim to a larger audience.

Where do you see the most potential for Levi's Made & Crafted?

"Actually one of the most interesting things we discovered is that Levi's Made & Crafted, compared to Levi's, sells a lot more to women; in Europe it's almost 50-50. We haven't been

"With Made & Crafted, we reach a new customer segment: women."

Miles Johnson, Levi‘s XX

that well-known for womenswear in the past, except for a few jeans and jackets. So now we reach a new set of customers, and that's a real surprise for us. For example, the high, extremely skinny fit is very popular at the moment. We are investing in the women's line and we'll have a bigger selection. The clothes will also be a little bit more adventurous. In the collection for autumn/winter 2012 you'll see a lot more feminine pieces, and many more colours and fabrics."

What is Levi's international distribution strategy for Made & Crafted?

"In the US, for example, we are establishing the label more in department stores, such as Barneys, Bergdorf and Saks Fifth Avenue. We have also just started in Japan, where we only sell to specialty and concept stores. There

is a Levi's Made & Crafted corner inside the Levi's store in Rome. We also have dedicated outlets in Berlin and London. Eventually, we'd love to have a whole line of Made & Crafted stores. I think it's quite important that we do this within the next year. x

Facts and Figures

Levi's Made & Crafted was launched in summer of 2010 as a premium denim line of Levi's XX department. In the autumn of 2011, Levi's announced that the line should be integrated into their main collection. Maurizio Donadi, former senior vice president of Levi's XX, will be leaving the company in March 2012. Over four seasons he was primarily responsible for the development of Levi's Made & Crafted.

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H

e began painting as a young boy and moved on to graffiti in secondary school.

He drew his first characters at the age of 12.

Then came the spraying. Cans were too expensive, and stealing was out of the question, so he graduated from the Academy of Arts and started his first job as a designer.

Paul spent three years with the Munich basketball brand K1X before going freelance. In 2010, he and his business partner Christian Boszczyk founded the design agency FPMD. Today, Paul Hintermeier hardly has any time to upload his new I ARE UGLY work to his Myspace page; his order books are that full. The comic enthusiast dedicated his last exhibition Martialarts and Beastiestylez, to personal heroes, such as the Wolverine, the Hulk and Homer Simpson.

01

80 ––

Paul, thank you for designing the cover of this issue.

Those hands have quite a lot of material between their fingers. Why do they only have four fingers?

Paul Hintermeier: That's not something I came up with, it's actually a style used in cartoons.

I've been using it for so long now that I do it without thinking. The hands are generally quite distorted in order to realise the characters, and to make them more dynamic.

i are ugly –– the talk

We is all ugly A conversation about graffiti, comic heroes, anti-heroes, the discrepancy between art and commerce, and whether political statements should be sprayed on listed buildings. Paul Hintermeier, the exceptional artist from Munich – aka I ARE UGLY – took the time to design the cover of this issue of x-ray.

Text Isabel Faiss

02

Illustrations I ARE UGLY

How long have hands been the I ARE UGLY trademark?

PH: Not that long. For a while I painted characters that had something mask-like about them, as if they were wearing a hood or a costume. And then so many people started doing it that I stopped. The first hand character I made was for an exhibition called the Blue Hand Group. I cut the characters out of wooden panels. Later, people always asked me if the hands were based on Santa Cruz's Screaming Hand. All I can say is that any similarities are purely coincidental. I don't actually know any street artists who mostly paint hands, especially hands with faces. The hands are typical of my current work and they're great eye-catchers too.

When people speak of your work as art, or of you as an artist, the first thing you do is correct them. Why? PH: I don't see myself as an artist. I'm more of a designer or a service provider. When it comes to work, I do what the customer wants me to do. It's challenging, but it can be at least as much fun as creating your own art.

I always try to be as effective as possible. The most exciting part of my job is trying out new things, which usually results in an endless discussion about idealism; about copying,

being copied or marketing. In terms of my illustrations for I ARE UGLY, I don't see myself as an artist because I don't think I'm doing anything new. I'm using it as an outlet to express myself.

Tell me about the grammar mistake in your name.

PH: It was really born out of necessity. When I was studying, I printed T-shirts that were sold under the name Ugly People Clothing. Back then, I printed the shirts by hand on a screen printing machine, which taught me skills I'm still using today. The T-shirts were originally part of my graduation project. I found out rather late that a modelling agency in Milan had claimed the name Ugly People for themselves, so I had to come up with a 'Plan B' really quickly. That's when I came up with I ARE UGLY. I liked the idea of clothing as a means of communication, and the discrepancy between a decorative element and the word ugly. It raises questions and starts conversations. I didn't make I ARE UGLY Tshirts in response to a trend, but because I could let my creativity run wild. When my hands became really popular, I designed a whole collection for Pyromaniac Clothing called The Pyromanos – a Latino gang made

up of fire hands. This collaboration also produced the I ARE UGLY Pyromaniac vinyl toy.

03

01-03

The exhibition MARTIALarts by artists I ARE UGLY, Beastiestylez and 110specialblack was devoted to their personal comic heroes. Paul Hintermeier showcased, amongst other things, the comic Venom with his work Venom Hand.

–– 81

the talk -- i are ugly

01

Do you need this kind of business acumen to be successful?

PH: Talented people will always show what they're capable of. Working with big brands is obviously a stepping stone. I mean, who says "no thanks" to Nike? I don't work with big brands out of idealism or for the money, but for the cool projects and opportunities which I wouldn't have had otherwise.

Does Munich have a street scene?

PH: If I say no, everyone will be all over me, so I'll be diplomatic and say that I think the graffiti scene is stronger. I enjoy a nice tag in a good spot a thousand times more than a template that looks like Banksy. I mean, you can use template graffiti to share your political beliefs, I'm just not very political. Wit-

hout wanting to sound ignorant, I'm simply not that interested.

So, no political statements on buildings?

PH: I think that some buildings shouldn't be used for street art and graffiti. Who needs a tag on an old church? I get a kick out of stickers on street signs. But that's a crime now too, like spraying. There was a real good run in Munich for a while, with famous artists like Senior B and Förtress. Emka even plastered his posters all over an advertising column in broad daylight. There are guys in Munich who do really cool stuff, but the graffiti scene is stronger. Won and the whole ABC Crew, the Writers Corner, the CSB crew these are some excellent graffiti artists. x www.i-are-ugly.de, www.fpmd-design.com

"Talented people will always show what they're capable of." Paul Hintermeier 01 The Homer hand was displayed in the exhibition MARTIALarts, which took place in Munich in February 2011.

02 Paul Hintermeier aka I ARE UGLY; a self-portrait.

The grammar mistake is like a trademark, it's part of the concept, you know; "I'm not only ugly, I'm dumb too." There's obviously a lot of irony and self-effacement in that. I actually got the idea for the name from the baboon anti-hero in the Cartoon Network series I Am Weasel. The baboon always gets the short end of the stick, at least that's my impression. I think he's a thousand times cooler than Weasel, but everyone seems to misunderstand him all the time. I guess the lesson you can draw from this is that you shouldn't take yourself too seriously. In the trailer, Baboon signs his shirt 'I R Baboon'. That‘s where the name came from.

Did you work as a designer out of necessity? Did you say to yourself "I'd rather have money than fame"?

PH: When I make a T-shirt for Foot Locker and it sells 10,000 times, that makes me a thousand times more famous.They're actually one of our biggest customers now, and we do the complete private label programme for them, from the development of the logo through to the collection. I don't mind that my name's not even on it, what matters is that the shirt makes people happy.

02

82 ––

NoNe of us are gettiNg aNy youNger, but at least we’re all improviNg with age! some of us aNyway ... :-)

forza bread & butter!

UCM-Verlag, Salzweg 17, 5081 Salzburg-Anif, Austria T 0043.6246.897999, office@ucm-verlag.at, www.ucm-verlag.at

01 Bula

I'm naked without my Bula

... this is the promising slogan that the Canadian snowwear, sportswear and accessories brand Bula used in their launch in 1983. Bula specialises in hats that bring a healthy dose of colour to snowy landscapes; with each model available in up to eight different colour variations and patterns. The product range includes styles made of acrylic, Merino wool, alpaca and natural wool yarns. The products wholesale between 10 and 30 euros, depending on the model and the fabric. In addition to hats, the range also includes streetwear and outerwear for men, women and children. Other bestsellers include socks, ski goggles, bags, backpacks, earphones, gloves and functional underwear made of microstretch fabric, which recently became available in a kids' version. Bula is already available from Gleis 4 in Bregenz, Tom Klee in Hamburg and online at powderforce.com.

ContaCt: BULA, QC H4P2L3 8505 Devonshire Mont-Royal/Canada, T 001.514.2704222, contact@bulabula.com, www.bulabula.com

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02 Ginger & Ruby

Independent Kidswear

03

No bright pink and pastel blue, no glitter appliques and no Vichy checks. With their kids' collection Ginger & Ruby, the Munich designer Aylin Krueger is focusing on a knitwear range for children and babies from two months to eight years old. In 2007, she presented the first garments in her collection that are today sold in selected children's boutiques and online stores, but not, as yet, through their own dedicated online store.

She has also recently provided a taste of her collection with the creation of a web store on the x-ray homepage. The knitted garments, which are partly made in Mongolia by handknitting machines using two-ply Mongolian cashmere, have a markup between 2.4 and 2.6. Aylin Krueger is already planning to further expand the collection with a range of accessories for women, as well as home decor items such as blankets.

Stolen Thunder, the British jewellery brand, was founded in 2008 by Joy Frost and Alice Burlinson. The brand specialises in rings, chains, ear studs, brooches and bracelets, inspired by original vintage items from the 1950s and 1980s. Classics such as the golden wishbone ring (16 euros wholesale price), the English Rose ring (20 euros wholesale price) and chains with wooden pendants (12.80 euros wholesale price with a markup of 2.5) are the key pieces in the collection. The jewellery is made of environmentally friendly materials such as bamboo, silk, leather and antique chains. The brand is already represented online at Frontlineshop, Modcloth from the USA or in Joy Stores in England.

Retailers don't have to pre-order, they can directly purchase the jewellery online via the website.

ContaCt: Daantjes Childrenswear, Danielle Hebbelinck, 2042AE Zandvoort/ The Netherlands, T 0031.621.560700, daantjeswear@me.com, www.gingerandruby.com

ContaCt: Stolen Thunder, Joy Frost, DE44FB Derbyshire/UK, T 0044.1629.826664, wholesale@stolenthunderboutique.com, www.stolenthunderboutique.com

stolen Thunder Vintage with soul

want it! –– fashion

Want it!

Text Nicolette Scharpenberg, Isabel Faiss Photos Brands

05

House of Montague Sneaker Nerd, and Proud of It!

Because the man loves sneakers. This simple but apt reason inspired Martin Ahn to start his own sneaker label, after studying at the Fashion Institute for Technology in New York and interning at Staple Design, New York. Together with his partner Ronni Rasmussen, who is today in charge of sales and marketing, he launched House of Montague in April 2011. "I was always a sneaker nerd. I never stopped drawing shoes as a kid," says Ahn. His first collection is made up of eight different men's models. These include high tops made of nappa, nubuck, or suede leather with wood details or tassels. The shoes wholesale between 62 and 87.90 euros, with a markup of 2.6. The Danish label is already being sold

by Shusta Salon in Berlin.

ContaCt: House of Montague, 2450 Copenhagen/Denmark, T 0045.424.11321, sales@houseofmontague.dk, www.houseofmontague.dk

04 Sandqvist

Streetwear Level 2

It all began with a laptop case in 2004. Today, with his bag and accessories brand of the same name, Anton Sandqvist has even more to offer: backpacks, iPhone sleeves, messenger bags, purses, weekend bags, belts and a small knitwear collection for men, women and children. "Initially, our products were only sold by design and Apple stores. In 2007, we decided to distance ourselves from industrial materials and began developing more fashionable styles made of canvas or cordura with leather appliques. Our aim was to sell our products in menswear and streetwear stores," says Sandqvist. And they were very successful. Between 2009 and 2010, the company experienced its breakthrough.

Today, the Swedish brand is sold in stores such as Number Six in London, Harvest in Munich, Streetmachine in Copenhagen and Odin in New York. The products wholesale at 14 euros for small accessories such as the Apple sleeve, 67 euros for backpacks made of cordura and 122 euros for briefcases, with a markup of 2.5.

06

ContaCt: Sandqvist Bags and Items AB, 11848 Stockholm/Sweden, T 0046.705.276910, daniel@sandqvist.net, www.sandqvist.net

ContaCt: Vibe Harsløf, 2100 Copenhagen/Denmark, T 0045.263.31514, Vibe@vibeharsloef.dk, www.vibeharsloef.dk

Vibe Harsløf Bling Bling with Bling

The universe of Danish jewellery designer Vibe Harsløf is both fearless and unmistakably playful. Inspired by rebellious subcultures and classic Scandinavian design, Harsløf has been creating artistic jewellery since 2008. Elements include silver jewellery mixed with cork , resin, perspex, wood, and even materials such as tobacco pipes. Her products are minimalist, and are created as timeless design objects. For her, the most important aspect is wearability. "My style is clean and pure without surplus frills," explains Harsløf.

The jewellery retails between 75 and 200 euros, and is already being sold by Wood Wood in Copenhagen and Vienna, as well as Betulla in Rome and Henrik Vibskov in New York.

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07 Nomis

Connected for Life

Even today, the streetwear and snowboard brand Nomis, which was founded in 2004, is still treated as a well-kept secret by those in the know. The head of the brand is professional snowboarder Simon Chamberlain from Canada who is also the head of the brands Thirtytwo, Stepchild, Dragon and Vestal. Nomis is his brainchild and it's famous for flashy colour combinations and prints. The streetwear collection for men, women and children comprises almost 170 garments such as hoodies, shirts, T-shirts, jeans, dresses, jackets and accessories such as backpacks, hats, caps and belts. Wholesale prices range from 16 euros for T-shirts, to 90 euros for trousers. In 2009, an outerwear collection was added to the range. Snowboard jackets, trousers and accessories such as bandanas, gloves and hats range from 12 euros for accessories, 70 euros for snowboard trousers and 90 euros for snowboard jackets. In Europe, Nomis is currently available from Blue Tomatoe, Hotzone and Chido.

ContaCt: Nomis, Derek Voit, CO 80301 Boulder/USA, T 001.720.407.6820, dvoit@thebrandbase.com, www.thebrandbase.com, www.nomisdesign.com

08 Sevant

For the Sake of the Skateboard

Rasmus Åhrberg studied product design at Denmark's Design Skole in Copenhagen.

Together with Patrik Sundberg - designer and team manager - and Magnus Evergård - a qualified shoe developer - Åhrberg founded the Swedish skate shoe brand Sevant in 2009. As a designer who has regarded skateboarding as a key part of his life since the '80s, it seemed only logical for him to launch his own label to support the scene and its culture. "It was our aim to offer an alternative to the American mega-brands," says Åhrberg. In addition to shoes, Sevant also offers T-shirts, hoodies and accessories. The shoes wholesale prices are between 30 and 35 euros. In Germany, the brand is already sold by Mantis in Hamburg, as well as online at www. Junkyard.se and at www.streetlab.nu.

ContaCt: SERVANT Footwear, 43245 Varberg/Sweden, T 0046.340.17 680, info@servantfootwear.com, www.servantfootwear.com

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09 Arpenteur

Contemporary Vintage

10 Svensson

Swedish Gusto

Marc Asseily and Laurent Bourven describe their collection for Arpenteur as "traditional French sportswear for today." The new label from France's Lyon region is celebrating their premiere in the 2012 spring/summer season.

The style of the two designers is based on traditional production techniques, typical French detail, and ideas found in workwear, outdoorwear, and militarywear. "We're inspired by how clothes used to be made. Like how craftsmen employed their expertise to make a piece of clothing without technical aid, in a way that catered specifically to the person wearing it at work, in the outdoors, or during exercise.

They often produced a perfect mixture of functionality, brilliant craftsmanship and robust quality," Marc Asseily explains. "It's precisely this mixture that we want to guarantee in every piece that we make." And it looks like they're pulling it off. After all, the boys already count stores such as Burg and Schild, Merci, and Nitty Gritty as customers. With retail prices from 150 to 180 euros for trousers, 200 to 400 euros for jackets and 150 to 180 euros for tops, their 15-piece collection is geared toward stores in the mid to upper price range. Incidentally, the pieces are produced exclusively in France, usually in co-operation with traditional and long-standing enterprises.

Swensson knows how to create highquality products. Her strength clearly lies in denims and knitwear, which are manufactured in a small village near Florence.

"A large proportion of our fabrics are created thanks to Italian hand-craftsmanship," says Mariano Leone, who founded the brand together with her brother Matias Alfieri and Therese Lilja back in 2005. "Our products tend to convince customers more due to their quality than their seasonal adaptation to trends," explains Therese. For three seasons, shoes have been included in their range. These are manufactured in the small Italian village of Montegranaro, which has been famous for its high-quality products since the end of World War II. This coming spring/summer season, products will be more classic than ever. "The typical Svensson fisherman and military style is now scarcely recognisable. The garments will be sporty, classic and timeless," says Matias. The styles wholesale between 44 and 52 euros, with a markup of 2.5.

Svensson is already available from On Y Va in Zurich, Oi Polloi in Manchester and Tenue De Nimes in Amsterdam.

ContaCt: Arpenteur, Marc Asseily, 69007 Lyon/ France, T 0033.6311.470018, marc@arpenteur.tv, www.arpenteur.tv

ContaCt: SVENSSON Therese Lilja 21133 Malmö/ Sweden, T 0046.706.396833, therese@svenssonjeans.com, www.svenssonmagazine.com

want it! –– fashion

11 Derbe

Frisian Jacket

"Derbe, because every second word was derbe," Thomas Köhlert recalls. In 2001, he came across an interview with the German rap group Fünf Sterne Deluxe. At that moment, he found the word he had been looking for - the word that combined the cool aspects of his birthplace with the charm of a stiff breeze. Together with his partner Sandy Baumgarten, Köhlert put a North German spin on simple training jackets, and his streetwear label Derbe was born. The heart of the collection is the Friesen: a parka with a drawstring. The collection also contains T-shirts with rough prints, polos, dresses for girls, sweaters, tracksuits and accessories.

Wholesale prices range from 12.50 euros for T-shirts, and up to 40.50 euros for parkas. Luckily, the brand is also available outside of Hamburg, in stores such as Streetpoint in Dresden, and at Railslide in Darmstadt. Derbe Digger!

ContaCt: Derbe Hamburg, 22525 Hamburg/ Germany, T 0049.4321.5585860, info@derbe-hamburg.de, www.derbe-hamburg.de

12

Kron By KronKron A Splash of Colour

In 2008, the Icelandic couple Hugrun Arnadottir and Magni Thorsteinsson launched a small shoe collection. Since then, they have added women's fashion and accessories to the product range of their Kron by KronKron brand. A common feature of all of their garments is the use of bright colours, such as vibrant pink, green, blue, red and orange.

"This coming spring/summer collection 2012 will be our biggest to date. It'll consist of shoes, clothing and a wide range of hosiery," says Arnadottir. Their shoes, which are renowned for their rainbow look, wholesale at 140 euros and are currently available from Luccio in Berlin, Antecedens in Siegen and MGH2O in Rotterdam. They are stocked by more than 80 stores worldwide.

ContaCt: Kron by KronKron, Rannveig Kristjánsdóttir, 101 Reykjavik/Iceland, kron@kron.is, www.kron.is

13 Amongst Friends

Street, Contemporary, Casual, Prep

...this is how the creators of the New York menswear label Amongst Friends describe the style of their collection, which was first launched in 2007. With a list of customers ranging from Urban Outfitters through to Atrium NYC, Amongst Friends have a relatively broad distribution, which is clearly reflected in the collection's retail prices, which range from 28 to 280 dollars. The styles are based on sportswear looks, mixed with elements of vintage, workwear and street fashion. Amongst Friends offer an affordable alternative to mainstream sportswear for men, which is why the customer wish list includes some of the best menswear stores such as Oden, Opening Ceremony, J. Crew Liquor Store, Collette and Soto. The team are currently looking for a distributor for the European market.

ContaCt: Amongst Friends, BPMW Agency, NY 10011 New York/USA, T 001.212.2068310, Bahr@bpmw-agency.com, www.amongstfriendsnyc.com

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14 PEdALED

Velo à Porter

Hideto Suzuki's passion for bikes inspired the Japanese designer to create a matching apparel collection. His motto was: "beautiful clothes for beautiful bikes." He founded the Pedaled brand in 2007. Today, the collection consists of 35 garments, including men's jackets, trousers, shorts, shirts, T-shirts and accessories. And everything is made in Japan.

Organic cotton, linen and hemp are the basic materials. Clever cuts provide maximum comfort when biking. Highlights include the 12 oz denims with a reflective surface. Retail prices range between 320 and 395 euros. In 2011, Suzuki merged with Brooks England Ltd. (a manufacturer of leather saddles), and first presented their brand to the European market this year. Selected street fashion and bike stores will be their future retail partners.

ContaCt: Brooks England Ltd, Alice Icardi, VI 36050 Pozzoleone/Italy, T 0039.0444.461225, alice@pedaled.com, www.pedaled.com

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15 OnePiece

Jazzy Jumpsuits

16 Isaora

Premium Sportswear

What was actually conceived for practical home use was developed by three Norwegians –Thomas Adams, Henrik Norstrud and Knut Gresvig – as the first and ultimate home outfit. It consisted of sweaters and jogging pants in one – aka the 'One Piece.' "We aim to provide our customers with the most comfortable garment that they have ever worn and are ever going to wear," says Adams. This goal has been achieved with high-quality brushed cotton and ultra-soft zips. Customers can choose between unisex and slim-fit models in 20 different colours and patterns (120 – 140 euros retail price).

For the ladies, there is a body-hugging stretch fabric and hotpant-length summer one-pieces, as well as strappy tops (75 euros retail price). The coral fleece teddy is a new addition to the range (250 euros retail price) and can also be worn outdoors at icy temperatures. Among others, One Piece fans include Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. The brand is sold in approx. 60 lifestyle and fashion stores in the US, Scandinavia, the UK and Europe. Their main distribution channel is the company's own online shop, which offers retailers short delivery times and doesn't require any minimum orders. In 2012, the company plans to expand their distribution to Germany.

Isaora is an art term that derives from the South American expression "Ahora Si," which essentially means "let's get a move on." Marc Daniels and Ricky Hendry took this to heart in 2009 and launched their own menswear collection. Both designers are passionate snowboarders, which explains the many technical aspects of their brand, as well as their claim that this look is finally fashionable enough to be developed for a more mature audience. "We call it 'Advanced Sportswear'.

It's a mixture of progressive tailoring and casual sophistication, incorporating technically advanced materials and construction," state the designers. "There haven't been many options out there that have satisfied the need/desire for both style and performance/ function, so to some extent this area has always involved a bit of compromise." As a consequence, Isaora use two different distribution channels: concept stores such as Opening Ceremony, Steven Allen, Isetan, American Rag and Slam Jam, and sports stores such as Paragon Sports in New York.

Presently, Isaora is most widely represented in the US and Japan, but they've also expanded their distribution to countries including Italy, Germany, England, Switzerland, Russia and Mexico. Prices start at 80 US dollars for knitwear and go up to 800 US dollars for outdoor jackets.

ContaCt: One Piece, André Persson, Stockholm/Sweden, T 0046.735.159787, andre.persson@onepiece.com, www.onepiece.com

ContaCt: Medium Concepts, Paul Conrad, 10003 New York/USA, T 001.646.6844525, paul@mediumconcepts.com, www.isaora.com

want it! –– fashion

17 Human Made

New from Japan

Another project by A Bathing Ape designer Nigo. In 2011, Human Made was launched for the first time in Europe. The focus of their collection is on taking styles from American vintage clothing of the early '60s with elements of rockabilly and classic rock 'n roll. "It's fascinating. We're suddenly noticing, even in Europe, that more and more people are showing interest in American vintage clothing," the designer explains. The line consists of jackets, wool coats, college sweaters and pilot jackets with colourful patches in a vintage look, coats and overalls with a camouflage pattern and American baseball jerseys, logo shirts, and overalls made of vintage denim. Wholesale prices for the pieces in Europe range from 200 to 600 euros. In Germany, the label can be found at Firmament in Berlin.

ContaCt: A Number of Names, E1 6JE London/UK, T 0044.20.70336718, info@anumberofnames.org, www.anumberofnames.org, www.humanmade.jp 18 Sykum

Old Friends

"Sykum is our baby and a coinage of the Latin term secundum, which means, 'the second.'" This is our second shoe project after previously working exclusively as a footwear sales and marketing company. Subsequently, we decided to launch our own brand," says Jochen Bauer, who founded the brand with his brother Armin back in 1999 as the first European skate shoe brand. The brothers are also the owners of the Regenstauf-based company Beatnuts GmbH & Co KG. The key to Sykum's success undoubtedly lies in their shoes, but accessories are now being added to the collection. The shoe collection is split into two ranges: skate and lifestyle, as well as various limited editions produced in cooperation with artists. The products wholesale at 29.99 euros with a markup of 2.3.

Their biggest customers include Planet Sports and Skate Deluxe.

ContaCt: Beatnuts Distribution, 93128 Regenstauf/Germany, T 0049.941.6985971210, steve@beatnuts.de, www.beatnutsdistribution.com

19 The Blue Uniform

I'm a Worker, Not a Cowboy!

"Many people are afraid of jumping off the cliff and testing their wings. We're not," says Marcus Boston, who in 2010 founded the Swedish brand The Blue Uniform together with his father Tony and his colleague Erik Pettersson. Our focus is on robust '50s-style workwear. "The Blue Uniform provides clothing for workers rather than cowboys.

All our garments are treated with extreme washes, so that the faded finish gives them that perfect vintage look," explains Boson. Their collection, called "A day of the former worker," currently consists of 15 different jeans models, 20 different tops such as T-shirts, jackets, shirts and, of course, a heavy twill blue uniform in a used-look. 20-oz '50s-style denims wholesale between 44 and 66 euros, and rough flannel shirts wholesale between 36 and 44 euros with a markup of 2.5. The Blue Uniform is currently only sold by selected Authentic stores in Sweden.

ContaCt: The Blue Uniform, Erik Pettersson, 11726 Stockholm/Sweden, T 0046.706781022, erik@theblueuniform.com, www.theblueuniform.com

20 CTRL

Atelier de la Stasi

... is the claim adorning a T-shirt by CTRL, to name just one of the poetic creations by the brand's Finnish founders Freeman and Esa Hytönen. CTRL's design concept follows a "hard to understand theory."

In concrete terms, this means: "Nobody understands the message of our prints because there is no message. That's our concept," explains Freeman. The range consists of almost 200 garments for men and women, as well as accessories. From basic T-shirts that wholesale at 14.95 euros, to raincoats, underwear and cut & sew garments, CTRL has expanded its range to offer a complete collection. "In the beginning, we also had skateboards, but for three years we've increasingly focussed on fashion. Despite this, our roots will always remain in skateboarding," says Freeman. CTRL is currently supplying their products to around 100 streetwear and skate shops in Germany, including Le Gang in Berlin, The Flashgib in Stuttgart or Ailaik in Wiesbaden.

ContaCt: CTRL Clothing, Esa Hytönen, 00150 Helsinki/Finland, T 00358.44.5006260, esa@ctrlclothing.com, www.ctrlclothing.com

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90 ––

Little Less Conversation –– Fashion

Little Less Conversation The trousers aren't new. The shirt was a fluke. The jacket somehow fits.

Fashion doesn't register with men. They're just damn well-dressed by chance.

Photo Anja Frers, www.anja-frers.de

Production Sabine Berlipp, Nicolette Scharpenberg, Thanks to: Frontlineshop

Photo Assistant Benjamin Gerull

Hair & Make-up Corina Friedrich, www.sternen-faenger.com

Styling Sabine Berlipp

model Johnny Harrington via www.modelwerk.de

Trousers –– LTB Shirt –– Antony Morato Shirt –– Nudie Jacket –– Folk Shoes –– Diesel

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Left side: Trousers –– Drykorn Belt –– Drykorn Shirt –– Lacoste Trench coat –– Diesel Tie –– Vito Right side: Shirt –– Tommy Hilfiger Jacket –– Rochambeau Tie –– Tommy Hilfiger

92 ––

Little Less Conversation –– Fashion

–– 93

94 ––

Little Less Conversation –– Fashion

Left side: Shirt –– Beastin’ Trousers –– Diesel Tie –– Tommy Hilfiger Jacket –– G-Star Scarf –– Revolution Shoes –– Antony Morato Socks –– Burlington Right side: Sweater –– Revolution Trousers –– A Kind of Guise Belt –– Folk Shoes –– Lacoste Socks –– Burlington

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Left side: Trousers –– Levi’s Shirt –– Lifetime Collective via Frontlineshop Jacket –– Twothirds Shoes –– Folk Right side: Jeans –– G-Star Shirt –– Ben Sherman via Frontlineshop Jacket –– Folk Shoes –– Diesel

96 ––

Little Less Conversation –– Fashion

–– 97

Left side: Jacket –– Firetrap Long-sleeved shirt –– Nudie Jeans Trousers –– Salsa Denim Scarf –– Jeans Only Shoes –– Camper Belt –– Folk Clothing Right side: Jacket –– Diesel Jeans jacket –– Bench T-shirt –– Eleven Paris Belt –– Pepe Jeans Trousers –– A-Denim

98 ––

denim –– Fashion

Indignez vous – Revolt!

Every day there are many reasons to rebel. Resistance fighter Stéphane Hessel encourages civil disobedience: "Creating means resisting, resisting means creating." Let's go.

Photo Yorick Carroux, www.carroux.com Styling Sabine Berlipp, www.blossommanagement.de Hair & Make-up Vangelis Tzimikas, www.fame-agency.de Production Nicolette Scharpenberg, Sabine Berlipp Thanks to: Jeans Only Salzburg, Frontlineshop

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Linke Seite: Hose –– Drykorn Gürtel –– Drykorn Hemd –– Lacoste Trenchcoat –– Diesel Krawatte –– Vito Schuhe –– Diesel Rechte Seite: Hemd –– Tommy Hilfiger Jackett –– Rochambeau Krawatte –– Tommy Hilfiger

100 ––

denim –– Fashion

Left side: f.l.t.r.

Jacket –– Freeman T.Porter T-shirt –– MOD Long-sleeved shirt –– Nudie Jeans Trousers –– We are Replay Shoes –– Models own Scarf –– We are Replay Bib overalls –– Lee Jeans blouse –– Miss Sixty Blouse –– Pepe via Frontlineshop Belt –– Jeans Only Shoes –– Buffalo Right side: Dress –– Bench

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Left side: Trousers –– Levis via Jeans Only Dark shirt –– G-Star Light shirt –– Pepe Jeans Shoes –– Red Wing Right side: Trousers –– Mavi Shirt –– Levis via Jeans Only Jacket –– Rules by Mary Shoes –– Vagabond

102 ––

denim –– Fashion

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Left side: Trousers –– Mustang Shirt –– Wrangler Belt –– Replay via Jeans Only Scarf –– Replay Right side: Trousers –– Adidas Jacket –– Energie Shirt –– Denim Demon Belt –– Nudie Jeans

112 –– 104 ––

denim –– Fashion

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Open Text Isabel Faiss, Ina Köhler, Nicolette Scharpenberg Photos Brands

01

Ben Sherman Shop offensive

This time, we chose Islington. On 5 November 2011, a listed Georgian terrace in the direct vicinity of the Camden Passage Antique Markets became the home of the fifth Ben Sherman Store in London. After its openings in Toronto and, most recently, in London (Portobello Road, Carnaby Street and Islington), Ben Sherman now operates a total of 33 stores worldwide. Over a sales area of 130 square metres, the British brand presents its premium range Plectrum by Ben Sherman, featuring shirts, the EC1 chinos and accessories. The black and white tiled interior, light wooden floor, and classic British interior design elements create an atmosphere reminiscent of the city's traditional pubs, as well as the London Underground. The heart of the store is the 'Shirt Bar,' which, as in the new store on Carnaby Street, is a shirt display that has been designed to give customers a better overview of models and colours. In addition to products by Ben Sherman, there will also be items from other brands such as iPad cases from Alkr, socks from Corgi, bags from Chapman, and original Nato wrist watches that complete the interesting world of the heritage brand founded in Brighton in 1963.

ContaCt: Ben Sherman, 1/1a, Camden Walk, Islington N1 8DY, www.bensherman.com

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02 G-Star

Largest Store in Los Angeles

G-Star opened a flagship store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills on 6 December 2011. It's the label's third and largest store in the L.A. area. The prominent building is laid out over two floors, which together offer nearly 450 square metres of presentation space. Upon opening their Rodeo Drive store, G-Star will present the travel gallery Raw Objects and Curiosities. A denim installation will showcase the craftsmanship of jeans, putting them on the same level as collectible works of art. G-Star currently has more than 6,000 points of sale in 65 countries, including cities such as Tokyo, New York, Sydney, and Paris.

ContaCt: G-Star Store, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles/USA, www.g-star.com

retailnews –– in store

03 Mavi

New Denim Kitchen

The Mavi company has begun to redesign their retail concept so that it is more of a denim kitchen. It seems to be a good idea: the current collections are presented in the atmosphere of a gourmet kitchen, surrounded by decorative elements such as braided baskets, colourful scissors, cooking spoons and wooden chests with buttons, spools of yarn and rivets. The redesign is based on the idea that Mavi gives their jeans that extra special spice. As Manuel Gomez, marketing manager of Mavi Europe AG, explains: "In the so-called 'denim kitchen,' the perfect fit is 'cooked.' The idea is that Mavi is known for continually reinventing, or 'spicing up' - their jeans with unusual washes, indigo shades or handcrafted techniques." After Mavi presented the concept at Bread & Butter in July 2011, it was officially premiered on 1 November 2011 at the Peek & Cloppenburg branch in Frankfurt's most popular shopping mile, the 'Zeil.' In 2012, the theme will be reinforced through marketing measures, and will be globally implemented in the stores.

ContaCt: Peek & Cloppenburg, Zeil 71-75, 60313 Frankfurt am Main/Germany, www.mavi.com

04 Tommy Hilfiger

Largest Store

in the UK

05 Superdry

Arrival in the Far North

Tommy Hilfiger opened their largest flagship store on the island in Knightsbridge, London on 1 December. The store displays across 770 square metres and over two floors, divided by different collections for men and women.

Men's runway, sportswear, denim and accessories as well as the new Tailored Collection - which makes its debut in the retail trade this season - are presented on the ground floor. The next floor up is reserved for the women's collection, and comprises women's runway, sportswear, denim, accessories, and even the Tommy Hilfiger kid's collection. The interior features polished walnut wood, oak floors, and contemporary works of design and art which are combined with vintage furniture. There are over 1.000 Tommy Hilfiger stores throughout the world.

The British label Superdry opened its first store in April 2012 in the Gänsemarkt district of Hamburg. The store spans over 260 square metres in the GänsemarktPassage, and is the sixth of its kind in the German-speaking region. "A good business environment has recently popped up at the Gänsemarkt. Urban Outfitters, Planet Sports, Pepe Jeans, and Replay make up the perfect lifestyle setting for our Superdry store," says Henrik Soller, managing director of KUH Retail GmbH. The store showcases the Superdry Black Label line, the less expensive Superdry Orange line, basics from the Orange Sewn collection, Superdry White Label with women's lingerie, and the playful sub-label Vintage Thrift - also exclusively for the ladies. Like the aforementioned stores in Gänsemarkt, the interior was built by Hofmann & Losch Retailsystems.

ContaCt: Tommy Hilfiger, 63 – 65 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, SW6 London/UK, www.tommy.com

ContaCt: Superdry Store Hamburg, Gänsemarkt 50, 20354 Hamburg/Germany, www.superdry.com

06 Marithé et Francois Girbaud

Premier in Germany

The French label Marithé + Francois Girbaud opened a store in Stuttgart in December 2011. The 200 square metre boutique is their first in Germany; displaying the menswear and womenswear lines SPQR and Le Jean de. The futuristic interior, developed by designer Patrick Norguet, consists of materials such as metal, epoxy resin, sycamore, aluminium, and glass. Diced structures made of wood, which appear to be arranged haphazardly, are intended to give off the impression of a workshop or a rowing club. The Stuttgart store is part of a store campaign in France and the export countries, starting in 2010 with the renovation of the flagship store on Rue Etienne Marcel. In Montpellier, Biarritz, and Toulouse, additional stores opened in 2011 with the new store concept. Amiens and Grenoble are scheduled to follow in 2012, and the floor space at the Printemps department store and Galeries Lafayette will be expanded. A floor space in Beirut has already been converted, and stores in Xian and Hangzou are also in the works.

ContaCt: Marithé et Francois Girbaud, Calwerstraße 19, 70173 Stuttgart/Germany, www.girbaud.com

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"It's fun selling quality."

Ansgar Dorenkamp and Eugenij Leschiner

01

108 ––

Greenwich man time, Cologne –– In store

Gentle Rebellion The shop is only 45 square metres in size and is tucked away at the edge of the 'Belgisches Viertel' area in Cologne. But what does this tiny fashion store have to do with punk legend Iggy Pop? Text Nicoletta Schaper Photos Greenwich Man Time 02

C

ologne's Engelbertstrasse is home to a collection of cute and creative little shops – from Tausend fliegenden Fischen and Himbeertörtchen to Madamski and Le Fou. In June 2011, a new and unique store called Greenwich Man Time opened to the public.

In an earlier incarnation, the label was called Peng Caesar, and was founded by Ansgar Dorenkamp four years ago after he collaborated with Joe Fleming on a womenswear label for three years. "I learned a lot, but it was time for me to do something of my own," says Ansgar. There he made a pact to focus on high quality work, with particular attention to polished individual pieces. He designed a leather jacket with a Scottish leather manufacturer, which he later transformed into a velvet men's sports jacket that has a perfect fit. The jacket features an embroidered Peng Caesar logo in the lower collar, ironic coats of arms on the breast pocket, and a small, skull shaped button on the sleeve. It all makes perfect sense when you discover that Ansgar, who actually comes from a media and marketing background, has a passion for punk and Iggy Pop. Iggy is actually a Peng Caesar fan, and it's not just because he likes the label's 'Nice boys don't wear' slogan. Pictures of Iggy Pop in his blue velvet blazer can be found on the label's website. "I sent two sports jackets to his hotel. In the end, he was convinced of the quality of our product, says Ansgar."

Man Time. The product range is supplemented by shirts and chinos by the Cologne-based label Forvert, belts and scarves by Fieldpieces (which,like Peng Caesar, are produced in Europe), and shoes by Hamlet and Prime.

Engelbertstrasse is filled with many other stores that are open late, and it's common to see customers there in the evening, trying something on or just chatting away to one another as if in their own living room. This aspect of the store shares an affinity with the music of Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and, of course, Iggy Pop. More than just a fashion label, Greenwich Man Time is also a type of cultural meeting point. x

01 Cool statement: Dorenkamp and Leschiner in velvet jackets

by Peng Caesar.

02 Nice touches give the little store its big personality.

03 Shoes from the brands Hamlet and Prime are among the store's collection.

04 The product range focusses on menswear classics with a twist – and sometimes a hint of punk-melancholy.

03

Greenwich Man Time

Engelbertstraße 12 50674 Cologne/Germany www.greenwichmantime.de, www.pengcaesar.com Opening: 04 June 2011.

Owner: Ansgar Dorenkamp, Eugenij Leschiner Staff: 2 full-time and 1 part-time employees Sales area: 45 sqm.

Menswear: Burlington, Falke, Forvert, Peng Caesar Accessories: Falke, Fieldpieces, Hamlet, Homeboy, Jonas Povel, Prime 04

Cultural Meeting Point Ansgar opened Greenwich Man Time in partnership with Eugenij Leschiner. In addition to Peng Caesar, Leschiner sells Falke and Burlington in eastern Europe, as he himself originates from Kiev. The store, which focusses on selected menswear, is adorned with these labels in particular. The pieces are wearable and classic, sometimes with a twist. They resonate with students and pensioners alike, many of whom enthusiastically shop at Greenwich

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01

A Treehouse for Streetwear

02

Think of New Zealand and you think of vast landscapes, unspoilt nature and very few people.

It's not really the place you'd expect to find a concept store carrying the crème de la crème of international streetwear.

Text Nicolette Scharpenberg Photos Good as Gold

01

02-04

05-06

110 ––

Everything in the store is handmade by the owners, using macrocarpa wood from New Zealand.

Quality and originality are aspects that Ruben Bryant pays particular attention to when selecting brands. But the store's philosophy also tries to fit in with the vibe of the people behind the brands.

In 2011, Good as Gold was awarded a silver medal in the category of 'Best Interior Design' by the Designers Institute of New Zealand.

E

arlier this year, the Designers Institute of New Zealand awarded a silver medal in the category of 'Best Interior Design' to Good as Gold. And rightly so. This concept store, which opened in the New Zealand capital of Wellington in 2004, has been one of the top places for street fashion over the last eight years, building a reputation that reaches far beyond New Zealand's mountains and forests. In June 2011, they renovated their small boutique store, extending into the premises next door. Now they have 175 square metres

to display their products, in a setting that is 'as close to nature as possible.' When you enter the store on Victoria Street, you can't help but feel like you've just walked into an Ewok village. "When I was a kid, I loved building treehouses in the garden, so this store is like a dream come true," says Ruben Bryant, owner of Good as Gold. Ruben designed the store together with his architect and designer father Ken. "The store's interior was inspired from my nostalgic treehouse past. The shelves, the changing rooms, the wardrobes – everything

good as gold, new Zealand –– In store

03

04

05

"When I was a kid, I loved building treehouses in the garden, so this store is like a dream come true." Ruben Bryant, Good as Gold here is handmade from 100 per cent macrocarpa wood." The interior has a warm and inviting atmosphere; it's simple yet functional.

Label Wonderland A select range of menswear and womenswear is displayed throughout Good as Gold's three floors, including brands such as Deadly Ponies, Henrik Vibskov, Aiaiai, Wood Wood, Medicom, Karen Walker, Chronicles of Never, Beau Coops and Complex Geometries. The store carries a total of 60 different streetwear and urban fashion brands, mainly from New Zealand but also from Australia,

Canada, the US, Japan, Sweden, Denmark and France. "When we select brands, we pay a lot of attention to whether the vibe of the people behind the brand fit in with our philosophy. We also carry designs by newcomers in Wellington, in addition to the big brands.

That's what makes our store what it is: a wonderland," says Ruben. Good as Gold also run a well-stocked online shop, so streetwear aficionados beyond New Zealand's borders can continue wearing their favourite fashion.

Our recommendation: Road trip! So off to Wellington you go, and make sure you come back well dressed! x 06

Good as gold

120 Victoria Street Wellington City 6011/New Zealand www.goodasgold.co.nz Opening: September 2004, move June 2011 Owner: Ruben Bryant Employees: 9 Retail space: 175 sqm Brands: Aiaiai, Alife, B-store, AM Eyewear, April 77, Arktip, Beau Coop, Blak Basics, Blak Luxe, Brixton, Cameo, Casio, Cheap Monday, Chester Wallace, Chronicles Of Never, Claude Maus, Colab, Complex Geometries, Deadly Ponies, Dr Denim, D_luxe, Elke Kramer, Finders Keepers, Folk, Generic Surplus, Gram, Happy Socks, Herschel, Hixsept, Henrik Vibskov, Incase, Karen Walker Eyewear, Kokoon, Ksubi Eye, Luuk, Lover, Maaike, Meadowlark, Medicom, Moreporks, Monster Children, Norse Projetcs, On & On, Nike, Nobody Denim, Perks & Mini (PAM), Power Shovel Cameras, Quiet Life, Shakuhachi, Something Else, Sperry Top Siders, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Soulland, tobe, Twenty Seven Names, WESC, Why Who, Wood Wood

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112 ––

amsterdams blauw, amsterdam –– In store

Inspirational Blue There are a lot of jeans brands that have originated in Amsterdam, but none of them honour the Dutch capital like the Amsterdams Blauw collection by Scotch & Soda.

Text Miranda Hoogervorst Photos Scotch & Soda The exterior and interior of Scotch & Soda's first denim store not only refers to indigo dye, but also the famous Delfts Blue ceramics from the Golden Age of Dutch culture.

T

his Amsterdam based company recently opened its first specialist denim store in the Nine Streets area, enlivening the denimwear concept for both men and women.

There are many popular hangouts on Berenstraat, in the Jordaan district, so the Scotch & Soda store is ensured instant attention and a lot of daily traffic from locals, tourists, shopaholics and students. The monumental building's dark-blue wooden facade refers to the famous Delfts Blue ceramics from the Golden Age of Dutch culture in the 17th century. The interior is fresh and white, offset by hand-made tiles, an antique wooden floor, brick walls and an ornamental ceiling. It has an international feel, yet is unmistakably Dutch; filled with beautiful Dutch-made designs and Amsterdam treasures. The fitting rooms are actually tongue-in-cheek replicas of Amsterdam's historical public urinals: the green, circular structures that can be found in the city centre (just follow the smell!).

American, French and Japanese styles come together in Amsterdams Blauw The mono-brand store – or, more specifically, mono-label store – brings the concept of Amsterdams Blauw alive. It's an ambitious project that draws inspiration from American and Japanese denim aesthetics, as well as the vibes of the local Dutch culture. In store you'll find the latest season's womenswear designs and bestsellers – such as CinqP, La Parisienne, Mademoiselle and Rebelle – that are available in an array of fabrics and washes. For men, the premium line LOT 22

relaxed vibe and the range of nice cafés and other hangouts. Adding to this vibe, Amsterdams Blauw isn't just a retail outlet, it's also a place to drop by, relax, enjoy a good coffee and share a passion for denim.

Strolling through these charming streets, Amsterdams Blauw is a great place to visit.

According to colour specialists, the colour blue relaxes and inspires. Amsterdams Blauw creates a great mood for shopping that will totally relax and inspire anyone to transform their wardrobe. x is the design team's 'denim laboratory,' featuring denim that has been laundered by hand in Italy.

Famous for its many small, original and privately owned stores, the Nine Streets area is perfect for a speciality store such as Amsterdams Blauw. Although more and more spaces are being rented by big brands for their mono-brand stores, the area retains a remarkable atmosphere. This is due to the small Amsterdam-style buildings, the

Amsterdams Blauw

Berenstraat 15 1016 GG Amsterdam / The Netherlands www.scotch-soda.com Opening: 1 September 2011 Retail space: 85 sqm Staff: 5-6 Clothes, accessories: Amsterdams Blauw

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One last thing

We Do Understand the Turks. Don't We? Text Stephan Huber, Herausgeber style in progress und x-ray

W

e live in a time of general expertise. Almost everyone has an opinion on any given topic, especially topics that really do affect us all, or at least feel that way. Most of these opinions can be proven right with a little help from the all-knowing World Wide Web. Before the digital revolution, soccer was full of people with opinions.

But today, we have masses of globalisation experts, self-made specialists, crisis analysts, climate change insiders – it goes on and on. And there are, especially in the German speaking areas, loads of folks who know, and are able to explain, Turkey.

I'm no exception, am also a partial victim of the media philosophy, which states: "If you can't win by reason, go for volume." And I really don't want to restart the discussions that have done so much damage during the last few years- not BECAUSE the discussions were held, but because of HOW they were held…by all involved.

Instead, I'd rather take a look at a development, which directly affects and is changing our beloved fashion branch. And as always, our industry serves as a mirror for society in general.

It's nothing new: Internationally Turkey plays an important role as a production location, especially in the production of denim. This started in the '80s and grew to a substantial level, mainly because of the enormous price advantage. Very soon, however, other countries were able to produce even more cheaply. Following the global economic crisis, Turkish textile production went through a vale of tears in 2008 and 2009. The Bosporus based protagonists of the future didn't need this signal to realize that their future couldn't be based on mass production. Their preparations for a new role within the increasingly complex structures of the global production- and sourcing competition had begun considerably earlier. It was clear to a modern, self-conscious generation of entrepreneurs, who realized that their future role was no longer to be Europe's cheap backyard. They knew that Turkey's future lies in quality, flexibility, quickness and innovation, in the areas close to it, its proximity to the EU, quick accessibility, and already existing links to the most important democratic cultural-, and economic area in the world (despite all the whining about the pending doom). First and foremost, though, the future of Turkey lies in its rich reservoir of well-educated young people (also living in Germany and elsewhere), who really want to get things done and are hungry to accomplish goals: young folks who are up for an economic miracle. They are, incidently, an interesting target group as well – a target group, which wants and needs to be taken seriously. Whoever sees Turkey as an annoying exclave in Wien Ottakring or Berlin Neukölln is blind towards an important part of our reality. There are a lot of annoying things, without a doubt, but these things aren't only Turkish; they're German as well, and probably, though it's hard to believe, even Austrian.

114 ––

It's not only always unfair to pass judgement across the board on everything that annoys, it's plain stupid. It gets in the way of chances AND it always destroys potential.

If nothing else, the Turkish fashion industry will do its part to deal with this stupidity in the years to come. x

Flag Publisher, editorial office, advertising department and owner ucm-verlag B2B Media GmbH & Co KG Salzweg 17 5081 Salzburg-Anif/Austria T 0043.6246.89 79 99 F 0043.6246.89 79 89 office@ucm-verlag.at www.ucm-verlag.at Management Stephan Huber, Nicolaus Zott Publisher Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at

Advertising director Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at Publisher's assistant, distribution Sigrid Staber sigrid.staber@ucm-verlag.at Christina Hörbiger christina.hoerbiger@ucm-verlag.at English editor Wesley Hill English translations Word Connection, Business Translation Service, David Luther

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Art direction/assistant Stephanie Hoffmann steffi.hoffmann@ucm-verlag.at Michaela Aschauer michaela.aschauer@ucm-verlag.at Contributing editors Miranda Hoogervorst, Nicoletta Schaper, Sonja Ragaller Photographers & Illustrators Yorick Carroux, Anja Frers, Andreas Klammt, Van Data Illustration & Design, Stefan Milev, Tunçsel Ülkü Styling Sabine Berlipp Image editor Anouk Schönemann anouk.schoenemann@ucm-verlag.at

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