x-ray 1.11

01.

01.2011 E 6,90

Feat.

Specialists Among Themselves More Important Than Ever: The Store is the Brand!

New Kids on the Block The Midgets and Their Mighty Potential Grow Up? No Way! Can Store Concepts Age in Style?

Masters of Their Trade!

Local Heroes Energise Retail

jamesd bUoNDnFTD

Cover on the

www.pepejeans.com

editorial

Not (Just) Kid‘s Stuff

Take a look at the advertising and media industry and you‘ll see that kids are all the rage. In addition to playing key roles in commercials and campaigns, they are always in demand these days when the goal is emotion.

08

T

There appears to be a new spirit of optimism in the fashion market: Exciting labels and stores have entered the scene over the past few years, and the new Bread & Butter Youngstars are set to become a permanent fixture on the annual trade show calendar. In our special on kidswear (see page 48), we asked Tim Klotzek, editor in chief of Nido magazine, what differentiates today‘s parents from the previous generation.

And we found countless examples of exciting approaches in retail and corporate.

What happens when you‘ve finally grown out of the kid and teenager age but still want to wear young duds? In „Grow up? No, Way!“ different retailers present their individual concepts and how they deal with customers

on the cover

who have grown up (see page 34). Instead of trying to be everybody‘s darling, the idea is to specialise, or at least that‘s the word from many of today‘s retailers.

In fact, specialists seem to be ruling the day on all fronts.

Perhaps the trick is that those who really know their merchandise can tell their customers the best stories? You‘ll learn more about this in our roundtable discussion with leading retailers from Berlin on page 66. You will also discover a gourmet selection of the best specialist stores in the up-and-coming fashion centres of Osaka, Istanbul and Dresden in our story „Masters of Their Trade“ on page 98.

Enjoy your reading!

The x-ray Team

james bond

„You have to be unique in your domain.“ James Bond, Undefeated

Undefeated – James Bond lives by this phrase; he has applied to his thriving career as a retailer and label owner and also as the theme for this issue of x-ray.

We devoted this issue to the true specialists in our industry and consequently asked THE sneaker and sportswear specialist to design the cover for us. He chose a snapshot from his favourite home and garden photographer, Estevan Oriol. The picture shows a young boxer sponsored by Undefeated. James Bond sees this sport – which is generally associated with a great deal of discipline, perseverance and effort, but also with foresight, strength of purpose and success – as an ideal example for the current trend toward specialisation within the fashion industry. Strength is a strategic accomplishment, not an act of violence. „You have to be unique and smart in your domain in order to survive in this business,“ he explains in the cover interview on page 62.

bread&butterberlin. airfield stand D11 superdry.com

content

40

Mecca or Mousetrap?

How profitable are store extensions in the internet?

10

64

„It’s fun to create some drama” Beauty is not important for photographer Yu Tsai

Editorial

08

right now

16

what‘s the story 34 Grow up? No Way!

Can store concepts age?

38 The Good News

Tommy Hilfiger and his charitable work for Africa 40 Mecca or Mousetrap?

How profitable are store extensions in the internet?

44 Vertical Thinking

Andreas Andenauer introduces his new multilabel concept 45 A Meteoric Rise

The men’s collection Antony Morate is being launched in the German market

46 Success is so Much Fun!

Frank Götz is expanding his collaboration with Firetrap 48 New Kids on the Block The midgets and their mighty potential:

Twelve pages of information with new stores and new labels

60 And Why Did you Choose That Name?

Names and their histories the talk 62 „Believe in Yourself!“

Undefeated founder James Bond has a clear strategy 64 „It’s fun to create some drama”

Beauty is not important for photographer Yu Tsai 66 Spezialists Among Themselves

Round Table Talk: eight retailers at one table

72 What Drives Consumers?

Torsten Widarzik talks about the appeal of Levi‘s

74 The Market of the Future

Novo Mania is being launched in Shanghai fashion 76 Want it!

82 Female Dandy Fashion Report 90 One for all Fashion Report gotta go to 98 Masters of Their Trade

The best stores in Osaka, Istanbul, and Dresden in store 110 Retailnews

112 Galerie: Moving Upmarket A change of trends in store design

116 Art Meets Fashion Mono Concept Store, Hamburg 117 A Passion for Streetwear Zimba, Gent 118 Many Ideas, One Room Room, Ingolstadt 120 Dings and Things Dings, Zurich

90 One for all Fashion Report

One Last thing

122

publication details

122

now.

01

01 Etnies One Good Deed per Day Autism is still an illness that requires much more public awareness. As the first partner from the action sports 16 segment, skater brand Etnies has now announced its collaboration with the North American aid organisation Autism Speaks. Two models from the Etnies kids’ collection, „RVM“ and „Fader“, were given an „Autism Speaks“ design to raise awareness for the illness and to collect funds to support the research initiative. Over the years, more and more cases of children affected with the illness had become known in the Etnies circle of friends and acquantainces, prompting the company to actively become involved in its support of autism sufferers. Part of the proceeds from „etnies X Autism Speaks“ kids‘ collection will go to the aid organisation.

Depending on the company‘s annual sales figures, this sum will amount to at least 10,000 US dollars a year. www.autismspeaks.org, www.etnies.com

02 Fitting Forward Bon Voyage For two years the Hamburg concept store Fitting Forward presented fashion and more in changing themes with futuristic interiors. „That‘s the end of that!“ says Bitten Stetter who runs Fitting Forward together with Jutta Südbeck. „We want more! We want to travel.“ As a result, Fitting Forward said farewell to Stresemannstrasse 110 at the end of 2010 and is now going on tour to make the store more well-known. Stops such as Berlin, Rotterdam, Vienna, Barcelona or Tokyo are planned. „In their luggage: a large pot of black paint, an avid thirst for action and a huge bag full of themes, designers and artists,“ says Stetter who will keep us updated on the travel route and the designers who will be part of the tour on the label‘s website. www.fittingforward.com

01 Etnies is helping sick kids.

02 Fitting Forward, the store, is hitting the road.

Diesel Deutschland GmbH New Team Member Marco Hartmann joins Diesel as Key Account Manager Male as of 1 September 2010. Most recently he worked for Closed Men. He previously also held positions at brands such as Wrangler and G-Star and at the 14 oz Store in Berlin. www.diesel.com

The black setting has become one of Fitting Forward‘s trademarks. What‘s exciting is what will happen next.

02

Campus by Marc O’Polo First Franchise Store Campus by Marc O‘Polo opened its first franchise store in Bielefeld in August. „The opening of the CAMPUS Franchise Store is the logical step in our expansion strategy,“ says Alexander Gedat, a board member at Marc O‘Polo. „We‘ve been very successful with our Smart Shop Lifestyle areas, for instance at Wöhrl and the Engelhorn trend house. Michael Röhrs, who already manages a Marc O’Polo franchise store, is our new, reliable partner in Bielefield.“

now 04

Lacoste New Creative Director As of 1 September 2010, 35-year-old Felipe Oliveira Baptista from Portugal has taken over the creative direction of the Lacoste women‘s collection and consequently also the responsibility for revamping the core brand of Lacoste Sportswear. He is also expected to further hone the identity of the new product lines such as Lacoste L!VE. His first collection will be presented in summer 2012. Baptista has presented his own prêt-à-porter collection at Paris Fashion Week since 2009. www.lacoste.com

03

03

04 05

18

At ADenim every single pair of jeans is unique.

Adidas Neo is entering the market!

Soft, Softer, Softshells by Bench Sport.

04 Adidas Attack on the Vertical Fashion Market

03 ADenim Handcraftet in Casablanca The motto of ADenim, a brand from Alberto, initially sounds romantic, but is actually a sign of high quality standards: All denim fabrics are handmade in Casablanca. Each pair of ADenim jeans undergoes an extensive treatment before it ends up in one of approximately 200 stores worldwide that already sell the brand. In the autumn/winter 2011/2012 advertising campaign, ADenim demonstrates the quality of its unique jeans with a little bit of star potential: The campaign was produced together with New York fashion photographer Thomas Hoeffgen. Marco Lanowy, Managing Director ADenim, and Hoeffgen both agree: „We want to show ADenim in motion, not static. Max Rogers, the new face of the label, is a very laid back guy who lives and loves ADenim.“ www.a-denim.com

The sportswear manufacturer is using Adidas Neo to attack the vertical fashion market. The range will be clearly positioned in 2011 in the fashion segment alongside competitors such as H&M, Mango or Zara with rapid collection intervals. Adidas Neo mainly focuses on the target group of female teenagers between the ages of 12 and 19, explains Adidas President Erich Stamminger. To date, Adidas has already opened its own stores for the range (founded in 2009) in growth markets such as China, Russia, India and the Philippines. There are plans to open stores and establish retail partnerships in 30 towns across Germany in 2011. The overall plans for Adidas Neo are ambitious: Adidas wants to generate one billion euros in sales volume for the range by 2015. www.adidas.de

05 Bench Sport New in the Range: Softshells In what was already its second autumn/winter season, Bench Sport‘s 2010/11 collection has been expanded to include snowwear in the form of a functional softshell jacket that goes by the name of Ziggy. For the launch of Bench Sport, the latest extension of the British streetwear brand Bench, functional ski and snowboard wear were included for the first time in the winter 2009/10 collection. In summer 2010, the brand added a colourful beachwear collection. The latest development with the softshells shows that Bench Sport is staying true to the concept of its collection: functional sportswear with everyday streetwear appeal. www.bench.co.uk

Ben Sherman Segmentation for the German Market For the 2010/11 autumn/winter season, London brand Ben Sherman will present a new segmentation of their collection to better appeal to the German market: the main line Heritage (supported by NoS), Script (a mix of classic bestsellers and high fashion), the new Plectrum line (stylish focus for the premium market) and Modern Classics (exclusively high-end retailers). www.bensherman.de

05

now

Eastpak Denim hall For the first time since the return of Bread &.Butter to Berlin, Eastpak will make a (re)appearance there this January. Why? There are several important reasons according to Thomas Hiemann, Vice President and General Manager of Easpak: „First, we were able to get exactly the space we wanted in the Denim Hall. Second, we were looking for an international event where we could tell the whole Eastpak story.

Third, important growth projects such as Luggage need to be presented.“ www.eastpak.com

08

06

20

06

07

08

Camper is starting in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011 with a new set of shoes.

Nike asked three German crews to reinterpret the Destroyer Jacket.

The Mavi store in Düsseldorf in its new design.

06 Camper Ahoy!

Spanish shoe label Camper is participating in the famous Volvo Ocean Race in 2011 with a boat it will share with the Emirates Team New Zealand. The sports boat has been christened “Camper”. The starting gun is expected to go off in the Spanish port of Alicante in November 2011, and the race will come to an end in the Irish city of Galway in mid-2012.Camper will accompany this event of superlatives with a collection that reflects the boating theme. The precursor for spring/summer 2011 is the „Klick,“ a classic model with a sporty shell sole and the specially designed P87 cushioning system.

It allows for comfortable walking, as the foot rests on 87 balls that make up the insole. Additional boat shoe models are planned for the autumn/winter 2011/12 collection. www.camper.com

07

07 Nike/BEASTIN’ 10 Unique Designs, 3 Crews You only have to watch the „Making of a Masterpiece!“ video on the Facebook page of Beastin Monaco Di Bavaria to understand what an honour it was for the Beastin‘ duo to be one of three crews throughout Germany selected by Nike to create a customised model of the legendary Nike Destroyer jacket. In autumn 2010 Nike asked LookyLooky, Keinemusik and Beastin to come up with a very personal reinterpretation of the Nike classic: a bomber jacket based on the legendary US varsity jackets and representative of the brand‘s basketball heritage. Beastin referred directly to this heritage: Their edition of the NSW Destroyer jacket combines the look of the old-school Hip-Hop movement on America‘s west coast with the style of traditional biker gangs. The jackets were produced in a limited-edition of ten each, which were then presented by the crews to selected individuals. Starting 11 November, the original NSW Destroyer can be seen at The Good Will Out, Amen x Beastin Bodega, Soto, Cream and Paar. www.nike.com, www.beastin.de

Google Boutiques The Empire Strikes Back On 20 November US search engine giant Google launched the fashion shopping portal www.boutiques.com, which gives designers and retailers the opportunity to sell their products online. Users can create their own profile and set up their own personal page with their favourite items. The actual sale takes place by links to external online shops.

08 Mavi A New Concept from Istanbul Mavi Europe AG is going all out in terms of stores: A new store on Düsseldorf‘s Kasernenstrasse will open in February 2011 on two storeys with 240 square metres. This is where the current flagship store concept from Istanbul will be realised, according to board member Serdar Mazmanoglu. It will be the third store for the jeans label in Germany after Berlin and Frankfurt. Mavi is also going for expansion in terms of floor space management. 15 new shop-in-store concepts were installed in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic in 2010, including the label‘s first shop-in-store for the men‘s collection, which celebrated its opening in Villingen-Schwenningen. Another 20 partnerships are in the works for 2011. The strategic plan is to bring the men‘s collection more into focus. In the medium term the label wants to lift this share from 25 per cent until now up to 40 per cent. www.mavi.com

DRYKORN FOR BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE DRYKORN.COM

now 10

Fila Moving Out Whilst the industry is competing in Berlin‘s trade show marathon, the streetwear and sportswear brand Fila has completely different plans: In January 2011 the German headquarters will move from Darmstadt to the premises of the Heyne Fabrik in Offenbach. The new showroom will also be located there. www.fila.com

10

11

09

22

12

09 Firetrap New Partner in Austria In December, London jeanswear brand Firetrap announced its future partnership with the Stirner fashion agency for its distribution in Austria. Starting with the autumn/winter 2011 collection, Stefan Stirner, 29, will manage the Firetrap account in the agency of his parents; the showroom is in the Brandboxx in Salzburg. Agentur Stirner, in Bergheim near Salzburg, was founded more than 25 years ago by Wolfgang and Eva Stirner. The agency specialises in denim and streetwear labels in the medium price range.

In addition to Firetrap, the agency also serves customers like Gang and Dickies. www.firetrap.com

10 Tribeca „I will do it in Jeans!“ At the upcoming Bread & Butter in January 2011, the label Tribeca from New York will be presenting not just a new collection, but also a new face: Sam Frenzel is the new creative director – and a self-avowed egoist. „My motivation for taking over creative management at Tribeca was purely egotistical in nature,“ admits Frenzel. „It‘s great to be able to design articles that you can wear yourself. The direction that I want to take is simple: just imagine your favourite look – I will do it in jeans for you!“ Frenzel won the 2009 Designer of Tomorrow Award and has already exhibited at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Berlin. Tribeca‘s new collaboration will kick off for the 2011/12 autumn/winter season with an outfit for women and men. Frenzel will assume responsibility for the entire collection for the spring/summer of 2012. www.tribeca-jeans.com

11 C100 The Art Of Rebellion III With the first issue of „The Art of Rebellion“, Munich designer and author Christian Hundertmark (C100) was one of the first to launch a book that is completely dedicated to what was then a largely underappreciated art form: street art. The second volume was published three years later. A total of 70,000 books were sold worldwide. The third volume, which was eagerly awaited by collectors and regular people alike, went into print in November 2010. In this volume, Christian Hundertmark presents more than 200 pages of breath-taking photographs of street art from all over the world. The publication also profits from its particular authenticity thanks to the fact that Christian Hundertmark is himself a well-known and active street artist. www.publikat.de, www.c100studio.com

09 10

11

12

Stefan Stirner for Firetrap in Austria.

Sam Frenzel is Tribeca‘s new creative director.

A book filled with inspiration: the third volume of The Art of Rebellion has finally arrived!

Line extension in the beauty field: Nail polish from Superdry.

12 Superdry Wet Paint!

This March Superdry is expanding its portfolio with new products: nail polish and perfume. The trick was to successfully link these to the fashion collection, as each polish colour is inspired by a bestseller from the range of T-shirts. The polish will initially be launched at Superdry‘s three stores in the German-speaking region in Munich, Berlin and Salzburg. They‘ll also be made available to all of Superdry‘s customers. www.superdry.com

now 13

13 14 15

MOD is pushing ahead in 2011.

G-Star is introducing a new magazine.

Wrangler has won more awards, including one for its website

13 MOD It‘s All About Customer MOD is continuing its commitment to customer service in the 2011 fiscal year. An example is the new „MOD Fingers“ display stand, which uses three poles to make it easier for a store to present trouser models at the POS. 20 units have already been sold, and another 200 are to follow before the next round of orders. The NOS programme has also been expanded with the goal of serving larger floor spaces. This makes expanding the collection one of the most important projects for 2011.

After discontinuing the second label Ordinary, the jeans range was expanded by a new base price level of retail prices between 79 and 89 euros. This small new product line features high-quality Japan and selvage denim. „With this line and the new prices, we‘re reacting to the unstable price of cotton early on. At the same time, though, it‘s an upgrade in terms of design and has valuable qualities,“ says Rainer from MOD. The team has also increased in size: A new designer has been brought on board to further expand the product group of jackets, in addition to a new product manager and an expert for all matters relating to customs. MOD used the 20 per cent growth in 2010 to close holes in its manpower and to start 2011 with new strength. www.monopol-mod.com

14

24

Crämer & Co. Congratulations!

Last autumn Stefan Crämer and Dietmar Senft of Crämer & Co. were the proud recipients of the Company of the Year award of the Handelsverband Bayern (Bavarian Retail Association). The Nuremberg jeans specialist is not only an institution within the industry, but, based on the comments of the jury, stands out due to its ability to adjust to changing market situations and customer wishes. Crämer & Co was described as a laudable example to the retail industry thanks to its corporate philosophy that is characterised by permanent adaptation and innovation, as well as expansion. www.craemerco.de

15

14 G-Star RAW Mag for the iPad Last November, G-Star presented its interactive RAW Magazine as iPad app to introduce users to the world of G-Star. The magazine and its app feature images from the current collection, general information, and videos, in addition to interesting articles on topics such as new denim technologies or portraits on up-and-coming artists. The absolute highlight is the 360 degree view that G-Star uses to showcase its commitment to sustainable production and environmentally friendly alternatives to cotton. www.g-star.com, app at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/ app/rawmagazine/id395894198?mt=8>iTunes

15 Wrangler A+ for the Brand The Wrangler EMEA Marketing Team received two awards at the International Awards (LIA) in London: One gold award for the print advertising campaign „Red“ and one silver award for the spring/summer 2010 website of the premium range Blue Bell. The website was rewarded for its navigation and interactivity. With the click of a mouse, Tony Ward could be undressed and pushed back and forth. Unfortunately, humour was not rewared. If it had been, the Wrangler website would have been a sure winner. Blue Bell is holding on to this concept, as is evident at www.bluebelljeans.com.

Wrangler was also acknowledged for its innovative digital marketing at the Global Fashion Awards in New York. Adam Kakembo, Marketing Director Wrangler, modestly explained: „Particularly when marketing budgets are tight, it‘s important to make communication innovative and creative.“ www.wrangler.com

Š Copyright and Design Rights Pentland Chaussures Ltd. 2010. Contact: ++49 8651 76851-0

now 16

Abercrombie & Fitch Patience Please …

Fans of the American brand have to wait a little while longer: At Königsallee 17 in Düsseldorf, the first ever German branch of Abercrombie & Fitch is set to open in November 2011 on an area of 2,000 square metres. In 2009 the company enjoyed a successful launch in Frankurt‘s MyZeil shopping mile with the sub-brand Hollister. Hollister has stepped up its expansion tempo in Germany and Europe; in addition to Centro in Oberhausen, branches have also opened in Hamburg and Ludwigshafen. Further branches are planned for Cologne, Dresden, Neuss and Dortmund.

In 2011 new markets such as Spain, Austria, Belgium, Scandinavia and the Netherlands are on the agenda. www.abercrombie.com

17

18

26

16 Fruit of the Loom Born in the USA In January, Fruit of the Loom will exhibit at the Bread & Butter fashion trade fair for the third season in a row, this time in the Street Fashion Hall at booth SF22.1.

The team has particularly high expectations for the presentation of its highlight collection „Born in the USA.“ Fruit of the Loom is a worldwide established specialist for basic T-shirts, sweatshirts and polo shirts, and with the launch of this new collection in 2009, it has expanded its product range to include a seasonal casual collection. The brand embodies the American spirit, which provides the source of inspiration for the new line. As usual, top-quality cottons serve as the basis and are used to create a colourful, casual lifestyle collection for men between the ages of 20 and 30. Retail prices are 10.95 euros for T-shirts, 19.95 euros for polos and 46.95 euros for sweatshirts. “Born in the USA” alludes to the origins of the brand, which was founded in Rhode Island in 1851, making it one of the oldest labels in the world.

The European headquarters are located in English town of Telford, where the company manages over 280,000 employees worldwide and monitors the global production of 1.9 million T-shirts per week. www.fruitoftheloom.com

16 17 18

Fruit of the Loom is expanding its portfolio.

We love the new Replay website!

The newest addition to KPP: Lifetime Collective.

17 Replay Magazine Online!

As an addition to Replay Magazine, the jeans label announced in mid-December the launch of its accompanying website www.replayjeansmag.de. On the website, users will find exciting background information on every aspect of the Replay world under the categories News, Collection, Friends, Media, Lifestyle and Contact (only available in German). A few particular highlights are the making-of videos with actors like Pheline Roggan, Barnaby Metschurat and Mina Tander. And it wouldn‘t be a proper website without direct links to Replay‘s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr pages. The site gives a good overview of Replay‘s philosophy, which offers a great deal of personality and takes the visitor behind the scenes. www.replayjeansmag.de

18 Agentur KPP New: Lifetime Collective Frankfurt-based KPP agency, owned by Marco Aslim and Thomas Martini, has been working with a range of labels in the skater and streetwear segment since 2003.

Having started out as a showroom community with regional distribution rights for Asics, Psycho Cowboy Brand, DVS, Lakai and Matix, Aslim and Martini now increasingly concentrate on the marketing and sales management of the English label Fenchurch in Germany and Austria, and of Lifetime Collective in Germany.

“We’ve been working with the Canadian brand since the 2010/11 fall/winter season. We built a team of representatives for all of Germany: Markus Hoch and Christian Fischer for the south, Nico Goerhardt for the north, Kati Grotemeyer for the east; and we take care of the centre ourselves,” Aslim explains. In addition to Fenchurch and Lifetime Collective, they also act as the regional agent for Podium labels DVS, Lakai, Matix and Reel Jeans. KPP Agentur, Marco Aslim, 60327 Frankfurt/ Germany, T 0049.69.97609480, info@kpp-showroom. de, www.kpp-showroom.de

now

Bread & Butter Youngstars Kids Trade Fair starting in July This summer Bread & Butter is launching another new children‘s trade show concept: „Bread & Butter Youngstars“, the successor to last year‘s „Kids Camp.“ The dates are 15-17 July 2011 and 27-29 January 2011 – with each event taking place over one week after the end of the regular Bread & Butter. Karl-Heinz Müller presented the final concept in December 2010 at a convention attended by procurement agents and agencies. „It‘s a clear-cut situation: if the industry needs and wants an international platform like Bread & Butter, then we‘ll make it happen,“ he said. In the summer of 2010, Kids Camp debuted in conjunction with Bread & Butter, but was cancelled in January due to a weak response from exhibitors. At first, the event will be held on roughly 20,000 square metres at the Denim Base location, with an additional 3,000 square metres available on the first floor. www.breadandbutter.com

20

19

19

20 21

21

Lacoste presents 12 legends, 12 models.

The Colette design is pictured here.

Miss Sixty is collaborating with Twingo!

Italian design fusion between Diesel and Pinarello.

28

replay Going Separate Ways Wolfgang Friedrichs, managing director and partner at Replay Deutschland GmbH, is ending his collaboration with the Replay parent company Fashion Box SpA, Asolo, when he leaves Replay on 31 March. He already left as partner of Replay Deutschland GmbH at the end of the year, but continues to run the business during a transitional period. Another member of the team to leave the company with him is Annette Dell, who was the director of sales at Replay Donna. Friedrichs became the managing director of Düsseldorf-based Replay Deutschland GmbH in 2002 and successfully repositioned the brand on the German market.

He previously represented the Diesel brand on the German market for four years.

Friedrichs has not commented on his future plans. www.replay.it

21 diesel Joint Venture with Pinarello 19 lacoste Twelve Legends On 12 December 2010, Lacoste launched the project Lacoste Legends at select retailers around the world.

Legends introduced twelve shoe models that had been developed in collaboration with twelve international artists from various areas. The project and its shoe models all refer to the origins of the company: René Lacoste founded the company when he designed the now trademark polo shirt L.12. This polo shirt was and is characterised by its functional materials and breathable cotton, the Petit Piqué. In the Legends project, the Petit Piqué was used for the tongues of all shoes. Fashion designer Ato Matsumoto, former Lacoste creative director Christophe Lemaire, underground music label Stones Throw from Los Angeles, i-D Magazine, and Colette in Paris all contributed to the project. www.24teeth.com

20 Miss Sixty Fast-Paced Design Charming, lively, sexy – just a few of the things that people associate with both Miss Sixty and the Renault Twingo, the smallest member of France‘s largest car brand. The two are nearly the same age (Miss Sixty: 1991, Renault Twingo: 1993) and are now entering into a co-operation with each other: The result is the Limited Edition Glam‘Rock Galore, which was launched on the market in November 2010. The Miss Sixty Twingo in Bohemian Pink or Black Pearl is a nice contrast to November‘s grey weather. The interior is outfitted with a great deal of love: a pink speedometer and tachometer, pink steering wheel and pink-trimmed seats make for colourful accents in the car. A decorative flower pattern graces the boot lid and the door panels – a true girlmobile. www.media.renault.com, www.misssixty.com

In November 2010, Diesel presented the fruits of its collaboration with cult bicycle specialist Pinarello, known by bicycle aficionados around the world as the makers of the ultimate racing bike. By integrating the Diesel style, the two companies were able to create a straightforward, light, manoeuvrable and fashionable city bike dubbed „Only the Brave“, after its source of inspiration: American messenger bikes. The Diesel creative team worked hand-in-hand with the engineering team from Pinarello, which has already received the coveted Best Road Bike Award four times in recognition of its product innovations. Fausto Pinarello had this to say about the collaboration: „Pinarello and Diesel together – a perfect joint venture. Two Italian brands that have their roots in the same region… we‘re only a two-hour bike ride from each other!“ The bike is slated to sell for 850 euros and, starting in January 2011, is available in the colours Diesel Green and Matt Black. www.diesel.com

Starring Belen Rodriguez

now 23

25

24

22

Vente-Privée Expansion The French online shopping club has now opened for Austrian customers. They can register on the German-language website. „We see great potential on the Austrian market because the customers like to shop on the net,“ explains Xavier Court, founding partner and Director Communication & New Bizz of vente-privee. com. In 2010 the company generated an estimated 800 million euros in profits. www.vente-privee.com

30

22 lee New Advertising Campaign for 2011 Lee has developed a new campaign for 2011 together with Brussels-based creative agency The Satisfaction.

As its model, the company managed to win over none other than actress Riley Keough, the eldest granddaughter of Elvis. The campaign was photographed

by Terry Richardson. The motto „A Lee Don‘t Lie“ is intended to confirm the label‘s honest claim with regard to the product and philosophy and to establish authenticity as a foundation for personal style. In addition to the classic print ads, there will also be outdoor, in-store and online activities. The campaign will be presented to professional audiences at the Bread & Butter trade show and will be launched in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Scandinavia in March. www.lee.com

23 Converse Chucks for Every Weather!

In the autumn/winter 2012 season, Converse brand is continuing to expand its Brown Shoes range. They have now weatherproofed the famous classic Chuck Taylor, which was the inspiration for the CT All Star Classic Boot, a mixture of boot and work shoe. The robust leather model with a striking patch logo and heel pull is the highlight of the Brown Shoes range. It includes reinterpretations of outdoor shoes that breathe new life into the historic brand, whilst modern adaptations of traditional rubber boots recall the origins of the old Rubber Shoe Company. All of the collection‘s Chuck Taylor models and robust boot designs are characterised by warm lining, thicker treaded soles and high-quality materials such as various leather fabrics, as well as waxed canvas, woven fabrics and woollen surfaces. www.converse.com

24 Deluxe Distribution There‘s a First for Everything…

This is the motto for Deluxe Distribution at the start of 2011. The collection of shoe label United Nude, the newest addition to the portfolio of the Berlin-based agency, was delivered for the first time in January to retailers like Zalando. December saw the delivery of the Minimum label for the first time to a total of 11 Peek & Cloppenburg branches, including locations in Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Essen, Berlin and Vienna. The label will double its previous stand area at the upcoming Bread & Butter to roughly 100 square metres, using this opportunity to introduce its new representatives for Switzerland and for the men‘s collection in Baden Württemberg (fashion agency Nicki Sorg, Mie Siha) and Austria (Twin C Distribution). For the new Deluxe customer Customized for the Crowd, the first delivery took place in Germany in January as well, initially exclusively to all Kauf Dich Glücklich branches, Zalando and a handful of select retailers in Berlin. Deluxe Distribution also has a few major marketing campaigns with various co-operation partners in the works for 2011. www.deluxe-distribution.de

22

23 24

25

Elvis‘s granddaughter Riley Keough is the face of the newest Lee campaign.

Converse loves Brown Shoes.

Deluxe Distribution is starting with a new brand, Customized for the Crowd.

The new website www.ucm-verlag.at is now live!

25 ucm Verlag new website Yes, in the year 2011, we still believe in paper – and we‘re not about to opt for a purely online existence.

Everyone at UCM Verlag wholeheartedly agrees that there‘s something magical about a print magazine.

Nevertheless, we‘re proud to announce the long-overdue modernisation of our website (www.ucm-verlag.at).

Since this is the year when UCM Verlag launches an iPad app for the magazines style in progress and x-ray, it‘s about time to reveal our new online image to all visitors.

Particularly attentive readers of the website may notice that the logo and company name of our publishing house have also changed. What else is new? Go on and look. www.ucm-verlag.at

fairs.

01 Bright Berlin, Part Two

The number of Bright visitors nearly doubled with its move last summer from Frankfurt to Berlin to House 18 of the former East German Ministry for State Security on Normannenstrasse. The kick-off event of the tradeshow for streetwear, skateboarding and sneakers attracted 12,600 visitors, 4,000 of whom came from abroad. Visitors who register beforehand receive their ticket for free; the entry fee at the door is 10 euros. This season brands and labels like Adidas, Adio, Broke, Elwood, Etnies and Holden are setting up stands in Berlin for the first time. In addition to skating contests on the half-pipes on the ground floor and the mini-ramp on the 3rd floor, there‘s also the popular scavenger hunt through the building. As is tradition, the opening event on Thursday evening is taking place at the Bright Bar on Torstrasse. Bright runs from Thursday to Saturday. Some 300 brands and labels will be shown on the roughly 12,000 square metres of floor space. 20 – 22 January 2011, www.brighttradeshow.com

02 Bread & Butter Absolute Business The 24th Bread & Butter is entitled Absolute. „We want to use this to emphasise our position regarding the selected brand and visitor portfolios, the presentation and the constant improvement of Bread & Butter‘s content,“ explains B&B Director Karl-Heinz Müller. It‘s tradition to hold an opening party on the eve of the first day of the trade fair. This year‘s motto is Cotton Club and the sinful Berlin of the '20s and '30s. The event will feature live boxing matches, variety and burlesque shows, as well as a themed music programme with bands and DJs. Guests can also try their luck at roulette, poker and blackjack tables. Tempelhof‘s new exhibitors include: Blood is the New Black, Canada Goose, Eastpak, Gun Shoes, Hartford, J. Lindeberg, Mads Norgaard, Murphy & Nye, Pure Oz, Red Green, Refrigiwear, River Woods and Seil Marschall. The Kids Camp that was first introduced last summer will not be continued in its present form. Müller chaired a problem-solving discussion in December with 30 participants from the children‘s segment to consider needs and requirements of an international kids‘ format. Next summer B&B YOUNGSTARS, an independent kidswear trade show, will take place on an area of 18,000 square metres just seven days after the BBB from 15 to 17 July 2011. The preparations for the tenth Bread & Butter anniversary in summer of 2011 (6 – 8 July 2011) have already kicked off. The plan is to get the capital‘s retailers involved in numerous events and hold a huge open air event on the eve of the trade show at Berlin‘s Tempelhof Airport where exhibitors, visitors and the citizens of Berlin will have the chance to celebrate. 19 – 21 January 2011, www.breadandbutter.com

32

03 Ispo/Ispovision More Service This year‘s ispovision‘s motto is Premium Sportstyle, and it is offering brands a platform to bridge the gap between sport and fashion. Changes include the newly created gallery as an additional presentation area, as well as private lounges that provide exhibitors and customers with a place to meet privately. In addition, the event in 2011 will also demonstrate the success of a new service tool known as Initiative Messeerfolg (Initiative for trade show success) which is designed to help companies make their trade show presence even more successful. A large activity packet will be available to show what trade fair participation can provide for the exhibitors and help them make the most of their trade show presence. The project management will make additional offers available free-of-charge. The initiative is being supported by Meplan GmbH, a subsidiary of Messe München (Munich Trade Fairs).6 – 9 February 2011, www.ispo.com

fairs_right now

Igedo Company Company‘s Spokesman Leaves 04 Copenhagen Fashion Week Proven Mixture With a mixture of progressive menswear and womenswear (CPH Vision), sportswear and urban wear (Terminal 2), high-quality fashion (Gallery) and more commercial collections (CIFF, CIFFKIDS), the Scandinavian trade shows in Copenhagen are moving into the next phase. The number of events rose slightly in August due to the joint initiative with fashion shows, events and shuttles, as was also reflected in the visitor count. Between 25,000 and 30,000 visitors were on site in Copenhagen. The events in the coming season will again take place in the first week of February at varying times with ongoing shows: CPH Vision, Terminal 2, Gallery: 3-5 February 2011, CIFF: 3-6 February 2011, www.myfashionweek.dk, www.cphvision.com , www.ciff.dk, www.gallery.dk, www.copenhagenfashionweek.com

Thomas Kötter left the Düsseldorf-based Igedo Company in mid-December 2010. The 33-year-old will go on to head corporate communications at the Düsseldorf airport.

Kötter has worked for the past ten years at the company Messe Düsseldorf, as well as the last four and a half at the Igedo Company. He first joined the management of Igedo in August 2010, where he was responsible for marketing, press, sponsoring and events as the Director of Marketing & Communications. Kötter belonged to the team under Managing Partner Philipp Kronen and Executive Fashion Director Mirjam Dietz. In February, cpd is starting afresh with a new name - cpd signatures - and a new concept. The trade show‘s organisers are planning with 500 exhibitors and approximately 900 collections, including lifestyle brands such as Firetrap, H.I.S., Madonna or Gang.

6. - 8. February 2011 www.igedo.com

33

Thekeyto A Green Conspiracy The trade show for green fashion, sustainable lifestyle and culture is moving to a new location: Now mysteriously dubbed the „Conspiracy,“ it will take place from 20-22 January at the Columbia Halle in Berlin, directly opposite the city‘s Tempelhof airport – at the same time as Bread & Butter. This year, the trade show, established by Gereon Pilz van der Grinten, is taking place under the patronage of Renate Künast, the Green Party‘s leading candidate for mayor of Berlin. It will be open to end consumers on the last day of the event. www.thekey.to

05 Le Cuir Leather in Fashion Leather and fur are the subject of Le Cuir à Paris. It’s a subject that is drawing more and more attention in the fashion world, as shown by the rise in the number of visitors to last September‘s edition. More than 11,000 visitors – 10 per cent more than in September 2009 – came to the latest Le Cuir à Paris, which takes place during the Première Vision Pluriel. The newly streamlined schedule of Le Cuir à Paris, now trimmed down to three days, was also received very positively. The concept will therefore be retained for the 20th edition of the Le Cuir à Paris, where more than 300 exhibitors will show their collections. There will be some exciting new materials among them, such as the fine but robust kangaroo leather shown at the last trade show, or pirarucu, a fish skin processed with silver pigments.

8 – 10 February 2011, www.lecuiraparis.com

what‘s the story_grow up? no way!

Grow Up? No Way! Saturday afternoon and the shop is buzzing with activity. Suddenly a certain customer walks through the door; you recognise him from times past. Today he is in his mid-30s, and he asks if you still have something that would suit him.

You better have a good response.

Text Nicolette Scharpenberg, Photos Stores, Illustration 110SPECIAL BLACK

34

Grown out of your favourite store? Don‘t worry, there are alternatives.

grow up? no way!_what‘s the story

S

kateboard legend Tony Hawk is now 42, and his colleague Bob Burnquist is at least 36. How should a dealer respond when his or her own clientele suddenly is “older” than the store concept’s original target group? Just because you‘ve got a few more years under your belt doesn‘t mean that you have to give up your favourite brands and the intimate atmosphere of small, personalised shops, or does it? It‘s a sad day when you realise that you’ve slowly but surely outgrown the concept of your favourite store. These days, store owners – especially in the streetwear, skateboarding and urban fashion segment – increasingly have to deal with the fact that their regular clientele and the fashion scene they operate in are now in their mid-30s and no longer enthralled with printed T-shirts. This leads to new challenges and a question of principle for dealers: Grow with the clientele or stay young and attract a new generation of customers?

The labels lead the way Many labels recognised this development early on and started to design and adapt their collections and communications strategies accordingly, particularly since the founders of the labels have matured with their brands. Coordinated collections that incorporate current influences and elements from sportswear, streetwear and casual wear in an “age-neutral” way appeal to both young and young-at-heart customers. This is particularly useful since today’s target groups can no longer be strictly defined according to age anyway. The main challenge is to tailor the collection to the needs of the mature customer without sacrificing the brand’s roots and design philosophy – as a line extension or within the existing collection. Successful examples can be found in the collection of many national and international labels, including Stüssy,

Sleeker and Trendier = More Mature

Nico Goerhardt of Friendly Products is the northern German distributor of Wemoto. He is a member of the older target group himself and knows what products are in demand.

Lifetime Collective, Wemoto and the Vault line from Vans. Classic looks with cardigans, sweatshirt jackets, peacoats and shirts are fixed components of these collections. “Unfortunately, these styles still don’t make it to dealer’s shelves often enough,” said Nico Goerhardt from the Friendly Products agency. “Many labels in the streetwear segment are the product of passion and a subculture background. In order to stick to this line of thinking and set yourself apart from mainstream collections, the focus is placed on quality, cut and details, which play a bigger role for more mature target groups than loud colours and big prints,” Goerhardt says.

„Our young customer base grew disproportionately, which is why we completely revised the concept of our stores. Now we appeal to the tastes of both generations, according to their ages“ Bernhard Burger, 5ive in Kempten

Bernhard Burger (5ive skatehop in Kempten) experienced the generational shift first hand.

There are already some stores that have grown with their clientele and are considered trailblazers. These include 5ive in Kempten, the concept store Boombox, and the recently-opened Animal Tracks store in Hamburg. Bernhard Burger, owner of the 5ive skater shops in Kempten and Füssen, experienced the current generational shift first hand and has dealt intensively with the subject. “We expanded our portfolio by adding mature styles in 2004, but in the following seasons we had problems with presentation and sales, and so we formulated our long-term strategy in 2005, and we’ve pursued that ever since,” Burger explains. Since then, Burger has found partners in Martin Magielka and Volker Brunswick and their Bochum-based Magwick team. They provided 5ive with an innovative shop design. “We still sell streetwear, skateboards and snowboards as we always did, but the presentation has changed. With a more minimalist design, we can convey the statement we’re trying to make with our store much better,” Burger says. Burger pursued a completely different concept with two other stores – the Hice womenswear store, which opened in 2006,

35

Ageing in style?

This is particularly difficult in the skate business. Heiko and Michael of 110specialblack just decided to age the infamous Screaming Hand, icon of the skate scene.

what‘s the story_grow up? no way!

“I’d be delighted if I could appeal to a customer today and he would still be shopping with us when he’s 58!”

Stephanie Benner, Boombox in Hamburg

Boombox started young and now relies on more mature styles because it fits the age of its owners and their target group. On the right: Boombox‘s Stephanie and Marie.

and Stenz Fashion & Coffeebar, which opened in 2008. Brands like Nudie, Levi’s, Cheap Monday , American Vintage, Sessun, Obey and H by Hudson are presented here on 220 square metres. “With Stenz, our goal is to attract the somewhat older skater shop clientele. At the same time, at 5ive, we‘ve also taken up the trendy looks that are finally being produced by skateboarding companies. For the coming season, we‘re offering plimsolls, V-neck T-shirts, chinos, cardigans and hats in addition to the classic hoodies,,” Burger says.

More Classic Styles

36 Stephanie Benner and Marie Richers from Hamburg’s Boombox store have also observed a strong trend towards more classic collections: “We love this trend! While we‘re not going to start stocking the shelves with Timberland boots, we do have shoe suppliers like Supra or Reebo, which produce truly classic lines for men. The customers have been very receptive,” say Benner and Richers. Their store concept has changed radically in the past two years. “Overall, we‘ve toned down, simply because this style

fits our own age better. Today we work with labels that we know will offer the right products for our target group over the long term because this is the only way to maintain credibility and to generate a stable customer base,” Benner says. With this in mind, they focus on classic knit sweaters with shawl collars, blouses, cardigans and English duffel coats. This means that they are entering a new price segment that they have to introduce their customers to. “For us, the reorientation naturally also caused business to become much more exciting with regard to the markup. How many T-shirts do we have to sell to make up the price of one jacket?” Richers emphasises.

Difficulties with Location and Space Whether a more mature store concept succeeds or not is also a matter of finding the right location. Compared to small-town clientele, customers in large cities are usually more open to experimenting with fashion, as skater shop Support, which opened in 2001 in Kiel, experienced first-hand. Owner Helge Bachmann can make a direct location comparison, since he

Helge Bachmann from the skateshop Support in Kiel is a doyen in the skateboard segment. He knows that his regular customers won‘t stick around forever.

managed a second branch in Hamburg’s Schanzenviertel district until only a few years ago.

“In Kiel you‘ll notice a significant difference from major cities like Hamburg. Kiel residents in their mid-30s are much more conservative fashion-wise than they are in Hamburg. That‘s why we continue to specialise in the young target group, and we don‘t try to grow along with our original customer base. Of course, we also have dress shirts in the store, but only sporadically. Starting in their mid-20s, most of our customers move on and reorient themselves,” says Bachmann.

His Hamburg-based colleague Richie Löffler from the Mantis shop opened a second branch in August 2010. Called Animal Tracks, it offers high-quality labels like HUF SF, Norse Projects and Ransom X Adidas to adequately serve its more mature customers. “Skateboarding has gotten even younger in the past few years,” says Löffler. “A lot of new kids are replacing the old guard. We felt that the first generation simply didn’t want to shop anymore in a skater shop packed with a horde of squawking kids.”

There are basically three approaches to solving the problem: You can rethink your existing concept and shift the focus to an older target group in the future. Some dealers supplement their original store with a new and more “grown up” branch – if the target group exists. Or you can stay true to your original concept and focus on young customers who replace the previous customer base. Even enthusiastic skaters grow up at some point. This new challenge is likely to enliven a segment where terms like “outdated” are the greatest possible outrage!

BREAD & BUTTER BERLIN 19 - 21 JANUARY 2011 DENIM BASE, STAND D35 WWW.FIRETRAP.COM

what‘s the story_THE GREAT NEWS, tommy hilfiger

A Promise Is a Promise!

American millionaires surprised people around the world last summer when they made a seemingly spontaneous gesture of generosity. Meanwhile, the Tommy Hilfiger Group has been more discreet and effective with its support of the Millennium Promise organisation.

Text Isabel Baier, Photos Tommy Hilfiger

38

T

he chic term „millennium goals“ primarily defines challenges for the future and – thanks to the daily political white noise – has become a buzzword. So it was particularly commendable when the Phillips van Heusen Corporation, which belongs to the Tommy Hilfiger Group, took a sincere and unexpectedly quiet approach to this issue. In March 2010 it presented a five-year plan to support the non-profit organisation Millennium Promise.

Behind this involvement stands not only the company founder and American designer Tommy Hilfiger, but also his namesake, the Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation. The campaign aims to achieve what are known as Millennium Development Goals, which include reducing the number of Africans who live in poverty by the year 2015.

The Power of the Brand This campaign is the largest investment ever made by the Tommy Hilfiger Corporate Foundation. Back in 2009 the designer had already committed to donating 2 million dollars. Over the coming years there are plans to build communities called Millennium Villages in central Africa. The Millennium Villages are a joint project backed by the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Millennium Promise and the United Nations Development Programme. Shortly before presenting the campaign, Tommy Hilfiger and Ludo Omnink, COO of the Tommy Hilfiger Group, visited one of the first Millennium Villages in Ruhiira, Uganda.

Tommy Hilfiger personally travelled to a Millennium Village in central Africa to see first-hand how the project works.

„Tommy Hilfiger has brought extraordinary creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and passion to the Millennium Villages project.“ John McArthur, CEO Millennium Promise

„The progress that I‘ve seen with my own eyes at the Millennium Village in Ruhiira has convinced me that this campaign is the only effective way to use the power of our brand and our employees to combat severe poverty,“ said the designer. During the course of this intensive project, the company employees will be given the opportunity to become actively involved and even personally travel to Ruhiira to help out on site. An additional marketing campaign is planned for 2011 to draw customers‘ attention to this initiative.

Visit us in Berlin 19 th -- 21 st JanuarY 2011

three-2-one.com

BreaD & Butter

a-denim.com

what‘s the story_mecca or mousetrap

40

New consumer behaviour requires new concepts. But is an online shop as a secondary business for stationary retailers really profitable?

Mecca or Mousetrap?

mecca or mousetrap_what‘s the story

Text Isabel Baier Photos Stores Illustration Christoph Rathjen/Menschlabor

Is E-commerce really the new Mecca for retail and an additional distribution channel to increase sales volume?

And isn‘t what is sold online ultimately missing from the non-virtual stores? Following the first online shop wave of euphoria, we all need to sit down, take a deep breath, and do our calculations.

B

y 2015, more than three-quarters of growth in sales volume in the German retail trade will come from Internet shops. In order to maintain their share of the market, stationary retailers must use the Internet as an additional distribution channel,“ says Gerd Bovensiepen, head of the Competence Center Retail & Consumer at PricewaterhouseCoopers, when asked about the results of PwC‘s current study on the most important decision-making criteria for online shopping. 48 per cent of respondents stated that they would order even more on the Internet in the next two to three years. „Show me a stationary retailer with growth in their store a strong as as an online shop,“ is an argument that you frequently hear from the retail sector.

Nevertheless, the economic success of having both an online and an offline store is still difficult to prove in actual numbers.

from their stationary warehouse. „Finally!“ – is the cry uttered by many retailers in reaction to the brands putting an end to what professional online shop operators can only describe as nonsense. They have realised that the online market also has to be regulated and strategically controlled as well. So far, the unique advantage of stationary retail over online mail-order trade is the selective and innovative product selection. The positioning as a niche stationary retailer with new brands that nobody would look for online because nobody knows them yet is the counter-concept to „I‘m going to use all channels in order to have a piece of the pie.“ With a commercial brand portfolio for the online shop – without which economic success is utopic – , it doesn‘t make much sense to include more than 30 per cent of newcomers in the range. This is purely a mathematical calculation and doesn‘t have much to do with the gut instincts of a fully fledged retailer.

Retail Knows No Limits!

And Everything Changed

The online shop bubble has long since burst, particularly for those who tried to use a couple of unprofessional photos to flog leftover stock

Today, typical online retail problems such as high product returns are now accompanied by well-known issues from the stationary

Generate or Compensate?

Philipp Schmidt, owner of the Gießen-based company Rubicon Sales, offers brands such as Supra, Kr3w or The Quiet Life. „Many stationary retailers regard online retail as a sales opportunity that will enable them to generate additional or compensate for a lack in sales volume. Both channels can benefit from this partnership: Mail-order businesses are opening offline stores, and stationary stores are now generating more sales volume online than offline. In my opinion, there is still a place for stationary retail.

There is an increasing tendency for brands to work with only a few online retailers or none at all. The selection has started here as well. Retailers see the Internet as a platform for selling unusual items and leftover stock to a larger target group. This is a definite plus for the online shop. I believe that it makes sense to combine both channels, for example by enabling a customer to order a product online and pick it up in the store.

There is a risk of getting caught in the details when operating in both areas because the online sector isn‘t easy. Without expertise in both areas, there is a rather low return on investment effect.“

retail trade: Product and sales pressure, price dumping, discount battles, delivery shortages and the necessity of sensible pre-ordering.

The initial cost-benefit calculation was a naïve miscalculation. One question remains: Aren‘t stationary retailers leaving themselves high and dry by providing their customers with exactly the one reason for not coming into their stores (as they can go to the online store)? Dealing with customer who like webshops, who only live a street away, but prefer to order online, is a development that the retail trade cannot reverse. So be a profession-al or stay away is the 41 general consensus. If you listen carefully, you will notice that the initial euphoria has given way to a certain realism – with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

what‘s the story_mecca or mousetrap

The Shop Is the Brand In 1998, Ali Ghiassi became the manager of AFG Vertriebs GmbH in Hamburg; in 2003, he opened the first of now four backyard stores in Münster, Essen, Hannover and Hamburg. In 2010 he opened an online store. „Running a webshop on the side, even with proper product calculations and valuations, is not a worthwhile business model. That‘s what I thought at the beginning, but the last few years have forced me to change my mind because I underestimated the acceptance of the consumers and the growth potential. You have to assume that the total retail volume in Germany is not greater but less, which is why I primarily focus on market shares and the shifting of sales volumes in my webshop.

The online retail trade is a piece of the new Mecca from the consumers’ point of view. In our industry, availability plays a decisive role in success or failure. The fact that retailers today have to regulate a large part of their product availability via the pre-ordering process and that the market is becoming increasingly unpredictable means that merchandise planning in offline retail has become increasingly conservative, which, in turn, has led to the selection in stationary retail being worse and worse. That’s why online retail is generating fantastic sales volumes!

Incidentally, this is deceptive because the real break-even in the mail-order trade is relatively high and, unfortunately, the costs are proportional to the rise in sales volume.

I still believe that a well designed offline store is more attractive to consumers. Most of us brand-name retailers can look back on

the halcyon days when things were much easier : Brands practically sold themselves.

Today, it‘s not just about the products; the shop has to be the brand. Shops that have a vision with a clear concept are successful.

In my opinion, this statement can be fully applied to online retail.“

two channels address different target groups – two different buyers. Our studies have shown this. It is clearly evident that there is a demand for very different products online.

Ultimately, all sales volumes are added together, but we still see these two channels as two different things. Because there is no overlap: The online shop is not only more international, but it also serves a different group of buyers. On the net, completely different criteria play a role and the market features much more aggressive pricing. Online retail is very enticing for many retailers and newcomers to the market. But it‘s more

difficult to establish yourself. Ultimately, we all sell the same homogeneous products. Increasing awareness of the shop on the online market is more difficult than in stationary retail. We want to use new marketing tools such as social media and geolocation platforms to advertise both channels and generate synergies. Online as a second source of business has another decisive advantage: When we are unable to sell certain products in the regional store, we can compensate for the loss of liquidity by selling our stock in our webshop. We can still offer customers products that they won‘t find offline.“

„If we had been a company with only one store, I would have never pursued online.“ Ali Ghiassi, Backyard

42

Those Are Two Different Things In 2009, Kristian Reinhardt (owner) and Michael Eckhardt (Marketing Manager) launched an accompanying online shop to the Never Ending Store in Magdeburg. „We see our webshop as an additional sales channel. Our long-term goal is seven-figure sales volume. Currently, however, the sales volume in the stationary retail is still twice as high as on the net. Operationally, both channels are strictly separate and run by different teams. In our case, the offline shop doesn‘t compete with the online shop. The

mecca or mousetrap_what‘s the story

No Surprise Effect Raik Schöning is the owner of a total of five Black Sheep Stores in Dresden (the first one opened in 1995). The webshop has been online since the end of October 2010. It is operated by a partner agency. „Currently, there seems to be the trend for every second stationary shop to open an online shop. At first, it was shops that were no longer successful in small towns and wanted to save themselves from going bust.

They have long since been driven from

the market by the four to five big webshops that are really successful. The problem is that many small stores place all their hopes in this and don‘t really recognise the reality.

On the Internet, it‘s not that easy to make a buck. I am 95 per cent a stationary retailer and 5 per cent a mail-order retailer. Whether or not the two channels mutually complement or compete with each other for demand and thus sales volume is something I could realistically assess if I were the only retailer on the Internet. Due to the large number of competitors, I am unable to assess the impact of this partnership of the stationary and online store. I am certain that there will be an immediate rethinking as soon as suspicions about the sales volume – that you could leave yourself high and dry by opening a webshop as well – are nominally confirmed. The negative effect that I am criticising as a stationary retailer is the fact that there is no surprise effect if a customer comes into the shop. It pains me to see nerds who have spent all night surfing the net for the latest collections standing around in the store, looking bored. This degrades the store to POS. It is no longer for information or inspiration.“

„I am 95 per cent a stationary retailer and 5 per cent a mailorder retailer because I remember the times when the Internet was not around yet and our job so much more fun.“ Raik Schöning, Black Sheep

43

Attention: Trend!

Hanna, Philipp, Ibi, Katharina and Aylin from A-Game Distribution, founded 2003 in Offenbach am Main, manage brands such as Rules by Mary, Red Collar Project and The Hundreds. „Not everyone should jump on the online shop bandwagon just because it‘s trendy to do so. Leave that to the people who really know what they are doing, who invest lots of time and money and tackle the project with

a professional approach.

Online, there is now the same surplus that already exists in stationary retail. However, people go to the web to find products that are special and out of the ordinary. Can a small retailer on the net actually win over a significant number of new customers without high cost investments? We don‘t think so. It‘s a matter of communication and that‘s complex and expensive on the net. In addition, the online customer prefers to buy from renowned major stores instead of the

small ones they don‘t know. They feel safer, if only for data security reasons. We have seen that retailers that take a dual approach have not yet suffered any losses in offline sales volume. But it‘s improbable that any additional sales volume will be generated on the net because the webshop are usually not operated with the same care as the offline store. It only makes sense to open an online shop if you adopt a professional approach.

Otherwise, you‘re just wasting time instead of concentrating on what‘s important.“

what‘s the story_adenauer & co

Vertical Thinking Andreas Adenauer wants to use a vertical multilabel concept to establish several labels under one umbrella. Target group: the mass premium segment. Focus: lifestyle and product quality.

A

ndreas Adenauer is a mover and shaker. Following a stint as the CEO of the surfing lifestyle brand O‘Neill, he took half a year off to chill out in Majorca. „I stayed there 44 for a bit to decide what I really want,“ he says. This resulted in his decision to become self-employed. „Adenauer & Co. – The Beach House Company“ is a new vertical multilabel concept that he established with business partner Rainer Winter. The concept involves producers who act as specialists in the respective product group. Adenauer and Winter then market their products by giving them their own retail concept.

It all started with a partnership with the Greek Staff Group, which has been working for many years as a producer and washer of European jeans brands and also has its own successful collection in Southern Europe. Now, the plan is to position Staff on the Northern European market as well. Back in 2009, Adenauer founded a general agency for the German-speaking and Benelux countries.

„An emotional concept that combines various lifestyle brands.“ Andreas Adenauer

another partner from Asia to provide jackets known as „Hoods“. We sell them for prices between 129 and 179 euros. In addition, we plan to offer blouses and shirts that will be produced in Portugal. Every label does business under its own company name with the respective partners. The stores we are planning are inspired by Californian beach lifestyle. Adenauer entrusted the Belgian agency Pure Sang with the visual design. „I‘ve got an emotional concept in mind that will combine various lifestyle brands under one umbrella,“ enthuses Adenauer. The first partner store was opened in Trier back in September 2010 in cooperation with a retailer.

Three to four more stores are set to open in 2011, and they will prove that the concept is capable of large-scale distribution. But that‘s not all: Another company, „Adenauer & Co. Online GmbH“, will be responsible of E-Business in the future.

FULL-SERVICE AGENCY The company immediately went on tour with the Staff jeans. The focus: high-quality washes between 69 and 109 euros. „We want to offer superb, high-quality products at attractive prices,“ explains Adenauer. „This gives the retailer the chance to mark them up and make a generous profit.“ The agency is in charge of distribution, customer service, communication and the development of partner stores. It made sense to work with a Turkish shirt specialist to produce the tops and jointly establish the „Original Perfection“ collection: Perfectly teamed with casual jeans, the sweatshirts range from 59 to 69 euros and the shirts range from 19 to 29 euros. Since January, we‘ve been working with

Text Ina Köhler Photos Adenauer & Co

Andreas Adenauer and Rainer Winter are placing their bets on great products with cool prices.

The first partner store „Adenauer & Co.“ is based in Trier: relaxed beach lifestyle is the theme.

Antony morato_what‘s the story

A Thriving Career!

In the few years since its founding in 2007, Antony Morato‘s still rather young label from the Campania region in Italy has already presented figures that have left us speechless.

The offensive on the German market will get under way in January.

Text Isabel Baier, Photos Antony Morato

The Antony Morato brand is launching its trendy, progressive Total-LookCollection for men on the German market.

W

hen reading the company‘s history, you can‘t get past the third sentence without grinning, almost with envy.

The three siblings Raffaele, Giovanni and Tania Caldarelli founded the label Antony Morato in 2007. Raffaele, also called „Lello,“ was only 30 years old at the time, and his brother Giovanni was 25.

Only a year later, the annual sales volume of the young, complete collection for men aged 18 to 35 was 22.8 million euros. By 2010 this figure had reached 68 million euros. The stated goal of 80 million euros sales volume in 2011 might just be realistic. Growth in the foreign markets this year is estimated at 60 per cent, which comes to a 15 per cent expansion.

The label is already very well positioned in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium. Next up should be England, France, Germany and a few regions in South America. Mono-brand stores can be found in Catania, Barcelona, Madrid, Shanghai, Amsterdam, Sofia and Prague. To date, Antony Morato has 2,900 customers throughout Europe. Several flagship stores in Italy are on the agenda for 2011. 30 per cent new retailers will be added this year in what is still the youngest expansion market of France.

There are already 200 points of sales, and the

annual sales volume in this market will likely double in 2011. Four collections are presented every year, with a total of 300 pieces per season.

45 And now a quick breather.

A New Start North of the Alps Alessandro Menegon, the new Country Manager for Germany and Austria at the recently founded company Antony Morato GmbH, is full of enthusiasm when talking about his plans. The new showroom at Munich‘s Fashion House will open in mid-January. The strategy is clear and simple: Antony Morato will present a trendbased total-look collection with accessories, shoes and bags with a good value for money.

Polished customer service is a must for Menegon, even when it comes to collection rhythms, which include different intermediate collections, flash programmes and crash programmes ordered on short notice. The company is also investing a great deal in marketing, communications and its own shop concepts. Menegon would like to use the Munich showroom to directly address well-known, significant and large department stores and select multi-brand shops. „We‘re trying to position ourselves in the retail trade in line with our strategy of a flexible collection with strong, fashionable substance.

With retail prices of between 19 and 170 euros and a markup of 2.5 and higher, our focus is more commercial. We attempted to enter the market in Germany a couple years ago, but after a test season we decided we weren‘t quite ready yet. Now we are,“ he explains. Menegon‘s retail strategy specifically calls for close co-operation with major customers in the areas of multibrand and department stores, but he believes that opening his own stores, floor spaces and franchise stores will soon be a possibility. He‘s keeping up a high pace.

what‘s the story_firetrap

Success Is Fun! London-based fashion and jeanswear label Firetrap is expanding its collaboration with Frank Götz and has appointed him Managing Director of the German-Austrian subsidiary World Design & Trade Deutschland GmbH.

Text Isabel Baier Photos Firetrap

„We will not make drastic course corrections. What we‘ve been doing in the last two and a half years seems to have been right.“ Frank Götz

Frank Götz is increasing his engagement for Firetrap in Germany and Austria.

46

Frank Götz, how did this extensive restructuring come about and how did you get your new position at Firetrap?

After closely collaborating with Firetrap for two and a half years, I proved myself as the Country Manager for Germany and Austria, we were successful, my colleagues and I got to know each other very well and we built a stable relationship based on trust. The decision to appoint me as managing director and change the company structures in Germany was made in order to simplify the administrative process within the company. Up to that point the German subsidiary had been managed by an external company.

We just took over the operating business and now have the sole responsibility for all activities in the German-Austrian market. It will accelerate all processes and makes sense, particularly for customers, because it simplifies all of our operations. These new, simplified structures will make us more effective.

by 70 per cent last autumn/winter 2010 and 22 per cent for spring/summer 2011. For autumn/ winter 2011/12 we are planning to double our sales volume over the increase seen last winter.

We‘re selling very well in retail and that encourages us in our forecasting.

What concrete changes are being made?

And what about your own stores?

The changes are administrative in nature and also deal with simplifying the collaboration with our customers by streamlining the decisionmaking process. We‘re moving our headquarters, possibly to Munich. In addition, we‘ve now taken on the accounts payable and receivables, which will allow us to communicate better and more directly with our customers. All accounting-related customer processing will go through us in future. The team is being expanded significantly, not only in the accounting division, but also in sales and marketing, where we‘ve already added strong partners such as James Porter and Agentur Stirner in Austria to our existing field staff. At the moment we‘re still looking for the right distributor for northern Germany.

We‘ve had relatively concrete plans for some time now. Our own stores in England are working really well, which makes us optimistic.

Firetrap is one of the market leaders there, and there‘s no reason why we can‘t operate at a similar level in Germany. The structural changes give us the opportunity to make individual deals with our partners. Up to now, we didn‘t have the necessary background to tackle this issue, but that’s changed now. The first opening could realistically take place in 2012 or 2013.

Possible cities are Berlin, Munich and Cologne.

The first step will be to expand our online activities in order to support the label. In concrete terms we plan to expand our online presence from the UK to Europe. It‘s important that customers from German-speaking countries only have access to those sites where prices correspond to those in retail. Another topic that we‘re successfully pushing are our shop-in-shop systems, which will be in retail next season.

The new structure has provided us with the necessary background logistics, also as far as furnishings and limit planning are concerned.

What are your stated goals?

Quite simply, to generate greater sales volumes with existing and new customers. We‘re small but mighty, a bit more independent and not quite as streamlined as many of our colleagues.

We‘re proud of the fact that we‘re rougher around the edges than some, and that we can afford to be. Independent retailers still make up a large portion of our customers, and we have a great following. Everyone knows how difficult it is to grow with only independent stores!

That‘s our biggest goal. We saw pre-orders grow

Which trade fairs will you participate in next?

First we‘ll be at the Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence, then at the Bread & Butter in Berlin, and finally the CPD Signature in Düsseldorf.

HELLY HANSEN

AUTUMN/WINTER COLLECTION 2011

For information & showroom: +49 (0) 2131 133 44 44 www.hellyhansen.com

what‘s the story_kids Role model and source of inspiration: the daughter of Nicola Cinelli and Marina Vorobyeva inspired them to create Crustino, the miniature version of a bestseller model by label Crust. She was photographed by her mother.

48

New Kids on the Block

Text Karo Landowski Photos Marina Vorobyeva, Eddie Pen, Tumble n’ Dry, Cakewalk, Stue

The children‘s fashion market is evolving. An increasing number of popular brands are investing in kidswear and retailers are also getting in on the action. Concept stores are integrating young looks into their selection while children‘s boutiques are going for an adult slant: They’ve all discovered that this market has enormous potential.

kids_what‘s the story

B

y the year 2050 Germany‘s birth rate is anticipated to decline from the current 660,000 to approx.

500,000 babies per year. Over the past 15 years alone, the market volume for children‘s fashion in the country has shrunk from 3.4 billion to 2.7 billion euros. Nonetheless, it seems like everyone in the industry is talking about kidswear these days. An increasing number of urban and streetwear labels are launching children‘s collections that offer more than dancing bears and grinning cats. At the same time a new approach is emerging. Kidswear is becoming more fashionable, cooler and grown up. Trends for adults are being adapted for kids. Brands like Bench, Wesc and Ezekiel are successfully paving the way. „Kidswear is booming,“ agrees Bread & Butter Managing Director Karl-Heinz Müller, who had planned on introducing a Kids Camp to give urban teenage fashion a permanent spot at the Berlin trade show. Unfortunately the event had to be cancelled for January, but Müller still firmly believes in the segment: „Many brands haven‘t yet recognised the enormous potential.“

An Industry on the Move „The cards are being reshuffled. There are a lot of major competitors on the market,“ says Volker Kitzig from Pepe Jeans, a brand that has had a children‘s line for the past 20 years and ranks among the pioneers of the sector. The team at Closed has also recognised this trend: „The market for high-priced children‘s fashioe is continuously growing at a remarkable rate.

People are spending more and more money on high-quality products,“ says Nina Zywietz. It‘s a lucrative target group, as revealed by the Kids Consumer Analysis conducted by comics and magazine publisher Egmont Ehapa. This study shows that over 60 per cent of 10 to 13 year olds are highly conscious of the brands that they wear. One out of every 10 youngsters buy these brands with their own pocket money. Over 80 per cent of parents adhere to their children‘s fashion preferences – and annually spend an average of 328 euros on kids‘ clothing.

„Kidswear is booming.“

Karl-Heinz Müller, Bread & Butter

with their sons, listening to the same music and wearing the same T-shirt brands. This has also been recognised by a growing number of streetwear brands, which offer the same prints and colour combinations in both small and large sizes. „Parents are the ultimate role models for children and their first fashion inspiration,“ says Nina Zywietz from Closed.

Practical, Waterproof and Classy „In France, Italy and Spain children have a totally different fashion status,“ says Raphi Sommer from Replay. While Italians and Spaniards deck out their bambini and niños with ruffles, Germans traditionally placed relatively little value on their children‘s appearance. In Germany, consumers have expected clothing to be primarily functional, practical, waterproof and durable. „Clothing for kids is either supposed to look attractive or be highly functional. We thought: ‚Why not combine these characteristics?‘“ says Isabelle Opitz-Ferzandi, Head of Sales, Marketing & Products at Americana Germany, which successfully introduced Bench Kids to Germany in 2008. „The bestsellers of our main line of clothing are tailored to the little tykes‘ sizes. Of course the little ones also want to stand out from the older crowd so special styles are created for this target group.“

Not Kids‘ Stuff „We‘re in an exciting phase in which there‘s a growing acceptance for high-quality products,“ says Sommer of Replay & Sons, the kidswear line at Replay. A great deal of fashion momentum is currently being generated in Scandinavia and the Benelux countries. Amsterdam label Scotch

Bread & Butter Managing Director Karl-Henz Müller is planning on introducing another trade show for children at Tempelhof airport in Berlin in summer 2011. „B&B Youngstars Tradeshow for selected brands“ is supposed to replace the „Kids Camp“.

15 - 17 July 2011. & Soda has convincingly shown that it‘s possible to combine cool fashion with functionality. This isn‘t kids‘ stuff, either: The brand‘s outstanding value-for-money makes it a bestseller in children‘s clothing stores. „The kidswear market has come of age, both in a literal and a figurative sense. Retailers and consumers take the products just as seriously as adult clothing,“ says Dewy van Benning from Scotch & Soda, which, 49 in addition to the Scotch Shrunk collection for boys, will launch the girls‘ line Scotch R‘Belle in the summer of 2011. „Children love it when they are taken seriously by a brand,“ she says.

Designers also take the topic very seriously, especially if they are parents themselves or have recently had an addition to the family. Two women in Hamburg are a prime example: In March 2009 Ayda Aufenacker and Carolin Detterbeck started producing casual streetwear for their Spirit of Hope label in sizes 92 to 170.

Inspiring Parents The over-30 generation consists of brand-savvy fashion fans who can afford to buy their children designer jeans for just under 100 euros. „These days, 30 year olds can establish a family, yet still feel cool and young and be part of the scene,“ says Veronique de Weichs, event producer for Amsterdam‘s children‘s fashion show Kleine Fabriek, which ranks among the leading trendsetting events on the kidswear market. A total of 400 labels, 260 stands and a refreshing array of products attract a growing number of international trade visitors to the Netherlands.

De Weichs is also predicting a comeback in the children‘s segment for brands that parents themselves wore when they were kids, like Gsus for instance. „The fashion tastes of parents and children are converging,“ agrees Susanne Schwenger, Creative Director for Marc O‘Polo Kids. Generational differences are becoming less distinct. Fathers are going skateboarding

Italian ready-made clothing for children: fashion label Eddie is currently one of the most popular children‘s fashion labels.

what‘s the story_kids Dutch label Cakewalk is known for its comfortable and high-quality jerseys in colourful pattern combinations.

„There‘s a rising demand for alternative brands.“ Susi Lee, Stue

Fashionable Mini Celebrities

50 „At the age of five, the kids slip into their first pair of drainpipe jeans, and even a three year old knows what he wants to wear and what not,“ observes Christine Waldner, who has managed the Rumpelstilzchen children‘s fashion store in Munich‘s Haidhausen district for the past 26 years. „Kids know what‘s on and they can‘t be easily fooled. Customers are as discerning as ever when it comes to quality – they‘ve merely become more price-conscious.“ One reason for the boom in kidswear is the considerable media presence of celebrity children like Suri Cruise and Romeo Beckham. Celebrity offspring regularly grace the covers of gossip magazines, transforming the sons and daughters of stars into fashion idols.

Kameke, whose online store Urban Kidswear offers a selection of sportswear brands for kids that is unique in Germany, benefits from the fact that an increasing number of customers do their shopping stress-free on the Internet -- and avoid the crowded inner city „where they can‘t find suitable offers anyway.“ E-commerce is booming in the kidswear segment. There are complete kiddie universes which, in addition to fashion, feature a wide range of lifestyle products. Shooting stars in the online business like Zalando carry nearly 3,000 children‘s fashion articles and offer free shipping and a 100-day returns policy. Many retailers will simply have to live with the fact that some customers try on clothes in the store and then order them online. The other option, of course, is for shops to take their business online as well. According to a study conducted by market research company GfK, experts anticipate the largest growth in multi-channel retailing to take place in the area of children‘s fashion: 150 per cent over the coming six years.

Hard Times for Retailers Selling children‘s fashions nevertheless remains a tough business. Inventory turnover is not particularly high, and you need to carry an average of 17 different sizes and have three times the amount of goods in the store. „As a retailer you have to specialise more than ever before and find your own style, otherwise you‘re in for a rough ride on the market,“ says Thorsten Junge, who has been managing the Hamburg streetwear store Snotty for the past 10 years.

He went the opposite direction and started off with children‘s fashion before he expanded his selection with lines of clothing for adults.

Another example of a successful niche business is the Stue concept store, which opened in Düsseldorf in September 2008. „There‘s a rising demand for alternative brands,“ says Stue owner Susi Lee, who offers streetwear brands ranging from Element to Vans for 10 to 14 year olds. Jens

Susi Lee has set up an entire lifestyle world for children at her concept store Stue in Düsseldorf.

Dutch label Tumble n‘ Dry has been on the market since July 2007. It is already one of the bestsellers in the kidswear segment.

kids_what‘s the story

A Source of Inspiration for the Lifestyle Market „What parents only want to buy kids‘ clothes emblazoned with sweet little bear faces and cute characters with snub noses?“ is a question Timm Klotzek asked himself. He decided to found Nido, the lifestyle magazine for young city parents with a sense of style. x-ray talked to the father and editor-in-chief of Neon about oilskin jackets and the demands of modern parents.

Text Karo Landowski, Photos Nido

M

r Klotzek, your target group is modern parents. How are they different from the previous generation?

stance, tends to have a truly vested interest in climate change not destroying the world in the next 50 years.

Nostalgia in the nursery is a current trend.

Where does this desire for tradition and new values come from?

Timm Klotzek: I think that the NIDO generation is trying to juggle much more than previous generations.

Women often want to work AND be there for their family. Men undoubtedly still want to be successful in their job, but they no longer want to miss out on watching their children growing up. Having your cake and eating it is fulfilling as long as it works.

I‘m not really sure whether this is an actual trend or whether a constant lifestyle of parents and little children has been sold as such over the years. After all, when you have kids, you automatically think back to your own childhood. Nostalgia and retro are just a small step away from this.

What are the new demands of modern parents and their kids?

With all the love for their family: To not silently go to the dogs. Taking care of the family. To sacrifice themselves in the sense of growing apart as a couple, to neglect friendships, to lose cultural and political interests, to become mentally shrivelled up before you‘re 45: No thanks!

Children‘s fashion, children‘s magazines, children‘s snacks. It‘s not as if more children are being born. Why is the topic of children so all-consuming right now?

These topics were always important for parents.

In 1995 parents also considered what colour pullover would look best on their child. What is new is the alarming socio-political aspect: „Help, Germany is dying out“ was recently heard all over the media.

There is an infinite number of products for kids. What potential do you think the children‘s lifestyle market holds?

It goes without saying that you always want the best for your own children. You think about them almost all day and generally worship the ground they walk on. And you often lack any previous knowledge or ex-

perience about what product really is good. Of course, this is an ideal source of inspiration for the lifestyle market. Congratulations!

Let‘s talk about the Bionade bourgeoisie: You go for a walk in the Black Forest and buy the kids an oilskin jacket. Are young parents experiencing a conservative revolution ?

I don‘t think you‘ll find most Germans on the Black Forest‘s hiking trails. And you‘ll generally see more H&M anoraks on our playgrounds than oilskin jackets. You really have to take a close look to see whether the assessments of trend researchers really correspond with reality. But aside from this: Becoming a parent is a rather conservative process – not in the political rightwing/left-wing sense of the word, but in the sense of that whoever has children, for in-

„To become mentally shrivelled up before you‘re 45: no thanks!“ Timm Klotzek

51

what‘s the story_kids

Corinna Bogdanovich specialises in children‘s fashion from Belgium and Scandinavia at her store.

52

Seek and Ye Shall Find

Calino stands for out-of-the-ordinary kidswear. The vintage-style shop is housed in a former bicycle shop in Düsseldorf‘s posh Oberkassel district. The same kind of loving care that went into creating the store‘s charming interior has also been put into assembling the stylish sales mix.

Calino Lankerstraße 1 40545 Düsseldorf, Germany www.calino.de Owner: Corinna Bogdanovich Opening: 2003 Reopening: 2010 Retail space: 150 sqm Staff: 4 Kidswear: American Outfit, Bellerose, Bengh per Principesse, Bonpoint, Converse, Diesel, Eddie Pen, Finger in the Nose, IKKS, Imps & Elfs, Juicy Couture, Kik Kid, Paul Frank, Pepe Jeans, Rare, Scotch & Soda, True Religion, Woolrich Shoes: Aigle, Ambro, Bisgaard, Blundstones, Boumy, Camper, Converse, Diggers, Falcotto, Gallucci, Giesswein, Gola, Havaianas, Kickers, Mod’huit, Momino, Naturino, Palladium, Primigi, Rondinella, Stones and Bones, UGG, Unisa

Text Karo Landowski, Photos Calino

I

've been on the hunt my whole life and I love to find things,“ explains Corinna Bogdanovich, who used to work as a location scout for film sets in New York before opening the Calino children‘s clothing store in Düsseldorf-Oberkassel seven years ago. You can detect the ambitious shop owner‘s passion for collecting in the store‘s charming decorations. The boy‘s corner features a noteworthy dinosaur collection; old globes and flea market finds including chairs, pedal cars and nostalgic prams from the '50s give Calino an earthy feel. Distinctive industrial lamps, the concrete floor and discarded gymnastics equipment make for an ambience that falls somewhere between the romanticism of a workshop and the charm of an old gymnasium. „I wanted to get away from candy colours and go for a cooler look,“ she says. Calino was

originally located in a labyrinthine old building a few streets away, with a separate shop housing the large selection of shoes. Early this year both segments were united in the spacious corner shop at Belsenplatz. „We‘re proud to be more than just a clothing store, we’re a communications platform for parents,“ she adds. Kids are allowed to run, play and touch things here. The sales mix, which is displayed in a 150 square metre space, also shows off Bogdanovich‘s keen sense of style. There are fewer knickknacks and more cool fashions for boys and girls from 0 to 16 years old. „My customers don‘t buy much according to brand, and I try to make sure my sales mix makes a highly individual statement.“ There‘s an emphasis on clothing from Belgium and Scandinavia, but there are also Italian and French labels as well as jeans brands and 20 shoe brands ranging from classic to cool. Aside

from book satchels for school, jewellery, gifts and decorative articles, there are hanging Chinese dragons made of paper, unique items like baby kimonos from the Lucky Wang label in New York, and decorative crocheted objects from Anne-Marie Petit. At Calino customer service extends beyond the shop counter. In addition to reorders placed for individual customers, regular clients can take a selection with them and try them on in the comfort of their own home. Seasonal activities keep things bustling around the shop. In addition to back-toschool gift promotions, Bogdanovich presents a fashion show twice a year called Inspiration, and she finds new brands at the Kleine Fabriek International Trade Fair in Amsterdam. She takes her oldest son along to some of the trade fairs because „he‘s got the right nose for it.“ That appears to run in the family.

A Clear Cut Case Sleek and clean instead of sweet and playful – the reopening of Issati Boys N Girls in Frankfurt presents international children‘s clothing within the uncluttered ambience of a concept store.

Back to the basics: Saida Limam prefers simple and clean style to overcrowded children‘s stores.

S

ince the end of August, Issati Boys N Girls has graced Frankfurt‘s retail scene with a lovingly selected range of international children‘s clothing.

The idea behind the store is as simple as it is practical: Saida Limam had problems finding the right kind of clothes for her 13-year-old daughter. „The clothes were either too childish or too grown up,“ explains the Frankfurt-based businesswoman

„I am not a fan of playful clothes.“ Saida Limam

Issati Boyz ’n’ Girl Hartmann-Ibach-Straße 63 60389 Frankfurt am Main, Germany www.issati.com Owner: Saida Limam Opening: 2010 Retail space: 200 sqm Staff: 4 Labels: Barts, Bisgaard, Bonnie Doon, Charm it, CKS, Cupcake, Desigual, Eddie Pen, IKKS Kensington Kids, Monta, Name-it, New Zeeland Auckland, No Tomatoes No Jeans, Noa Noa, Paglie, Pepe Jeans, Petrol Industries, Phister & Philina, Pom Pom, Rockfred, Rockfred, Salty Dog, Scotch & Soda, Spinach Mafia, Strawberry & Cream, Ticket to Heaven, Tumble ’n Dry

When her fourth child was born last year, Limam finally had to give up her job as a key account manager for software – and the idea of having her own children‘s clothing business seemed to make more and more sense. A shop location in Frankfurt‘s Bornheim district was available and provided the necessary motivation. „I immediately fell in love with the place and knew: It had to be this one or none at all!“ Unfortunately, the timing was not as perfect. It was the end of February – the time for ordering had almost ended and all of the

An appealing atmosphere that is NOT reminiscient of a kid‘s room: the concept store Issati Boys n‘ Girls is clean and tidy.

kids_what‘s the story

Text Karo Landowski Photos Issati Boys ‘n’ Girls

important trade fairs were over. Limam got hold of a catalogue of exhibitors at the Kleine Fabriek International Trade Fair in Amsterdam, contacted some suppliers, and first had to promote her concept: beautiful clothes that were suited for kids and offered good value for money. Aside from clothing, the sales mix also includes shoes, accessories, outdoor products, jewellery, games and gift items. Because of her lack of experience, Limam had to order the new merchandise for spring/summer 2011 based on „gut instinct.“ „I can‘t say yet what my customers want, so I had to order what appealed to me.

The market is flooded with H&M and Zara. The customers who come to me are looking for something more individual,“ says Limam, who offers children‘s sizes from 86 to 178. The mother of four also got the layout she wanted for the store. The furnishings in the 2,000 square metre shop are simple, sleek and downright clean. White shelves, white designer lamps and white walls – the bright and cool atmos53 phere is reminiscent of a concept store with the minimalist design accentuating the bright colours of the children‘s clothing. „I‘m not a fan of playful clothes,“ she says. „Many children‘s clothing stores are cramped and crammed too full. You can‘t even get through with a pram.“ Issati is different, with wide aisles, uncrowded shopfittings and clear organisation: Things for babies and small children are on the left, and articles for the bigger kids on the right. Kids can enjoy themselves with the PlayStation in the play area while parents relax with a delicious latte macchiato. In addition to gift items there‘s a notable selection of international children‘s books in multiple languages, thanks to a partnership with the Frankfurt book store.

what‘s the story_kids Toys from her own childhood: Sophie Kill speaks to the parents through their own childhood memories.

A Shop of Many Colours Text Karo Landowski, Photos Lili et Milou

If you‘re looking for bold kids clothes in Munich, you can‘t miss with a visit to Lili et Milou. Located in Schwabing, this compact little shop combines easygoing collections with exclusive decorative objects.

L

ili et Milou, opened six and a half years ago by Elza Athanasiou and Sophia Kill in Munich‘s fashionable Schwabing 54 district, is a mini-department store for kids. „Munich didn‘t have a shop where you could buy everything you needed for kids, all in one place – from clothes to exercise books for school,“ Kill says. The clothing offered here is either extremely classic and high-priced – or extremely low-priced.

Lili et Milou is positioning itself between these two extremes with an individual and affordable sales mix. In addition to select fashion, the 50 square metre shop offers books, toys, gifts and decorative items. The product range is aimed at kids ages 0 to 14. In addition to international brands like IKKS, Ticket to Heaven or Bengh per Principesse, parents and kids can find accessories and shoes from Converse, Kickers or Aigle. It‘s not hard to understand where the flair

for finding the right mix comes from at Lili et Milou: Kill and Athanasiou both come from the fashion industry, and being mothers of multiple kids, they‘re also experts when it comes to the demands placed on children‘s clothes. „We‘re always on the lookout for new brands, new ideas and new products,“ says Kill. She‘s found just what she was looking for at trade fairs in Italy, the Netherlands and Paris. She lived in Paris for many years and was fascinated with the chic way the French children dressed – hence the name of the store. The two shop owners wanted to give their customers in West Schwabing, where many young and affluent young families live, the opportunity for relaxed shopping, away from the hectic bustle of the city. The concept has since attracted many imitators. Lili et Milou invites customers large and small to feel at ease; the shop is decorated in vibrant colours and with great attention to detail. „We wanted a shop

A store as warm, colourful and cozy as a kid‘s bedroom: you can hardly miss the shop front of Lili et Milou in Munich, but the store is an insider tip nonetheless.

that was as warm, colourful and cozy as a kid‘s bedroom,“ says Kill. The curved counter glows in bright orange and pink; the designer lamp on the ceiling looks like an oversized water drop.

Everything is rounded and soft, without corners or edges. Just like the Barbapapas – cartoon figures from the '70s series of the same name, which not only serve as decorative accents in the shop, but are also for sale. „Parents love buying things for kids that they liked during their childhood,“ she says, explaining the attachment to the retro toy. Since last year there‘s been an online store featuring 300 items and the product range is being continuously expanded. „More and more children‘s clothes are being purchased online. We thought, why not from us as well?“ No sooner thought than done – and in doing so, she and her partner have once again got a head start on the competition in the Munich area.

Lili et Milou Kurfürstenplatz 8 80796 München, Germany www.lilietmilou.com Owner: Elza Athanasiou und Sophia Kill Opening: 2004 Retail space: 50 sqm Staff: 2 Labels: Bengh per Prinipesse, Diesel, IKKS, Pepe Jeans, Scotch & Soda, Smallstuff, Ticket to Heaven, Volltreffer Shoes: Aigle, Converse, Bisgaard, Kickers, Robeez, Starchild

Mini-Me or Child‘s Play?

Kidswear as a range extension – the latest trick of established brands from the jeans, sportswear, streetwear and skater segments. Whoever has successfully grown and matured with their customers over the past few years can‘t really avoid this topic.

M

any brand owners, designers and company employees are now parents themselves and thus recognise that kidswear bears immense market potential … and a huge need to catch-up, particularly when it comes to jeans and streetwear. Children‘s collections that are based on „grown-up“ collections are currently not only revolutionising the store landscape, but also the concept of how young parents should be dressing their offspring. Be it the „mini me“ look or their own style – children‘s fashion has experienced a significant transformation.

Many collections are based on „grown-up“ collections, while others go their own way. The same is true for the store landscape because innovative concept stores that provide a mix of kidswear and adult collections are currently enjoying a great deal of success.

Text Isabel Baier Photos Brands

kids_what‘s the story

Dressing up like mummy and daddy? Finger in the Nose features adult jeans looks in kids‘ styles .

Finger in the Nose Rock ’n’ roll attitude combined with the functional demands of children‘s fashion: the jeans and sportswear collection of the small Parisian design office „Speaking Image“ has been targeting a selection of international high-end concept stores and children‘s boutiques such as Guys and Dolls in London or Isetan in Tokyo since 2003. Since 2006, Finger in the Nose has established itself on the European market and greatly expanded its distribution network.

The design features „adult“ jeans looks in children‘s sizes for children between the ages of six months and 13 years. As a special service, the label provides unusual POS material and catalogues on request, in addition to the collection. CONTACT: Finger in the Nose, Stéphane Poncelet, 75003 Paris/ France, T 0033.1. 58 59 00 81, www.fingerinthenose.com

55

etnies In 2000, etnies reacted to the lack of children‘s collections in the skateboarding market and its corresponding rising demand: „Over the years, we have seen many of our customers have their own children who then want to share the brand with them,“ explains Andy Lang, Marketing Coordinator Germany. The styles are derived from successful models in the men‘s collection, including etnies RSS, RVM, Fader and Ronin. There are a total of 22 models available, four of which have the specially developed „Grow with me“ technology with a two-stage adjustment system, wider shoe lasts, vulcanised EVA outer sole, removable insole and a flexible TPR outer sole. The range is targeted at children‘s boutiques, skater shops and sports shops and retails at prices between 19.95 and 59.99 euros. CONTACT: Sole Technology Europe BV, 1059 Amsterdam/The Netherlands, info@soletechnology.eu

667 – the baby of the beast To expunge a small misunderstanding: „667 the baby of the beast“ is a kidswear label and has nothing to do with the streetwear brand „667 one step ahead of the devil“. 667 was founded in 2001 by Diana Otten and Katja Birkle. As one of the first kidswear labels, 667 attended Bread & Butter back in 2004. „We invented the brand ‚667 – the baby of the beast‘ to compete with the monotonous market of baby clothes. It was our master plan to give the little monsters a lovingly dubbed name that adults understand as a tongue-in-check reference,“ explain the designers. Today, the brand targets children‘s boutiques and concept stores. The garments wholesale between 12 and 16 euros. A large part of the collection garments are made of organic cotton. All garments are manufactured and sewn in Saxony. CONTACT: 667 the baby of the beast, 10961 Berlin/Germany, T 0049.30.6167548, info@sixsixseven. net, www.sixsixseven.net

Cheeky monkeys – the design of 667 the baby of the beast is geared towards the needs of the kidswear market.

Ezekiel

XXS skatewear for kids.

Second time lucky for Ezekiel.

A few years ago, Ezekiel was ahead of its time. The first attempt to launch its own children‘s collection failed due to a lack of demand in stores. Today, it‘s very different. The skater label decided to try again with its winter collection 2010/2011 and presented a range of T-shirts, hoodies and denims, mainly for boys. „We are receiving more and more retailer requests for smaller sizes and have also observed how great the demand is, particularly in the skateboarding sector. As a result, we are adapting the kid-friendly styles from the menswear range to make the Ezekiel image accessible to the younger target group,“ explains Marketing Manager Oliver Tielsch. The distribution focuses on skater and streetwear shops. T-shirts retail at prices between 8.50 and 19.90 euros, hoodies retail at prices between 21.50 and 49.90 euros and denims at prices between 21.50 and 49.90 euros. CONTACT: Made in Corporation, 50825 Cologne/ Germany, T 0049.221.5005570, info@madeincorp.com, www.ezekieleurope.com

what‘s the story_kids

Pepe Jeans Every successful brand asks itself at some point in which sectors it can expand. Back in autumn 2006, Pepe Jeans' answer was a children's collection! Whilst the range very rapidly established itself in France, Spain and Italy, where it has already generated 30 per cent of the sales volume of the adult collection, the development on the German market is not as far progressed. Exhausting the market potential is Pepe's self-declared goal. The collection's design is strongly based on the adult range and adapts the spirit and the idea of the looks to childrens's sizes for children aged 16 and under. The medium-priced collection retails for 14 euros for T-shirts to 30 euros for jeans. The company highly values customised retail presentation: Be it a modern department or classic specialist store, it is important that the products are appropriately presented at the POS in a way that is tailored towards the age of the target group. The goal is to attract teenagers who might otherwise be relegated to the children's section.

CONTACT: Madison Clothing, Raphael Sommer, 8800 Thalwil /Switzerland, T 0041.44.7229191, www.pepejeans.com

The Pepe children‘s collection is based on similar designs as the adult collection.

WeSC

56

The creators of Swedish streetwear brand WeSc founded their brand in 2000 with the motto „Life after Skate!“ Many of the board sports fans, retailers, We activists and brand employees have since grown up and had their own children, which has led to an increasing demand for kidswear. In autumn 2009, WeSC launched a mini collection that is currently being treated as a „bonus“ for the aforementioned group of people. This collection features downsized styles from the adult collection; the tees and hoodies are made of organic cotton. Garments retail at prices between 11.98 euros for T-shirts and 23.98 euros for jeans. WeSC‘s children‘s range is currently known by only the select few, but it can, in fact, be ordered regularly and will definitely be expanded. CONTACT: WeSC, 11543 Stockholm/Sweden, T 0046.8446.505000, info@wesc.com, www.wesc.com

The typical Marc O’Polo look is also available for the little ones.

Marc O’Polo Junior Marc O'Polo granted the licence for a children’s line to complement the product portfolio of the brand back in 1998. Susanne Schwenger, Creative Director at Marc O'Polo, is responsible for the creative side of the Marc O'Polo womenswear, for the licences, and for Marc O'Polo Junior. The children’s collection follows the same design guidelines as the adult collection: Modern, casual sportswear made mostly from natural materials. It is sold primarily in the brand’s own stores, as well as in selected children’s specialty stores.

CONTACT: Boki Company, Birgit Bohnert, 72469 Messstetten/Germany, T 0049.7431.639100, www.marc-o-polo.de

Closed

The same style as the grown-ups: the Closed children‘s collection is reminiscient the label‘s adult collection.

Since 2002, German fashion label Closed has also been offering its own children‘s collection. The concept is to interpret adult ideas in a childfriendly manner, thus creating a children's collection. The „mini me“ idea is extremely popular with Closed customers. The collection with its exclusive, high-priced character mainly targets specific children's stores. It will also be featured in Closed's own stores in addition to the main adult range. On average, trousers retail at 89 euros.

CONTACT: Closed, Nadine Hölkermann, 40476 Düsseldorf/Germany, T 0049.211.8282710, nadine.hoelkermann@closed.com, www.closed.com

kids_what‘s the story Bench presents urban kidswear for pintsized fashion followers.

Tons of colour! The Camper children‘s collection relies on high-quality materials that are very colourful.

Bench Kids The foundation for the Bench Kids range of urban streetwear for children between the ages of six and 12 was laid back in 1998 in England. The brand was launched on the German market in 2008. „We want to create a range that combines comfort with fashionable elements. Wearable street fashion for kids. Bestsellers from the main range are produced in small sizes and existing brand values are transferred to the children's collection,“ explains Isabelle Opitz-Fernandi. The range targets children‘s departments, innovative children's stores, mail-order customers and franchise partners. The current figures sound promising: „We are expecting twice the sales volume of 2010 for the kids' sector in 2011. We want to primarily grow with our existing trading partners and avoid oversaturating the market with too many POS.“ CONTACT: Americana Germany GmbH, Isabelle Opitz-Fernandi, 80939 Munich/Germany, T 0049.89.15001830, info@americana-germany.de, www.bench.co.uk

Camper Just like the models for grown-ups, Camper for Kids features a balanced mixture of creativity, functionality and high-quality workmanship.

This 80-piece collection for tykes focuses on inspiring colours. Soft leather uppers, breathable materials, Velcro fasteners and slip-resistant rubber soles provide a high degree of safety and comfort. And to ensure a good measure of fun and aesthetics, the company has added innovative colour combinations and designs. A newcomer to the product range is Peu Circuit, which is a flexible shoe equipped with a tiny two-colour rubber sole that protects the back part of the foot. Retail prices for these shoes range from 32 to 85 euros. There are approx.

100 customers for the kids' line of footwear in Germany, including Tonton in Berlin, Schuhbidu in Chemnitz and Wattewölkchen in Essen.

CONTACT: Camper HQ, 070300 Inca/Spain, Federica Zurlo, T. 0034 .971.507000, fzurlo@camper.com, camper.com

Scotch Shrunk & Scotch R’Belle In autumn/winter of 2008, the Amsterdam-based jeans brand Scotch & Soda presented its first boys' collection Scotch Shrunk. Following the roaring success of this collection, the demand for a girls' collection started to grow. In summer 2011, this demand will finally be met with Scotch R’Belle, a range for girls.

Both children's collections do not feature independent designs, but are strongly based on the designs of the adult collection – the „little sister looks“ of the grown-up designs. As a result, Scotch & Soda targets high-end children's boutiques and jeans stores in mainly the high-price segment. Although the children‘s collections are purposely not presented next to the adult collection in stores, they target the same end consumers. Garments retail at prices between 19.95 and 239.95 euros, with a markup of 2.3 to 2.7.

CONTACT: Scotch & Soda, 1015 CR Amsterdam/The Netherlands, T 0031.23.5611111, info@scotch-soda.com, www.scotch-soda.com

Customised for his own daughter: Crustino, the minidown jacket from Crust, is currently a pilot project.

Crust Nicola Cinelli, owner of Cinellistudio and son of Cinelli Piume & Piumini founder Silvano Cinelli, wasn‘t actually planning on introducing children‘s versions of the Crust jackets – at least not until his own daughter Giada received her own handmade „Crustino,“ thanks to a little nudging from her mother. Back in 2005, Cinellistudio introduced the Teppa collection, a miniature line of the CBY collection for children aged 3 to 14. The new mini-version of the Crust down jacket is, at least for the time being, a one-of-a-kind, made by hand in the company‘s own manufacturing facility in Buggiano near Florence. What makes the Crustino so special is the high-quality down used in the production and the personal dedication on the inside. The design is directly derived from the best-selling Cervinia model from the Crust womenswear collection. The company is now toying with the idea of further pursuing the Crustini concept since there is a demand for handmade, personalised baby down jackets on the high-end fashion market. Until then, the baby jackets can only be ordered individually, with prices available upon request.

CONTACT: Cinellistudio, Nicola Cinelli, 51011 Buggiano/ Italy, T 0039.0572.395201, info@cinellistudio.it, www.cinellistudio.it

High-fashion jeans couture from Amsterdam: Scotch Shrunk und Scotch R’Belle.

57

what‘s the story_kids

Urbanwear for kids: Marc Ecko enables kids to tread in their parents‘ footsteps.

Replay & Sons relies on quality and current styles from the adult range.

Replay & Sons Since its kidswear launch in 1991, Replay & Sons has ranked among the established giants of the German and European children‘s market. The brand reacted promptly to the demand of customers who now wanted to dress their kids in adult styles instead of kids‘ garments. The overlaps between the children‘s and the adult‘s range were addressed first and expanded on with every further collection. Replay & Sons targets the high-end specialist retail trade. In contrast to other jeans brands, Replay & Sons consciously separates both ranges at the POS: „The collection ideally positions itself next to other children‘s brands. As we rarely experience random purchases, we are better positioned in the selected specialist retail trade with suitable sizes and styles than directly next to the adult collections,“ explains Lina Miccio. The retail prices range from 11 euros for T-shirts to 45 euros for dresses and denims. CONTACT: Fashion Box Spa., 31010 Asolo/Italy, T 0039.0423.9251, www.replay.it

58

Ecko Kids The first Ecko Kids collection celebrated its German premiere in autumn 2010. The range is split into two sub-collections with cool street styles for boys between the ages of six and 15 and very little boys between the ages of two and five. Bigger boys can enjoy the highlights from the current Ecko Unltd. men‘s collection, which is also available in children‘s sizes. The range for little kids is inspired by the men‘s range, but interprets the styles in a mix of brighter colours combined with classic shades. The children‘s collection is currently exclusively distributed in the brand‘s own stores, but the distribution network might be expanded to an appropriate range of retailers.

CONTACT: Dirty Jerz GmbH, 80807 Munich/Germany, T 0049.89.3065900, contact@dirty-jerz.net, www.dirty-jerz.net

Desigual Creative tongue in cheek meets functionality: Spanish brand Desigual also features its typical psychedelic influences in its children‘s collection, as well as colourful designs and complete collections with styles that are easy to mix and match – created by its own design team for boys and girls between the ages of four and 14. The collection was first presented in its own stores in summer 2008 and has been available in retail stores since summer 2009. „Desigual‘s philosophy is very similar to the world of children: Everything is marked by humour, colour and happiness. The good thing about the children‘s collection is that it isn‘t targeted at any particular retailers. We are presenting a new style for the wholesale trade and are thus attracting many new retailers,“ explains the Desigual team.

CONTACT: Eyegasm, 22529 Hamburg/Germany, T 0049.40.59354344, www.eyegasm-fashion.de, www.desigual.com

Children‘s fashion from Copenhagen – Mini A Ture, the concept is in the name.

Mini A Ture

For big and small – Desigual remains true to its design philosophy: psychedelic pattern prints and loud colours.

The highlight of this children‘s collection from Copenhagen is its outerwear. All garments are wind- and waterrepellent and breathable. In addition to a wide range of high-quality knitwear garments, designer Anne Katrine Lemvigh focuses on functionality and technical fabrics.

From infants to 10-year-olds, the collection satisfies all the requirements of children‘s everyday routine. The brand was founded in 2001. There are four collections a year – two main collections for spring and autumn and two intermediate collections for summer and Christmas.

Today, Mini A Ture is distributed in selected children‘s boutiques and concept stores such as Dress Me Up in Hamburg, Kleine Fische in Berlin or Königskinder in Hanover. CONTACT: Mini A Ture, 2100 Copenhagen/ Denmark, T 0045.55.564075, miniature@miniature.dk, www.miniature.dk

what‘s the story_what‘s your name

Glamour Kills „When I started Glamour Kills, I didn‘t have a name. A friend of mine and I were driving, and one of us was like, ‚Glamour Kills.‘ The name happened by accident, and it ended up sticking. The first T-shirt was called, ‘When Pigs Fly.’ To me, that phrase means that anything can happen, and that‘s what I base my life and the company around.“ Mark Capicotto, CEO and Head Designer.

Mark Capicotto founded Glamour Kills in New York in 2005, at the age of 21.

He never dreamed that the original five T-shirts would turn into an entire collection, or that the small store in his parents‘ house would give rise to a trendy New York brand. Glamour Kills has been available on the European market for three years now. www.glamourkills.com

And Why Did You Choose That Name? „Coz it sounded totally cool…?“ Epic fail. Designers who choose a unique name for their brand hopefully put more thought into it than this. Looking for some good examples? Here you go.

Text Isabel Baier, Photos Brands

Glamour Kills founder Mark Capicotto (left) and his right-hand man, Mike Zimmerman.

60

wood wood

The Wemoto team in all its glory (from left to right): Patrick Lotz, Gregor Garkisch and Stefan Golz.

„We started Wood Wood as a small store, only selling T-shirts and sneakers. At that time, we used to play this game about a character in the Mafia movie Goodfellas, Jimmy Two Times. He had this nickname because he said everything twice, like „I am gonna get the papers, papers.

When we went into what would become our first store, it was completely covered with wooden wine boxes because it used to be a wine store before. So we walk in and - wood wood. That‘s where the name is from.“ Karl-Oskar Olsen, Co-Founder and Designer Wood Wood. www.woodwood.dk

Karl-Oskar Olsen (left) and Brian Jensen opened the first Wood Wood store in Copenhagen in 2002.

Wemoto „Wemoto is a made-up word. We didn’t want a name that could be easily translated and would categorise us. The objective was to find a mysterious name without an exact meaning but with plenty of potential for fantasy. Everyone has their own interpretation or guesses, which are always funny and interesting to hear. Asian car suppliers contact us every couple of months trying to sell their products – typically screws, oil filters, and so on. Not surprisingly, since ‚we moto‘ sounds a lot like ‚we motorise‘…“ Gregor Garkisch, www.wemotoclothing.com

Dephect „Back in the ’90s we were heavily into graffiti and one of our friends, Solomon, used to use the tag „Deph“ for Dephect. Sadly he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and his mum decided to move to America with him in 1998. In 1999 we started our own T-shirt label and decided to call it Dephect as a tribute to our talented friend Solomon.“ The graffiti- and streetwear-inspired collection created by Matt Drane and Paul Kemp from London features cutting-edge artist co-ops and is available from an impressive range of retailers throughout Europe. www.dephect.com

A rare treasure from the past: This group photo from 1998 shows the Dephect crew in its early days.

the talk_james bond

62 Sport is the essence of the Undefeated corporate philosophy, according to James Bond.

His team lives this motto, every single day.

Believe in Yourself James Bond is sick of “shaken, not stirred�. He is not a special agent, but he is a specialist in his field. The founder of the Undefeated stores and label of the same name is one of THE sneaker and sportswear specialists. He designed the newest x-ray cover together with photographer Estevan Oriol.

Text Isabel Baier, Photos Estevan Oriol, Adidas

J

james bond_the talk

ames, our current issue is dedicated to specialist. What was your idea behind the cover?

Undefeated is based in sports, not the actual act, but the essence of sports.

That‘s our specialisation. The fact that specialists have to assert themselves in fashion is very similar to the daily life of an athlete. It’s all about strength. So we decided to go with a boxer who we are sponsoring with Undefeated.

Do you have a special message that you want to communicate with this cover?

I wanted to communicate drive, passion and courage.

Is there anything that you could not include on the cover, but would like to say nonetheless?

wood, Tom Ford or James Jebbia from Supreme.

They all succeeded in being unique and could clearly position themselves without disappearing in the crowd. They all stand for something very special.

on the adidas Originals by Originals collection with David Beckham?

Why does the fashion industry today need specialists more than generalists?

Victoria was a customer of mine at Undefeated, and she would buy sneakers for David. When he moved to LA we were introduced by Victoria and Traci Morlan at Adidas. After a couple of meetings I got a call asking me if I would be interested in building a collection together with David. I was.

The consumer is extremely savvy today with all the information available. One needs to be special and smart at their craft in order to survive in this business. My own mantra is: do one thing really well and be successful!

You were basically born and raised with a keen sense for sneakers, as your father managed the store Kicks N’ Lids in Philadelphia. Why did you decide in 1999 to go into retail yourself?

It’s hard to communicate one’s inner drive and soul. But what I love about Estevan Oriol photos is that he gets as close as anyone. And he is the best at it.

To be honest, I didn’t have anything else to do.

This issue of the magazine is dedicated to „masters in their trade“. This refers to specialists. You are regarded as THE sneakers specialist. How does that feel?

You also work on the creative side of things: when did you launch the first Undefeated collection?

I’m honored, thank you!

How did you become this sneaker freak?

What do you like the most about this job?

I get to meet and work with great people.

Fall/Winter 2010 is my first season at the helm.

But we are in our 5th year of doing a full apparel collection.

We started working together about 18 months ago. It is really exciting and a new challenge.

How did this collaboration happen?

What do you value the most in your collaboration with adidas on the one hand and David Beckham on the other?

Adidas is great, they let us really do what we want and trust us to be smart about what we bring to market. As for the relationship with David, I’m honored to work with one of the most iconic sports figures of our generation.

You once admitted in an interview that you prefer working in the background. But isn’t this collaboration with adidas (and its many famous contributors) the polar opposite of that?

Yes. Sometimes you have to step outside to feel the sun and breathe in some fresh air…

What’s worked for me is hard, honest work. You have to believe in what you are doing. It will show, and people will believe in you.

What is your goal for Undefeated? Does the name say it all?

One last, personal question: how often do people comment on your name?

We want to be the alternative to Footlocker.

Every day...

In fashion, who do you see as other masters of their trade?

You have a longstanding history with adidas.

Your first store, KBond in L.A. was a friends & family adidas account. When did you start working

And what joke about it are you totally sick of hearing?

Oh, there’s a couple. Ralph Lauren, Vivien West-

Shaken or Stirred…

„I’m honored to work with one of the most iconic sports figures of our generation.“ James Bond, Undefeated

James Bond is collaborating with David Beckham for the adidas Originals by Originals collection.

63

the talk_yu tsai

„It’s fun to create some drama.”

Yu Tsai is having a very busy day. He is working on a Coca-Cola campaign, and, at the same time, he is planning his next steps as a creative director of FreeSoul. He talks about the dramatic tension of his photos, about a career that turned a scientist into a fashion photographer – and one style that he considers an absolute no-go.

Text Petra Engelke, Photos Yu Tsai

W

Yu Tsai highlighted the Freesoul relaunch with this campaign. He also, once again, showed his talent as creative director.

hat does fashion photography mean to you?

I think it is almost journalism.

If you have a war going on, you go there to take pictures of the war. Fashion is just another situation that we are documenting. That’s it. It just so happens that we document make-up and hair for this period of time, the clothing design 64 for the 2011 winter collection.

Well, if you wanted to shoot documentaries, you could have easily chosen a more classical subject.

I can tell you, when I first started, I didn’t really care about shooting fashion. Because I really thought these people were crazy. And I still think they are. But I also think that it is a fun kind of crazy. When I started, I focused on still life, I didn’t want to shoot people. I think, over time, I just slowly fell in love with that.

What was the main idea for the FreeSoul Fall/ Winter 2010 campaign?

For me, FreeSoul has always been a brand that we try to elevate from being just a jeans campaign. We like the ’70s glam, we like the men to be masculine and the girls to be sexy, but sophisticated. That’s the starting point in every season. It is very important to me that there is great story-telling. This time, I focused on the idea of a voyeuristic adventure. We are observing them, almost like a surveillance camera, looking at them from afar. So the pictures all have a very cinematic feel.

That makes sense since you also shoot videos – on the same set. And even your photos show a lot of dramatic tension. What drives that?

There are so many different kinds of brands out there that have people wear pretty clothes. Why not create some drama and fun along the way?

Most importantly, it has to be fun. And for me, it’s fun to create some drama. I direct a story, and photography just happens to capture one part of my work.

Has this approach ever failed?

Did you finish your scientific studies?

Yes! Sometimes you just can’t get the model to be a good actor. That happens all the time (laughs). And then it’s my job to push them until I can get what I want.

Yes. I refuse not to finish what I start. And I want to finish on the top. I always want to be the best at what I do. I don’t do anything unless I am the best I can. I was a triple major: biology, psychology and zoology. I finished everything in about four years. Then I left it and became a photographer (laughs).

Are there any tricks?

Well, I was a biologist before I became a photographer, and I have a psychology degree as well.

So I think a lot of it is due to good communication. And trust.

What made you turn your back on biology and go to art school?

Right before I graduated in biology, I took an art class to complete my study. I just wanted to take a class where I didn’t have to think too much, just show up, do little drawings and then go home. The professor of the class saw a sketch book that I had kept when I had been in Africa about four months prior. She asked if she could borrow it, I said yes, and without my knowledge she submitted it to Art Center College of Pasadena. I got a full scholarship to attend with this portfolio.

What did your parents say when you went to art school?

My parents were not very involved in my educational journey. I put myself through school, I had my scholarships ever since I was in high school. There was never a decision where they had a say, and I never had to ask for approval.

I guess a lot of today’s kids would like to learn how to get there.

Well, my answer would be: Get a job when you are young, make your own money and don’t rely on your parents. Cause I didn’t rely on them. If I went hungry, it was my choice that I was hungry.

Every step on the way was my own choice.

There was no point in the process where I had

yu tsai_the talk

Yu Tsai is a Taiwan born photographer based in LA and New York. He worked as an art director and was involved in filming TV commercials before focusing on photography. He has been featured in magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue Japan and GQ and shot for brands like Coach, Puma and Emporio Armani. Zooey Deschanel, Ewan McGregor and Lindsay Lohan are among the celebrities he has portrayed. to answer to anybody else. And I think that’s why I became a photographer: Because we do everything we want, we don’t care (laughs).

When shooting, what mistakes are your biggest pet peeve?

I do not like flip-flops on my set. I can’t look at dirty, ugly feet when I am shooting. I think you should dress appropriately when you go to any kind of job, it is important to respect what you do. So everyone in my crew wears a tie, black shirt and black pants.

What happens when a model shows up in flip-flops?

Well, if he is supposed to be in flip-flops, it’s okay. If he is not, I will put a pair of Gucci shoes on him and tell him to wear them all day.

65

„I will always voice my opinion.“ Yu Tsai

Do you consider it your job to find the beauty in someone?

I think it is my job to make celebrities feel beautiful when I am shooting. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I agree with what they think is beautiful.

You should become a diplomat.

Maybe in my next career (laughs). But I will always voice my opinion, I am not shy of that. I’d say: ‘I think it’s ugly, but if you like it, I’ll do it.’

And truly, I can make a picture really ugly on purpose. If they want the picture to look pretty, they may want to consider how I am going to light it.

Do you blackmail people on your set?

Naaa. I don’t need to. They do a good enough job sabotaging themselves.

You are bad! (laughs) It’s true, though. I think it is a funny business. You can always find a beautiful picture for every person. That I really believe. Now, I didn’t say I could find that beauty in every person (laughs), but I believe it is there.

the talk_round table

Specialists Among Themselves „The key for retailers is to have a clear concept!“ This piece of wisdom has become the industry‘s latest mantra.

Specialists are more in demand than ever before, a trend that first appeared at the product level, but has now made its way into the retail trade as well. In order to win customer loyalty, stores now have to promote themselves as brands. Are specialists outperforming the all-rounders? x-ray invited a select group of Berlin retailers who are top specialists in their individual segments for a roundtable discussion on this topic.

Interview Kay Alexander Plonka Text Nicolette Scharpenberg, Isabel Baier Photos Ugur Orhanoglu Location Trust, Torstraße 72, Berlin-Mitte

66

round table_the talk The round table talk in Berlin was attended by (clockwise from the left): Mark Leuschner and Robert Schultz, Overkill Shop; Mike Gülal and Michael Müller, Le Gang and Awear; Fidel Tesfai, Shusta; Kati Drescher, Eco Showroom; Kay A. Plonka, x-ray; Daniel Werner, 14 oz.; and Philip Gaedicke, Soto Store.

W

hen we talk about specialisation in the retail trade, we also touch on new trends in consumer behaviour. Wellinformed customers want the original, a genuine product that makes a statement. In that sense they have greater confidence in specialised stores than in self-proclaimed all-rounders. Taking all of this into consideration, how precisely defined should shop concepts be in terms of selection?

Michael Müller (Le Gang und Awear): We solved this problem by opening two shops because we didn‘t want to be limited to one segment. Having two stores gives us the freedom to continuously reinvent ourselves and go with the times. We generate the majority of our sales with our selection of menswear, based on a weighting of 80 to 20 per cent for men‘s and women‘s fashions. Our main emphasis is on streetwear.

Mike Gülal (Le Gang und Awear): We very often reshuffle our selection of brands, mixing high-quality and slightly less expensive labels.

Wood Wood, Sixpack France and Penfield are currently strong brands. The collections change from season to season and we always try to select the prime pickings each time around.

Philip Gaedicke (Soto Store): Our main focus is on timeless fashion. We endeavour to take brands that are strong in the basic segment – like Norse Projects, Our Legacy, Pendleton and Penfield – and combine them with fashionable 67 styles from Opening Ceremony, Soulland and high-end brands like Band of Outsiders. But we‘re not targeting the luxury segment here.

Even your average teenager should be able to afford to buy a sweatshirt or a T-shirt in our store. Next season, we‘re going to focus exclusively on men‘s fashions because they have been a real hit among our customers.

Daniel Werner (14 oz.): Our focus is well defined: We are primarily a jeans specialist, and we create a wardrobe in this fashion universe that conveys certain values. Our selection criteria centre on each brand‘s durability, quality and credibility, along with a certain heritage. In the beginning, we weighted things differently.

We were a touch more fashionable and there were a larger proportion of brands for women.

Now we have two-thirds men‘s fashion and onethird fashion for women. When men reach a certain age, they decide on a certain style and consistently stick with their brands. It took us a while to find our style, and in the beginning we weren‘t sure whether it would work to only carry timeless classics like Mackintosh, Red Wing Shoes, Dayton Boots, Alden and Tricker‘s. The last few years have shown us that our customers appreciate our clear concept and consistent style.

Fidel Tesfai (Shusta): Our concept actually emerged from my own dissatisfaction with how things are currently done in the industry.

Shusta is located on Rosenthaler Platz, a short distance from the big flagship stores. It was my desire to raise customers‘ awareness of quality products and show them how to buy more consciously. The focus here is on small brands

the talk_round table „Specialisation can be a dead end. Achieving this balance is the greatest challenge, both now and in the future.“ Robert Schultz, Overkill Shop

that generally don‘t have a distribution network and manufacture their products in-house. The name of the brand doesn‘t play a role for me; the right value-for-money is what counts and I need a history behind the brand. Here‘s an example: On one of my trips through West Germany, I discovered an old shoe manufacturer that had been established in 1608. Virtually none of the shoes were remotely to my taste, with the exception of one model: handmade with ecologically tanned leather. The shoe was designed to retail for 100 euros. I ordered the model in eight colours and the shoes sold like hot cakes.

Finding brands like that is my passion.

The issue of sustainable consumption plays a very big role here. Kati, what motivated you to open your Eco Showroom in the autumn?

Kati Drescher (Eco Showroom): For the past six years, we‘ve been working for Dr. Hauschka as a PR and marketing agency and for countless other natural cosmetics and eco-fashion companies. The idea behind the Eco Showroom was to encourage people to consume more sustainably. Another key motivation was that people in real life can only rarely purchase a wide range of ecological products at a single location, and we wanted to give our customers an opportunity to have a completely ecological shopping experience. Up until now there have been relatively few stores that have pursued this type of concept. These kinds of stores are just now beginning to catch on in Berlin. The 68 Wertvoll store in Marienburger Strasse has a concept that resembles ours, but is highly focused on women. In our segment we usually feature products by women designers who have ateliers, which means that they rarely have retail distributors because their brands are simply too small. The frequency for new collections is different than usual because we‘re not dealing with mass consumption. Durable and timeless products take priority here over mass production on assembly lines.

Overkill specialised at first in sneakers and then added apparel. How would you describe your concept today?

Robert Schultz (Overkill Shop): Our concept has always been based on a two-pronged approach. We started out as a graffiti store, modelled after the Overkill Magazine, which was founded in 1992. A few years ago we shifted the graffiti hardware to the store next door so we could really focus just on the scene there.

The sneaker and apparel segment has always been a parallel feature of our business. At a very early date, we started directly purchasing brands in the USA. When it comes to brands like Dissizit, Crooked Tongues and Twelve Bars, we established the initial contact from Germany and imported the goods via complicated channels which, aside from the image, didn‘t pay off in the end because there were no return agreements and the import duties soared in the wake of the first eBay wave. Our initial intention was for our store to have the absolutely most exclusive collaborations. But we dropped that idea rather quickly. We‘re talking here about products that are highly coveted among our tar-

„If we`d actually been looking for a pure business model, then we would have directly started out with an online shop.“ Philip Gaedicke, Soto Store

get group and have given us an international reputation in the scene, but with these products, it was also nearly impossible to continuously run a store that financed our staff‘s salaries. So we expanded our selection. We still carry Nike Quickstrike models and are the German retailer to receive the first offers for these models, but these days we also order products that are more commercial. Specialising in niche products can be a dead end because the brand-name companies limit you to these niches and no longer offer you the more commercial products that, at the end of the day, generate the desired turnover. We were specifically denied top sellers and not even offered the possibility of returns for the limited models.

You all started out as niche providers without big major brands. What are the future prospects for such specialised concepts?

Gaedicke: We service a niche with brands that you often find only in our scene, and this means that we are the only ones in Berlin or anywhere in Germany to offer these products. In order to sell these brands, we have to educate our customers and give them a great deal of information about the brands. This means that sales talks are an extremely important element for generating

round table_the talk

turnover. In order to be able to continue to serve these niches and retain our exclusivity – because we have to pay our rent at the end of the month just like everyone else – we have to offer a number of brands that are more commercial. Otherwise we can‘t survive, at least not in Berlin. I have two partners, David Fischer and Omer-Ben Michael, who write every day about precisely this segment in blogs like artschoolvets and highsnobiety. This shows that our daily business is actually about getting the word out.

The store was established only because we were offered the space and we thought ‚We‘re already involved full-time in this area, so let‘s go ahead and open a store.‘ Müller: We‘re in the store every day. We simply see this as being part of the job and, for us, it‘s also an important aspect of building up our customer base. We‘re hardly doing anything in online sales. Although there‘s currently something in the pipeline; we‘ve been investing more in the shop and it works by word of mouth. By the end of the year, we‘ll presumably have a small online operation, initially with a small shop, because the demand, especially among tourists,

is rapidly growing and this has made an online shop essential for us in the future.

Tesfai: We have a blog and an online shop. This allows us to directly convey our comprehensive concept. Our location gives us an advantage because many of our customers are tourists looking for something special. I‘d recommend making purchases directly in our store because we carry products that have to be tried on. This explains why we generally sell to customers who‘ve already been in our shop, and are familiar with our service on location, but have also seen us online. This has allowed us to acquire regular customers across Germany. Sometimes our best customers aren‘t even from Berlin.

They‘re international tourists who drop in every time they‘re in Berlin and shop online when they aren‘t in town. However, most of our new and regular customers are local.

Soto is part of a loose network of shops that have joined forces in the Torstrasse. To what extent do the location and the corresponding network contribute to your success?

Gaedicke: We opened in April 2010. Aside

from the No. 74 store, there wasn‘t much else on the street at the time. A lot has happened over the past year. Maison Mallon is there; Paul‘s Boutique, Unplus and Firmament have joined us on the strip. It‘s like a small retail community. When someone has an event or a product launch, we coordinate our efforts and help each other out. That way customers notice how we all work together, and not against each other, as is so often the case in the fashion business. We‘re already starting to produce minor products that are ‚made in the Torstrasse – for the Torstrasse.‘ I unfortunately can‘t say anything more about it, but the main idea is to actively do something for the street.

Your roots are in online activities, but you started out with an offline business. Why is that?

Gaedicke: Our online partners are the blogs highsnobiety.com and artschoolvets.com. We see Soto as a store that was created out of passion. We always wanted to have our own store that we could design just as we pleased. It‘s a physical platform where all of our friends can come and chill with us. If we‘d actually been

„Our selection criteria centre on each brand`s durability, quality and credibility, along with a certain heritage.“ Daniel Werner, Store Manager 14 oz.

69

„We‘re primarily concerned about creating a good image for the brands.”

Kati Drescher, Eco Showroom

„The collections change from season to season and we always try to select the prime pickings each time around.“ Mike Gülal, Le Gang und Awear

the talk_round table

„All store owners should map out their concept as clearly as possible and personally stand behind it.“ Michael Müller,Le Gang und Awear

70

looking for a pure business model, then we would have directly started out with an online shop. Now we‘ll have an internet store and the website should be up and running in two to three weeks simply because we need it. In the Torstrasse we just don‘t have the traffic that there is in the Münzstrasse, and in order to continue to be able to serve our niche segment, we need an online store.

What kind of feedback do you receive from the brands? Are they more open to specialist concepts than to other approaches?

Drescher: We get great feedback. We‘re primarily concerned about creating a good image for the brands, and less concerned with selling.

The best example is the Dr. Hauschka brand, which is normally only found in drugstores and pharmacies. Now the products are placed next to a cool fashion brand, so the end customers automatically see them in another light. The brands pay us a certain amount to integrate them into our product range and polish their image. We see the store and the presence of end customers as a communications tool which supports us in our PR work for the brand. And it works! The brands approach us and want to be part of our concept.

Schultz: I‘d also say that our clear positioning gives us nothing but advantages. Our customers see certain styles on highsnobiety or slamxhype and come directly to us because they know we

specialise in exclusive models and often have just what they‘ve seen in the style blogs. The brands know this and that‘s why we‘re an important retail partner in their eyes. Building a certain image and conveying this to the public has automatically opened channels so that we can penetrate certain markets. We were also fortunate that the companies have seen a great deal of potential in us and have given us financial help to remodel the stores. The advantage for them was that we were then in a position to present their products optimally at the point of sale.

Is specialisation a recipe for success?

What‘s your conclusion?

Werner: Definitely! In addition to marketing the shop as a brand, it‘s important that the owner is actually present and, thanks to his personality and specialised knowledge, that he enhances and supports the image of the store.

Schultz: That sums it up perfectly. Making your specialist store into a brand is definitely a very important step on the road to enjoying continued success in the future. Nevertheless, I‘d like to stress again that specialisation which is too restrictive can also lead to a dead end. You have to take uninformed customers on board easily because the bottom line is turnover. In my opinion, achieving this balance is the greatest challenge, both now and in the future.

Drescher: Specialisation is currently the recipe

„It was my desire to raise customers` awareness of quality products and show them how to buy more consciously.“ Fidel Tesfai, Shusta

for success and, in our case, an absolute must.

Today stores are more than just a point of sale – they‘ve actually morphed into a kind of brand. This makes clear positioning all the more important.

Gaedicke: The term specialisation may focus too much on just the range of products and not enough on the store concept. I find passion to be a much better term. And it‘s no secret that a personal passion for a special segment or a fashionable approach in the store is a proven recipe for success.

Müller: All store owners should map out their concept as clearly as possible and personally stand behind it. The store is the brand, just like the owners themselves.

Tesfai: We‘re all in agreement on that.

Thank you for the interview!

the talk_Levi‘s

„Give me a product and a campaign to make people queue for our products like they do at Apple!“ Torsten Widarzik

Torsten Widarzik is the General Manager for Levi‘s in the Germanspeaking regions.

72

What Drives Consumers?

Brands no longer sell themselves anymore - and particularly not jeans brands. x-ray spoke with Torsten Widarzik about how to keep a brand fresh and young and why you should queue for Levi‘s.

Text Ina Köhler, Photos Levi‘s

H

ow would you personally summarise the past two years?

Last year was satisfactory: we were able to reach almost all our goals.

We also used last year to fine-tune a number of things relevant for our development. For instance, we revamped our sales and distribution structure and switched our focus from push to pull. My goal was to achieve more intensive partnerships with our customers. The key question was, „What is especially important to customers and what drives consumers?“ Ultimately the answer has

to involve profitable growth, both for us and our business partners.

What has changed strategically since you took over the responsibility for the German-speaking regions?

We decided to expand horizontally to see what advantages of vertical models might work for a brand with a strong core, without becoming vertical ourselves. For example, I would like to have closer partnerships with large, independent fashion stores, where we are underrepresented in some cases. And discussions

with these retailers have shown that they are fundamentally open to concepts that pay off for them.

You refer to expansion; how do you plan to achieve this?

Essentially, it involves changes in collection structure and cycles, to be more attuned to the sales outlets and supply them more quickly.

There is a new go-to market calendar at Levi‘s Europe. In the past, the delivery dates for our spring/summer collection were in November, January and March, while those for our autumn/ winter collection were in July, September and November. Now we deliver the summer collection in January, March and May, and the corresponding autumn/winter collection in the second half of the year in July, September and November. The result is a much more market-relevant cycle, complemented by small preview collections.

Numerous studies indicate that brand products are facing a crisis. What strengths and weaknesses characterise Levi‘s as a brand?

Brands must develop attractive products with added value for consumers. We didn‘t always succeed with this in the past - we weren‘t self-critical enough. When I started at Levi‘s, I thought to myself: Give me a product and a campaign to make people queue for our products like they do at Apple! This worked well for the first time with the new „Levi’s Curve ID Jeans“ fit concept. Now we have customers of all ages in our shops dying to buy Levi‘s products.

Is this product available worldwide?

Levi’s Curve ID is a global initiative. Our three fits accommodate 80 per cent of all female bodies. Fit remains the most important factor in buying jeans. In the beginning, our biggest worry was how to communicate the message at the POS. The concept requires a lot of customer consultation after all. Within four weeks, we

Levi‘s_the talk trained 1,300 salespeople in the German-speaking regions and organised the training sessions almost like small events. It was very important for us not only to properly advise buyers but especially to excite sales staff about the product and the brand. It worked perfectly.

Problems with the fit?

Worry no more with the new Levi‘s Curve ID system.

Levi‘s used to advertise sexy jeans in launderettes; now it‘s all about the perfect fit. Aren‘t you worried this will massively age the brand?

No, just the opposite, in fact. The product has already shown that Levi‘s Curve ID works for various target groups of women. Just look at the response in the media: it‘s been covered in all sectors, including the tabloids, Vogue and even hip blogs such as Les Mads and Artschoolvets.

Many women have contacted us to tell us how much they like the product. Sales are another indicator: The Levi’s Curve ID model that sold best were skinny jeans.

How important are your own stores to you?

External retail continues to account for 70 per cent of Levi‘s sales volume. This year there has been a slight shift in sales to our own shops, and we could imagine generating 35 to 40 per cent of our sales there in the future. I‘m still convinced that Levi‘s is a classic wholesale brand!

But in certain locations, we need to be represented with our own retail outlets to make the brand more visible and to present the product range in all its depth. We want to have stores in locations where it makes sense but are very careful not to be overly ambitious in our expansion. Good multibrand stores are our bread and butter; they offer a special, individual shopping experience and no one else is better suited at showcasing the diversity of a segment for consumers.

What‘s your stance on e-business?

We recognised the importance of e-commerce early on. There are clear rules for wholesale distribution, similar to brick-and-mortar retail. My personal opinion is that it‘s good that Levi‘s has its own online shop; it serves as a flagship store and allows us to digitally stage the brand and the complete product range. But I also enjoy working with industry specialists who know the business. At German mail order company Otto, for example, we‘ve placed our entire product range online, and we also work very closely with online streetwear shop Frontline. Ultimately, one thing is clear: A brand that doesn‘t do ebusiness has already lost. A democratic brand like Levi‘s with a broad customer base must ensure that consumers can obtain the products through all relevant channels. Our customers expect this, and it is always our primary goal.

73

the talk_novo mania

The Market of the Future Markus Capone and Uwe Scherer know each other from the time when they developed Sixty in Germany. Now they‘re working together again on the project „NOVO Mania“ in Shanghai and Peking. They hope to help trendy western brands break into Asian markets.

Text Ina Köhler, Photos Peter Schaffrath

W

ho is your new trade fair in China geared towards?

Markus Capone: NOVO Mania isn‘t a trade fair in the classical sense of the word; we prefer to call it a business platform 74 instead. Brands that are currently not distributed in Asia can use the event to get in contact with people. And interested Asian buyers and franchisees can establish contacts with promising brands from Europe and the US. There are various ways of doing business, including joint ventures, franchising and licensing. We provide service packages with translators and consultants to facilitate contact between the business partners.

Is the widely touted potential of Asian markets a real opportunity?

and more into combining individual pieces.

This means the future looks bright for multilabel stores geared specifically towards young consumers. My business partner Alan Fang from NOVO originally developed joint ventures with Sixty and Replay. Now there is a new concept called „NOVO me.“ The brands are no longer presented as a shop-in-shop but as one brand amongst many. There are tons of department stores being opened in high-quality malls throughout China with huge sales areas.

What magnitude are we talking about here?

Markus Capone: 180 new shopping malls will open in the next five years, with areas ranging from 100,000 to 250,000 square metres. It‘s clearly about securing and dividing up lucrative

Markus Capone: There are two aspects to this.

First of all, the target group of Chinese who grew up in the '80s represents a tremendous potential, demographically speaking. This group is estimated at roughly 500 million in China, of which some 240 million live in cities – a very strong consumer group. And particularly the 20- to 30-year-olds who grew up as single children now have lucrative jobs as a result of their better education and spend their money on consumer products.

Uwe Scherer: Brand awareness is strong in China. Many young people want to define themselves through brands and logos. Shopping malls are full on weekends. At the same time, markets in Europe are largely stagnating.

Asia does not have classic multi-brand stores.

How is the retail landscape developing there?

Markus Capone: The store structure is changing as we speak. In the past, the large majority of stores were single-label concepts from western brands. The kids have gained momentum in establishing their own style and are more

World commuters: Markus Capone and Uwe Schwerer want to connect western brands with eastern business partners.

NOVO Holding NOVO Mania, the platform for progressive young brands, debuted in Shanghai in March 2010. The opening event attracted 8,000 visitors and 120 exhibitors, including brands such as Converse, Lee, Replay, Sixty, Mustang and Pepe Jeans. The second exhibition will take place from 9 to 11 March 2011, while an offshoot is being planned in Beijing as of September 2011. NOVO Mania is a subsidiary of NOVO Holding, based in Shanghai and active in a broad range of business fields, including retail, department stores and real estate. The group already operates approximately 500 shops in China. As part of a joint venture with the Sixty Group for example, it established 130 Sixty stores in China and opened more than 50 shops as a partner of brands such as Replay, Evisu, Billabong and Nixon. More than 20 multi-label shoe stores have been developed in China under the name „NOVO Me,“ in cooperation with brands such as Adidas and Nike. NOVO Leasing leases retail space to partners including Sixty, G-Star, True Religion, Stüssy, Ecko, Nike, Onitsuka Tiger and Puma. These giant multi-label stores of 3,000 to 4,500 square metres are located in Shanghai, Shen Zen and Hang Zhou. In December 2010, a store with more than 34,000 square metres of floor space was opened in Chong Quing Jia Fang, and another store of similar size is planned for Beijing in April 2011.

Markus Capone lived in Asia from 2004 to 2008 as Managing Director of Sixty Asia, before which he worked with Uwe Scherer as director of Sixty Deutschland. Together with business partners Alan Fang, Uwe Scherer, Stefano Giordano and Luca Carpinelli, he established More Solutions, the company behind NOVO Mania. www.novomania.com.cn

novo mania_the talk

retail space. Of course not all malls will be successful. But that‘s the idea after all; the most attractive locations are hotly contested.

Uwe Scherer: And this is where the multi-brand concept comes in again. With multiple brands, I can create more attractive stores. Another aspect is that when I go to Asia as a new brand and am suddenly positioned next to Sixty, Replay or G-Star, I will become well-known rather quickly.

Credibility is instantaneous in the right environment.

What do you see as your biggest obstacle to entering the market?

Uwe Scherer: I believe the biggest obstacle is unrealistic expectations combined with fear.

When you head a large fashion company that wants to expand, you have to go to this market because that‘s where the future is. Retail sales in China are currently growing more than 20 per cent annually. As visitors to Asia, Europeans often ask themselves how this is possible.

Consumption is everywhere and everyone is carrying shopping bags – like they used to in Europe! Once we establish contact, it‘s up to the individual companies.

Westliche Marken sind bei Chinas jungen Konsumenten besonders begehrt. Die Claims werden in den nächsten Jahren abgesteckt.

What are the risks?

Uwe Scherer: You should really consider the potential of your collection. What works well in Asia at the moment are products that are louder than average because conspicuous consumption is in. Clean, discreet pieces are less interesting. Price is not an issue. Brands like Belstaff and True Religion are as popular as Esprit. But it‘s important to be careful as to where one‘s product is positioned because not all retail areas will be lucrative in the future.

„Brand awareness is strong in China. Many young people want to define themselves through brands and logos. Shopping malls are full on weekends. At the same time, markets in Europe are largely stagnating.“ Uwe Scherer

75

apollo krieg Beyond Time and Space The label Apollo Krieg belongs to Berlin design studio SuperStupidBros which was founded by brothers Florian and Michael Fischer. Their progressive motto: „Apollo Krieg is a fantastic multidimensionality, inspired by pop culture and political and societal provocation.“ In addition to illustrations and artwork, the brothers produce limited-edition T-shirts featuring selected screen prints of their independent work, distributed under the name Apollo Krieg. Their vacuum-packed T-shirts walk the line between art and street wear, while their sometimes surrealistic, other times romantic or destructive designs speak a meta language, already apparent in the label‘s tonguein-cheek name. At the same time, their fair-trade T-shirts (25-30 euros retail price; markup of 2.5) have great cuts and are therefore perfect for the clubs. Currently available at selected trend shops in Berlin and online. CONTACT: Apollo Krieg, Florian Fischer, 12047 Berlin/Germany, T 0049.30.29352757, ff@superstupidbros.com, www.apollokrieg.com

76

AliasOne Anger, Passion, Determination Three words – one philosophy, one mood. The Swiss label AliasOne has been around since 1999. Founders Sebastian Strappazzon and Mauricio Guerreiro want to create an artistic universe that reflects the difficulties of everyday life and nonetheless motivates its wearers to master said life.

The collection of T-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans and jackets (retailing at 35 to 199 euros) for men and women includes several ranges. The Classic range focuses on basics with the A1 logo in various graphic designs. Further ranges such as Bad Day, Hold Fast or Hors Series feature themed prints and are created in collaboration with various artists such as Sophie Brasey, Sang Bleu or PYROglyphix from Lausanne. All styles are made in Portugal. The collection is currently available at its own workshop, as well as from Le Gang in Berlin. CONTACT: AliasOne, Mauricio Guerreiro, 1003 Lausanne/Switzerland, T 0041.21.8015925, mauricio@alias-one.com, www.alias-one.com

boom bap The Beat of Hip-Hop „Streetwear is dead! Long live streetwear!“ This is the motto of the label Boom Bap from Nice, which was founded two years ago by Nicolas Donati, Guillaume Benso and Denis Fontaine. „Boom Bap embodies the essence of hip-hop and takes us back to what streetwear is really all about,“ says graphic designer Guillaume Benso alias Snobe. Boom Bap offers logo shirts with that certain something – photo prints, eye-catching messages and celebrity motifs – as well as hoodies in vintage style and washed polo shirts in university look. The logo shirts start at 12.50 euros wholesale and are produced in Portugal; the hoodies and polo shirts go for 32 euros wholesale. „We parody and mix fashion trends to create something new and original,“ says Benso who, like the other two founders of the brand, is closely linked to the hip-hop scene. Their irresistible fashion beat has already won over retailers like Killiwatch in Paris, Hey Hey Shop in Frankfurt, Superfly in Mainz, Milk in Liege and Energy Store in Rome. CONTACT: Pump it up Sarl, 06000 Nice/France, Denis Fontaine, T 0033.631072383, fdenis@boombapwear.com, www.boombapwear.com

want it!_Fashion

brixton Hats Off! The Californian brand Brixton prides itself on its modern styles with traditional, high-quality influences. In 2004, founder Jason Young launched the label with high-quality headwear, followed by accessories such as wallets and belts, and a textile collection consisting of T-shirts, jackets and sweatshirts in 2008. In 2010, the portfolio was expanded to include a men‘s and a women‘s collection. In addition to classic headwear such as felt hats, bowler hats, beanies and caps (retail prices between 33 and 35 euros), this collection also features exclusive styles such as a polyurethane leather biker jacket (retail price of 140 euros) or a simple Henley long-sleeve shirt with three-quarter-length sleeves in bicolour design (retail price of 50 euros). The collection is currently available in shops such as Mantis in Hamburg, Planet Sports, Van Liebing in Berlin and Rocket in Munich, and online at Frontlineshop and Sevenply.CONTACT : Brixton, Jason Young, 92056 Oceanside/California, Jason@brixton.com, www.brixton.com

Colab Art for your face

Feminine and Masculine There‘s No In-Between The designs of Mexican shoe label Feminine & Masculine are characterised by two extremes: either absolutely masculine or über-feminine. 25-year-old graphic and shoe designer Francisco Rodriguez founded the label in 2008. Another unique feature: all shoes are manually produced by Rodriguez and his crew. Each season‘s collection is dedicated to one creative theme. The models are always classic in nature, but their materials, colours and patterns give them a modern feel designed to appeal to creative individualists. The shoe label is geared towards exclusive speciality retailers with wholesale prices from 120 to 350 euros. It is currently available at Dorrato and the Beat Box store in Mexico. At the moment there is no sales contact in Europe, but retailers wanting to get a jump start on these hot items can order via the international contact. CONTACT: Feminine and Masculine, Francisco Rodriguez, C.P. 21370 Baja California/Mexico, T 0052.115.26862180665, feminineandmasculine@gmail.com, www.feminineandmasculine.com

crick it Kick it!

It seems as if Hamburg designer Julia Mouget practically inherited her love for beautiful shoes and elegant materials: Her parents ran a shoe shop, and her grandparents were furriers. In 2009, she founded her own brand Crick it and soon attracted major customers such as Breuninger, Look in Hamburg, City Nova in Saarbrücken or Schuhsalon in Münster. The collection comprises 15 to 20 different models that wholesale at prices between 39 and 63 euros. Mouget‘s wish list includes the stores Theresa in Munich or Different Fashion on the island of Sylt because she would ideally like her collection to be sold next to brands such as Denham, Closed or Acne. Crick it is currently represented in Germany and the Czech Republic with plans to enter the markets in Scandinavia, the Benelux countries, Austria and Switzerland. CONTACT: Crick It Int. GmbH & Co. KG, Michael Mouget, 22297 Hamburg/Germany, T 0049.40.28784576, michael.mouget@crickit.de, www.crickit.de

Colab is the delinquent love child of Peter Smith and Ian Hoole.

The two were sick of the lack of creativity in the sunglass market and so they went creativity hunting in 2007. The result was Colab: an eyewear label that combines the optical expertise of Smith and Hoole with the creativity of street artists, graphic designers and musicians from around the world. Each season, Colab works with a different set of artists to produce extraordinary sunglasses that are limited to 1000 pieces per run. Since 2007, Colab has worked with Stefan Marx, French, Geoff McFetridge, Will Sweeney, Genevieve Gaucler, EBOY, and 77 Lodown creator Thomas Marecki, aka Marok, just to name a few. Colab offers two collections a year and retail prices range from $175 to $229 with a margin of around 120 per cent. The shades are available at Colette in Paris, Grandpa in Stockholm, the legendary Wood Wood in Copenhagen, and Nort Berlin.

The label is currently looking for a distributor in Germany.

Contact: Colab Headquarters, Carl Tindall, Sydney/Australia.

T 00.61.2.8436.6623, carl@colab.com.au, www.colab.com.au

fashion_want it!

HUF By skaters for skaters Keith Hufnagel, founder of HUF, started out as a retailer with his own skateboard shop in San Francisco. The second branch in Los Angeles followed in 2003, as did his own brand, HUF. From the start the styles were different – a far cry from the typical loud, bright “skater look.” With collections based on solid streetwear, HUF is aimed at skaters who’ve matured. The jackets wholesale for about 130 euros, shirts and T-shirts start at 14 euros. Shoes and caps are one of the highlights of the collection. Their appeal lies in their clean design, minimalist prints and high quality. Hufnagel’s collection currently consists of more than 100 pieces, plus a limited eddition that currently is available only in the United States. HUF is represented at Civilist in Berlin, Animal Tracks in Hamburg, Arrow & Beast in Stuttgart and Norse Projects in Copenhagen, among others.

CONTACT: HUF SF, Keith Hufnagel, 94102 San Francisco/USA, T 001.415.5523820, info@hufsf.com, www. hufsf. com

Filling Pieces Closing the Gap Dutch footwear label Filling Pieces has big plans for its sneakers: it wants to close the gap between good design and affordable prices. Founder and designer Guillaume Philibert launched his project in Amsterdam in 2009 with a red leather loafer in three colours, followed by a desert boot and a high top in the next season. Today his collection consists of four different models in various colours and materials, including suede and nubuck leather with vulcanised rubber soles (60-70 euros wholesale price). Within one year of its creation, Filling Pieces was already being sold in 13 shops, including 8cht Sneakers in Amsterdam, Black Rainbow in Paris, Gorilli Concept Store in Rotterdam and Titolo in Bern. The secret to Philibert‘s success: Filling Pieces goes well with many styles and situations and features outstanding price, quality and style.

CONTACT: Filling Pieces, Guillaume Philibert, Amsterdam/Netherlands, T 0031.64.1682304, info@gsrnnfillingpieces.com, www.fillingpieces.com

Das pinke Zimmer Partner Looks! „Why do you only find the nicest dresses in the children‘s departments?“ This is a question that Heike Schell and Sarah Hartung asked themselves in their search for their own personal outfit.

They always found things for themselves in the kids‘ departments. Maybe this has to do with their job: they met in 2003 while working as designers for Esprit Kids. In July 2010, the time had come to launch their own collection: original, playful, colourful outfits in partner looks for mothers and daughters. The approximately 30-garment collection consists of dresses, coats, jackets, shirts, skirts and accessories such as scarves and belts. Jackets wholesale at around 50 to 75 euros, and dresses cost between 30 and 59 euros with a markup of 2.5. The range is sold at shops such as Frau Wunder in Wuppertal, Room nine in Bonn and Saba‘s in Düsseldorf.

CONTACT: Das pinke Zimmer, Heike Schell, 40227 Düsseldorf/Germany, T 0049.211.8280733, sarah@daspinkezimmer.de, www.daspinkezimmer.de

78

DreamTeam Clothing It All Started as a Dream “Don’t leave anything untried, go your own way, and success will come.” The slogan for the Düsseldorf streetwear label DRMTM Clothing was inspired by Notorious BIG’s song, Juicy. The three owners, Kazuma Hataraki, Huy Dieu and Khaled Sufi, who founded the label in 2006, want to convey their own lifestyle through the line. As a result, the label throws parties and events and uses their own DRMTM blog to spread streetwear news from all over the world. The collection consists of T-shirts, sweats, hoodies, jackets and caps (with wholesale prices starting at 14.50 euros and a markup of 2.4). Periodic limited editions and collaborations complete the range. To date the collection can be found in streetwear stores like Caliroots in Stockholm or Vibes in Düsseldorf.

The label also has its own online store.

CONTACT: WMSG GmbH, Cedric Saquet, 40476 Düsseldorf/Germany, T 0049.211.6887670, info@wmsg-gmbh.de; DreamTeam Clothing UG, Kazuma Hataraki, 41564 Kaarst/Germany, T 0049.211.635568421, info@dreamteamclothing.com, www.dreamteamclothing.com

want it!_Fashion

Crooks & Castles IT‘S ALL ABOUT CROOKS AND CASTLES When Dennis Calvero and Robert Panlilio launched their brand Crooks & Castles in 2002, they hoped to breathe some fresh air into the streetwear landscape. What started as a graphic label with aggressive, foreboding styles made them famous in the streetwear scene. Today their designs have matured and stand for a creative, experimental lifestyle. Inspired by the movie True Romance, the current collection consists of jackets, hoodies, T-shirts, business shirts and accessories for men and women. Wholesale prices range from 15 to 250 euros with a markup of 2.2 to 2.4. In addition to the basic line, the label also produces limited series in collaboration with artists, and special products offered exclusively in their own stores in West Hollywood and Hawaii. CONTACT: JMS/C&C Europe, Lukas Lestinsky, 67112 Mutterstadt/Germany, T 0049.623.49261461, lukas. lestinsky@crooksncastles.eu, www.crooksncastles.eu

Monkee Clothing Move free – act green

Herbert’s Inc. There‘s Something about Herbert The claim „herbertize your life“ is the Berlin label Herbert‘s Inc.‘s ironic parody of an old-fashioned German name. „Our attitude to life, ‚Herbertility‘, states: Don‘t take yourself too seriously and respect those around you,“ explains Lukas Schmid, who founded the label at the end of 2009 with a few friends in Berlin. The collection of vintage and workwear outfits consists of T-shirts, ribbed shirts and ribbed longsleeve shirts, hoodies, shirts, worker twills and beanies/ caps (wholesaling at 7.90 to 49.90 euros, with a markup of 2.5). ’50s and ’60s US motorsports motifs provide the inspiration for the cuts and designs. The collection is currently available online at www.herbertsinc.com and in Heidelberg‘s Freudenhaus. The label targets stores with a vintage appeal such as 14oz in Berlin, B-74 in Frankfurt am Main or Kingpin in Vienna. CONTACT: Herbert‘s Inc., Lukas Schmid, 10439 Berlin/Germany, T 0049.30.21805706, lukas.schmid@herbertsinc.com, www.herbertsinc.com

In touch with nature, always in motion, open to inspiration from the arts and various cultures – that‘s Monkee Clothing. Founded in 2007 by Marion Hett and Ingo Walde in Nuremberg, the label with the monkey logo received both the „Outdoor Industry Award“ and the „ispo Brand New Award“ in 2010. The label is targeted at active sportspeople and features T-shirts, trousers and jackets, as well as functional features such as cosy arm warmers or XL hoodies. Colourful appliqués 79 and soft fabrics make the styles suitable for everyday wear. There are two collections a year – one for men and one for women - consisting of approximately 10 fair and ecologically produced garments. There are plans to expand the range to include accessories. Monkee Clothing is available in climbing and eco fashion stores such as Globetrotter, Bächli or Operation Green. Retail prices range from 29.90 euros (T-shirts) to 89.90 euros (trousers). CONTACT: Monkee Clothing, Marion Hett, 90429 Nuremberg/Germany, T 0049.911.2746863, info@monkeeclothing.de, www.monkeecothing.de

Monogramm Summer in the City Picnic in the City – this is exactly what the 2011 summer collection tries to entice you to do. The new design is casual, unconventional and versatile.

From the asymmetric T-shirt dress to the oversized cardigan, the approximately 20-garment collection offers a selection of things that women want and need. The Berlin designer trio Gunhild Kranz, Kai von Rabenau and Vera Cheng focus on simple fabrics and unusual cuts and draping. Today, the label, founded in 2008, can be found in trend boutiques and designer department stores such as A7 in Berlin or Donn ya Doll in Copenhagen. The two main collections per year wholesale at prices between 40 and 75 euros. With a markup of 2.5, customers in the stores have to pay between 100 and 189 euros per garment. But this means that they can personalise the garment label with their very own monogram. CONTACT: Arne Eberle press+sales, Arne Eberle, 10407 Berlin/Germany, T 0049.30.78087858, hi@arneeberle.de, www.arneeberle.de

fashion_want it!

Pleasant Beef From Street Art to Streetwear Pleasant Beef is dedicated to keeping streetwear real. Inspired by underground street art, the label taps in to the subculture and multicultural diversity of urban landscapes. Since launching their first T-shirts in 2007, René and Robert Mayer have established Pleasant Beef as a cool, independent menswear label in the young fashion segment. Two main collections and two special collections are sold in 50 selected streetwear boutiques and online shops, and the designers plan to expand to four main collections in 2012. Pleasant Beef will also be available in Austria, Switzerland and the UK as of July 2011. The product range comprises T-shirts, hoodies, sweaters and long-sleeve tops and wholesales between 13 and 16 euros. Retail prices range from 29.90 to 39.90 for top-quality cotton and eye-catching prints.

CONTACT: MuM Streetwear GbR, René & Norbert Mayer, 04109 Leipzig/Germany, T 0049.341.9939499, info@pleasantbeef.de, www.pleasantbeef.de

Junk De Luxe Long before and even after Long before the typical Scandinavian style became all the rage around the world, Danish designer Thomas Gundorph founded the Junk De Luxe label in 1986. At the time he imported second-hand jeans and tops from the USA to redesign them. Although the company in Århus now has a staff of 14, the label still remains true to its style: typically Scandinavian with a touch of British. Cool, clean cuts are mixed with street styles. This is still all the rage in fashion, as 500 customers around the world confirm. These customers include Harrods and Selfridges, De Bijenkorf, Printemps and Frontline. There are four collections every year, with T-shirts and chinos, jackets and shirts.

Trousers retail for 100 euros, blazers for 150 euros and outdoor jackets for up to 350 euros. The next step is more expansion, particularly into Asia. CONTACT: Junk de Luxe A/S, 8000 Århus C/ Denmark, Dennis Holst Andersen, T 0045.86206464, dha@junkdeluxe.dk, www.junkdeluxe.dk

80

Mädchen und Motoren Girrrls and Cars Rock n‘ roll is said to be all about „cars and girls.“ Mönchengladbach label Mädchen und Motoren puts its own spin on this theme with its high-octane clothing.

Dirk Weidmann founded the company in 2004 and he has been assisted by his wife Eva Weidmann since 2005. The couple are die-hard motoring fanatics and develop clothing suited to the „live fast, die old“ lifestyle. Weidmann previously worked as a graphic designer, but was always passionate about racing and presumably girls as well. The collection consists of T-shirts (starting at 29 euros retail), polo shirts, sweatshirts (64 euros), business shirts, caps (19 euros), underwear and accessories such as stickers and keyrings. The collection is currently available on enquiry, at racing events such as Nürburgring and online at www.maedchenundmotoren.de. CONTACT: Mädchen & Motoren, Dirk Weidmann, 41179 Mönchengladbach/Germany, kontakt@maedchenundmotoren.de, www.maedchenundmotoren.de

Rocco P. Hot Shoes for Summer Freedom and lightness are the current muses of Italian shoe designer Rocco Pistalesi. He now designed a summer 2011 collection of classic calfskin, kangaroo and Morocco leather for his Rocco P. premium shoe line, founded in 1991. Pistalesi remains true to playful geometric shapes while being open to new techniques, for example by punching holes in the leather to look like embroidered flowers. The colour palette of the collection produced by hand in Torre San Patrizio includes delicate beige and blue shades, black and silver grey. Retail prices for slipons, boots and lace-ups start at 350 euros. Well-heeled customers can find the collection in selected stores such as Barneys in New York, Maendler in Munich and Helmut Eder in Kitzbühel. Dealers can calculate wholesale prices using a markup of 2.5. CONTACT: Principe die Bologna S.r.l., Giorgio Occhipinti, 20144 Mailand/ Italy, T 0049.151.29140321, giorgio@roccop.eu, www.roccop.eu

want it!_Fashion

Red Dragon Apparel Focus on the Ladies In 1998, professional skateboarders Rob “Sluggo” Boyce, Moses Itkonen and Colin McKay founded their own skater and streetwear label, Red Dragon Apparel, along with their own store, RDS. The name was originally a joking reference to an Asian street gang in Vancouver. The apparel lines were initially aimed mostly at men, but today the focus of the designers is increasingly on the women‘s line. Tops, dresses, blouses, coats and accessories made of cotton and nylon, and refined with many fine details, are positioned in the moderate price range with wholesale prices between 4.99 and 39.50 euros, and with a markup of 2.3. Red Dragon is represented by Mantis in Hamburg, Vibes in Düsseldorf, and online by Titus, Skatedeluxe and Terra X, among others. CONTACT: 24/7 Distribution GmbH, Christian Dittrich, 48155 Münster/Germany, T 0049.251.91989247, c.dittrich247dist.com, www.247dist.com, www.reddragonapparel.com

Red Adair Shoes for Individualists Earthy, authentic, handmade: In 2009, the company Lyno from Dormagen, Germany, launched its shoe label inspired by and named after legendary fireman Paul Neal alias „Red Adair“. Following a successful market rollout, the label‘s fourth collection of 140 styles for men and women will be presented in the coming 2011/12 autumn/winter season.

Models include robust lace-up boots, high-heeled sandals and leather-lined ballerina flats.

The shoes are made in Portugal and come with durable soles, vegetable-tanned leather and elaborately milled, wax-finished wood heels. Original buckles from American firefighters‘ jackets and pieces of recycled firehose make every Red Adair unique. The shoes are currently sold at Roy on the island of Sylt and Campero in Salzburg, with retail prices ranging from 99 to 229 euros. CONTACT: Lyno UG, Torsten Lasar, 41541 Dormagen/ Germany, T 0049.178.2832406, office@lyno.eu, www.redadair.eu

81

Twothirds Stylish Surfer Threads The name Twothirds refers to the fact that two-thirds of our planet are covered with water. In San Sebastian, the ocean is right in front of the door and the Atlantic coast of Northern Spain and France is one of the most popular surfing paradises in Europe. Although founders Lutz Schwenke, Jan Groenendijk and Sergio Penzo were not purposely trying to create an explicitly „green“ label, the surf enthusiasts are very much aware of the responsibility humans have to the planet.

Part of their proceeds go to charity, and organic cotton is an integral part of the collection. The collection consists of approximately 120 pieces, with retail prices ranging from 29 to 39 euros for shirts, and jackets cost up to 149 euros. The collection is already sold by German customers such as Planet Sports, Munich, P2 Darmstadt, Frontlineshop and Waterkant in Hamburg. CONTACT: Twothirds, 20003 San Sebastian/Spain, 0034.943.427617, www.twothirds.com German sales and distribution: P4 Marketing GmbH, 40219 Düsseldorf/Germany, 0049.211.5861685, Oliver.Feske@p4marketing.de, www.p4marketing.de

FASHION_female dandy Blouse Manuel Bolano Jacket Superdry Trousers Bench Jewellery Sabrina Dehoff Shoes Lise Lindvig

82

Female Dandy Photos: Stefan Milev/www.stefanmilev.com Photo Assistant: Christian Roman Thumm Hair & Make-up: Sacha Schuette /www.tune-artists.com Production & Styling: Sabine Berlipp/www.sabineberlipp.de, Isabel Baier/x-ray Model: Eva Graewe/www.spinmodelmanagement.com

female dandy_FASHION Blouse Drykorn Bow Tie Red Collar Project Pullover Red Collar Project

83

FASHION_female dandy

84

Blouse Irene Luft Jacket A.F. Vandevorst Skirt Dimitri Belt WoodWood Tights Weekday Shoes Duo Laces American Apparel

female dandy_FASHION Pantsuit Oneteaspoon Blazer Minimum

85

FASHION_female dandy Blouse Married to the Mob Trousers Manuel Bolano Shoes Fly London

86

T-Shirt Married to the Mob Trousers Campus by Marc O’Polo Sleeves Harryharlim Tie 3 Monkeys Tights Hudson Shoes Paco Gil

female dandy_FASHION

87

T-Shirt Drykorn Jacket Dimitri Scarf Fred Perry

T-Shirt Tommy Hilfiger Denim Vest Amsel Trousers adidas Shoes A.F. Vandevorst Jewellery Sabrina Dehoff

FASHION_female dandy Leather Jacket Firma Leggings Raphael Hauber Shoes Lacoste

88

female dandy_FASHION

89

T-Shirt Oneteaspoon Vest Desigual Jacket Rules by Mary Belt Irene Luft

FASHION_jeans

Ajoh: Short Denim Jacket Levi’s Red Tab Checked Top Minimarket Bracelet Stylist’s own Trousers Levi’s Red Tab, Bold Curve Straight Shoes FlipFlop

90

One for all Photos: Nadine Elfenbein/www.nadineelfenbein.com Styling: Christian Stemmler/www.bigoudi.de Styling Assistant: Lorena Maza Hair & Make-up: Christiane Buchholz/www.christiane-buchholz.com Production: Kay Alexander Plonka Models: Ajoh Chol, Ben Windhoff, Bianca Gebhardt, Leon Weinrich/www.izaio.de Caro Schmid-Lossberg, Sophia Beermann/www.catmodelmanagement.com, Louis Sasse/www.vivamodels.de, Huinan/www.m4models.de

jeans_FASHION

Huinan: Shirt Replay Dress Minimarket Necklace Vintage Shoes Diego Dolcini Bracelet Vintage

Ben: Shirt Replay Longsleeve Adidas SLVR Trousers Replay, Red Seal Shoes Timberland

91

FASHION_jeans Louis: Denim Shirt G-Star Raw Essentials, Tacoma T-Shirt Adidas SLVR Trousers Wrangler, Ben White Creek Shoes Camel Active

92

Caro: Cardigan Sessun Trousers M.O.D. Shoes Adidas SLVR

Ben: Denim Jacket Pepe Jeans London, Legend Shirt Homecore Trousers Diesel, Chino-Preview Shoes Henrik Vibskov

Sophia: Blazer Carin Wester Top Markus Lupfer Trousers Pepe Jeans London, Pixie Leggin Fit Shoes Scholl

jeans_FASHION Ajoh: Top Sessun Necklace Sabrina Dehoff Denim Vest Tribeca Hotpants Tribeca Shoes Carin Wester

Leon: Denim Shirt Wrangler T-Shirt German Garment Trousers Wrangler Shoes Veja

Bianca: Cardigan Drykorn, Mira Tank Top Adidas SLVR Trousers Wrangler, Molly Shoes Vintage

Huinan: Denim Shirt Mavi Trousers Mustang, Foxy Shoes Camper, Twins Kim

93

FASHION_jeans

Ben: Denim Jacket Lee 101 Stormrider Top Homecore Trousers Lee 101 Chetopa Twill Chino with Braces Boots Red Wing Shoes, 2990

94

jeans_FASHION Bianca: Denim Jacket Levi’s Red Tab Sleevless Trucker Top Kilian Kerner Trousers Wrangler, Jess, Nevada Night

Louis: Denim Shirt Pepe Jeans London 73, Barracuda Trousers Pepe Jeans London 73, Stinson Belt Vintage

95

FASHION_jeans Caro: Vest Diesel, Cliq Gile’ Necklace TopShop Cardigan Sessun, Delicate Miniskirt Diesel, Bely Gonna

96

Ajoh: Biker Jacket Goosecraft Top Current/Elliott Trousers Diesel, Lowette

jeans_FASHION Huinan: Dress G-Star Raw Correctline, Wrap Dress Boots Dr. Martens

Ben: Cardigan WoodWood, Antwerp 111 Necklace Denham Trousers ADenim, Adam Shoes Camper, Pelotas Persil Necklace Denham the Jeanmaker

Caro: Top Clarissa Labin Trousers Levi’s Red Tab Shoes Camper, Nancy

Leon: Denim Jacket Wrangler T-Shirt Levi’s Red Tab Trousers Homecore Shoes Keds

97

gotta go to_SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_osaka

In the hubbub of Osaka‘s many shopping streets, it can be pretty difficult to find the select independent stores that are free of sales and product pressure, existing only for themselves.

98

Masters of Their Trade

Every city has its top addresses, its specialists and insider stores that you find only if you know where they are: be it the jeans store with only the most exclusive denim selection, the store for strictly limited sneakers, the best place to go for non-commercial streetwear, the avantgarde temple, the vintage heaven, or the city‘s best record store. x-ray discovered these specialists in Osaka, Istanbul, and Dresden.

SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_OSAKA_gotta go to

Osaka: Like a Needle in a Haystack

Text Kjeld Duits, Photos Stores, Production Mika Kojima

The Japanese retail sector isn‘t exactly famous for its many independent multi-brand stores, but for the tens of thousands of fashion shops run by large companies or chains – partly because Japanese tend to be risk-averse.

Osaka has developed its own set of independent retail stores and anyone in Japan looking for what‘s unusual or special should go to them first.

T

here‘s no lack of willingness to try out unusual concepts and that has to do with Osaka‘s history. At the dawn of the 20th century, many private railroads were launched in Japan. Osaka‘s railroads had visionary leaders who didn‘t want to wait for passengers.

They developed sprawling residential areas along their lines and built amusement parks, theateres and department stores for the people living there to travel to. Over the past century this strategy has been perfected, and Osaka railway terminals are now enveloped by a forest of huge buildings filled with innumerable fashion stores and restaurants.

99

STRONG IN NUMBERS Instead of one shop with a concept, Osaka offers buildings with a concept, each one serving a carefully researched target market. In Osaka you don‘t head for a store, you head for a building. To set up in these giant fashion malls you need to be an established company, so independent retailers barely, if ever, get a chance.

If you‘re not in these all-important buildings, it‘s frightfully hard to attract enough customers to compete, even for large chains and company owned brand stores. Yet, some very cool stores have managed to survive and thrive outside of these buildings.

Housed below noisy train tracks in Osaka‘s Kita district, the city‘s northern shopping centere, lies Who‘s Who Gallery. With 759 square metres, the store is huge by Japanese standards. Its leitmotif is vintage. „We sell clothes that are influenced by trends, but filtered by the experience of vintage,“ explains manager Kenji Tanaka (32). „We look for a balance between what‘s trendy and what remains the same.“ The store does that by introducing small craft-like brands with a vintage feel, most of them unknown outside Who‘s Who. It‘s located just outside the immediate circle around the six main train and subway stations in Kita. „We‘re intentionally not in one of the fashion buildings where there‘s pressure to buy, but at a place where customers can leisurely take in the store‘s flavour. We offer slow fashion, not today‘s popular fast fashion.“

The Who‘s Who Gallery mainly offers small, Doit-Yourself labels. Mixing current trends with the timeless - that‘s the motto.

gotta go to_SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_osaka

Nearby is a shop that takes the idea of slow fashion almost to an extreme. Coppoletta is way too far removed from the stations and the crowds to be found by accident. It offers both Italian coppola caps and drinks.

Designer and owner Yoshinori Nakamura (42) fell in love with the coppola during his ten year stay in Italy. After returning to Japan, he decided to start his own business. I liked designing coppola and I wanted to run a bar, but I couldn‘t make up my mind.“ So he did both. The tiny 26 square metre store breathes a thoroughly relaxed atmosphere. You don’t feel pressured to leave, or to buy anything here.

OSAKA‘S MELTING POT While Kita houses many of Osaka‘s fashion buildings, Osaka‘s southern centre, Minami, is a bit more down to earth. It consists of several areas, each catering to different people and tastes. The crowds go to Shinsaibashi shopping street, teenagers to Amerika Mura, fashionable university students to Minami-Horie and truly discerning people to Minami-Senba, where you find brands like Issey Miyake, Comme des Garçons, Dior, Louis Vuitton, but also EVISU and one of Osaka‘s coolest denim stores, 45R. Osaka has lots of denim stores, virtually all of them brand stores. Multi-brand jeans stores are extremely rare in the city centre. 45R is a brand store as well, but a unique one, selling high quality jeans made of silk cotton dyed with 100 per cent indigo or ai (natural Japanese indigo).

100 „The store is like a workshop,“ explains store manager Hidenori Kusaka (32). It features sewing

Store manager Hidenori Kusaka is one of Osaka‘s top specialists for denim. 45R is dedicated exclusively to jeans of any kind.

Sicilian lifestyle in Japan: Yoshinori Nakamura sells Italian designs and savoirvivre in his store.

SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_OSAKA_gotta go to

Brothers Kazuhiko and Akihiko Nakagawa do not offer run-of-the mill bestsellers at Standard Books, and they never will.

machines, a steam iron and even an industrial type washing machine, which are all actually used. „To make the jeans look like they will at home, we wash them and dry them outside the store,“ he says. 45R displays relatively few items.

Amazingly, the items, displays and even the location of the items within the store change constantly. „Some customers come two to three times a week, so they‘d get bored if the shop always looks the same,“ he adds. „We want it to always look fresh and new.“ Nearby Amerika Mura houses Standard Bookstore, which owners Kazuhiko and Akihiko Nakagawa have transformed into a lifestyle store. The 858 square metre store is unlike any other bookstore in Japan. It‘s not limited to books, and not organized by categories. There are no signs for arts, history or cooking book sections. Instead there are corners that focus on an idea - like a corner with books about how

to make coffee, magazines on the best cafes in Osaka, and coffee pots and cups. Across from this hangs a photo of a famous Japanese lifestyle magazine editor. Below it ten books recommended by him, as well as bottles of his favourite shampoo and honey. „We won‘t stock a book just because other stores do so. We don‘t follow trends,“ says elder brother Kazuhiko.

The company‘s site actually proudly proclaims, „This is a bookstore, but we don‘t stock bestsellers.“ While other bookstores are organized for goal-oriented searching, Standard is set up for discovery-focused browsing.

A MECCA FOR INSPIRATION A short walk away is Time Bomb, Osaka‘s very best vintage record store. Owner Kenji Kodama (45) started the store in 1990 in a 20 square metre space. Now it‘s 330 square metres. „We have two spaces,“ he explains, „punk, alternative and hardcore, and 50s, 60s and some 70s.“

Everything from girl sound to old style blues.

Some of the records are incredibly rare. „The most expensive record is 3,600 euros.

He believes that the old music he sells helps inspire musicians in the underground music scene which plays a vital role in the birth of new music. „Today‘s underground becomes tomorrow‘s music. It‘s always been like that.“ 101

„This is a bookstore, but we don’t stock bestsellers.“ Kazuhiko Nakagawa, Standard Bookstore

Kenji Kodama‘s Time Bomb is Osaka‘s best vintage record store. It is the place to go for anyone looking for collector‘s items.

gotta go to_SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_osaka

102

„We are the world‘s best sneaker store.“ Masayuki Suda, Skit

A narrow staircase in trendy Minami-Horie hides sneaker store Skit. The store stocks some 5,000 vintage, rare and new sneakers, all beautifully shrink-wrapped and neatly arranged along the walls. „We sell sneakers only,“ says manager and part-owner Masayuki Suda (31). They are everywhere, even hanging from the ceiling.

Skit stocks Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Reebok, Converse, Puma, Vans, but also brands like Red Wing and Timberland. Some of the shoes were worn by basketball legends like Patrick Ewing and Dennis Rodham. The most expensive pair costs 1,400 euros, but most are around 90 euros. „I believe that we are the world‘s best sneaker store,“ he says confidently.

Web Adressen www.coppoletta.jp www.timebomb.co.jp www.rakuten.co.jp/skit

Sneaker store Skit in Minami-Horie stocks more than 5,000 pairs of new and used collector‘s items.

SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_ISTANBUL_gotta go to

Istanbul: Metropolis on Two Continents

Text Micha Rinkus, Photos Monique Jaques

On a Saturday night, it seems like the entire youth population of Istanbul is crammed into Beyoğlu, a historic district situated on top of one of the city’s seven hills. While most know Beyoğlu as an area for nightlife, its sub-neighbourhoods of Cihangir, Çukurcuma and Galata have developed a reputation for underground fashion and culture. It’s the place to be for every fashion victim who’s searching for a really special store scene.

C

ihangir has long been considered the epicentre of bohemian life in Istanbul, the neighbourhood where you are most likely to run into a fashion model walking her dog. Textile designer Mustafa opened women’s apparel boutique Fashion Project (76 Sıraselviler Caddesi) two years ago with friends to serve this artistic clientele. “Cihangir is a cool neighbourhood full of young, openminded people who value designer products,” he says. As chic as a Paris showroom, Fashion Project is stocked with little-known international labels, including Mariagrazia Panizzi and Cecilia De Bucourt, and Mustafa is continually on the prowl for new designers to introduce to Istanbul’s fashionistas. He says, “We are for the woman who values uniqueness at affordable prices.”

77 103

Fashion Project is the store for discerning women looking for fashion on par with the selection in Parisian stores of the same flavour.

A few streets over, Begüm has a very specific passion: sunglasses. Her retro-themed Gözlük Dükkanı (26 Ağahamam Sok) is a tiny boutique comprised of her hand-picked collection. “My clientele want to wear stuff you don’t see on everyone,” she says. The store opened just this past June, and carries styles ranging from vintage to modern, never in bulk. “Prices range from €5 to €100, so it’s a wide variety of sunglasses all gathered in one tiny store.”

Good things come in small packages - Begüm sells limited edition sunglasses in her store.

In need of a ’20s wedding dress? Mozk (13 Ağahamam Sok) is another specialty shop catering to the strange tastes of Cihangir denizens.

It is probably the best collection of vintage gear to be found in Istanbul, with funky finds culled from the flea markets of Europe by owner Berk.

gotta go to_SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_Istanbul The top address for exclusive vintage fashion: Mozk offers nostalgia and flea market charme.

Lovers of old records and genuine collector‘s items meet at Deform, the one true store for music insiders.

104

“I love Cihangir’s soul,” he says, although he reckons that Mozk is the sort of shop that could survive in any of the world’s major fashion metropolises.

Gritty Çukurcuma has drawn comparisons to New York’s Soho. Long populated by bizarre antique stores, the neighbourhood has also drawn major attention lately for its eclectic fashion options.

outside is Freedom (36 Yeniçarşı Caddesi), a first of its kind “board culture” shop carrying major US skate labels including Etnies, Emerica, Skull Candy and Volcom. Extreme sports culture is still underdeveloped in Turkey, and skateboarding and snowboarding even less so.

Still, “Everyone who boards in Turkey knows Freedom,” says owner Emre, himself a snowboarder. Business may be limited, but they are lucky to have a set of loyal customers who use Freedom as an informal hangout spot. „Board culture does not belong in a mall. It belongs to the streets,“ Emre says. As a result, it was not a difficult decision to set up shop in the small, urban neighbourhood of Çukurcuma. Emre likes that there is a community of retailers on his street who share tea and advice.

Immediately recognizable from the graffitiladen façade and crowd of long-haired kids

Lazy (9 Yeniçarşı Caddesi) is one of those neighbours. Owner Guray was inspired by the

Finally, Deform (45 Turnacıbaşı Caddesi) record store caters to the music enthusiasts and DJ wannabes who have trouble finding their favourite LPs. Ozan, co-owner of the store and a DJ himself, frequently brings in acts from abroad to spin at Deform.

„Board culture does not belong in a mall. It belongs to the streets.“ Emre, Freedom

SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_ISTANBUL_gotta go to Lazy is the place to go for the best collection of women‘s shoes. Owner Guray was inspired by Japanese streetwear, which is instantly recognisable in the store.

culture of Japanese street wear when launching this eccentric boutique. Home to the oddest col-lection of women’s shoes on offer in Istanbul, Lazy says that their opening in 2004 helped to establish Çukurcuma as a street wear-friendly neighbourhood.

Just five years ago, not many people would walk alone at night through Galata’s backstreets. Now

Freedom is dedicated to boardsports. Owner Emre is seen as a pioneer in his field because Freedom was the first store of this kind in all of Istanbul.

the area is much more gentrified and home to a number of cutting-edge boutiques.

Sertac, owner of consignment boutique Paris Texas (4B Camekan Sokak), graduated with a degree in Russian literature, but has always had an interest in fashion. Her first store was a second-hand shop composed of her own personal wardrobe! Now, at Paris Texas, she sells new

clothing alongside top-shelf vintage designer finds. “Right now the most popular brands are from Scandinavian designers,” she says. “Clean lines and multi-functionality sells best, and it’s also my favourite.” Sertac says she was inspired by the old architecture of Galata for Paris Texas, and would not consider setting up shop anywhere else. Other store owners agree.

105

gotta go to_SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_istanbul Clear lines and functional design - Sertac offers an exclusive mix of vintage pieces and Scandinavian brands in her boutique Paris Texas.

“Galata is Istanbul. It represents a lot of things about Istanbul‘s past and present, it‘s like the city packed in a neighbourhood,” says Deniz, one of the three founders of nearby Lastik Pabuç (4H Camekan Sokak), which made a splash on the shoe scene when it opened in the summer of 2009. A Shepard Fairey print of Ataturk hanging on the wall immediately reveals the sneaker boutique’s ultra-hipster leanings.

“The inspiration behind the store was our own lifestyle: the sneakers we wore, the music and movies we liked, the brands we identified with,” says Deniz. “We wanted to present this lifestyle in the shape of a store to other people in Istanbul who share the same interests.” According to Deniz, Lastik Pabuç’s best-selling items are Etnies Plus as well as tried-and-true Nikes, but preferences change based on the season and as the tastes of Istanbul hipsters develop. The city is rapidly becoming an international destination for urban fashion, with neighbourhoods like Galata leading the charge.

Deniz’s last words for fashion seekers are:

„Peace and drop by the store if you‘re ever in the ‚Bul.“ Deniz, Lastik Pabuç

106

Web Adressen www.facebook.com/fashionproject.cihangir www.facebook.com/gozluk-dukkani www.mosz.co.uk www.facebook.com/pages/deform-music www.freedomsports.net www.facebook.com/pages/lazy-butik www.facebook.com/paristexas.istanbul www.lastikpabuc.com

Owners Can Soylu (on the left) and Deniz Karaman made a splash on Istanbul‘s scene with their store Lastik Pabuç. It is the store for all sneaker fans.

SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_dresden_gotta go to

Dresden: Fashion Trail in Florence on the Elbe

T

In this city on the Elbe, a fashionable avantgarde with its very own interpretation of urban lifestyle has long since evolved. In addition to art, culture and architecture, Dresden is also popular thanks to its confident fashion sense and its love of special things.

An Insider Tip for Shoe Addicts

Text Maik Richter, Photos Ulrike Kirchhof/Markenbüro

wo districts of Dresden define the city‘s pulsating fashion scene: the old town and the new town. They could hardly be more different.

Divided by the Elbe, both districts have their own fashion attractions.

Dresden‘s old town is home to the Zwinger Palace, the city‘s castle, the Albertinum and the Frauenkirche. It is a fashion biotope with an impressive diversity of species: colourful and funky, stylish and elegant, sporty and casual or haute couture and en vogue. Success or failure is defined by unique store concepts with personality – hot or not.

Definitely hot is Dresden’s top address for all sneaker freaks: Schrittmacher! „Other people look at a person‘s face first. I look at their shoes,“ admits sneaker geek and Schrittmacher store manager Willy Schiemann. The concept of the store in the CentrumGalerie is one-of-a-kind in the Saxon metropolis on the Elbe: Clean and simple – the focus is on the shoe. Just like an exhibition, around 150 of the trendiest models are presented as modern art for feet.

But what good is a fab pair of sneakers without the hottest streetwear? When you‘re in Dresden, there‘s one place to go: Harlem! Behind the counter, a huge neon sign lights up the whole store with a clear message: Pimp your Style from your fro to your sole! Do you need any more reasons to check out Harlem? „Because we‘re bloody cool,“ says Bernd Niemann and right he is! Their dramatic bling bling shows that they are not afraid of overdoing it.

„Other people look at a person‘s face first. I look at their shoes.“ Schrittmacher in Dresden offers almost every model a sneaker fan‘s heart could ever desire. It is the top address for genuine gourmets.

Willy Schiemann, Schrittmacher

Teamed with caps, hoodies, jackets and much more, the store offers everything a b-boy could want. Last, but surely not least, Harlem also features a unique selection of „hip-hop shades“ in all colours.

Coolness par excellence For skateboarders and BMX stylers, the Titus Store is an absolute must. Only the guys at Pirnaischer Platz have everything you need.

Incidentally, Titus is also the city‘s BMX temple because you can also get parts and tips from the pros themselves here: Andy, Albi, Fred and co have all skated or biked at one time or another,

107

gotta go to_SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_dresden

and they still enjoy doing so. In addition to axles, board wheels, grip tape, complete bike wheels and custom boards, the store offers tons of cool styles for BMXers and boarders that are simple, but practical.

„We‘re bloody cool“ this is the motto of the city‘s best streetwear store, Harlem.

The high-fashion specialist Dress&Co has redefined the meaning of cool and consequently appeals to everyone, not just the upper classes.

The high-class store on Prager Straße features high-fashion labels and sportswear brands. The selection is as posh as the store‘s atmosphere: crystal chandeliers, leather couches and antique desks combined with fashion by La Martina, Van Santen & Van Santen, Aeronautica or True Religion.

On the Other Side of the Elbe Dresden‘s new town on the other side of the river is also renowned for its extravagant lifestyle. A great mix of trendy neighbourhoods with clubs, bars, studios and a popular residential area offers creative freedom for all who are in search of or offering something special.

As special as Goth – a style that represents an important subculture in Dresden. The store of choice for its supporters is cult store Abaddon on Louisenstraße. It has a lot to offer. „Our store is different because it has a very personal touch! We want to present products that you can‘t find anywhere else,“ explains David Börner.

In fact, Abaddon has much more to offer than „the dark side“ because Goth is so much more than just black. Here you can find indie styles from Goth and rockabilly to industrial and cyberwear through to punk.

Titus is the meeting ground for all board lovers. It is the place to go for newcomers and insiders.

108

When you are looking for something a little more high-fashion, there is only one place to go in Dresden: Dress & Co.

Vintage is another important topic because it gives your individual style the finishing touches. With all the love for fashion, there is one overriding principle: it has to be unusual and, above all, original. The people of Dresden mock pathetic copies. To find genuine treasures from bygone style periods, it‘s best to visit b&b secondhand by Yvonne Kühn. „I‘m one of those people who can‘t throw anything away,“ she says with a smile. As a result, b&b features garments that you won‘t find anywhere else: more than 40,000 treasures in an oversized wardrobe, a paradise for the style-conscious.

„We want to present products that you can‘t find anywhere else.“ Goth is extremely popular in Dresden, as is the store Abbadon as a meeting place for anyone expecting more than black when it comes to this style.

David Börner, Abbadon

SPECIALISTS IN RETAIL_dresden_gotta go to b&b is a real insider tip when it comes to exclusive second-hand treasures.

The Spot offers Scandinavian purism and no chichi.

Jeans at their best are available at Xanadu.

109

Genuine local colour is visible at Punkt-vorStrich, the bag and accessories label.

And just a few metres down… ...you‘ll find Dresden‘s Mecca for selected Scandinavian avant-garde fashion. „We don‘t focus only on coolness or chic. We focus on authenticity, a lifestyle, fashion combined with art and music,“ explains Bettine Zabel-Liebold from The Spot. „We see ourselves as an institution for featuring new things to enable people to create their own personal style,“ says Ronnie Haberland. The store concept is driven by its affinity for Scandinavian fashion and design. It‘s not just about selling fashion, but offering a platform for every type of creative output.

The counter-concept to The Spot‘s clean-cut style is available on Katharinenstraße: Xanadu stands for glamour and extravagance and fea-

tures unique, cheerful collections from small labels such as Blutgeschwister, Nümph or ATO. Why is it only for women? „Because I‘m a woman!“ answers Stefanie Michel. „I find it easier to relate to women, and I like women‘s fashion because it‘s much more versatile!“ The bags and accessories of Punkt-vor-Strich are not just targeted at women. Currently, they‘re exclusively available in Buttendorf, the venue for all kinds of handcrafted products, on Kamenzer Straße. The creator, Sven Deutloff runs the design agency „westosteron“ with Clemens Haufe.

When he created strange figures from character sets and symbols, he did not expect this to turn into a popular range of bags that would become famous beyond the Florence on the Elbe.

Websites www.schrittmacher-shop.de www.harlem-dresden.de www.titus.de/dresden www.dress-co.de www.abaddon-mysticstore.de www.bbsecondhand.de www.wearethespot.com www.punkt-vor-strich.de

open.

Crämer & Co Bigger. Better. Bench.

In August 2010 Nuremberg jeans specialist Crämer & Co opened the newly remodelled basement level of its womenswear store in Breite Gasse on the corner of Brunnengasse. The newly created space now allows 250 square metres of sales space being dedicated to the expansionary lifestyle brand Bench and its current women‘s collection. The British company previously occupied roughly one-third of the sales space on the second upper floor of Crämer & Co. Customers can now shop till they drop on a total of 3,000 square metres. In addition to Bench over 50 select brands like Modström, Peuterey and American Vintage provide a tempting selection for fashion aficionados.

Crämer & Co GmbH Breite Gasse 18/ Brunnengasse 3–9 90402 Nuremberg Germany T 0049.911.2055570 www.craemerco.de

Pepe Jeans Flagship Store in Hamburg 110

On 27 November 2010, the London-based denim specialist opened a flagship store on 350 square metres in the city centre at Hamburg‘s Gänsemarkt. The main line, in addition to Pepe Jeans Kids, the Andy Warhol collection and jewellery, sunglasses and shoes are displayed on three levels. The store design is a mixture of wood, brick and tile and vintage furniture. A denim wall spanning 30 square metres presents the entire range of jeans. A touchscreen LCD monitor allows the customer to check out his or her favourite jeans right on the model. The store had its own furniture designed for the Andy Warhol line in co-operation with the Andy Warhol Foundation NY. Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel was one of the visitors at the opening party of the store.

Red Wing Shoes Store Poststraße 41 20354 Hamburg Germany www.redwinghamburg.de

Pepe Jeans Gänsemarkt 33 20354 Hamburg Germany www.pepejeans.com

RED WING SHOES Now in Hamburg Following the opening of its Berlin lifestyle store in 2009, the US brand is now also represented in Hamburg. As the official license holders, retail duo Shane Brandenburg and Kay Knipschild, who run the Berlin store Burg & Schild, designed the Red Wing Store on their own. Their 50 square metre store in Hamburg‘s Hanseviertel features over 60 shoe models from the European lifestyle collection and a number of American and Japanese special editions. The shop façade resembles the exterior of the Red Wing Shoes headquarters in Minnesota. It‘s interesting to note that company founder Karl Beckmann passed through the port of Hamburg over 100 years ago when he immigrated to America. Kay Knipschild had this to say about the Red Wing‘s more recent ties to Hamburg: „The brand fits well with the Hanseatic style. There is an emphasis here on values like consistency and durability. The final motivation to open the store came from Andreas Feldenkirchen who brought this commercial space to our attention. We believe in good synergy effects thanks to his menswear concept.“

news_in store

Sixty Group First Flagship Store in Portugal The Sixty Group is continuing its expansion. The Italian fashion group celebrated the opening of its first flagship store in Portugal in July 2010. Ideally located in Lisbon‘s top shopping district Bairro Alto, the store‘s 250 square metres on two floors offer plenty of room for the Miss Sixty and Energie collections. Sixty SpA developed an interactive shop concept specifically for the store to intimately showcase the various brand worlds of Miss Sixty and Energie for customers.

Lee Store Paris 23 Rue des Rosiers 75004 Paris France T 0033.1.42781103 www.lee.com

Chiado Sixty Store Rua Nova do Almada 83/85 1200 Lisbon Portugal

replay Star-Studded Paris On 25 November 2010, Replay celebrated the reopening of its flagship store in Rue Etienne Marcel in Paris.

Starting with a glamorous cocktail party, the brand proudly presented the 500 square metre revamped sales area. This was the first store in France to feature the new design concept, which already caused quite a stir in January 2010 in the redesigned store in Milan: The new concept aims to give customers a break from their everyday routine, entices them to enter a green oasis of relaxation and experience the lifestyle of Replay in the imaginatively designed gardens. The concept focuses on harmony with nature. Numerous celebrities, such as DJ Misty Rabbit, Alysson Paradis and Tara Reid, attended the opening celebration. Wellknown singer and special guest of the evening, Macy Gray, gave an exclusive live performance where she impressed everyone with her powerful voice.

Lee, Paris In a Whole New Look Last year’s autumn Paris Fashion Week presented the perfect opportunity for a lavish party to celebrate the reopening of the Lee Store on Rue des Rosiers after its remodeling. The guest list included French top model Gaelle Pietri, French actor Anne Lise Hesme (from the movie „Alexander“ with Colin Farrell) and the band, The Gush. On 200 square metres the Lee Store now features a completely new design: the “Lee Black System,” consisting of black fixtures combined with natural-finish wood elements and a few pieces 111 of vintage furniture. The makers of the venerable brand want to use the combination of minimalist design and vintage looks to place their own history in the context of a very modern aesthetic. The Black System has since been introduced in other Lee Stores as well. All Lee collections, including the Lee 101 and Lee Archives collection, are being shown for the first time side-by-side at the store in Paris. The French branch of the jeans brand was first opened in 2006.

Replay Paris Flagship Store 36 Rue Etienne Marcel 75002 Paris France www.replay.it

G-Star Taking Konstanz by Storm The mission: Showcasing jeans in their purest form. G-Star has been pursuing this goal at its store in Constance since late November 2010. Owner and manager Katja Markus opened her new store in a modern building on Hussenstrasse, directly between Karstadt and Modehaus Fischer. The storefront features the signature style of all G-Star stores. With a sales area of 200 square metres, Markus offers the complete brand range, including G-Star Raw products, the men‘s and women‘s lines and accessories.

G-Star Store Konstanz Hussenstraße 27 78462 Konstanz Germany www.g-star.com

in Store_galLery

112

AMEN STORE, MUNICH The furnishings were the result of the collaborative effort of shop owner Olaf Kramalowsky, Kerstin Nußbächer, Paul Snowden and Holzrausch. Eye-catcher: The wall unit from Braun dates back to the '60s and is fully functional. Photo: k+w Fotografie.

gallery_in Store

MOVING UPMARKET

Punk graffiti and freaky flea-market style? Not here! These stores have clearly rejected the design ideas typical for young fashion and skate shops and are setting the trend in interior design with minimalism and elegance.

Text Nicoletta Schaper , Photos Shops

„The white of the furnishings provides the right backdrop for our products, like an artist who paints upon a clean, white canvas.“ Richie Löffler, Managing Director Animal Tracks

I

t used to be quite simple – as was the typical look of all those cool shops for even cooler people, with skateboards on the walls and plywood furnishings. Having things a little chaotic and a little too full was a natural part of the concept. Today that old cookie-cutter thinking just doesn‘t work anymore. At least not at the multi-brand stores listed here. These shops present a sophisticated, clean and minimalist face to the public.

They‘ve taken their shop concepts to the next level – and in so doing have taken a step closer to the look of many chain and single-brand stores. But that doesn‘t mean they‘re interchangeable – each store‘s distinctive signature style makes sure of that.

Animal Tracks, Hamburg www.animaltracks.de

This is where you‘ll find brands like Nudie Jeans, Frank Wright Shoes and Dr.Denim. The ambience also offers a surprise. „We like things clean and high-grade – after all, what we sell is also high-grade in terms of style and quality,“ explains Managing Director Richie Löffler. „The white of the furnishings provides the right backdrop for our products, like an artist who paints upon a clean, white canvas.“

Azita, Frankfurt www.azitastore.com

Azita, christened in 2005, has its roots in skate and streetwear. Managing Director Teimaz Shahverdi doesn‘t disavow these roots, although his sales mix has developed markedly in the direction of the avant-garde, with designers

Animal Tracks, Hamburg An authentic skate shop can look like this as well, as shown at Animal Tracks in Hamburg. Photo: schroeder-fotos.de 113

in Store_galLery

AZITA, FRANKFURT Artwork takes the sales mix to the next level, as shown here in the Azita Store in Frankfurt. Installation: Martin Wenzel. Photo: Azita Store

114

„Art? No. This is just our style of clear aesthetics, which provides a backdrop for the clothes.“ Teimaz Shahverdi, Managing Director Azita

like Henrik Vibskov and Comme des Garcons.

The store features a cool and restrained design, with an unusual art installation made from slats, which Martin Wenzel cut out of an old International Automobile Fair booth and reassembled.

The pieces presented on it almost look like works of art themselves. But Teimaz Shahverdi doesn‘t want the installation or his store to be considered as art. „This is just our style of clear aesthetics, which provides a backdrop for the clothes,“ he says.

Hayashi, Frankfurt www.hayashi-shop.com

For Kerstin Görling of Hayashi in Frankfurt, fashion is art. The gallery-like ambience of the store is therefore an appropriate setting for labels like Kaviar Gauche, Acne Jeans and Hope. „The clothes are in the foreground and are not dominated by the interior decoration,“ said Görling, who has continued the art concept with giant wall collages created by the Hort Agency in Berlin.

„We mix understatement with sleek elegance, here the labels tell their own story.“ Managing Director Francis Kioyo, Managing Director CLVII Stores Berlin

hayashi, FRANKFURT For shop owner Kerstin Görling, fashion is art. The sophisticated gallery ambience of her Frankfurt clothing store Hayashi fits this concept well.

Photo: Hayashi

gallery_in Store CLVII Store, Berlin Berlin‘s CLVII store emphasises understatement and sleek elegance.

This provides the perfect setting for the clothing displayed in the shop.

Photo: CLVII store

115

CLVII Store, Berlin www.clvii-berlin.com

Equally classy is the CLVII Store Berlin, featuring Galliano and Gestuz, Y3 and Elfcraft. CLVII are the Roman numerals for the number 157, which refers to the store of the same name at Rue St. Honoré 157 in Paris. „We mix understatement with sleek elegance,“ explains Managing Director Francis Kioyo, who founded the Berlin branch two years ago. „Here the labels tell their own story.“ One clever and attractive design idea: the lines of the Paris and Berlin undergrounds on the walls as a symbolic link between both stores.

Amen Store, Munich www.amen-store.de

The Amen Store in Munich features an eyecatching futuristic wall unit from Braun, designed by Dieter Rams in the '60s. Naturally, there are also plenty of colourful sneakers for sale here, from brands like Nike and Adidas.

Shop owner Olaf Kramalowsky sought out new approaches for the interior of his store. „We wanted to replace the usual kind of shoe presentation, which is why we show all shoes in the windows instead of on shelves,“ he says.

Frisco Store, Arnheim www.friscostore.nl

Ric van Rest from Frisco Store has his own unique style as well. He began implementing it in 2006 in his store in Arnhem, Holland, after deciding to break free from the typical skate shop concept after a year in business. „Today

we‘re furnished like a shop that we‘d like to shop in ourselves,“ he says. This has opened the store to a broader public, with a mix of skate brands and skate-compatible labels like Carhartt Heritage, Wood Wood and Vans Vault. „Our shop doesn‘t have to look like a skate shop to be authentic,“ he adds. „What‘s important is simply what‘s behind it, and that you‘re involved in the scene.“

frisco store, arnhem Ric van Rest quickly decided to break free from the typical overloaded shop concept.

Today his Frisco store in Arnhem looks like the kind of shop van Rest himself would like to shop in. Photo: Frisco store.

„Our shop doesn‘t have to look like a skate shop to be authentic.

What‘s important is simply what‘s behind it, and that you‘re involved in the scene.“ Ric van Rest, Managing Director Frisco Store

In store_Mono Concept Gallery, hamburg

The Mono Concept Store is anything but standard: it is a gallery, shopping paradise, and party location - all at the same time.

Art Meets Fashion

The concept might not be particularly new, but it‘s remained promising for many years. As a result, Hamburg‘s Mono Concept Store, founded in 2007 in the Schanzenviertel district, decided to combine both disciplines.

Text Nicolette Scharpenberg , Photo Mono Concept Store

„We stand for purism with little accents. The expected is not our style.“ Özgür Aylikci, Mono Concept Store

116

T

he 60-square-metre shop is tucked away in a side street off Susannenstrasse, where the city‘s in-crowd likes to hang out. Surrounded by countless bars, restaurants and Turkish groceries, the Mono Concept Store exudes a special magnetism, both day and night, thanks to its concept of combining a shop with an adjacent gallery. The Mono Store sells street fashion, and the Mono Gallery offers a never-ending series of streetart exhibitions.

The two separate spaces fuse together to form the Mono Concept Store.

It‘s not unusual for daytime visitors to pick out an outfit in the store to be suitably dressed for an opening party at the gallery in the evening. „Fashionable and cultural aspects play an

An art exhibit turns into a late night shopping event. The Mono Gallery is famous for its combination of art and fashion.

important role for us. Exhibitions by artists and brands transform the Mono Concept Store into a gallery, a pop-up store or a party location. It also is a favourite meeting place for Hamburg‘s alternative crowd,“ says owner Özgür Aylikci.

When it comes to brands, the Mono Concept Store carries a mind-boggling array of newcomers from different countries and regions such as Scandinavia, Holland and France. The store sells Suit, RedCollarProject, Gestuz, Rules

by Mary, Makia and Pop CPH, not to mention a colourful mix of accessories by companies like S‘nob and Happy Socks and lifestyle products from brands like alkr.

In addition to alluring exhibitions, pop-up campaigns and products, the store also offers outstanding service. Aylikci generally stands behind the small counter himself to welcome his guests with a friendly smile. „Personal and individual advice for our customers is very important to us. We strive to offer our customers an exciting and personalised shopping experience. Anybody who has been here once will want to come back,“ adds Aylikci. We couldn‘t agree more.

SCandinavian Purism The idea for the store stems from the in-house Mono Concept label, which features straightforward, minimalistic designs. Clean jeans, clear-cut jackets, hoodies and T-shirts at fair prices (jeans approx. 60 euros retail, T-shirts from 20 euros) suggest a look with Scandinavian origins.

This selection of articles hints at a style that is also reflected in the furnishings: The interior is minimalistic, and the space has been cast in puristic white with a smattering of graphics on the ceiling and walls. The rooms are extremely versatile, which makes them ideally suited for collaborations with labels. Berlin label Sopopular, Acne from Sweden and the online shop for fashion food, Paul's Küche, have all put in appearances in the Mono Concept pop-up store.

Mono Concept Store Mono Concept Store Rosenhofstraße 5 20357 Hamburg/Germany T 0049.40.76993101 www.mono-concept.com Owner: Özgür Aylikci Opening: September 2007 Sales area: 60 sqm Employees: 3 Labels: Alkr, Clae, Dr. Denim, Gestuz, Happy Socks, Jim Rickey, Just Female, Makia, MbyM, Minimum, mono concept, Ontour, Pop cph, RedColloarProject, Rules by Mary, Second Female, Sixpack France, S’nob, Stoej, Suit, Superflu.

zimba, gent_in store

A Passion for Streetwear

Text Isabel Baier Photos Zimba

Last autumn, in the centre of the Belgian city of Ghent, the team from ICC Distribution opened Zimba, the new place for true fans of streetwear on the hunt for premium fashion and urban styles that go beyond clothes just for the very young.

The new Zimba store in Ghent is the fourth store opened in Belgium by the ICC Distribution team.

T

his is the fourth Zimba Store for the team of eight working with agency director Jean Peeters. The first shop opened its doors fifteen years ago in Roeselare, followed shortly thereafter by additional stores in Kortrijk and Oostende, and now, the latest one in Ghent. Peeters began shaking up the Belgian fashion scene 15 years ago, and his Zimba stores provided a tangible location for his vision: making select new and innovative streetwear brands accessible to Belgian trendsetters, and thereby transporting the lifestyle behind the clothes as well. As one of the pioneers in Belgium, Peeters emphasised the sale of young streetwear brands and spray cans; today his agency’s portfolio is significantly more diverse, with labels like Upper Playground, French Regular, Original Eskimo, Boom Bap or 2SickBastards.

Smarter than the others “The style of our Zimba store in Ghent is aimed at a somewhat more mature target group than our other stores, which primarily serve young

customers. In Ghent, the city and its fashion scene showed us where there was a need,” says Wies Wydooghe of ICC Distributions. “There’s this exciting mix of students and creative thirty-somethings here. We wanted to serve this clientele with a somewhat more cultivated style with labels like Ben Sherman and Fred

„The city and its fashion scene showed us what kind of concept was needed for the store.“ Wies Wydooghe, ICC Distributions

Perry, or shoes from Swear or Boxfresh. This is a major experiment for us, since it’s the first time we’re trying to expand our streetwear-heavy concept, which we’ve pursued very successfully in the other shops.” says Wydooghe. Zimba is relying on an experienced dealer and true great in Belgium’s retailing community as store

manager: Jimmy Fly. He already made a name for himself and has gathered a great deal of experience as the manager of various streetwear shops in Antwerp, including Fish & Chips. He is being supported in purchasing by Els Vaneste, who has been heavily involved in designing the sales mix at other Zimba stores over the past 15 years. With a first-class location on SintPietersnieuwstraat in the midst of Ghent’s town centre, the team has succeeded in acquiring a site that offers a lot of potential. All around the shop, new pop-up stores, cool bars and concept 117 stars are opening up virtually by the minute.

Walk-in customers have enthusiastically embraced the minimalist interior of the shop; the feedback during the first months was extremely positive. A successful experiment?

Zimba Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 62 9000 Ghent/Belgium T 0032.09.3308521 www.zimbashop.be, www.iccdistribution.eu Owner: ICC Distribution Store manager: Mr. Jimmy Fly Opening: September 2010 Retail space: 200 sqm Employees: 3 Other Stores: Kortrijk, Roeselare, Oostende Womenswear: Björkvin, Blowfish, Chuti, Freshjive, Ichi, M by M, Supreme Being Menswear: Ben Sherman, Brixton, Dr. Denim, Fred Perry, Kling, M by M, Nina, Revolution, Sixpack France, Supreme Being, Swear, Upper Playground, Volcom Shoes: Adidas, Gola, Hub, Nöe, Supra, Supreme Being, Swear Accessories: Cleptomanicx, Panuu, Parts, Pieces

in store_room, ingolstadt

Unique styles by unique labels, particularly from Germany. This is what Room in Ingolstadt is known for.

118

Many Ideas, One Room

„This is the first streetwear store of its kind in Ingolstadt. Room has enabled us to fill a large gap in Ingolstadt‘s urban culture.“ Marcello Leonardi und Sonja Bauer, Room Ingolstadt

A personal address, a platform for fashion and local designers, a source of information for events and city talk – everything in one room. Welcome to Room in Ingolstadt.

Text Nicolette Scharpenberg, Photos Room

B

“Back to the Roots“ is the motto of owners Marcello Leonardi and Sonja Bauer. They opened their store Room in May 2010 and have been attracting trendseekers from all over Ingolstadt ever since.

Their personal consultations and clever customer service are what make their store stand out from the rest. „In the era of constantly growing E-Commerce, we felt it particularly important to maintain contact with the customer. We are at the store everyday ourselves, and we don‘t confuse the customers by constantly alternating staff. We offer a place where people like to be without feeling pressured to buy,“ explains Leonardi. The premium location – right by the Kreuztor, in Ingolstadt‘s „Bermuda Triangle“ – is also a strategically clever choice because the store profits from the casual customers from their exact target group. The surrounding pubs and bars provide them with the right night-time clientele. And the rest of the customers come from the neighbouring schools and universities.

It‘s Not What You Know, but Who You Know Room is a one-of-a-kind store concept in Ingolstadt. In terms of brand selection and range depth, Leonardi and Bauer are very consistent: a few, well selected brands and exclusive items instead of shelves stuffed with merchandise. „Picky orders are taboo. Ordering just two to three styles per brand is not what we‘re about.

Once we decide on a brand, we support it in its entirety,“ says Bauer.

Room stocks many young German brands such as Shisha, KillaThrill, Wemoto and Ucon. The range is completed by international streetwear brands, as well as the store‘s own brand. „We don‘t want to oversaturate the market in Ingolstadt. Customers should be able to find one-ofa-kind garments here,“ explains Leonardi. They also engage in ‚twilight shopping‘ by frequently organising events such as exhibitions or cocktail evenings. „This way we can strengthen our social contacts and the emotional connection with our customers,“ explain Leonardi and Bauer.

Room Kreuzstraße 20 85049 Ingolstadt/Germany T 0049.841.65790313 www.room.de.com Owners: Sonja Bauer, Marcello Leonardi Retail space: 40 sqm Womenswear: Evawave, Red Collar Project, Room, Rules by Mary, Shantrapa, Shisha, Ucon, Wemoto Menswear: Alternative, ArtyFarty, KillaThrill, Makia, Pike Brothers, Red Collar Project, Room, Sixpack France, Stüssy, Surplus, Ucon, Wemoto Accessories: Hüftgold, Jeepers Peepers Brillen, Kr3w Uhren, Red Collar Project, Room Accessoires

room, ingolstadt_in store

119

Vor Ort_dings, zürich

„We listen to our gut instincts and question fashion.“

Since 1993, the boutique Dings in Zurich‘s trend district ‚Kreis 5‘ has been one of the top destinations for sporty and feminine fashion.

120

Roland Brümmer

Dings and Things No, they‘re not still looking for a name. Since 1993, Dings from Zurich has been serving up a style cocktail of the Parisian catwalk look combined with anarchic street influences.

Text Nicolette Scharpenberg, Photos Dings

T

o answer the question about the name: „’Dings’ or things means everything and nothing. It gives us all the freedom of the world to decide what kind of store we want it to be. ‚World‘ would have been another good name,“ explains Hans-Peter Endras, owner of the No Way AG and manager of the four stores Monsieur Dubois, On y va, No Way, and Dings in Zurich.

More High Fashion, Less Streetwear Located in „Kreis 5“, the former red-light district and currently most creative area in Zurich, the 70 square metre corner shop is situated far away from the glitz and glamour of Zurich‘s Bahnhofsstraße. Whilst the company featured lots of streetwear when it was first launched, it has since distanced itself from sporty looks, focusing more on urban fashion and street couture.

In 2008, the same year that On y va – the men‘s store on Zähringerplatz – was opened, Dings‘ initially unisex range was completely switched to womenswear. Today, Dings is „a style cocktail of the elegant Parisian catwalk look combined with

anarchic street influences,“ as co-owner Roland Brümmer puts it. High-quality fashion styles, shoes and accessories are part of the permanent product range. „We don‘t go by the book. We have a good sense of trends and always try to be a little different from the rest,“ says Brümmer

The Product is the Focus At Dings it‘s not about brand names, but about good products. The typical Dings look is classically unique, simply elegant and independent, always with playful elements and colours. „The things have to be authentic and have a soul.

That’s why we often focus on niche products,“ says Endras. In addition to well-known brands such as Barbour, By Marlene Birger or H by Hudson, you can find streetwear labels such as Sessun, Wesc or American College, as well as many newcomer labels such as Olga de Polga, Magellan & Mulloy or Lia-ne and the shop‘s own brand. „We always try to appeal to a broad target group with our range.“ Whether young or old; wealthy or a student. We want everyone to find their favourite garment in our store,“ explains Brümmer.

DINGS Zollstraße 12 8005 Zurich/Switzerland T 0041.44.2712007 www.dings.ch newsletter@dings.ch Owners: Hans-Peter Endras, Roland Brümmer Opening: 1993 Retail space: 70 sqm Staff: 2 full-time and 3 part-time employees Womenswear: 81 Hours, Alternative, Ambre Babzoe, Armor Lux, Barbour, Bellerose, By Malene Birger, Camilla Norrback, Custommade, Farmers Market, Ganni, Gloverall, Kraftsoft Vestergaard, Lia-ne, Loft, Lise Sandahl, Minimum, Olga de Polga, Rützou, Sessún, Second Female, Sita Murt, Stine Goya, Stella Forrest, Suit, Toujours Toi, Twist & Tango, Velour, Wesc, Wood Wood Shoes: Armani, Ambre Babzoe, Buttero, Dr. Scholl, Frye, Ganni, Gardenia, H by Hudson, Holy Moly, Ilse Jacobsen, Kandahar Celebrity, Kraftsoft Vestergaard, Magellan & Mulloy, Shoebiz, Tretorn, Vagabond Accessories: Abro, Black Lily, Becksöndergaard, Dixie, Drakes of London, Epice, Fjällräven, Freitag, Grevi, Lise Sandahl, Lisbeth Dahl, Melograno, Super Sunglasses, Toujours Toi, Uslu Airlines

coming soon ... www.ucm-verlag.at/app

one last thing_stephan Huber

Great Potential

Why children have suddenly become so important as a target group and what this has to do with globalisation, the new middle class and the fear of the precariat.

I

‘m always rather annoyed when journalists or people of actual or perceived public interest broach the issue of parenting, trying to entertain the general public happy with general tips, cookie recipes or columns from real life.However, the fact that the need to communicate about your own children has increased exponentially in recent years says a lot, particularly about the society we live in and the profound change that this society is undergoing. This is, of course, a very pragmatic effect of the digital revolution and the rise of sites like Facebook and Twitter.In the past, it was impossible to “entertain” the entire world with the burps of your child in real time. This pleasure rather transcends classes.

The rising trend of pretty much anything that is dear and even expensive 122 for children can be traced back to other factors.Children‘s fashion definitely benefits from this trend, but so does furniture, travel, food, etc., and really just about any consumer good or service that tailors to kids or their parents in some way.

1.

In the so-called A-tier, children are now becoming a rare commodity. And the rarer, the more valuable... even if this transition in market economy law sounds cynical. But it‘s easier for those who don‘t have to split up their budgets two or three ways to pull out all the stops.

2.

And once again – distinction, whether it‘s conscious or not. From a certain age children have a rather open life. Day-care, school, sports clubs... and everywhere the child is an ambassadorof the family. Moreover (again, it sounds cynical, but is in no way meant to be), in times of

greater gaps in society, a downward shift in the boundary is important for any civic-liberal tolerance. The fact that H&M appeals to more than one class has lead to the brand loosing its cool factor.

3.

Sustainability, quality awareness and a new, more aware consumer culture. To put it boldly, „Should my child wear or play with something that was manufactured by other children?“It‘s a condensed way of putting it, I know. But this topic couldn‘t never be covered in ten pages.

4.

Global uncertainty and the need for closeness: Ideologically motivated commentators like to bash this development as a trend in which the rich long to return to the good old days. Anyone who, without a sense of mission, wants to understand why holidays on a farm, classic board games or nostalgic children‘s furniture are no longer seen as whitebread, can quickly find a logical explanation. It‘s the perfectly logical backslash after years of “faster-better-more” globalisation. It‘s the need for security and understanding in a world that is increasingly less understood DESPITE the Internet, Wikileaks and Global Village (my goodness, THAT is such an „outdated“ term).

Many thanks to everyone who accompanied me along this small excursion and are now asking „And what is it that the Editor-in-Chief wants to tell us?“In the context of a magazine like x-ray the following:. We are living in a consumer society. The children of today are the consumers of tomorrow. And raising these children to become conscious consumers who ask questions and search for answers… that‘s a very significant part of individual and overall social parenting.

flag Editor, Publisher and Owner B2B Media GmbH & Co KG A-5081 Salzburg-Anif Management Stephan Huber, Nicolaus Zott Verlagsbüro Salzburg-Anif Salzweg 17, A-5081 Salzburg-Anif T. +43-6246-89 79 99 F. +43-6246-89 79 89 office@ucm-verlag.at www.ucm-verlag.at Publisher Stephan Huber (stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at)

Editors-in-Chief Isabel Baier (isabel.baier@ucm-verlag.at) Ina Köhler (ina@ucm-verlag.at) Editor Daniela Angerbauer (daniela.angerbauer@ucm-verlag.at) Publisher‘s Assistants, Distribution Sigrid Staber (sigrid.staber@ucm-verlag.at) Christina Hörbiger (christina.hoerbiger@ucm-verlag.at) Art Director/Grafik Design/Production Christian Görgl (christian.goergl@ucm-verlag.at), Image Editor Anouk Schönemann

(anouk.schoenemann@ucm-verlag.at) Advertising Director Stephan Huber (stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at) Advertising Kay Alexander Plonka (kay.plonka@ucm-verlag.at) Contributing Writers Nicolette Scharpenberg, Kjeld Duits, Micha Rinkus, Maik Richter, Karo Landowski, Petra Engelke, Nicoletta Schaper Photographers Monique Jaques, Ulrike Kirchhof, Stefan Milev, Nadine Elefenbein,

Peter Schaffrath, Ugur Orhanoglu Illustrators 110specialblack, Christoph Rathjen/Menschlabor Styling Sabine Berlipp, Isabel Baier English Editing Laura d‘Elsa English Translations Laura d‘Elsa, Creative Translation Printing Laber Druck/Oberndorf Printing Coordination Manfred Reitenbach Account Info Volksbank Salzburg 105 627, BLZ 45010

_124_U4_anzeige_x111_D.indd 1

28.12.2010 14:14