x-ray en 2.12

Issue 02/2012 . 17th Year . 造 6.90

Is Too Much Enough?

The young art scene in Rio, Barcelona and Miami Build Your Brand Wish and reality in the shoe business Conquering the World New fairs for new markets Check into the High Street Mobile commerce offers new strategies for retailers Cover design by Danny Sangra

PEPE WAS HERE.

pepejeans.com

misssixty.com

Editorial

Less Is More At Berlin's trade fair marathon, it was clearly visible what happens when "too many cooks spoil the broth..." If there are too many recipes and ingredients, visitors won't find the soup as tasty...

B

ut a wide selection is always good ... It's rather impressive how many people came to Berlin to attend the trade fair in the third week of January. And it's fascinating how many different events were on offer. But for your average team of buyers (including journalists), it's practically impossible to attend everything.

When there is no difference between ranges, it doesn't make sense to create new spots, unless they really do have something new to offer. It seems that the buyers here show what they want by the events they chose to attend. In our fashion discussion, we asked those who attended what they thought of Berlin and what impressions they got of the retailers and brands. (page 36) Meanwhile, the caravan of buyers continues to move from city to city. What's relatively new is the phenomenon that even trade fairs are leaving their original homes and getting involved in up-and-coming international markets. Learn more on page 18. Strong brands are important, but not just in the trade fair business – We've presented a few examples of how shoe brands attract attention to their wares. (page 22) And you can find out on page 28 how retailers can hold their own against vertical mass products. Because it's not just the shoe market that's being affected by current portals such as Zalando and Amazon. And when it comes to digital communication, new opportunities are available to the retail trade in the form of local based services, enabling local trade to be supported by the smartphone. Find out how on page 32.

We hope you enjoy this issue. Your xray team

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on the Cover

"I'm not really much in that young streetwear segment anymore."

Danny Sangra

Danny Sangra, aka "The Polymath of Creativity," did us the honour of designing the current x-ray cover. The 31-year-old Londoner began his artistic career at the tender age of eight. Today, he works for music labels such as Virgin Records, designers such as Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu and See

by Chloé, or brands such as Nike, Burton and Gravis. The cover design with the title "Rebel behind the Velvet Rope" was created in close cooperation with Harlan Levey, CEO of Modart magazine and author of our special: "Gotta go to - Black Leather Jackets in the Sun." You can read about Sangra's rebellious tendencies, his fashion range AMS and his passion for hunting Moomins in Finland on page 38.

Thank you Danny for this wonderful cover!

spring-summer 2012 preview

freemantporter.com

content

Content

08 Editorial 14 Right Now

What's the story 18

22

26

28

31

32

35

32

40

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Conquering the World New fairs for new markets Build your Brand Wish and reality in the shoe business How Really Organic Is Organic? A little plain talk here! – Cotton as the bogeyman Let's All Scream! Mass vs. competence The Great News: Storch Heinar Check into the High Street M-Commerce offers new strategies for retailers The Belgian Window Streetwear-pioneers from Gent – ICC Distribution

the talk

36 Is much too much? The Big Berlin Tradeshow Bash 38 "The Polymath of Creativity" An interview with cover artist Danny Sangra 40 On What Planet Are You? Planet Sports' secret of success

fashion

44 Want It! 48 A Girlz Thing Street Fashion report 56 Trend Report Autumn/winter 2012/13

gotta go to

68 Urban Art Gallery Guide The young art scene in Rio, Barcelona and Miami

in store

80 82 84 85 86 88 89

90 One Last Thing. Imprint

48

Retail News Too Many Good Things AFew, Düsseldorf Sartorial Splendour Onfront, Amsterdam Super Small But Oh So Special Vezjun, Amsterdam Old and New Classics with a Charming Creak 1 Store, Amsterdam The New Scene's Living Room Boom, Bochum A Piece of Berlin in the Heart of Oslo Kafé Liebling, Oslo

68

THE ROCK BREAD & BUTTER AIRPORT BERLIN–TEMPELHOF

www.breadandbutter.com

photo by ingo robin

04 – 06 July 2012

energie.it

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

02

New Era New Vice President EMEA

Since the beginning of 2012, Paul Gils has been the new Vice President of the American lifestyle brand New Era. He has worked for brands such as Nike, Reebok and Columbia Sports, and will now be in charge of all marketing, sales and distribution activities for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The goal is to increase the brand‘s growth in these countries. Gils will be reporting back to New Era‘s President Pete Augustine at the global headquarters in Buffalo, NY. www.neweracap.com

03

Diesel A Strong Brand Presence

04

At Berlin Fashion Week, Diesel relied on its strong presence in retail: For the relaunch of the Diesel Female range, the brand presented a sophisticated installation in the atrium of the KaDeWe, as well as in the shop windows. In all 11 windows, garments from the Diesel Spring/ Summer 2012 collection were presented from 11 January. Diesel set up its own brand world in the atrium. In addition, a huge Diesel poster from the current campaign adorned the store‘s façade. The campaign was developed for the relaunch of the female range by Diesel‘s creative team together with the Argentinian agency Santo . Its aim is to focus more on the brand‘s „feminine“ side. www.diesel.com

Tru Blu, the jeans collection that Pepe Jeans launched for the trade show, reduces water consumption by eliminating chemicals from the wash process. Pepe Jeans is already working on its main collection with factories that recycle the water used in the elaborate jeans-making process. The new technology for Tru-Blu combines laser technology with ozone washes. The new collection will be available in stores from May 2012 and consists of six successful styles, such as Kingston and Venus, for men, women and kids. Each style will be available in six different finishes ranging from a dark-used to a bleached look, all achieved without chemicals. www.pepejeans.com

01

G-Star New Campaign Model

G-Star's spring/summer collection 2012 will be introducing the French actress Clémence Poésy as the new face of the brand. Poésy became famous thanks to blockbusters such as Harry Potter, in which she played one of Harry's classmates, and the TV series Gossip Girl. The photos for the new campaign were made together with the photographer and producer Anton Corbijn who took black and white photos in his typical style of the actress against the backdrop of Lisbon. Vincent Gallo, who was in some of the previous campaign's motifs, also features in this campaign. www.g-star.com

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Pepe Jeans less water

right now

05

06

Incase Capsule Collection with Shepard Fairey

Lois Relaunch of a Classic

Return of the Spanish Brand Lois: Back in February 2011, the global general licence (with the exception of Spain, France and Canada) was granted to Eindhoven-based Michiel de Ruyter BV. Before buying the licence, Commercial Director Michael Blankenstein worked for Diesel for 14 years and after that for the VP Group. Now the brand is presenting itself at Bread & Butter with new European distribution partners: Countries such as Finland, Norway, Sweden, Portugal and the Benelux countries already have distribution companies and in England the Egomark agency is responsible for distribution. Eightball GmbH is now responsible for the brand's distribution for Germany and Austria. In future, the brand will have four collections, each with 60 garments for men and women. The range will be complemented by flash collections. Retail prices for the brand range from 79 to 119 euros. "The first season, we are hoping to provide Lois products to around 40 to 50 trendy customers," says Susanne Imhof of Eightball. Lois was founded in 1962 and is celebrating its five-year anniversary in summer 2012. www.loisdenim.com

Incase, the bag and accessory brand founded in 1997, has a new co-operation with US artist Shepard Fairey. The limited edition, which will appear in spring 2012, is comprised of various bags, iPhone and iPad sleeves with typical Shepard Fairey motifs such as elephants and ornaments. „The artwork used in my collection for Incase mirrors the concept of peace,“ he says. The collection is immediately available in selected concept, lifestyle and fashion stores as well as at Apple stores. www.goincase.com/shepardfairey 07

Chris Sports Europe GmbH Expansion of the Distribution Network

Chris Sports Europe GmbH, which is based in Munich, is expanding its distribution structures in Germany and Austria. The Munich-based sports specialists have commissioned new retail agencies with the distribution of their brands Powderhorn, Bula, Björn Daehlie and Nomis. Since January 2012, these agencies have been overseeing the German states of Hesse, Saarland, RhinelandPalatinate and North Rhine Westphalia. Managing Director Thomas Stumpp is hoping to use these new agencies to achieve Germany-wide distribution. Agentur Dörsam from Weinheim is in charge of Hesse, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate, whilst Agentur Grawunder from Dortmund will in future be in charge of North Rhine Westphalia. In Austria the company has brought a real winter sports specialist on board: Salzburg native Gerry Wingert. "Right from the outset, we had the ideal position in Southern Germany due to our portfolio focussing a lot on winter sports. Unfortunately, it was difficult to serve from Munich German states such as NRW, Lower Saxony and the entire East.

That's why we were looking for support," says Stumpp. In addition to the already mentioned brands, New Balance and Technine have also been added to the portfolio. www.chrissports.eu

08

Tommy Hilfiger Licence Agreement

After signing a worldwide licence agreement with the Tommy Hilfiger Group, the Italian company Ittierre S.p.A. will soon be making Hilfiger's Runway collection. From A/W 2012, Ittierre will make and sell the collections for women and men. Pre-collection garments will be in shops as early as July 2012. The ranges' main target markets are Europe, North America and Asia. "The licence agreement with Ittierre enables us to strengthen our worldwide distribution of sophisticated designer fashion," says Fred Gehring, CEO of the Tommy Hilfiger Group. Ittiere S.p.A. also has partnerships with Karl Lagerfeld, Pierre Balmain and Fiorucci. www.tommy.com

09

Replay Facelift

Innovative manufacturing technologies that reduce water consumption and are more environmentally friendly remain one of Replay's top priorities. At the end of last year, the company introduced an ozone-based refinement process that it developed in-house, as well as new additions to the collection that get their washed vintage appearance with the help of laser technology. The jeans that go through the laser-wash process, as Replay calls it, come in two models: a skinny fit for women and a regular slim fit for men. A limited edition collection will be available in all Replay stores. www.replay.it

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10

Strict Distribution Expansion of the Service Package

The Berlin-based agency for streetwear and high-fashion brands Strict Distribution has expanded and now offers customers a range of services as a general agency or distributor, including sales management, PR and marketing. All brands represented by Strict are provided with professional press relations services by the company's own PR department. In addition to their Friedrichshain headquarters - in a lovingly furnished loft in the second back yard of an old building - the agency also runs showrooms in Hamburg, Stuttgart, Zurich, Munich and Frankfurt. The Managing Director is Mike Kreyssig, who founded Strict Distribution back in 1995. The agency currently represents the brands Twist & Tango, Suit, Fracap, NYPD, Bolongaro Trevor and Brixtol Jackets. www.strict-berlin.de

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Umdasch Shop Academy Worldwide Shop Expedition 2013

The Umdasch Shop Academy started 2012 with an excursion to London to see the largest urban shopping centre in Europe: the recently opened Westfield Stratford City. On 23 February, internationally acclaimed dramatist Christian Mikunda, PhD, guided trend scouts from the German-speaking retail community through the shopping centre. In the evening, the participants were treated to a presentation by Nike's head designer Greg Stobbs at the Umdasch Shop Academy Forum, which was held in the Austrian Embassy in London. The event is part of the Shop Dramaturgy LIVE format, which is performed at regular intervals.

Umdasch's next event will be a worldwide shop expedition from Frankfurt via Miami to the Caribbean (on the Allure of the Seas), then on to Los Angeles, Macao, Hong Kong, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. The trip is scheduled to take place from 5 to 24 April 2013. Two-thirds of the available places have already been booked. Registration forms and the programme for 2012 with up to 80 events in Germany, Austria and Switzerland can be downloaded from: www.umdasch-shop-concept.com

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Floris van Bommel Takes Over Distribution

The Dutch shoe brand Floris van Bommel took charge of German distribution at the end of the last year. Agentur Eightball had helped establish the brand successfully in Germany. "Working with a national distribution agency over the last two years was a great way of establishing the Floris van Bommel brand in Germany," says Sales Director Pepijn van Bommel. "But we've now reached the point at which we believe that a new strategy with direct access to the German market is the best way to move forward." Van Bommel will be assisted by a new export manager for Germany: Patrick Meijers has worked recently as Sales Manager for Adidas and Converse in the Benelux.

He will lead the new German sales team.

The separation has also led to the closing in Berlin's Rochusstrasse of the Floris van Bommel Shop, which was owned and run by the agency. Next year the brand plans to open its own stores in Germany, modelled on the shop in Amsterdam. www.florisvanbommel.de

13

Salsa Plans for Expansion

The Portuguese label Salsa hopes to step up the expansion of its German market presence. To date, the brand is represented in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, the Benelux countries and the Middle East. In Germany Salsa has been distributed by Retailpraxis in Düsseldorf since 2010. Sales Manager Claus Busse takes care of around 120 customers, including retailers such as Chicago in Frankfurt or Leffers in Wilhelmshafen.

"The brand's strengths lie in its great fit," he says. Around 20 cuts, including a push-up fit called the Wonder, provide a wide selection in the denim range. There are five different delivery dates per season.

Innovative washes in every fit offer a wide selection and there is also an NOS range.

Retail prices range from 75 to 150 euros with a 2.5 markup. The company used to work as a producer for brands such as Armani Jeans, Pepe or Gant and established its own label Salsa in 1994. www.salsajeans.com

right now

14

Makia & Etnies Friendship

The Finnish streetwear brand Makia Clothing and the French skate brand Etnies have joined forces. The winter 2012/13 collection will introduce a range of shoes, T-shirts, hoodies and jackets that the two companies created together. Classic, timeless elements with an eye for detail were inspired by old black-and-white photos and raw Nordic nature. The range was shown for the first time in spring 2012 in Germany at the Bright trade show in Berlin and ISPO in Munich. The partnership was duly celebrated with Beatz and Finnish vodka. www.makiaclothing.com, www.etnies.com

16

Cinellistudio First Shop

Last October, the Tuscan down specialist Cinellistudio opened their first shop in the small town of Buggiano where the traditional company also has their head office and makes most of their jackets.

Back to the roots is the motto of Nicola Cinelli, who runs the family business: "We will of course continue to expand internationally, but we're honoured that our products have been so well received in our home town." The opening day was a big success for the company: All of the models on display in the shop had been sold by the evening. www.cinellistudio.it

17

15

Lacoste Fashion for Little People

Lacoste's spring/summer collection 2012 includes a range for infants and toddlers: cotton panties and a soft, ruffled pink polo shirt for girls; white jersey shorts and a short-sleeve, royal-blue polo shirt for boys. Each set comes in a pink or light-blue kids' suitcase with a crocodile cuddly toy. The sets for infants up to one year are all one size. www.lacoste.com

sixxa Babies & Toddlers

The Viennese streetwear label Sixxa is expanding its range to include kids' styles. From now on there will be babygros, jogging bottoms and jackets.. In 2004 Sixxa started printing its own T-shirts and developed into an independent label in 2007. A large part of its materials come from Portugal, France, Italy, England and Austria. All products are made of organic cotton.

"Fair treatment of producers and employees is an essential part of our business. It is one of our goals to work with everyone involved to create optimum products," says designer Katharina Macheiner. Wholesale prices for the kids' collection range from 12 to 15 euros. www.sixxa.com

18

K1x Disarming

The Munich-based basketball lifestyle brand K1X and the NGO initiative Black & Yellow organized a basketball tournament in Sierra Leone called the Disarmament Game. Rival gangs were invited, their members disarmed and mixed into teams. The tournament's success was a tribute to Black & Yellow's and K1X's commitment to combatting gang crime in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Members of each gang picked the players for the four teams with the goal of turning former enemies into team players. www.k1x.com

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ISPO Beijing

Still underdeveloped with regard to the sports market: China has enormous potential for Ispo Beijing.

Novomania

A newcomer with interesting prospects: Novomania is focussing on young target groups and on trendy brands in the mid-market segment that aim to establish themselves in China.

Conquering the World While Europe's markets are running out of steam, other regions are looking increasingly robust.

At the top of the list are China, Russia and Turkey, where a surprising number of German trade fair companies have set their sights on reaching new groups of consumers.

Text Ina Köhler Photos trade fair organisers

F

or a long time now the Asian market has attracted European trade fair companies – and China has been particularly appealing with its growing middle class and vast consumer potential. The generation born after 1980 alone consists of over half a billion people and there are plans to build more than 180 shopping malls in China during the next five years, with nearly half of these projects slated for completion within the next three years.

The first trade fair organiser to venture into China was Messe Frankfurt, which used its Hong Kong subsidiary to successfully establish the apparel sourcing trade fair Interstoff Asia Essentials. However, manufacturers are not the only ones interested in China. The country is particularly important for brands because the local market has barely been tapped.

CPM

Focussing on the Russian market: the CPM is the meeting place for Russian buyers.

Chic

The CHIC is the fashion fair with the longest tradition in China. It was joined by the young spinoff CHIC Young Blood in the autumn of 2011.

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ispo – an Early Pioneer Starting with ispo in 2005, Munich's trade fair company Messe München was also one of the

CONQUERing THE WORLD –– what's the story

early pioneers in Asia, but success was a long time in coming for its ispo trade fair. After two seasons in Shanghai, ispo china, as it was called at the time, moved to Beijing, where it was hoped that the proximity of newly developed ski areas would lead to improved synergy effects. Many brands that tried to gain a foothold early on found that they were not as successful as they had hoped. "But the global sales crisis of 2009 played right into the hands of the market," says Tobias Gröber, Director Business Unit Consumer Goods Messe München. "The Chinese market picked up speed and was able to balance out flagging sales in Europe. This made the market interesting again." The same conclusion was reached by a study of the outdoor and sports fashions market conducted by ispo in collaboration with the China National Commercial Information Centre. Following two years of stagnation, growth picked up again in 2010, with sales of outdoor and sports fashion articles increasing by 30 per cent. Six out of ten outdoor brands are international firms like Columbia, The North Face, Converse, Ecco and Jack Wolfskin, but Chinese brands like TNF, Toread and Ozark also play an increasingly important role in the market.

Chinese companies are highly active and don‘t wait for competition from the West to pave the way forward. "There are a lot of very good brands that are highly professional," says Gröber. "Many people unfortunately believe in the old stereotype that Chinese companies only copy people's products," he contends. "That changed a long time ago."

Chinese consumers have also become more discerning and want original products. Prices in China are at the same level or, in some cases, even higher than in Europe. The Chinese market has enormous potential for certain sports brands like Adidas and Nike. For instance, Nike has over 7,000 stores in the

country. As Charlie Denson, President of the subsidiary Nike Inc., told the China Daily in October 2011: "I think China is more important than any place else in the world." Nike intends to make massive investments and double its turnover of roughly 2 billion euros in the country by 2015.

The economic upswing has also been felt by ISPO BEIJING, which has approximately 300 exhibitors. "New sports activities like outdoor, trail running and action sports are becoming increasingly popular in China," says Gröber.

This is also reflected in the wider selection of clothing. In the spring of 2012, the fair will feature an action sports segment for the first time with exhibitors like Burton that were involved in the market early on and are now redoubling their efforts as the core segment becomes more interesting. Bogner will also be exhibiting there with a large fashion sports booth designed to appeal to an entirely new clientele.

The focus of the fair has shifted from marketing retail space to bringing the right partners together. Since the expansion into the new markets is taking place primarily in the cities where it‘s driven by department stores, monobrand stores and specialty shops, it's important for the brands to find the right business partners.

"At ISPO we've developed a matchmaking system, which brings together partners according to certain criteria," says Gröber. This service is subject to a fee just like the booth spaces.

"The purpose of a trade fair has changed," he explains. "It's no longer just about the three or four days in the season when everyone meets. Now we have a job to do 365 days a year." Presentations and seminars support the regular daily programme of events during the fair. Gröber is a firm believer in the enduring importance of such exhibitions: "Ten years from now, there will still be trade fairs," he says. In his opinion, personal contacts can't be replaced by a digital network.

ISPO Beijing

"New sports activities like outdoor, trail running and action sports are becoming increasingly popular in China." Tobias Gröber, Messe München

Since 2005.

Approximately 300 exhibitors, including Deuter, Five Ten, Lowa, Salomon, Vaude, X-Bionic, Bogner and Burton.

Segments include Action sports, sportswear, sports styles. 22-25 February 2012 in Beijing. www.ispochina.com

Novomania

Approx. 25,000 square metres on the former Expo grounds. About 200 exhibitors and roughly 20,000 visitors are expected.

Segments include contemporary wear, denim, fashion & chic, shoes & accessories, sports & street, real estate.

Featured brands include Custo, Wrangler, Lee, Replay, G-Star, OVS, Mango and Superdry.

7-9 March 2012 in Shanghai www.novo-mania.com www.novomania.com.cn

"It's important to bring together the right people to develop projects."

Markus Capone and Uwe Scherer, Novomania

Newcomer in Shanghai Although it's only been held twice, Novomania appears to have struck a chord in the rapidly growing youth market. This coming season, it will expand to cover 25,000 square metres of exhibition space when it moves to the impressive former Expo grounds in Shanghai. In March 2011 Novomania attracted some 11,000 trade visitors and this figure is expected to soar to about 20,000 at the next event. However, what is more important than these sheer numbers is the calibre of the visitors, according to Uwe Scherer, who represents Novomania in Europe. He says that the organisers have invested a great deal in the area of guest management. "It's important to bring together the right people to develop projects. Novomania is the ideal place for this. In Asia you don't have as many of the typical buyers whom we're familiar with in Europe, but rather developers from the malls."

The event is divided into the following five segments: denim, fashion & chic, shoes & accessoires, sports & street and real estate. This last segment is a unique innovation for the

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what's the story –– CONQUERing THE WORLD

Chic

is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

110,000 square metres of exhibition space.

1,000 exhibitors, including brands like Desigual, Byblos, Gerry Weber and Kapalua.

26-29 March 2012 in Beijing. www.chiconline.com.cn

trade fair scene, offering a meeting place where real estate developers can present their projects for Chinese cities and establish direct contacts with potential franchise holders and distributors. „The large real estate companies have a central platform here right at the heart of the event,“ says Scherer.

Brands can stage their fashion shows three times a day at the centrally located Fashion House. Novomania also includes seminars, presentations and a party. „There is a pressing need for information,“ according to Scherer. „We‘re bringing international brands to Asia.“ Nevertheless, doing business is only one aspect – the design of the fair comes from Europe, and the music management, opening party, catering and visitor guidance system have a standardised, international character. „It‘s important that the fair reflects the flair of the target group,“ says Scherer. Especially in the newly developed malls, the brands should be able to find the right setting. The Novomania Group also plans to launch a new multilabel concept as a pilot project in September. „We want to dedicate ourselves to a market segment that has not been very strongly developed in China,“ he says.

CHIC with the Most Experience The CHIC (China International Clothing Fair) ranks among the most well-established events in China and is organised by Beijing Fashion Expo Ltd. This year CHIC is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Last September saw the debut of the young spinoff CHIC Young Blood, which serves as a platform for the young trendy market. The new exhibition attracted nearly 100 brands and 17,000 visitors in September 2011, although local brands like The Thing and Holy Moly staged events that appealed not only to trade visitors, but also to end consumers. In September 2012, CHIC Young Blood will enjoy an even stronger presence at a new venue. That‘s something that the traditional CHIC, which relies on strong

20 ––

foreign participation, no longer really needs.

The German pavilion is booked up, according to Margit Jandali, who represents the CHIC in Europe. Chinese purchasing patterns are very promising, she says, adding that the Chinese are developing brand awareness. „Chinese brands, which have an excellent profile, are currently still busy with their own market.

Nonetheless, they may still have something in store for us in Europe,“ she predicts. The German pavilion, which is organised by Messe Düsseldorf, is not the only Western presence.

Italy and France have been participating for several of seasons, and the US and Japan will be making their debut at the upcoming fair. „The CHIC has continuously developed over the past years to become an established event in Asia,“ she says. After luxury brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace and Burberry have successfully established themselves in the Chinese market, things will become more exciting for the mid-market segment. Vertical companies like Topshop, H&M, Zara and Uniqulo are major players in the market along with the Bestseller Group, which has 4,000 stores in China alone.

"The Chic has continuously developed over the past years to become an established event in Asia."

Margit Jandali

who are looking to sell individual products, but rather the focus is increasingly on partnerships.“ Kasch adds: „An increasing number of firms that show their collections at the CPM use this event purely for ordering,“ he says. „Many of these exhibitors are interested in familiarising trade visitors with their store concepts, franchise offers and shop-in-shop systems.“ This prompted the CPM to create its own concept for the event: In February it will present the CPM Store Concept, where the brands can show what a shop with their products could subsequently look like.

This appears to be the trade fair concept of the future in all emerging markets. x

Presence in Russia In addition to the Chinese market, both the Turkish and the Russian market offer exciting opportunities for brands. The Igedo Company is active in both countries, although the event in Istanbul is surpassed by the exhibition in Moscow, which has become well established over the years. „The market has become increasingly consolidated,“ says Mirjam Dietz, Executive Fashion Director Igedo. The denim sector in particular has become even bigger in Moscow: Diesel, Wrangler, Lee, Kaporal, M.O.D, Silver and Camper are all showing their products in the Russian capital. „CPM Fashion & Denim was so well received that many top brands will be exhibiting in February,“ says CPM Product Manager Christian Kasch. New exhibitors include Desigual and US brands Joe‘s Jeans and Robins Jeans. However, it‘s difficult to do business in Moscow without sales and marketing partners, says Dietz, who has worked with her team over the years to forge good connections to Russian agencies that are also present in Germany. „In Russia trade fairs are an essential tool because the agencies otherwise have trouble reaching their customers.“ However, in Moscow there is a pronounced tendency to show not only collections but also complete store concepts: „The Russian market is changing,“ she explains. „It‘s no longer just a matter of individual local retailers

"The market has become increasingly consolidated."

Mirjam Dietz, Executive Fashion Director Igedo

Collection Première Moscow

Organisers reported 17,500 trade visitors in September 2011; 140 German exhibitors alone are expected to attend the event in the spring. The German pavilion presents brands like Bugatti, Falke, Olymp and Roy Robson. The CPM Fashion & Denim segment features brands like Desigual, Lee, Wrangler, Diesel, Timezone, M.O.D. and Kaporal.

28 Feb. to 2 March 2012 www.cpm-moscow.com

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Build your brand –– what's the story

Build your brand Shoe brands go to a lot of effort to give their brand its very own lifestyle. But in the retail trade, things often look quite different – long, monotonous rows of shoes in brown and black, sorted by size. How can a brand represent more of a lifestyle?

Text Ina Köhler Photos Floris van Bommel, Kangaroos, Converse, Camper

T

here are many strategies to make a brand more well-known: Converse sponsors music festivals and artists, Floris van Bommel fashions his own image as a brand, Camper has a sail boat built for the toughest regatta in the world, and Kangaroos present their products all around the sneakers scene. Shoe brands in particular have to try very hard to

give a product a lifestyle. All too often, the message falls on deaf ears, especially if the shoe is positioned alongside a lot of "me too" products. Do shoe brands still have a harder time emotionally charging their product than textile brands? Here x-ray presents some different brands and their strategies each with a individual approach to branding.

"It was important for us to give it a face with which the customer can identify." Roland Hoffmann on Floris van Bommel

Brand owner

02

01-02 Celebrities boost the brand image: Floris van Bommel

and Daniel Brühl in a joint appearance.

A good example of the effect of the "person as brand" phenomenon is Floris van Bommel.

Originally, the Dutch shoe brand Van Bommel had an image problem in Germany: It was only known by a few customers and end consumers. However, in the Netherlands Van Bommel is a long-standing company that is very popular with consumers as a highquality brand. In Germany, the high-quality market is notoriously competitive; therefore it didn't make much sense for Van Bommel to rely on the same marketing strategies.

They saw potential for the newly created line in the young brand segment. "We asked ourselves how we could position the brand," says Roland Hoffmann, PR consultant of Van Bommel in Germany. "It was important for us to give it a face with which the customer can identify. Without Floris the brand wouldn't have been as successful." It's lucky then that Floris van Bommel, member of the family of owners and designers, is the embodiment of rebellion and unconventionality. He loves rock'n'roll and football – interests that are not only a great fit with a classic shoe brand, but also attract a young target audience. So the Floris van Bommel range also had to feature younger products: Their sneakers and classic designs have coloured soles, bright rubber inserts or colourful laces to give them that special twist. However, trade fair stands and a good product are not always enough to get through to the end consumer.

The brand's solution was to work with celebrities. Together with footballer Philipp Lahm and actor Daniel Brühl, the brand launched charity projects in aid of the German AIDS Foundation, soon attracting attention to the brand itself. There were many media reports on Floris van Bommel that mentioned the story of the brand and the person behind it. "The cooperation with Daniel Brühl and Philipp Lahm was a stroke of luck," says Roland Hoffmann. "Both of them are very well-known and have a very likeable and individual image." Hoffmann believes that it's easier for shoe brands to emotionally charge their brand than it is for fashion brands.

"The shoe market is still as highly branded as the fashion market, where there is much more brand power. But you need far fewer methods to attract attention to your brand."

At the same time, the shoe retail trade has much less understanding about the importance of the lifestyle factor for sales. Here the product has to speak for itself or be presented in their own stores.

Placing Everything on One Card The Majorcan brand Camper also uses its own stores as an important communication medium. Designers such as Jaime Hayon feature highly visual messages. In addition, the brand has been making a name for itself for many years through collaborations with various designers. The special thing about this

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is that it isn‘t just fashion designers such as Bernhard Willhelm or Veronique Branquinho who have designed shoes for the company. Architects and industrial designers such as Alfredo Häberli, Jaime Hayon or Hella Jongerius – absolute stars in the design scene – have also created their own shoe models for Camper, as part of the Camper Together project. Furthermore, Camper operates design hotels and restaurants in Barcelona and Berlin.

For 2011 and 2012, the company embarked on a new adventure. In October 2011, Camper set sail in its own boat on the world‘s longest sailing regatta, the Volvo Ocean Race.

They raced in the signature colour of Camper red, created by the British designer Mark Farrow. Because it‘s not the brand‘s usual style of communication; why do this event?

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"Of course, this was a big chance for us. It opens many doors for us in terms of communication and new products." Dalia Saliamonas, Camper

Everything in striking Camper red: boat, shoes, sunglasses and sailing clothes.

The world's toughest sailing regatta and Camper is right there amongst the action: The shoe manufacturer is sponsoring their own team.

„Camper has supported various sailing events in the past such as the Copa del Rei or the America‘s Cup. We have a great deal of experience in this field,“ explains Dahlia Saliamonas, communication director of Camper Volvo Ocean Race. „We saw the opportunity to participate in a truly global undertaking, one of the most famous races in the world. Of course, this was a big chance for us. It opens many doors for us in terms of communication and new products.“ Together with the British manufacturer Musto, sailing jackets were developed, and shoes were created in close cooperation with the sailing team, who wore them in public view. Additional products such as polo shirts and sunglasses were also created by the design department. „It‘s important that we don‘t act as a sponsor.

Topics such as design and performance really affect both ourselves and the product.

We redeveloped the shoes,“ she says. These shoes are also sold in retail stores in order to establish the connection between the brand and the end consumer.

Would the product have been possible without the personal involvement of the owner Lorenzo Fluxa? „Probably not,“ admits Saliamonas. „Lorenzo has been an avid sailor since childhood. For a Majorcan, the sea is an important element. We are surrounded by sea and many people grow up with sailing.

Lorenzo Fluxa‘s grandfather had his shoes shipped to the mainland in London.“ To what extent does the big project influ-

Build your brand –– what's the story

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the POS. After all, 70 per cent of all purchase decisions are still made here,“ says Greb.

Product Is The Image

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ence the company? Will Oxley, team member of the Camper crew, sums it up: „Sailing is a team sport. Everyone is dependent on everyone else – this is something that a team can also apply to its internal structure.“ The regatta plays a key role for brand recognition as it is covered by a lot of the global media outlets. The retail trade didn‘t just launch the sailing collection; in the Camper shops there are also small models of the boat. The actual boat set sail in Autumn 2011 from Alicante. In July 2012 they hope it will win the world‘s toughest regatta after sailing round the world and arriving in Europe.

A Musical Launch For Sören Greb, Marketing Manager of All Star D.A.C.H. GmbH, a clear focus is the most important consideration when brand building for his brand Converse. „The emotional power of a shoe brand, as well as its products, is absolutely vital,“ he says. „A sneaker is currently an integral part of various fashion worlds, and emotionally completes the respective fashion outfit by enabling the wearer to really stand out from the crowd.

Some people even go so far as to say that the remaining outfit should be based on the shoes in order to achieve the desired personal look.“ Credibility is the key factor. „It is important for us that our consumers associate us with terms such as independent, rebellious, and creative.“ And, of course, it also helps that not only athletes, but also

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Converse concentrates on a young target group.

Creativity in the product: Kangaroos focuses on innovation with its design competitions.

Cooperation with cult stores: Patta Amsterdam and Kangaroos are joining forces to supply shoes to the most exclusive stores in the world.

music celebrities such as the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and Blondie have worn Converse shoes. „Since the origins of rock‘n‘roll, the Converse brand has been indelibly associated with music and its artists,“ says Greb.

Their marketing strategies in German-speaking countries also focus on music. Converse specifically aims to become the outfitter for artists and bands. They also support the Hurricane music festival. „It‘s important for us to not only be present with logos, but to offer all Converse fans a special experience at a festival,“ he explains. „As a Hurricane sponsor, our stand builds a bridge between music, skating and basketball, and we also actively challenge the creativity of our target group. Creative interaction is always very important in our marketing activities.“ For the retail trade, this is an important support. „One the one hand, it enables Converse to sell an already emotionally charged product and, on the other hand, it enables the brand to emotionally shape the shopping experience, which in turn is good for its own brand image,“ he says. Converse supports the brick and mortar businesses with visual merchandisers which produce local stories. „The possibilities range from seasonal window design to complete 360-degree marketing at

For Kangaroos, brand building is so important that in 2010 they even created a special position for this purpose. Bernd Hummel brought Marco Lachner on board as Head of Line & Brand Building, in order to enhance the brand‘s profile. Since 1991, Kangaroos has been part of the Pentland Group. The Pirmasens-based Bernd Hummel GmbH is the world‘s biggest licensee of the brand. First of all, Lachner focused on the product: „We have placed more significance in the commercial line in order to make it more recognisable and create an independent CI in the retail trade. Most shoes were given matching bags,“ he says. In addition, he strengthened the high-quality Roos Red line by presenting hybrid shoe models at the Bread & Butter trade fair. These were boat shoes with the silhouettes of a running shoe. Together with young designers from the Pirmasens shoe college, Lachner launched a design competition. A further ingenious launch was organised together with a distribution employee. He established contact with the cult store Patta in Amsterdam, and the design team worked with them to select models from the archives, modifying them to suit their needs. This is how the brand gave birth to the hiking models K2 and Woodhollow. The shoes are produced in Portugal and distributed globally by Patta to stores such as Colette in Paris, 24 Kilates in Barcelona, Norse in Copenhagen, Dover Street Market and Hideout in London. „Of course, this is a very positive way for the brand to present its image,“ says Lachner. But the team has even more up its sleeves. From 2012, there are plans to produce a few high-quality shoe models in Germany again, near the company headquarters in their own shoe factory.

In addition, the line manager is working on improving the shoe technology. „My goal is to upgrade the brand to a healthy and credible level,“ he says. In the long term, he is planning additional marketing measures for the retail trade and for end consumers. But Lachner readily admits that the classic shoe trade – in comparison to concept stores or skate stores – is not as open to this. „Image building is a very lengthy process and you have to fight on many different fronts.“ x

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How Really Organic Is Organic?

As Stiftung Warentest's last jeans test showed, there are still many unanswered questions concerning sustainability in the fashion industry. Unfortunately, it also showed how serious the effects are if they remain unanswered. This is one more reason to finally answer a question that stands on its own: How really organic is organic cotton? After all, nobody wants to see the bubble burst.

Interview Isabel Faiss Photos Göttin des Glücks, Goodsociety

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he Frankfurt-based CSR and communications consulting company Kern Kommunikation has set itself the goal of providing in-depth sustainability consulting, from the preliminary stage through to vertical retailers, for fashion companies from all sectors and jointly implementing communication strategies. As they demonstrated at the Munich Fabric Start press conference, their full-service package includes a great deal of expertise in the sustainable treatment of materials generated in an environmentally friendly manner. It's one more reason to discuss the actual potential of organic cotton and the real alternatives to white gold with owner Jana Kern.

Organic cotton currently has a squeaky clean image that many people turn to their advantage. Can it live up to its image?

Jana Kern: All rankings and studies in which various fibres are compared with each other show that cotton – whether from organic or conventional farming – is a fibre that has a worse life cycle analysis than many others.

Recycled fibres, for instance, have a much

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higher ranking. Recycled polyester does much better than organic cotton.

That sounds rather contradictory...

JK: But it's not. "The greenest product is the one that already exists." That says it all really.

A life cycle analysis assesses the CO2 consumption, the use of water and energy, the farming area or land required and the ecological and human toxicology impacts of the manufacture of textiles. When I have a chemical or natural fibre that first has to be cultivated or produced, the process chain is naturally much longer than that of a recycled product. It's there that the production of the original product is not included in the calculation. Recycling is more environmentally friendly than starting at the beginning of the chain every time. This is relatively logical because you're effectively reusing rubbish.

Organic cotton ranks higher than conventional cotton because organic farming holds very many advantages and requires a much lower CO2 consumption. But when you study sustainable textiles, cotton is certainly not the most ecological variant. In the "made by"

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environmental benchmark, recycled materials rank much higher, but organic hemp and linen rank even higher than organic cotton.

To make matters worse there's the bad news that the production of organic cotton is well below the 5 per cent mark and it's unrealistic in the long term to try to satisfy global cotton demand with organic cotton. So is recycling the new organic?

JK: Recycling is becoming increasingly important and is from my viewpoint the ideal complement. It also gives designers new possibilities. Eco-cotton's share is currently 0.5 per cent, which is unfortunately indisputable. Although the market is growing – last year by 12 per cent – we're still doing business in a niche market. Organisations such as the Better Cotton Initiative are currently improving conventional farming methods in order to reduce damage to the environment. This can be extremely effective on a large scale.

Most textiles are currently still made of cotton and this is not likely to change any time soon. That's why I don't believe that this is a bubble about to burst. Eco-cotton has triggered a global discussion. Particularly big brands such as H&M, C&A, Nike, Puma and Adidas are the world's biggest buyers of organic cotton. Today, it's much more important for the biggest brands to keep an eye on their entire value chain. This means that companies must once again take responsibility for process steps that they outsourced for many years. It gives lost knowledge back to the companies.

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The makers of the Austrian eco-fashion label Göttin des Glücks visited organic cotton fields in Indian and brought back pictures of a perfect world.

The new eco-fashion label Goodsociety presented jeans made of recycled PET and organic cotton for the first time at the Greenshowroom in Berlin.

Jana Kern heads Agentur Kern Kommunikation with headquarters in Frankfurt.

Cotton as the bogeyman –– what's the story

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to be developed that enable the end product to be recycled and turn a jacket into a jacket again. Incidentally, the idea of using a mechanical procedure to spin milk proteins into fibres is also quite interesting. The fabrics even have antiseptic properties.

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"Recycled polyester does much better than organic cotton."

Jana Kern, Kern Communication

At the same time, the industry is exerting growing pressure on the preliminary stage. Is this really productive?

JK: That is always a problem with this topic. The pressure is incredible and will continue to grow as the demands continue to grow. More and more, there has to be compliance in terms of quality, sustainability, social and environmental aspects at the preliminary stage. In turn, it also profits. A production site, which is certified in accordance with GOTS and SA 8000, will in future profit from this switch.

Is it realistic to supply a complete collection with recycled materials or is the profit only marginal?

JK: Recycled cotton, polyester and wool can be used commercially. But currently recycled materials are primarily made of fabric scraps at the production plant. So there are also limitations here. Procedures now have

It's unfortunate that the general public are rarely able to profit from such innovations.

JK: The eco-fashion labels are faced with a challenge in their pioneering role. They're the pioneers who show what kind of innovations are meanwhile possible. They must make sure they pay attention. And this can only happen with a high level of fashion. I'm very curious to see how trade fair formats such as the Ethical Fashion Show or the Green Showroom here in Berlin will continue to develop and whether they'll succeed in attracting more conventional retailers. The problem of this segment is that there has not yet been a key green trade fair in Berlin. There were too many platforms. This urgently needs to change.

Why isn't eco-fashion part of commercial trade fairs?

JK: There are a few individual brands, but only a few. The question is always whether it's better to use an eco-fashion platform to specifically target customers who are also in search of green products. Or should companies exhibit their products at a trade fair such as Bread & Butter, where the frequency is generally higher, but these companies might get lost in the sea of other brands. One thing's for sure: A buyer who's specifically

searching for eco-fashion is in the wrong place at Bread & Butter.

The publication of the jeans comparison test results by Stiftung Warentest was definitely a hit with the general public. The winner was a pair of jeans from Zara for 26 euros. Brands such as Diesel, Lee, Wrangler and Kuyichi didn't rank very highly because of their unwillingness to provide information. How could this happen?

JK: The industry views this study very critically. You always have to ask how the results really came about. Whoever knows the market also knows that Kuyichi should definitely not have been at the bottom. Stiftung Warentest greatly influences the consumers. A result like this doesn't reflect the reality of the market and does more damage than good to the topic of sustainability in the textile industry. This is sad, particularly regarding the consumers whom Stiftung Warentest primarily addresses. It causes confusion rather than clarification. And clarification is definitely needed for this topic! x ORGANIC COTTON IN COMPARISON

Retail turnover of organic cotton in US dollars 2010 5.6 billion USD 2011 6.2 billion USD 2012 7.4 billion USD 20 per cent growth from 2009 to 2010 The world‘s biggest buyer of organic cotton is H&M, followed by C&A, Nike, the Inditex Group and Adidas. www.kernkommunikation.de

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mass vs. Competenz –– what's the story

Let's All Scream Zalando announced the opening in February 2012 of a permanent outlet in Berlin Kreuzberg that will sell brand fashion marked down by up to 70 per cent. This is the first physical shop the online giant is opening in Berlin and it will probably not be the last. It's high time for some brands to start explaining to their longstanding retail partners why they're participating in this shotgun model.

Text Isabel Faiss Illustration Van Data Photo GlamourSister.com

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ithout any online concept of their own, more and more fashion brands that put a lot of money into expensive image campaigns and back up their dominant retail strategy with selective distribution policy are jumping on the bandwagon. And thanks to companies like Zalando, they can achieve huge sales, even if only in the short term. The losses that their long-standing, reliable brickand-mortar retailers and service-oriented online dealers are making as a consequence are justified behind closed doors by the fact that Zalando is currently the best-paying customer. Here is a customer that doesn't just pick out the bog-standard models from a matching collection it knows will sell well, but writes a cheque for the whole shebang in quantities that other retailers wouldn't even dream of selling in a year. They wouldn‘t or couldn‘t because companies that buy in such large quantities are expected to sell the merchandise with-out markdowns. But not Zalando, where we know things are done differently. People who are familiar with the Samwer brothers' MO know that the company isn't designed to be profitable, and people who are familiar with the laws of fashion retailing know that the numbers won't add up in the long run. In 1999 the website Boo. com showed us how a similar business model could race to bank-rupcy in just 198 days leaving a debt of 130 million dollars in its wake.

But this won't happen to Zalando thanks to experienced investors such as the Tengelmann group.

So why is everyone jumping on this bandwagon? Could the availability of a brand's entire collection be the goal? Is this the distribution department‘s answer to the pessimistic mood among brick-and-mortar retailers?

Whatever it is, it seems to be an answer to the

ubiquitous loss of direction that is not exclusive to online business. Google has become the market compass and shop windows are rare, even online. And the retailers' submissive attitude doesn't give small brands and newcomers much of a chance to prove themselves either. In a sector that is plagued by minimum orders, pressure to sell off stock, price-aggressive competitors in the young fashion market and forever increasing production costs, floodgates like the ones Zalando successfully opened are a relief. Zalando promotes itself as a collecting tank where everything is possible, where positioning isn't important and profiles aren't necessary: a place where product and price are the only things that matter. But business models such as Zalando have also transferred an unpleasant phenomenon from the high streets to the web: the replacement of competence with mass. Competent service-oriented retailers like Frontlineshop don't stand a chance in a price war with Zalando. The only thing they can do is position themselves in a niche.

Zalando is probably the most clever e-commerce business model today. One has to admit that shifting leftover stock from the physical to the virtual shop in order to achieve staggering online sales statistics was nothing short of brilliant. But even more astounding than the desire to ignore the visible risks is what the market is saying about Zalando. Letting the bandwagon pass you by is virtually reckless behaviour.

The ruthless discount policy is justified by the principles of free enterprise and the fact that this area of retail can't be regulated. However, experience with smaller accounts is different and brings us back to a recent hobby-horse: close partnerships with retailers, a discussion we can start but not conduct in public mainly because everything is said off the record. x

At Zalando the problem of remaining stock is pushed into the offline world.

Additional views: "There's nothing wrong with someone starting a good online shop as long as they run it responsibly. E-commerce is as much a business as brick-and-mortar retail. What's unfair though is when a company buys brands to grow quickly and uses the earnings to gain a certain position in the market. A company that wants to grow for the sake of growing and then flogs off merchandise through another channel when things don't work out isn't a suitable partner for us and our brand Superdry for which we're currently creating a market."

Henrik Soller, Komet und Helden

"Many distributors get weak when they think about Zalando. For us retailers, that can actually be an opportunity because Zalando gives brands that didn't do well in shops a second chance. We benefit from that. What we don't particularly like about the business model is the lack of regulation. No one seems to be thinking about the potential consequences. And what happens then? This should be the first question all brands ask." Björn Müller, Dresscode "Zalando has trained their customers to expect return rates around 50 per cent. That's not feasible for a profitable online retailer like us and it distorts the competitive context. Our clear position as a brand and in the defined boardsport niche makes us strong compared to mass online retailers. Competence is key in my opinion. That's why we're pretty laid-back about it all." Sebastian Knebelkamp, Planet Sports

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what's the story –– mass vs. Competenz

"We will remain profitable."

The online shoe retailer Sarenza is the market leader in its home country, France. The company entered the German market in 2010. Valerie Gryson, Country Manager for Germany, explains how the specialist retailer intends to compete with big mail-order companies.

Text Isabel Faiss Photo Sarenza

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"If you want to survive online, you have to find a niche and establish a clear position." Valerie Gryson

ail-order companies are gaining market share from specialist online retailers. What are you doing to survive?

Valerie Gryson: We see ourselves as a trendy shoe specialist and have positioned ourselves in that market segment. We intend to remain a specialist retailer and not take part in predatory pricing with price stunts and discounts that attract the masses. We know that we have to take consumer price sensitivity into account, but I think that consumers are actually looking for more service, more inspiration and more unique products especially when shopping online. They like stores with a select range of products because responding to current themes and trends is considered to be service. If you want to survive online, you have to find a niche and establish a clear position. The German market is a very mature market with experienced consumers. The first thing we did when we decided to enter it was look for brands that fit our business philosophy. The brands we found were mainly German, but there were also new names that mail-order companies don't carry. That's what makes us a competent specialist retailer. We didn't go looking for investors either; our company is still run by the owners. We're profitable and we intend to remain that way.

When money doesn't matter because profitability is secondary, advertising budgets tend to go through the roof.

How do you make sure you're not dwarfed by such giants?

VG: Well, you either take them head on and advertise more, or you hope that they've taught the market how to buy shoes online.

The TV campaigns indirectly help all retailers because they encourage customers to buy shoes online. It makes more sense for us to appear on the main shopping channels and in blogs and print media.

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Do online customers have higher expectations in terms of value for money?

VG: There's a growing target group that isn't looking for the lowest price but for the shopping experience. An online store has to have a personal touch just like a normal store does. We feature unusual shoes, and we give each shoe a tip, which is similar to the advice you'd get in a normal store. The shopping experience has to be inspiring. We work regularly with smaller new brands, and we've helped build up some brands like Anabel Winship. We want to offer customers models they might not dare to try elsewhere.

Leftover stock is always a problem and there are brilliant examples of bad solutions...

VG: The solution starts with the buying. We have good and experienced specialized buyers who ask questions. Selling is also important. You have to buy right, and you have to sell right. Selling right means promoting the right products at the right time. We have about 800,000 pairs of shoes in stock. The logistics have to be perfect as well in order to steer sales in the right direction. That's how you avoid having 100,000 pairs of shoes in stock that never made it onto the website. x

Facts and Figures

Sarenza was founded in France in 2005 and is headquartered in Paris. The company is active in Germany, England, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. In 2010 Sarenza's turnover exceeded 80 million euros and it recorded a growth rate of 75 per cent over the previous year. Stéphane Treppoz is the Managing Director. www.sarenza.de

The great news, Storch Heinar –– what's the story

The Story of the Führer Stork Wit is a powerful weapon. Intelligence is even more powerful. Storch Heinar is a witty and intelligent fashion project. His enemy? The face of right-wing extremism.

Text Kay Alexander Plonka Photo Storch Heinar

WWW –––––––––– www.storchheinar.de www.endstation-rechts.de

parliament, and one of Storch Heinar's fathers.

While drinking red wine together, Brodkorb and others hatched the idea to create a clumsy, fashion-obsessed Führer stork – as a way to lampoon right-wing extremism.

Striking prints on T-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, umbrellas, baby jumpsuits and bags have since poked fun of Nazi culture. The right-wing scene itself provides inspiration for their new motifs. The digital store for Storch Heinar advertises with slogans such as 'Bügelfalten hart wie Kruppstahl' ('ironed-in creases as hard as Krupp steel'), 'kriminelle Inländer' ('criminal natives') or 'Sieg Style.' The typography and graphics of the store frequently refer to Nazi aesthetics. The subjects of satire also provide plenty of publicity for the fashion stork. Thor Steinar sued the Adebar initiative for belittling his products and violating his trademark. The Court of First Instance rejected the accusations and, accompanied by a widespread support from the media, Storch Heinar celebrated the "historic victory of the Nuremberg fashion process" with a World War Loser Winner special collection!

The Führer's Ongoing Propaganda

"All I care about is the radical consumption of all egg nog supplies, and striving to fashionably take over the world!" Storch Heinar

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is hair is rigidly parted to the side, he has a toothbrush moustache, he loves egg nog, and he has an intolerance to frog meat. In 2008, the comic character Storch Heinar was hatched in response to a Rostockbased shop that was mainly selling clothes by the controversial brand Thor Steinar. With its military graphics, the label of the Brandenburg-based Mediatex GmbH rapidly established itself as a trademark of the neo-Nazi scene. 'Endstation Rechts' or 'Last Stop for the Right Wing'. The information portal about Nazis and the NPD parties in the state parliaments of MecklenburgWest Pomerania and Saxony felt it was time for change. "What could be more fitting than creating our own fashion label?" asks Mathias Brodkorb, SPD MP of the Mecklenburg state

Above: One song, two, three, four – thex stork doesn’t just blast music to make the brown mob march properly. Below:With slogans such as „here marches the national cattle herd,“ the collection is constantly expanding.

On Facebook, the anti-Nazi stork is listed as being a registered politician who is in an open relationship with Eva Braunstorch. As a cartoon character the height of a man, he performs for his supporters at propaganda festivals together with his band Storchkraft (Stork Power). The band contest, or as Storch Heinar dubs it, "orchestra contest," Storchkraft Statt NPD (Storch Power instead of Nazis) inspired thousands of youths at the 'Achse Rostock-Leipzig.' In June, a pun-filled book Mein Krampf (My Cramp) was published, featuring tales of the victory against Thor Steinar, the radical consumption of all egg nog supplies, and the strive to fashionably take over the world. In the textile sector, the political feathered friend has acquired support from the pacifist project Front Deutscher Äpfel (The German Apple Front). The unofficial target of the group is the NPD party leader Holger Apfel.

Youths with red apple logo armbands comment on right-wing demonstrations with slogans such as: "What gives strength to German youth? Apple juice! Apple juice!"

All proceeds from these clever political satire campaigns go to anti-Nazi education projects, so that supporters of the brown lifestyle will give up their pathetic weapons once and for all. And the stork continues to clatter its beak! x

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Mcommerce –– what's the story

Check InTo The High Street!

Mobile commerce is supposed to lure consumers away from cyberspace and back into shops.

New strategies give retailers hope.

Text Nicolette Scharpenberg Photos wynsh, Sixty Illustration Andreas Klammt, Breitengrad 53,5°

"G

o shopping? Why would I, when I can shop online?" This is the answer people often hear, when they say they want to go on an old-fashioned shopping spree. Three years ago eCommerce was all the hype, which made brick-and-mortar shops break out in sweat. The tide is now turning again as developments in mobile commerce are bringing consumers right back where retailers want them: the high street.

The ever-growing number of smartphone users, improving internet connectivity and the sinking cost of mobile data transfer are also contributing to the popularity of shopping by mobile phone. According to Germany's Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media, 7.4 million smartphones were sold in Germany in 2010. In 2011 phone sales rose by 31 per cent to 11.8 million. This makes mCommerce, shopping and paying by smartphone, a kind of eCommerce revolution. But just how do you get customers back in the shops?

use their smartphone to order merchandise and have it delivered to their home. The shopping experience consisted of scanning QR codes to order and pay for the items customers wanted to buy. And the cherry on the cake was that you could continue shopping after the shops had closed because the items in the window also had QR codes. eBay opened the temporary shop to promote its mCommerce business. It had already run a similar project in New York where they opened two "Give-A-Toy-Stores" in mid-November. Here, customers could donate money to the Toys-for-Tots campaign by scanning the QR codes on the toys.

Check In, Check Out, Cash In mCommerce revolves around mobile couponing, a kind of digital voucher or discount, which, in contrast to classic vouchers

Window Shopping A good example is an experiment run by the online auction site eBay. At the beginning of December 2011 eBay opened a pop-up store in London that gave window shopping a brand new meaning. Opened at the beginning of the holiday shopping season, eBay's Christmas Boutique enabled customers to

Ebay launched a pop-up store in London, where customers could order merchandise directly from the shop window - all via smartphone.

"We turned the discount paradigm around: Customers decide which products they want a discount for.

It's a way for us to increase the amount and number of items in an average sales transaction."

Sascha R. Rowold, WindoWin GmbH

and discount tokens, has a redemption rate of 10 per cent - considerably higher than for conventional voucher promotions. Most of the services work with location-based services, which use the consumer's GPS location to offer local vouchers. Mobile location-based services are believed to have a huge market potential: According to the British consulting firm Juniper Research, worldwide sales generated by these services will rise to over 12.7 billion dollars by 2014. For Germany, Research and Markets forecast sales of more than 1 billion dollars by 2016. A pioneer in the field is

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what's the story –– Mcommerce

in the Rhine/Ruhr region. The offer has been constantly expanding across the country since March 2011. „Brick-and-mortar retailers have to build a bridge to customers that adds value to web-based consumerism and that‘s exactly what mobile LBS does,“ says Lücke.

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Where Wishes Come True

the Foursquare service, which was founded in 2009 and, according to its own information, has some 15 million users. While Foursquare will continue to focus on their US market, the German counterpart Friendticker, which was launched in the same year, will concentrate on the European market. Both online services are a mixture of game, social network, advice portal and mobile city guide. Retailers can register their shop for free and create promotional and sales actions for customers that check in to the shop. The advantage: Recommendations, information and special promotions are spread across a larger area faster than word-ofmouth advertising and the offers are easy to find on Google. There are many other kinds of discount platforms such as Groupon, Rabees, Qype, Gowalla and the location and event search engine Loxicon. „We‘re used to getting the offline community online. Today it‘s all about getting consumers out of cyberspace and back into shops,“ says Boris Lücke, Managing Director of Gettings GmbH. A subsidiary of E-Plus, mobile marketing provider Gettings GmbH was founded in 2009. The locationbased service was launched in November 2010

links

www.wynsh.com www.sixty.com www.foursquare.com www.friendticker.com www.loxicon.de www.groupon.de www.rabees.com www.gowalla.com www.gettings.de www.mobile-zeitgeist.com

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wynsch, the playful spelling of the German word Wunsch (wish), is a relatively new service that was launched in March 2011. It‘s a kind of discount generator and has already attracted the attention of companies such as Miss Sixty, Energie, Killah, Bally, Replay, S.Oliver and René Lezard. And it‘s fun too because customers get to pick the items they want to have discounted. The app tells them where they can wynsch. In partner stores customers take pictures of the products they‘ve marked as favourites and press a button. The smartphone app then displays a discount produced by a random generator or information about the desired product. The discount has to be redeemed at the POS within a specific time frame. The type of action, the time frames and the product groups can all be changed individually. „wynsh enables us to offer a platform that puts the fun back in shopping, and results in higher sales. The amount and the number of items for an average sales transaction both increase. And it all starts with a customer making a wish,“ explains Sascha Rowold of WindoWin GmbH, the company that launched the service mid-2011 together with founder Marc Schwieger. wynsh turns the discount paradigm around: Customers decide which products they want a discount for. The retailer, whether monobrand or multibrand, can follow and optimize their wynsch campaign in real time via a personalized interface. In addition to the discount roulette customers can play in the shop, retailers can also send personal messages and promotions to their customers‘ smartphones. „Almost 10 per cent of the customers we approached this way returned to the shop and used wynsh again, meaning they took another look at the product range,“ says Rowold.

Not a Rummage Sale In autumn 2011 Sixty Deutschland GmbH took advantage of the free test phase wynsh was offering. „It‘s a playful alternative to a discount sign and a nice way of getting our

01 "There are a lot of discount apps, but many of them have the feel of a rummage sale."

Nico Hoffmeister, Sixty Group

02 "We're used to getting the offline community online. Today it's all about getting consumers out of cyberspace and back into shops."

Boris Lücke, Managing Director of Gettings GmbH

target group to buy,“ says Nico Hoffmeister, Head of Marketing and PR at Sixty. „When customers are standing in line at the POS and can‘t make up their mind, you can always say: ‚wynsh something and maybe you‘ll get a discount.‘ We think it‘s a great way of helping customers make a purchase decision. One of the neat things about it is that it doesn‘t feel like a discount: wynsh makes customers feel like they‘re rewarding themselves. It‘s a great tool for our fashion customers,“ says Hoffmeister. The company tested the app in its shops in Germany and received positive feedback, in particular from the staff. Hoffmeister: „A lot of other companies are now offering these discount apps, but we chose wynsh because we like their fashion environment and it doesn‘t have the feel of a rummage sale. We don‘t want to use discounts to attract customers, but to help them make a purchase decision in a playful and non-intrusive way.“ Miss Sixty has since introduced wynsh for its products in Austria and the Netherlands. A new version of the app will be available in January 2012.

Although this way of shopping may be Greek to many retailers and mobile phone-a-phobes, the number of users and providers is steadily growing. But for this type of mobile-voucher marketing to establish itself, coupons have to become part of people‘s daily shopping routine and easier to use. Only then will this form of advertising be profitable and usable in shops of all sizes. The shopping hunt will go on – offline. Check. x

icc distribution –– what's the story

The Belgian Window Only two objects on Earth can be seen from space with the naked eye: the Great Wall of China, and Belgium – as a small point of light emanating from their illuminated motorways. Small country, big achievement. This was also what we thought when we talked to Jean Peeters, the founder of ICC Distribution in Ghent, and a pioneer when it comes to streetwear.

Text Isabel Faiss Photos ICC Distribution

D

escribing Jean Peeters as an institution might sound superficial; however, he combines so many different facets of the fashion industry that it is almost impossible to stop interjecting with questions once he starts telling his story. Luckily, it's a story that doesn't end with him as an over ambitious hawker who offers his entire repertoire from his jacket pocket. Rather, it ends with him at the offices of ICC Distribution in the introspective city of Ghent, where Peeters and his team first established their presence on the Belgian streetwear scene, and have dominated it ever since.

Jean Peeters (top middle) and his team at ICC Distribution.

The Course of Events Together with a friend, Peeters started the small T-shirt line Artware in 1998. Their main goal was to incorporate prints designed by artist friends onto T-shirts (a ground-breaking idea at the time) and to sell them to select stores. It was not a particularly profitable business, which is why the boys soon began propping it up with proceeds from their hiphop party series Citykingz. It went through the roof. Thanks to acts such as De La Soul, about 1000 guests showed up at the Citykingz events. Through Artware, the boys came into contact with other street wear brands such as Saiko Expeditions, Broke and Iriedaily, for whom he started selling and marketing in Belgium. The network grew. Shortly thereafter, Peeters founded the agency ICC Distribution, initially selling aerosol cans because of his close ties with the graffiti scene. They went on to become Belgium's general importer for the Montana label.

ICC Distribution's breakthrough came after their collaboration with Supremebeing, which at the time was a small underground label from Cambridge. "From then on we started growing continuously as a company. We've brought in some of the best labels to the market, whether as distributors for Boom Bap or as sales agents for Dr. Denim.

Herschel Supply and 667 were recently added to the list," Peeters says. He also counts himself lucky that OriginalEskimo helped to improve his agency portfolio early on. ICC Distribution's office is located in the former textile factory of Eskimo – a traditional Belgian production founded by the De Groote family in 1906. At some point, Peeters approached his landlord, a relative of the De Groote family, and proposed to establish the sub-label OriginalEskimo. Since this time, graphic designer Wies Wydooghe has desi-

gned the collection in-house, and ICC now sells it all over Europe. Their B2B platform www.getstock.eu was recently launched, and retailers can use it to order online. Incidentally, the agency opened a couple of stores in Belgium, but have since moved on. The website Citykingz.com still serves as their webshop platform, offering the entire range of their extensive networks to the end customer. x

ICC Distribution

Jean Peeters 900 Gent/Belgien www.iccdistribution.eu Labels: 667, Boom Bap, Dr. Denim, Herschel Supply, Montana, OriginalEskimo, Supremebeing, Upper Playground

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is much too much?

The Berlin Fashion Week was a week of shows, exhibitions and events, many of which took place in parallel.

Visitors complained about too many events and how they couldn't attend them all. Here's what some exhibitors and visitors had to say about this season's fair.

Text Isabel Faiss, Ina Köhler Photos Brands, istockphoto.com

"T

hings have become confusing for retailers. Three to four days really aren't enough to see everything in Berlin. A lot of the events and shows are held in parallel; I don't care much for this kind of cannibalization. We've reached the point where we have to ask ourselves whether Bread & Butter still meets the goals we set for our brand four or five years ago. Nowadays everything needs to be tested, developments watched and alternatives considered. We never used to think twice about going – it was as clear as day that we'd set up an attractive stand and put on a great show. But this time is different: We'll monitor the frequency and the quality of the visitors and then draw our own conclusions.

I'm not really happy about the way the denim base turned out. Our sports collection doesn't really fit here so we'll be displaying it at Bright and ISPO instead. We decided to show what we can do with denim at Bread & Butter."

Hanjo Argendorf, Bench, Americana Germany "At the beginning in 2003, there were two trade fairs in Berlin: Bread & Butter and Premium. They complemented each other very well because they covered different core segments. Premium works mainly with agencies and sales agents. Bread & Butter on the other hand targets companies that want to show their brands to an international audience.

The difference between the two platforms was pretty obvious. In 2007 IMG introduced the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and organized fashion shows mainly with young design-

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ers – an interesting addition. A few special segments are also developing, such as the Green Showroom and Bright, which moved to Berlin. Berlin is like a magnet. Every year the city attracts new events that offer a platform for brands that could also exhibit at established trade fairs. There's a fashion gold rush on the city. It'll be interesting to see how organisers sell the events to brands and buyers. How will buyers decide which events they should go to? The events don't reflect the real market segments, and you have to be careful not to spread them out all across the city – Berlin is not a small town.

Looking at it from a retailer's perspective, trade fairs enable buyers to see and compare as many collections in as little time as possible. You can discover new things, try out proven concepts, meet with suppliers and exchange ideas with peers. That's why they should take place early in the season.

Orders shouldn't be placed for the main collections at trade fairs. The agents' and brands' showrooms are important for that very reason. They're the only place where buyers can place their orders in peace and quiet.

In the meantime a kind of caravan has developed: It travels from Berlin to Düsseldorf and on to the different order platforms in Munich; then it makes its way to the trade fairs in Florence, Paris, Milan and Copenhagen.

Everything's hustle and bustle. But there's a lot of talking and very little serious work; it's somewhat a waste of time and money really.

As a retailer, I'd like to spend more quality time in the showrooms of the brands I'm interested in selling. But frequently my agents are at some national or international trade fair or order event because it's fun and

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03 01 Norbert Loew (left), 02 Hanjo Argendorf (right), 03 Karl-Heinz Müller

fashion discourse –– the talk

someone might drop in. If I want to meet with them, I have to go to them or wait until the buying season's over. The brands need to structure their sales machine better. Many orders are placed by accident, which means that every shop carries a bit of everything. In consequence, various brands are underrepresented on the market. A lot of potential is wasted. The sales departments have some catching up to do.

Karl-Heinz Müller, President Bread & Butter "A lot of important meetings take place in our K1X showrooms before and during Bread & Butter, but the trade fair enables us to discuss with our regular customers things like SMUs, quickstrikes or their final selection. Its quality isn't only determined by the exhibiting brands, the regular and potential customers play a role too. And as far as I could tell, January's Bread & Butter attracted a lot of people. We also want to expand into other countries, which makes a trade fair the perfect place to meet with our international contacts."

Philip Buchholz, Vice President of Sales K1X

ter combines business and entertainment.

Of course the visitors are challenged by the number of trade fairs. But it's like a good department store, isn't it? There's a huge and great selection customers can choose from.

How much better can it get? And as an aside: Bread & Butter is and always has been the crown jewel of all trade fairs in Berlin.

High Fidelity – the motto of the last show – comes from the Latin for loyalty, fidelitas.

We'll always be loyal to BBB." Conny Stöckl, Marketing Manager Lacoste Footwear "If I were a buyer, spending so much time travelling through the city from one event to another would drive me nuts. Our retailers come to Bread & Butter, some go to Bright and some go to Premium. Some went to the best-seller event, but almost everyone focussed on these three main shows. Streetstyle buyers find all of the relevant brands at these shows. I don't think having a lot of platforms helps structure retail at all."

Norbert Loew, Bench, Americana Germany

"I think the Berlin Fashion Week was a lot of hot air. As usual, the sector put its best foot forward, even in the face of the financial crisis.

There was a lot of hype and everyone seems to have done well except the retailers and the suppliers who got left behind. I think the market is frozen, although there is more selection these days. Many retailers complain about how spread out the events and the shows are, but I see that as a positive development. All of the shops look the same these days. Everyone orders what everyone else orders; no one dares to do their own thing anymore. Flocking to the same trade fairs won't solve that problem.

The more events come to Berlin and the more alternatives there are to the big commercial fairs, the more variety and individualism there will be. And that's what we need. Small, innovative brands don't stand out at big trade fairs.

Formats like Capsule that focus on one theme add diversity and create new opportunities for retail."

Philippe Nowotny, Importer and retailer

"Berlin is always worth a trip. New fashion districts always seem to be in the making. Torstrasse is one of them and the developments there are certainly interesting. I didn't see anything particularly innovative or inspiring during my stay in Berlin, at least not in terms of fabric retailers. The hospitality and art scenes always surprise me, as well as the creativity that Berlin brings out in people. A lot of the stuff that happens here is unthinkable in other German cities because of the laws.

Berlin's a real pioneer and all I can say is: More of the same; other cities should follow its example. I wish retailers would be more daring. Berlin was always a fashion and concept pioneer and retailers should use its typical madness and aggressiveness to their advantage because that's what distinguishes it from other big German cities. Still I think all of the trade fair organizers and Berlin Fashion Week should be congratulated for a job well done – it‘s great to see how Berlin has developed into a fashion city."

Thomas Wirth, Managing Director Replay

"For Lacoste Footwear Bread & Butter is the most important trade fair in Berlin and is still our preferred presentation and communication platform. Most of our customers will already have seen and ordered the new collection. No one places an order at this kind of event; it doesn't make sense. Bread & But-

"Of course the retailers are stressed. But not too long ago, everyone was complaining that there was no central fashion platform in Germany. People used to complain that Cologne and Düsseldorf were so far apart, something a lot of us never understood. The regional events have clearly improved our trade fair

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08 04 Philip Buchholz, 05 Philippe Nowotny, 06 Conny Stöckl, 07 Thomas Wirth, 08 Frank Götz

landscape. This trade fair is really important for us. The buyers' calendars are so full, and there's no way they can piece together bits of information they pick up in showrooms. Viewing appointments are usually made in the second phase when a new customer shows a particular interest. They also remove the barriers of dealing with a new product. A lot of buyers don't make appointments though because they feel obliged to place an order.

That's the wrong attitude because it damages diversity throughout the sector. A trade fair is the best way of getting around all these issues."

Frank Götz, Firetrap

–– 37

01

The Polymath of Creativity He became an artist at the age of eight. Danny Sangra, now 31, lives in Hackney, the part of London, where in August 2011, the riots did the worst damage. Sangras rebellious streak, though, is mostly limited to the art: art in any form and with any technique. He doesn't want to be told what to do. It's a Sangra Thing. In this interview he talks about his penchant for black leather jackets, his designs for Marc Jacobs and passion for hunting Moomins in Finland.

Text Nicolette Scharpenberg Photos & Illustrations Danny Sangra

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WWW –––––––––– www.dannysangra.com

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Animals and eyes are recurring style elements in Sangra's pictures.

His knit label, AMS (a minute silence), is sold at places like the Dover Street Market in London.

Danny Sangra –– The talk

H

ey Danny, thanks for designing the x-ray cover!

Do you also belong to those rebels wearing black leather jackets?

Danny Sangra: I'd like to think so. Everyone wants to be a rebel, right?

What went through your mind when you created the cover motif?

DS: I wanted it to have attitude and coolness.

I was also probably thinking of grilled cheese sandwiches. I've been craving them recently.

Danny Sangra, why do they call you "the polymath of creativity?"

DS: Ha ha. I don't know who wrote that but it's stuck, and now it gets a mention in my bios.

Whoever first said it about me probably said it because I work in many different areas. My favourite techniques depend on the mood that I'm in, but I do love using brush and ink.

I tend not to use pencil first; I just draw directly with the brush. Drawing is like second nature to me, and I don't have to think too much about it. I love photography and film the most, but there's so much more to learn.

Leather jackets, wolves and eyes frequently appear as subjects in your pictures. What's that all about?

DS: I suppose I like drawing animals, and wolves and rabbits appeal to me. Maybe eyes are a feature of my work because I constantly feel on view. The leather jacket idea came from something I wrote whilst living in Paris a few years ago. The story was called "Leather Heroes, Velvet Villains." I drew the phrase in my sketchbook. When Harlan showed me the art and gallery guides from Rio, Miami and Barcelona, I immediately had to think about this subject and found it very suitable for the cover. There's a work with that original drawing in my hallway.

04

bels, it was Katie Hillier who first asked me to do some print work for Marc by Marc. My friends who work for certain fashion houses like to work with me I guess. Also, I work fast and produce a lot in a short period of time.

I'm a good person to have before a deadline.

For Miu Miu, I made an online fashion film that was produced by Glass Magazine. I'm a big fan of Miu Miu and that was my favourite collection, so I was very happy to do it.

And what about streetwear?

DS: I'm not really much of a streetwear type anymore. I think it's because I did so much of it when I was younger.

You also run your own fashion label called AMS (a minute silence). In contrast to the name of the label, it's a very colourful knitwear collection. What prompted you to start it?

DS: AMS was created with my friend Lynnda Needles after I left college. She's an amazing knitwear designer. However, we didn't have the money to start a label at that point so we waited until we could do it right. Our first collection was handmade and sold at Dover Street Market.

Now we only make specific garments, so AMS is really project dependent. At the moment, we've just released a knitted dress, called "The Polly Dress from AMS." Basically, it gives us the chance to do whatever we want without any-one telling us what to do. We can make videos, paintings, random bits - whatever. It's ours!

Art and fashion are closing ranks. Today, the fashions at gallery vernissages often surpass the works on display.

How do you assess this development?

DS: That's how this collapsing of artistic categories developed, and the people that go to galleries know this. When people lose their connection to art, they find their own way of getting it back. Something new has to be created.

Who inspires you?

DS: Many people. As far as my work goes, William Klein is a big inspiration. He was a painter who picked up a camera and used it in his own way. He did the same thing with film. His work makes me feel like it's okay for me to do anything that I want to in my own way.

You've worked for high fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu, and many more. What did you do and how did these projects emerge?

DS: They came about through people that I know and who knew of my work. My early work was mainly print design. With those la-

"I'm not really much of a streetwear type anymore", Danny Sangra

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04 Organic and geometric forms and prints are common elements in Sagra's artwork.

05 Sangra has worked for fashion designers such as Miu, Miu and Marc Jacobs.

Art and fashion enthusiasts seem to go together. Why? DS: It's all creativity. Only those who can't do it need to put a label on it. If I want to make an image or a sculpture or whatever, then I find the materials that I need and make it. I don't think "well that's not art if I want to make a dress." A lot of fashion is sculpture. The lines are illustrative, painted and crafted. There's also a lot of fashion going on in art, so it works both ways.

What comes next?

DS: We're developing another project for AMS, and I'm working on some new exhibition pieces.

There are also two short films that I'm currently making, including a documentary about a new gallery. But right now, I'm about to catch my flight to Finland. I'm going Moomin hunting!

Thank you Danny! x

–– 39

01

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Planet Sports has built up its own in-house surf, snow and skate pro team that is filled with prominent names.

Up until now there has been no private brand, but the subject is "at a certain poin talmost logical," says Sebastian Knebelkamp.

Above is team rider Marko Grilc in a Planet Sports T-shirt.

T

What Planet Are You On? ...is the question that simply has to be asked when looking at the statistics of Planet Sports from the 2011 fiscal year alone. A success story as if the crisis never happened. Internationalisation, planned store openings, sales volume increases by over 80 per cent, a new investor, a new logo, new recruitment for the team. What is it that these folks have done so damn well?

Text Isabel Faiss Photos Planet Sports

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he Carlyle Group took over six niche providers from the Primondo portfolio in 2010. In addition to ecommerce retailers, one of these was Planet Sports. How was the decision made to sell the company to investors?

Sebastian Knebelkamp, Head of Marketing: The Carlyle Group took over several speciality shippers from the former Primondo Group, which now operates under the name Puccini Group. The Puccini Group manages us and other online retailers. We're glad to have a strong partner at our side supporting us in all matters. We're also happy we have the experience from our holding to fall back on, especially when it comes to internationalising the Planet Sports label.

Oliver Garnier, Head of Retail: For us it makes sense to be able to see each other eye-to-eye and to take advantage of synergies. We're thankful to have someone with experience in the same group. Experience has enormous benefits, precisely when it comes to business abroad. We want to move full speed ahead and, above all, aim for healthy growth. An investor like the Puccini Group is ideal for this objective, because it gives us other possibilities entirely. The first step for us is to tap into the major cities in Germany, and there are a few: Cologne, Stuttgart, Berlin. At the same time, however, we're already on the look-out for destinations abroad for the coming years.

Which foreign markets are of particular interest?

OG: France and Spain are the markets we're fo-

Planet Sports –– the talk 03

03

The Planet sports team is represented by (above: left to right) Marko Grilc, Steve Gruber, Christoph Weber-Thoresen, David Benedekt, Linus Birkendahl, Ethan Morgen, (below: left to right) Wolle Nyvelt, Christophe Schmidt and Xaver Hoffmann.

cial. People have to make themselves aware, but at the moment most only look at the end result of less-than-pleasing margins in retail, precisely when it comes to the hardware. So many simply push their hardware into the background and then are surprised at the decrease in the overall result. If we knowingly give up a margin of one per cent, but show our expertise through our hardware, I see it as the more successful strategy in the long run because it improves our own image.

cussing on at the moment. Barcelona is a skate Mecca; there's hardly a more well-known and better hotspot for skaters in Europe.

SK: We adopted our retail roll-out as a strategic initiative in 2010 with the clear goal of opening two stores in Germany starting in 2012 and launching one store a year in other European countries starting in 2013.

Planet Sports is the market leader in its segment. At the same time, the young sport segment is currently gaining traction in the online division. How are you dealing with this?

SK: Since its founding in 1993, Planet Sports has represented the segments of board sports and streetwear. The fact that we have now operated in the divisions of snow, skate, surf, and streetwear for 18 years give us the necessary expertise. This is where we get our credibility and authenticity. The large selection of snowboards, surfboards and skateboards underscores our positioning. Our commitment to service also plays a central role. As such, the top priority at Planet Sports is customer service, with the goal of passing our expertise on to the customers and thus enabling them to find the best product.

We see Planet Sports as a label with a clear identity in the snow, skate, surf, and streetwear division. Our day-to-day actions are shaped by this and are anchored well in our value system. This helps protect us from major competitors who have entered into the world of board sports in the course of expanding.

OG: We're authentic. You'll never find a skier

in our store. They can be found at competitors' stores ever since the freeskiing wave hit, but not here. For us, snow means a board, and not any other types of scene-related sports.

SK: We're professionals with expertise in the board sport division. The results of a major survey have confirmed the position of Planet Sports in the divisions of snowboard, skate, surf, and streetwear.

How freely can a label actually develop when the investor has influence over its performance? The fashion trade always entails a certain degree of risk, and it's precisely in this niche that a label has to take chances if it's going to gain anything. How do you create this balance?

SK: Best of all, through our product range. It's very important for us to bring in new labels on a regular basis.

We don't feel any pressure from our investors when it comes to the operating business. As long as we're doing everything right and operating successfully, we have absolute freedom. The past success of annual growth rates, some even more than 100 per cent in the last five years, has given us a comfortable starting point, especially within the overall construct of the Puccini Group.

What is the online-offline ratio?

SK: 80 per cent is online and 20 per cent is currently sold at retail branches.

Do you have any plans to balance this ratio out a bit with a shop campaign?

OG: That won't be possible, since we're growing just as quickly in the online segment as we are at our own retail stores. We're also looking into expanding our online presence internationally. Retail will become somewhat more proportionate, but we're still miles away from a 50:50 ratio.

Would you consider limiting your business entirely to the online shop?

OG: Of course, we think about it because the high fixed costs in the retail division are certainly a drawback. But we want to make the label accessible for customers and we've noticed that online customers also like to come into the shop. Initially we wouldn't have thought that the two were mutually benefi-

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04 Oliver Garnier, Head of Retail at Planet Sports, is responsible for the newly opened stores and planned retail expansion.

05 Sebastian Knebelkamp, Head of Marketing, came to Planet Sports at the beginning of 2011.

–– 41

the talk –– Planet sports

The board sport scene only started to get commercialised at the end of the '90s. The whole theme was sub-cultural at first and closely tied to the music scene. To what extent does this inter-cultural cross-over still play a role today?

SK: It's still extremely important. These days it's not enough to assess the target group using socio-demographic criteria. For our customers, it's much more about a certain way of life, which has nothing to do with age, gender, or education. This way of life can be seen in how our customers spend their leisure time. Action sports are just as important for them as the music industry.

The inter-cultural cross-over can also be seen in the consumer behaviour of the customers in the snow, skate, surf, and music divisions.

A skateboarder for example wears the same trainers as a snowboarder. Given this overlap, music is just as important to us as the facets of action sports. This yields a number of synergies with DJs and bands. For example, we've already arranged a few projects with the hiphop band Blumentopf or the Wax Wreckaz.

The four divisions that you define as the core of your label are covered by strong labels from the independent scene, which place a great deal of value on a certain underground appeal. How did you manage to integrate these candidates into a commercial concept?

OG: Through authenticity. There are several additions. The first one is our team. We have a team for skate, snow, and surf. That is a central part of our credibility.

Facts and Figures

Planet Sports began in 1993 with its first shop in Herrsching (near Munich). The online shop was added in 1997. In 2007 the company was taken over by the Primondo Speciality Group, which was bought out by The Carlyle Group in 2010. Planet Sports today has stores in Munich, Hamburg, and Dresden. Dr. Henner Schwarz became the Managing Director in June 2011, joining the company founders Marcel Peters and Sven Horstmann.

42 ––

SK: We're very proud of our team. We started off small and have now picked up the pace, especially in the snow division with Torstein Horgmo. Then too, Marko Grilc and Eero Ettala are the real giants in Europe. Our Planet Sports team is characterised by a certain affection, team spirit plays a major role, and I believe that we project this onto our team. It's not about monetary incentives; here we can't compete with the brands and labels at all.

We actually only know this approach from brands...

SK: That's right, the entire world knows about Shaun White from Burton. But we have a different perspective. First, we have employees that are authentic and understand their business. The second factor is communication, which plays a pivotal role for the Planet Sports team. And the third is how we communicate to the end consumer, for example via Facebook. Based on the factors mentioned above, we have the absolutely relevant content for the target group and don't have to make up stories out of thin air.

This is a target group that reacts very sensitively.

OG: Right, if we were to do something different every year, this year BMX, then skiers, then back to board, our credibility would go south at some point. For us, the concept has always remained the same; the guys have done exactly the same thing for 18 years. It has helped us build up a lot of trust.

Where is the target group exactly?

SK: The average age is around 32. These are the brand-conscious, lifestyle-oriented people. The men-to-women split is approximately 50:50.

OG: In the retail division the share is 35 per cent women.

Is there a private brand?

OG: Not yet. It's a topic that keeps coming up, because it also makes sense. Our long-term goal is to have a private brand. But at the moment our expertise can be found in our strong growth.

The new firm headquarters in Munich emphasizes the team spirit at Planet Sports: Football tables and an open kitchen with seating area are at the centre of the new offices. Company motto is: Together and not alone. (or Together is better than alone.)

SK: At a certain point it will almost be logical to start a private brand, but the issue is not yet on our agenda. Should we decide one day to follow this approach, we'll also want to do it right.

Because we can see the complexity of such a collection. Creating your own product that you can also justified on the market and is not a "me too" product requires a great deal of manpower, capital, and energy.

What information platforms does your purchasing department use? Are trade fairs still relevant? For example a winter ispo?

OG: Of course, especially because that's where smaller companies present. We're sending a total of 60 employees to the ispo.

This has always been the case. All store employees are there. The goal is to get everyone involved. Before the fair, we distribute questionnaires to everyone to determine what the strongest brands and labels were, what the strongest product range was compared to the previous year, and where the new ideas and inspirations come from. To do this, we split everyone into groups of eight to ten people and hold a meeting at the trade fair at 4:00 p.m. in the inner courtyard, where everyone presents their results. The group with the best approaches wins a day-pass. We also have a team of 30 people for Bread & Butter and Bright. Every other company goes with two to five people max. After the fair we sit down together and come up with new labels and ideas.

SK: At the fair we can see the topics that are relevant at the time. Those who don't take this opportunity let all of the information slip through their fingers. For us trade fairs are still one of the central information platforms. x

out now! www.ucm-verlag.at/app

Want it!

Text Isabel Faiss, Ina Köhler, Julia Lauber, Nicolette Scharpenberg Photos Brands

01

Brick Beanies Nature Calls

Back in 2008, Eva Goldmann launched her own label in Austria with caps known as Goldhaubn that she crocheted and knitted herself. Now it's time for her second baby, Brick Beanies, which she runs together with Petra Schröckeneder. Their shared passion for board sports and love of beanies inspired them to create affordable headwear that is close to nature and also conveys urban style. The result is a collection that can be worn both in the mountains and in the city: nine different models inspired by the variety of nature in Austria. The styles such as Stone, Pine, Oak and Maple are mostly based on tree names and emphasise the label's philosophy.The focus is first and foremost on beanies, and later on T-shirts will also be added to the collection. The beanies wholesale from 8.65 to 13.00 euros.

The brand is available from RAG in Vienna.

ContaCt: Brick Beanies, Petra Schröckeneder, 5020 Salzburg/Austria, T 0043.676.5450630, info@brickbeanies.com, www.brickbeanies.com

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02

Raleigh Denim Gotta Have – Whatever The Cost!

At first, making jeans in their small apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina, was more of a pastime for Victor and Sarah. "We never intended to turn it into a business," says Sarah. Today Raleigh Denim is made in a factory in Raleigh's warehouse district and sold in famous boutiques like Barneys in New York, Tenue de Nîmes in Amsterdam, and Son of a Stag in London. The mixture of minimalistic design, loving details and exclusive denim – straight from North Carolina – turned Raleigh Denim into a brand that triggers the "gotta have" reflex in every jeans lover. The product range consists of shorts, bags, belts, and of course selvage denim for men and women. Wholesale prices for jeans range from 96 to 114 euros with a markup of 2.5.

ContaCt: Raleigh Denim, Raleigh, NC 27601/USA, T 001.919.9178969, john@raleighdenim.com, www.raleighworkshop.com

03

Brics Coat Madame!

"Brics is our vision of garments that are simple and minimalistic but still have an individual identity and edge," says Elise Born who, together with Stephanie Gundelach and Ingrid Munch, created the Danish brand BRICS in November 2011. "BRICS comes from the French word bricolage, which means to sculpt and assemble components in a beautiful manner using the old and the new," says Stephanie Gundelach, CEO of BRICS. In addition to their own brand, the three women are the driving force behind the largest Danish fashion blog, Anywho.dk. In autumn/winter 2011 the brand launched its first products with a four-piece selection of coats and capes for women. The goal for the coming season is six to ten styles. Wholesale prices range from 70 to 108 euros. For the time being, the brand is only available via its own web shop.

ContaCt: Brics, 1260 Copenhagen/Denmark, T 0045.273.29981, nina@brics-store.com, www.brics-store.com

Want it! –– Fashion

04

Ebbets Field Flannels Vintage Flannels

Back in his teen years, Jerry Cohen had a weakness for baseball shirts. In 1987 he failed to find a cool vintage baseball shirt for his band performance and decided to take matters into his own hands. He soon started producing his own flannel shirts and selling them from his garage. This was the birth of his label Ebbets Field Flannels. His design focusses not only on major league baseball, but also on the small groups like the Negro leagues or the Pacific Coast leagues pre-1958. Today, celebrities such as Spike Lee or David Letterman wear the Seattle-based brand. The range currently consists of vintage jerseys and caps, baseball jackets, football and hockey shirts, as well as simple T-shirts and sweatshirts. The jerseys wholesale at 59 euros and baseball jackets at 110 euros. The cult around this American brand has resulted in collaborations with companies such as the Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape. The brand is not yet available in Germany, but was first presented in January 2012 at SEEK in Berlin.

ContaCt: Ebbets Field Flannels, Seattle, WA 98104/USA, T 001.888.8962936, customerservice@ebbets.com, lcooper@ebbets.com, www.ebbets.com

06

05

French Kick New Start for Old Hands

After picking up experience with brands such as Boom Bap and Twelve Inch, management consultant Denis Fontaine teamed up with photographer Pierre Pironet, graphic designer Jonathan Gustin and collection specialist David Bourgeois to found French Kick in October 2010. The brand is brand-new, but its team are true business veterans.

The entire collection is based on the graphic print theme. This includes photos, illustrations and graphics. With retail prices starting at 7.60 euros for a T-shirt, the brand has much more aggressive pricing than its competitors in the segment. Hoodies and sweaters wholesale at 21 and 27 euros, respectively. The collection comprises 80 garments and is brought out four times a year, with two main and two flash collections. French Kick profits from its founders' big network and is already distributed across much of Europe.

ContaCt: French Kick, Denis Fontaine, London/UK, T 0044.20.80995498, denis@frenchkick.com, www.frenchkick.com

soo graphics Made with Love in Munich

07

Percival Perfect at Last

"A person without imagination is like a bird without wings," according to the philosophy of 29-year-old Munich-based graphic designer Suse Ulhorn. Since 2008, she has been working as a freelance graphic designer under the pseudonym Soo, which is also the name of her label.

Soo Products are everyday things turned into something special. "When I uploaded some of my creations online at the start of my career, in the back of my mind I was hoping to use this to get more graphic design jobs. Suddenly, I started getting more and more enquiries about the products, so I began producing and selling them," she says. From watches to cushions, shopping bags, plates and T-shirts, Soo Graphics enhances items that are in need of a dose of fantasy. To date, her products are only available in selected Munich boutiques.

Fans of items that are made with love can purchase her products from her website www.soo-graphics.com.

They didn't really know anything about design, but they did have a passion for classic menswear. After years of being unhappy with cuts and fabrics, Chris Gove and Luke Stenzhorn decided to take things into their own hands and founded their own label Percival, which is designed and made in London. Their first collection consisted of 16 different styles in a variety of colours and exquisite fabrics that included Harris Tweed, waxed cotton from Scotland, fine lambswool, heavy melton from Yorkshire and blended Portuguese cotton. Today their product range consists of knitwear, shirts, jerseys, suits, outerwear and accessories. Highlights are the jackets made from a blend of wool with a Norwegian pattern and leather. The prices for the styles range from 10 euros for T-shirts and 45 euros for shirts to 130 euros for outdoor jackets.

The brand is available online at ASOS and shopstyle, as well as at renowned streetwear boutiques in London.

ContaCt: Soo Graphics, Suse Ulhorn, hello@soo-graphics.com, www.soo-graphics.com

ContaCt: Percival Clothing, London EC1R 4RG/UK, hello@percivalclo.com, www.percivalclo.com

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08

Tubelaces Lace up

Shoelaces in twenty-two different colours and four different lengths that can be custom printed are their recipe for success. Tubelaces by MasterDis GmbH in Munich have been pimping sneakers since 2009. Highlights are the glow-in-the-sun laces (yes, that's right, in the sun) that change colour in daylight. Rainbow, Neon, Glitter and Reggae laces are also highlights. The packaging is inspired by test tubes. Lining up the full range of colours next to each other makes the laces look like brilliant tin soldiers. The tubelaces are particularly dazzling in the desk and floor displays that retailers receive with their first order. The items wholesale between 0.95 and 1.70 euros. Tubelaces are available in well-known sneaker, sport and streetwear stores.

ContaCt: MasterDis GmbH, 83620 Feldkirchen-Westerham/Germany, info@masterdis.com, www.masterdis.com, www.tubelaces.com

10

Ambush Jewellery That Takes You by Surprise

11

The jewellery brand Ambush was started in Tokyo in 2008 by the duo Verbal and Yoon.

The two had been experimenting with different styles and designs for rings, belt buckles, earrings, bracelets and necklaces since 2002. In 2004 they founded their first brand, Antonio Murphy & Astro. Lots of gold, silver, brass, copper and precious stones went into the design of their own hip-hop jewellery. Ambush, the newer brand, is more experimental in its combination of metal with gemstones and plastic.

Jewellery collaborations with the British brand Cassette Playa, a watch collection with Georg Jensen and the apparel line with A Bathing Ape round off the standard range. Wholesale prices for the collection of necklaces, rings and bracelets, belts and caps range from 40 to 80 euros with a markup of 2.5. The brand is available at shops such as Colette in Paris.

The Hamburg-based streetwear label Superhorstjansen contradicts the conventional order rhythm with its collections. "I'm not going to keep to those order guidelines. That's one of the reasons I founded Superhorstjansen.

For me it means pure freedom!" says Janny Schulte. Once a year, a basic line is launched and is available all-year-round. This is regularly complemented by limited editions. The new basic collection Wicked Games was presented in Hamburg in January 2012. The label focusses on practical sweaters and hoodies for women and men, as well as on simple tops combined with striking mini skirts, flounce skirts or hot pants. There is also a new range of accessories that will in future be integrated in the main collection. These include tassel earrings, oversized shawls, hip bags, clutch bags, shopping bags and cosmetic bags of various types.

09

Indigofera Devoted to Denim

The Swedish brand Indigofera is dedicated to the ancient craft of dyeing with indigo.

The name of the brand pays tribute to what has become the standard in traditional jeans. The brand's founders Johan Söderlund and Mats Andersson have been working in the denim industry for over ten years with brands such as Edwin and Levi's Vintage Clothing. Indigofera is their own creation. The first collection was launched in summer 2009. The product range currently consists of jackets, shirts and trousers in raw denim and a variety of vintage washes. Prices for the product range vary from 56 euros for washed denims to 100 euros for raw denims. The brand is available at Burg & Schild in Berlin, Bluechesse in Paris and VMC in Zurich.

ContaCt: Indigofera, The Grocery, 11160 Stockholm/Sweden, T 0046.86780105, info@indigoferajeans.com, www.indigoferajeans.com

46 ––

ContaCt: Ambush Design, 150-0041 Tokyo/Japan, T 0081.565.0369082710, info@ambushdesign.com, www.ambushdesign.com

Superhorstjansen Flouting All Conven- tions

ContaCt: Superhorstjansen, 22763 Hamburg/Germany, T 0049.176.21534911, superhorstjansen@googlemail.com, www.superhorstjansen.de

Want it! –– Fashion

12

L1 Street Fashion for the Slopes...

In a city park and in the powder – that's the idea behind the L1 Snowboard Outerwear range that Tommy Delago and Sepp Ardelt, the founders of Nitro Snowboards, launched in Seattle in 2005.

L1 complements Nitro's portfolio and proves that snowboarders have more to choose from than just nylon suits. The designers' inspiration doesn't come from the mountains but from the streets of some of the world's biggest cities. Add to that skate and vintage fashion from the '70s and out comes L1. Ergonomic fits, denim, vintage canvas, heavy stretch twill fabrics and performance features. The colours and fabrics are based on American vintage brand Roadway, military details and traditional work clothes. L1 team drivers Jon Kooley, Nima Jalali and Jordan Mendenhall (USA.) are the driving force behind the brand. The collection consists of 32 different jacket and trouser models for men and women and is supplemented with T-shirts, hoodies and beanies. L1 is distributed by retailers such as Planet Sports, Boarderline in Berlin and Goodstuff in Munich.

ContaCt: Foundry Distribution, Salt Lake City, UT 84115/USA, T 001.801.9946484, info@foundrydist.com, www.nitro.de, www.l1outerwear.com

14

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Anerkjent Thoughts of Denmark

Humör founder Per Johansen is launching Anerkjendt, a new menswear label for the premium sector. Following a successful debut at Bread & Butter, two 120-garment annual collections will be sold from autumn/winter 2012 in selected shops, including Crämer & Co in Nuremberg, Urban Outfitters in London and The Gloss in Zurich.

Anerkjendt's first collection is inspired by nature: earthy colours, structured and washed fabrics with wood, leather or wool details. The wholesale prices for the product groups of knitwear, sweaters, chinos, T-shirts, shirts and jackets range from 8 to 48 euros with a markup of 3.0. Anerkjendt is already being distributed in Scandinavia, England, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and Greece. Mario Widmann Handelsvertretung is in charge of the distribution in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

ContaCt: Mario Widmann Handelsvertretung / Mario Widmann, 71065 Sindelfingen/Germany, T 0049.171.3663658, mario@anerkjendt.de, www.anerkjendt.dk

Queen Jeans Fair Foundation

The women's brand Queen Jeans may not be brand new, but the range of trousers, which has been on the market since 1979, was recently relaunched with a new product and sales concept that focusses on the fit combined with a strong product and good value for money.

The garments are produced by Uze, a family business in Turkey. Arif Urzel will manage the stores in Germany, the Benelux and Austria from the company's office in Dreieich. The new collection consists of 45 models that are split between the Comfort and Trendline ranges. Prices range from 79.95 euros to 119.95 euros. In addition to pre-orders, there is also an extensive warehouse and flash programme.

Instead of targeting corporations and clothes shops, the brand will focus on small and medium-sized retailers that are guaranteed exclusive distribution. "We have no intention of selling our range in online shops now or in the future," says Jenni Firneburg, Sales Manager for North-Rhine-Westphalia. The brand also offers its customers an aboveaverage markup of 2.8 to 3.0.

ContaCt: Queen Jeans, 63303 Dreieich/Germany, T 0049.6103.8312926, sales@queen-jeans.com, www.queen-jeans.com,

15

Broke Clothing An Italian Institution

In the streetwear scene, Broke Streetwear practically has the same standing as a well-established brand. Founded 1994 in Italy, Broke had disappeared from the European market over the past four years, but is now making its comeback full of energy and with the backing of a private investor. At Bread & Butter in January, Broke presented its men's collection for autumn/winter 2012/13, which will be distributed across Europe. True to tradition, absolutely everything is produced in Italy.

Broke's characteristic garments feature classic streetwear elements and tend to break away from clichés, with pieces such as a classic cardigan with skull patches on the elbows. The denims retail from 75 to 150 euros with sweaters from 80 to 120 euros and T-shirts at 34 euros. The collection has a markup of 2.5. Currently, there are plans to expand in Europe and in the long term the brand hopes to expand its distribution to North America and Asia.

ContaCt: Broke Clothing, Daniel Fitzgerald, 31020 Villorba/Italy, T 0039.0422.1581997, info@brokeclothing.com, www.brokeclothing.com

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Left Side: Shirt –– A Kind of Guise Sweater –– Denim Demon Jeans –– G Star Right Side: Hot pants –– G-Star Shirt –– Eleven Paris Vest –– Timezone Stockings –– Fogal Boots –– Flip Flop

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girls in menswear –– Fashion

a Girlz thing Photos René Fietzek / www.renefietzek.com Styling Sabine Berlipp/ www.blossommanagement.de hair & make-up Sacha Schuette/ www.tune-m.com Production Nicolette Scharpenberg model Lilli B. / www.placemodels.com

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Left Side: Trousers –– Belstaff Shirt –– TwoThirds Short-sleeved shirt –– Sixpack France Braces –– Diesel Right Side: Trousers –– Mads Norgaard Shirt –– Makia Down jacket –– Peak Performance Jacket –– Penfield Scarf –– Ystrdy Boots –– Patta x KangaROOS

50 ––

girls in menswear –– Fashion

–– 51

52 ––

girls in menswear –– Fashion

Left Side: Trousers –– Energie Shirt –– Levis Made & Crafted Vest –– Diesel Cardigan –– Freeman T. Porter Boots –– Flip Flop Right Side: Shirt –– Sitka Vest –– Mads Norgaard Jogging trousers –– Drykorn Jacket –– Makia Shoes –– Lacoste

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Left Side: Jeans –– Antonio Morato Shirt –– M.O.D Vest –– Hannibal Jacket –– Revolution Right Side: Trousers –– Carhartt Sweater –– Nudie Jeans Scarf –– 3 monkeys Jacket –– G-Lab Stockings –– American Apparel Boots –– Flip Flop Socks –– Happy Socks

54 ––

girls in menswear –– Fashion

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Text Nicolette Scharpenberg, Ina Köhler Photos Veit Ritterbecks, Marken, istockphoto.com

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01 –– Blame, 02 –– Nikita, 03 –– Pepe Jeans, 04 –– MCM, 05 –– Diesel, 06 –– Mavi, 07 –– Element Eden, 08 –– Converse, 09 –– Firetrap, 10 –– Vans, 11 –– Sophia von Münchhausen

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Trends –– fashion

12 14 15

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MIdnight in Paris Oh là là! A touch of '20s charm with a hint of '60s mannerisms is provided by this look with that certain French je ne sais quoi. It sparkles with sequins, rhinestones and Lurex or pearl trim.

Dresses or midi skirts, Marlene trousers with a high waist and a slim belt, large floppy hats and headbands, delicate tops and softly flowing blouses give "Madame fatale" that seductive look.

23

21 22

12 –– Pointer, 13 –– Sperry Top-Sider, 14 –– Blame, 15 –– Superhorstjansen, 16 –– Firetrap, 17 –– Cornelia Webb, 18 –– Vibe Haslof, 19 –– Hilfiger Denim, 20 –– Wrangler, 21 –– Miss Sixty, 22 –– Pointer, 23 –– Sitka

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01 –– WoodWood, 02 ––Bench, 03 –– Camper, 04 –– TwoThirds, 05 –– Pepe Jeans, 06 –– Wrangler, 07 –– Replay, 08 ––Sitka, 09 –– G-Star, 10 –– Levi’s, 11 –– Cornelia Webb

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Trends –– fashion

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Hunter & Forester

13

Inspired by green landscapes, spruces and conifers, wood and water – quite simply rough nature. Thanks to its healthy portion of style and functionality, this look appears both bold and daring. Destroyed denim, hiking boots, waistcoats with leather shoulder patches and fluffy flannel shirts are the key items of this forester look.

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12 –– ADenim, 13 –– WEMOTO, 14 –– Lacoste, 15 –– WESC, 16 –– Diesel, 17 –– Converse, 18 –– Floris van Bommel, 19 –– Element Eden, 20 –– Kangaroos, 21 –– Ben Sherman, 22 –– Edwin, 23 –– Eastpak, 24 –– Antony Morato

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Cuts

01

Bootcut, flared or XL denims are where it's at with the denim collections. ¾-length denims with flared legs and high waists are also featured. Skinny is dead? – No worries. This ever-popular trend won't die that easily...

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07 08 02 03

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01 –– Lee, 02 –– Edwin, 03 –– Antony Morato, 04 –– Wrangler, 05 –– Hilfiger Denim, 06 –– Freeman T. Porter, 07 –– Miss Sixty, 08 –– G-Star, 09 –– M.O.D.

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Trends –– fashion

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Washes Honest, rough indigo – smart and raw. As double denim outfits or graphic patchwork elements of dark or softly bleached denim. Washes have a rather calm 3D effect, coatings or colour stains.

But a few birds of paradise are going for the destroyed look – Boom!

21

10 –– Mustang, 11 –– Replay, 12 –– Mavi, 13 –– Lacoste, 14 ––Energie, 15 –– Guess, 16 –– G-Star, 17 –– Replay & Sons, 18 –– Nikita, 19 ––Diesel, 20 –– Levi’s, 21 –– Cheap Monday

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08

Walk upright like the trees, live your life as strong as the mountains, be as soft as the spring wind, keep the warmth of the sun in your heart and the Great Spirit will always be with you. (Wisdom of the Navajo) 06

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Cowboys & Apaches 02

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YEEHA! This winter, the prairies are experiencing a fashion comeback! Navajo patterns as far as the eagle flies! The wellknown Indian pattern from Pendleton decorates winter rucksacks, shoes, ponchos, waistcoats, suit jackets and much more. Roughly bleached denim shirts and jackets with fur collars and lining give the look that cowboy attitude.

Leather accessories, colourful beads, chains with ivory tusks or the classic homage to the Marlboro man complement the look.

10

01 –– Wrangler, 02 –– The Blue Uniform, 03 –– Pepe Jeans, 04 –– Etudes, 05 –– Vanishing Elephant, 06 –– Phonz sayz Black, 07 –– Levi’s Made and Crafted, 08 –– Diesel, 09 –– Mustang, 10 –– Phonz sayz Black

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Trends –– fashion

01

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Colour-Tilt "Everybody only ever wears black in winter anyway." Goodbye monotony! Next winter too, the Pantone colour palette will be giving that lacklustre outfit a touch of colour drama.

Here and there you'll see some citrus yellow, alarm red or bright green, but there are many more berry shades such as cherry, blueberry, burgundy or spice colours such as curry, mustard or peperoni, which set the pace for winter 2012/13 and look as tasty as they sound.

06 12

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01 –– Firetrap, 02 –– Replay & Sons, 03 –– Miss Sixty, 04 –– Drykorn, 05 –– Diesel, 06 –– Made In Europe, 07 –– Lee, 08 –– Adidas, 09 –– Pepe Jeans, 10 –– Levi’s, 11 –– 55 DSL, 12 –– Eastpak

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02

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01 05

03

Gentlemen’s Agreement Corduroy chinos and jackets, chambray shirts, suit jackets made of tweed, jersey, wool or velvet, polo neck pullovers as an alternative to slim-fit shirts, colours such as smoky blue, dark chocolate and spicy shades such as russet or curry make this look appear increasingly sophisticated from season to season. Scarves, bowties, leather accessories and sturdy boots lend a casual touch to the statement made by the original men's outwear look. This is why it builds THE perfect bridge between business and leisure wear.

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01 –– Diesel, 02 –– Two Thirds, 03 –– Vanishing Elephant, 04 –– Trap, 05 –– Iriedaily, 06 –– Drykorn, 07 ––Costo, 08 –– Empires Union, 09 –– Lunettes

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Trends –– fashion

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10 –– ADenim, 11 –– WoodWood, 12 –– Ben Sherman, 13 –– Pepe Jeans, 14 –– LTB, 15 –– Poyz and Pirlz, 16 –– WEMOTO, 17 –– Phonz sayz Black, 18 –– Levi’s

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01

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07 05

Fur Soft and fluffy – whether fake or natural on coats, parkas, waistcoats, dresses, scarves, boots, bags – there's fur trim as far as the eye can see.

06

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01 –– Lacoste, 02 –– Barts, 03 –– Miss Sixty, 04 –– Energy, 05 –– Antony Morato, 06 –– Sixty, 07 –– Pepe Jeans, 08 –– Replay

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Trends –– fashion

12

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Military

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Woodland camouflage, desert camouflage, digital camouflage or urban camouflage – this is the era of the modern soldier. Atten-shun!

15

Wool Whether as a shirt, chinos, a dress, a suit or a classic coat – boiled wool, tweed and classic draperies or high-quality woollen yarns provide cosy warmth this coming winter. Various coatings make for a modern twist.

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09 –– Le Fix, 10 –– Vanishing Elephant, 11 –– Energy, 12 –– Ativ by Vita, 13 –– Bench, 14 –– Freeman T. Porter, 15 –– RTCO, 16 –– Energy, 17 –– Airbag Craftworks, 18 –– Drykorn, 19 –– Firetrap

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Black Leather Jackets in the Sun Asked to discuss the art scenes in 3 sunny cities, Harlan Levey looks at phases of gentrification and the mainstreaming of outsider aesthetics in Rio, Barcelona and Miami ....

Text Harlan Levey, www.hl-projects.com Photos BHP.com.de, Ripo, Françoise Schein, Favela Painting Company

Boxi in Miami for Modart (The Embrace).

68 ––

gallery guide_Rio de janeiro –– gotta go to

Rio de janeiro Favelas and a Bright Future There's a small splash of paint on the bottom of my black leather jacket. About seven years ago I was at a dinner in Barcelona with twin brothers from Brazil. We were discussing graffiti and how it isn't really art. It's graffiti. It might be artistic, but it has its own set of references, rules, criteria and codes. Art references art. Graffiti references something else altogether. The brothers suggested that this is what's happening with Brazilian art in general; it's becoming more inclusive of alternative artistic production. They seem to be right.

T

here's a small splash of paint on the bottom of my black leather jacket. About seven years ago I was at a dinner in Barcelona with twin brothers from Brazil. We were discussing graffiti and how it isn't really art. It's graffiti.

It might be artistic, but it has its own set of references, rules, criteria and codes. Art references art. Graffiti references something else altogether. The brothers suggested that this is what's happening with Brazilian art in general; it's becoming more inclusive of alternative artistic production. They seem to be right.

The Brazilian economy is currently booming.

At the end of 2011, Brazilian GDP surpassed that of Great Britain, making it the 6th largest economy in the world. It's estimated that Brazil will surpass Germany in 2020. The abundance of cultural diversity, fusion and friction ensures that, in terms of art, the country will continue to produce in bulk and will continue to distribute its wealth internationally.

I'll risk such a claim by citing the list of billionaires who are being lured by Brazilian art funds, as well as the grassroots policy transformations that have resulted in more state and private support for experimental young artists. Brazil appears to have good times ahead, and there's evidence of a willingness to build from the ground up. This is certainly expressed by developments in Brazil's local art scene; however, it's not just limited to art.

This may be the first time that Brazilian art is actually creating European standards rather than absorbing them. In music, this occurred in the '60s with the emergence of Tropicalia.

However, Brazilian art has largely followed Eu-

ropean trends, at least since its colonisation

by Portugal in the mid-16th century. This has been the case in movements such as Baroque, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism and Pop. But this is changing. The vast array of cultures in the country provides Brazilian artists and designers with a treasure chest of references, identities, colours, clothes and narratives. Cultural traditions are mutating, and this coupling of influences is creating potent new languages. Art once spoke about itself. This was one of the reasons why graffiti was once not considered art, because graffiti artists didn't appear to be overtly referencing Picasso, Cubism, Caravaggio or the CounterReformation. They didn’t care about Dada.

They were not following Conceptual Art or Postmodernism. They were not deconstructing. They spoke another language, which was directed towards a broader public. Like many forms of art which are conceived in the streets, graffiti was first detested and then embraced. Today, art is not only speaking, it's also learning new languages. It's opening up again.

Creative practices which stem from graffiti exemplify what is happening across the board in art, fashion and design. Renowned designer Humberto Campana has traced this new wave of free-flowing Brazilian arts back to the '80s, when the military dictatorship crumbled and hosts of exiled artists and intellectuals came home to feast on freedom. In a 2008 interview, Campana spoke about Brazilian trends and cited his personal challenge to make "portraits of our poor, beautiful and culturally rich country." Examples of this artistic freedom are hard to miss in Brazil.

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03

01 02

"Cultural traditions are mutating, and this coupling of influences is creating potent new languages."

02

Art Galleries and Events

ArtRio www.artriofair.com.br A Gentil Carioca Gallery www.agentilcarioca.com.br Anita Schwartz Gallery www.anitaschwartz.com.br Silvia Cintra Gallery www.silviacintra.com.br/site HAP Gallery www.hapgaleria.com.br Galeria Inox www.galeriainox.com Multiploespacoarte www.multiploespacoarte.com.br JR http://jr-art.net Favela Painting Project www.favelapainting.com Inscrire www.inscrire.com Museu de Favela www.museudefavela.org 04

So, What About Rio? It might be Brazil's second largest city, but all of my contacts and the networks of news that I pick up on always pulls me back to Sao Paulo. For me, Rio de Janeiro remains a romantic place in my head. I think of samba style football, year-round carnivals and, of course, music. I wonder if the Seleção will lift the Coup de Monde in the 2014 final, as the nation goes nuts in a wave of yellow and green.

I say this while recognising the more sombre realities of the region. It's estimated that nearly 20% of Rio de Janeiro's 10 million-plus population live in favelas, many of which are built on hills that seem to stare across the city. Things aren't so bright for everybody,

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gallery guide_Rio de janeiro –– gotta go to 05

and one thing we can be sure of is that artists are attracted to favelas. There are many interesting art projects from Rio de Janeiro which attest to this. When I first started writing about what became known as street art in 1999, I held talks with many artists who shared an ambition to create a sort of amateur street museum: a public exhibition that would include everyone. It was a call for creative action and for a new aesthetic regime. This is what has happened in Cantagalo, where local artists have been commissioned to paint more than 20 large building facades, and have transfomed the favela into an open air museum called the Musea de Favela. Their aim was to bring both tourists and wealthy Rio residents alike into what were once risky neighbourhoods.

There are many other examples of how the favelas inspire artists, and how artists attempt to work within this environment. Let's jump back to 1991 and the Campana brothers' Favela Chair, which they made by transforming scraps of plywood they found into mesh.

We could also check recent headlines about the TED prize winner JR, a young French artist who took a stab at creating a public exhibition when he pasted large photographs of women's faces onto the façade of Favela Morro da Providencia, as part of a project called "Women Are Heroes." While this work generated some great pictures and earned massive amounts of attention, it also appeared to me as a European development initiative, conflicting with the capacity building and local empowerment that Cantagalo represents.

Association Inscrire is another outstanding Brazilian art initiative, which, in 2011, produced more than 30 art projects, and encouraged the participation of an extremely diverse local population. All of their projects have two goals: to teach crafts and to offer art history education. Education and capacity building are two things that art will be busy with in the 21st century, so it's great to see this happening. I met two Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn in Miami last year, both of whom are concerned with these types of questions. They worked on the Favela Painting project, turning 34 houses (7,000 sq metres) of favela hillside into a unified mural that, for some reason, reminds me of Tirana.

In Miami, the duo worked on an installation for an open air exhibition that accompanied the annual Primary Flight event.

Projects such as these made me wonder about the situation of public art outside the favelas, so I nosed around to find out more.

Photo reports from friends and various con-

06

tacts confirm that Rio is also teeming with colourful, appropriated walls at the bottom of the hills. A quick and easy internet search supports this. In Brazil, street culture inspires high culture at all times, whether it is football, visual art, design or dance. Is this happening in mainstream contemporary art? To answer this question, we have to turn our attention away from the streets and on to the galleries and institutions. It's not just in the amateur sphere of culture that Brazil is excelling. Institutions, curators, commercial art galleries and educators alike are demonstrating critical capacities and forward-thinking visions which are finding global support. Here are a few galleries worth visiting on your way to Copacabana, as well as some links to the projects mentioned above. x

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01 Santa-mart (courtesy Favela Painting Project): Favela Painting Project.

02 Home: Home is where you're happy? (courtesy of Ripo, artwork by Ripo) 03 Beachballons: Brazil is bursting, but not in the way European banks are (courtesy of Ripo).

04 Waiting for better days: Rio is powerful even when the colors are hued (courtesy of BHP.com.de).

05 Rio is stylized even in almost empty spaces.

06 Stairs: Rio de Janerio has its up and downs (courtesy of Ripo).

07 Inscrire: Physical and invisible community transformations (Françoise Schein).

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Miami Wynwood and Art Basel Miami Beach Week Miami offers a full spectrum of "life as art" and "art as industry" scenarios. It's a glorious and terrifying suburban sprawl.

Photos Courtesy 0f BHP.com.de

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lavio came from Rio de Janeiro. He wore a black leather jacket and drove a yellow cab. He brought us back to the apartment on Collins Avenue one night, and the next night he returned to our 9th floor flat with a bag of weed. The place we had rented was luxurious and cheap. Like most of South Beach, Art Deco dreams had deteriorated into an odorous elderly home. The floors were polished, but the wallpaper was peeling. The porcelain fruit bowl had begun to rot, and the ice trays in the freezer spoke of a well-stocked bar that was no longer there. The artwork must have been bought in the '80s, when the area had a highly speculative Miami Vice style revival. Large abstract paintings covered the walls with a failed glamour that matched the worn-out carpet and tarnished mirrors.

There was a small kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and the one big perk: a balcony large enough for seven people. That's how many of us were living there.

Like thousands of other arts professionals, we were snowbirds crashing in Miami in search of better times. It's hard for me to talk about Miami itself. I'm too tempted to write about Don Johnson, Al Pacino or Lebron James. If I'm going to speak honestly about what's going on

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01 Miami usually provides a warm welcome like Will Smith.

02 Smash137: An honest way to put graffiti into an art fair – no canvas necessary.

there, I can only talk about the Art Basel Miami Beach orgy: the week in the artworld that offers a full spectrum of "life as art" and "art as industry" scenarios. So much happens in this week, both for the city and for those who participate, that it's a question of absolute occupation, a series of constant takeovers.

Is too much enough?

I'm not sure how many satellite art fairs are spinning around Art Basel Miami Beach but their constellation keeps spreading like a glorious and terrifying suburban sprawl. It

gallery guide_Miami –– Gotta go to

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Art Galleries and Events

The Rubell Family Collection www.rfc.museum Lyle O Reitzel Gallery www.lyleoreitzel.com/the_gallery.php Hardcore Art Contemporary www.hardcoreartcontemporary.com Bernice Steinbaum Gallery www.bernicesteinbaumgallery.com Pan American Art Projects www.panamericanart.com OH WOW http://oh-wow.com/aboutus Primary Flight www.primaryflight.com Wynwood Walls www.thewynwoodwalls.com/home.html

"The things that will compel you could be anywhere."

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has new fairs, merging fairs and concurrent fairs, but usually you tend to follow your own interests anyway; whether it‘s photography, design, established artists, unknown artists, and so on. The highest quality is most visible at the big fair, but the things that actually compel you could be anywhere, so you‘ve got to choose where you want to go. The Aqua Fair was great last year. While most events held in hotels usually put me off as far as viewing art goes, here the usual concerns didn‘t arise. NADA is a mustsee if you want to find out the market leaders‘ takes on the next big thing, whereas both Pulse and Scope offer bold looks at art, which always emerge in precarious circumstances (Pulse is a bit more critical, and Scope could be called the industry cowboy). Then there is Art Miami, Seven, Fountain, and Red Dot. The list goes on; however, by this point most people stop reading the list of art fairs and start turning their attention to non-fair exhibitions, private collections, parties and other events. One mi-

01 Art Basel beach party: Every year there's a show by the sea, like Iggy Pop. 02 Strumbel: Another picture from Primary Flight, this one from Stefan Strumbel's HEIMAT campaign.

03 Club Deuce: Drinker's bar with a hustler's pool table. Great way to get back to reality.

04 Art Critic Parking: Serious as any good joke. Some situational Mousse art.

nute you‘re drinking champagne in Emmanuel Perrotin‘s (a gallerist) garden, and the next minute you‘re sitting in a motel in Wynwood, before hustling back to South Beach where you‘ll probably end up at the Club Deuce after watching Iggy Pop or some other old punk perform by the ocean.

I sold my first painting in Miami. I remember driving across town to deliver it at a country club during the collector‘s tennis session.

You tend to make what appear to be unlikely friends during this one week in Miami. It‘s one

gallery guide_Miami –– Gotta go to

of the things about the event that you can always count on. The collector and I had a drink together. He told me about another artist that he knew who might interest me. Three years later as we rode in his Porsche to meet Tim (the artist he‘d mentioned in his Wynwood studio), the collector told me how he had been sleeping on his own desk for the previous 18 months. Sometimes life changes fast.

Wynwood provides a good example of this.

The Wynwood area is quickly becoming one of the most appealing stories of Art Basel Miami Beach. However, at the risk of being politically incorrect, I‘d say that much of it is still what Americans would refer to as „a ghetto.“ Having spent many days and a couple of evenings there, I‘ve heard gunshots on more than one occasion, and I‘ve been in some situations whe-

re you‘d run if it could take you anywhere else.

On the surface, Tim‘s studio was similar. We entered through an orange garage door whilst lonely looking men approached us asking for work or money. Once inside, Tim showed us his recent portraits of men from the neighbourhood, as two artists from Boston packed up a show that they‘d created for an advertising agency that week. This is another example of the endless offshoots provided by Art Basel Miami, and which Wynwood is gentrifying in a way that would have made FDR proud.

Real Estate Broker David Lombardi (Lombardi Properties) was one of the first to inject this energy into the neighbourhood, hosting parties called Roving Fridays to promote the arts and

"... Primary Flight, which claims to be the world's largest mural project and has featured more than 250 world-class artists from all walks of creative life."

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to increase value on his properties. Back then, walking through Wynwood at night felt like you were inviting danger. This is becoming less and less the case. Broker Tony Goldman (Goldman Properties) took it a step further when he and the new Museum of Contemporary Art Director Jeffrey Deitch launched Wynwood Walls, commissioning twelve public murals from respected international artists. In the spirit of FDR, Wynwood has also developed an extensive mural campaign.

Goldman‘s initiative was launched two years after Primary Flight, which claims to be the world‘s largest mural project, and has featured more than 250 world-class artists from all walks of contemporary creative life.

The effects of such actions have been potent on several levels, one of which has seen Wynwood transformed from a threat into a series of opportunities. Not surprising, this is demonstrated by the rise of art galleries in the area. In just a few short years, enough galleries have opened for the neighbourhood to compete with more established local art scenes. They even have their own Art Walk. The neighbourhood now boasts plenty of interesting spaces, including pioneers Bernice Steinbaum Gallery and Dorsch Gallery, as well as Lyle O‘Reitzel Gallery, Hardcore Art Contemporary, Pan American Art Projects, OH WOW, and more than 30 others. In addition to the galleries, the area is now home to five museums, three significant collections, seven art complexes, and five prestigious fairs. On the second Saturday of each month, a communitywide Art Walk is held, with most of the spaces opening up their doors to the public.

If you‘re going to Miami, you‘ve got to have a look at Wynwood; where art is being employed as an advertisement for the future. x

05 Fashion For Less: Fashion is always for less.

06 School buses and taxis as family portrait.

07 Apartment collinsave: Six boys, one girl, and a great terrace.

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Barcelona More Spanish Nostalgia This time I pulled out my old black leather jacket for a trip that I've already taken. There's a small rip on the elbow of the left sleeve and a tiny splotch of paint near the base of the zipper that is almost legible, but not really. Both have their history. The rip goes back a good seven years, to the time when I got my arm caught on a bit of rogue metal as I climbed onto a rooftop in Barcelona.

Photos Courtesy 0f Ripo

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gallery guide_Barcelona –– gotta go to

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Buff: So much history erased every instant. Artwork by the city of Barcelona Dawn provides quiet.

Galeriaoberta: Oberta offers legal refuge to those who wish to paint in public.

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Art Galleries and Events

Iguapop Gallery www.iguapop.net Miscelanea BCN www.miscelanea.info Galeria Cosmo www.galeriacosmo.com Mito Galeria www.mitobcn.com ADN Galeria www.adngaleria.com Angels Barcelona www.angelsbarcelona.com Joan Prats www.galeriajoanprats.com Senda www.galeriasenda.com Galeria MiTO http://barcelona.unlike.net/locations/ 307716-Galeria-MiTO Swab Art Fair www.swab.es MACBA www.macba.cat

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arcelona felt like an urban playground back then, the background of a different sort of Spanish Golden Age – where city heat still held hands with sea breeze. It was the meeting place of a contemporary Lost Generation: a crossroads for artists from all over the world that represented a cheap, sunny and consequencefree zone to young, creative wanderers. I met several Hemingways there; writers in their 20s or 30s, although none had been to war. Don Quixote came to life on every corner and Goya held his ground to remind history of how he paved the way for Picasso. Dali was still hanging in the air and Gaudi was there because he had given Modernism a sustainable side. If Miró had been around, he’d have been smirking as it would've seemed like his assassination of paint-

ing had a legacy. If all this sounds like that lousy Woody Allen movie (Midnight in Paris), this is my fault. Back then, nobody was talking about these ghosts – even if they were all around.

Many of the artists that I met in Barcelona represented a new generation of poets who were armed with paintbrushes, spray cans and makeshift tools. They were not interested in painting as much as they were interested in transforming the sense of possibility that a city could project. They took to working on walls, window shutters and anything else that beckoned. To say it more succinctly, they were interested in having fun, sharing and learning. It wasn't uncommon to spend the days and nights exploring, painting, entering

places that seemed to have been bleached off the radar by the sun, while laughing with strangers who quickly felt like friends. PostFranco, Barcelona appeared as a resistant urban utopia. It stayed that way until Giulianistyle tactics kicked in, and legislations were passed to give the city some new rules. No

"They were not interested in painting as much as in transforming the sense of possibility a city could project."

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"... it was playful, fun and committed to change."

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01 Beacherased: So much history erased every instant. Artwork by Ripo 02 Cosmooutside: Cosmos brings in a young, hip crowd.

03 If you miss dawn's quiet, parks around the city are never a bad bet.

04 Lamerce: Every city has a colour; Barcelona's is red.

05 Traditional mediums speaking contemporary langauges.

06 Roa went from small in Barcelona to big in Brazil.

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more beer on the street. No more tolerance of illegal art. Vandalism was no longer constructive. Almost overnight, it was flat-out frowned upon. Rules were put in place again.

It had already been dark for hours when I ripped my jacket. I‘d drunk too many of those godawful street beers in red cans (the only beer I ever had that actually got better when ice formed at the bottom of the can) and it soon became a carefree night. I woke up the next

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gallery guide_Barcelona –– gotta go to

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morning with a few small scratches and several annoying grains of sand in my dry mouth. That day, there were two things I had to do. In the early afternoon I was to head to the Swab Art Fair to meet a colleague. Later, I had to visit the Iguapop Gallery for a column that I was writing called „Squatting the White Cube.“

The good, but not so old days For several years, The Iguapop Gallery filled a gap in the rich Barcelona art scene. It was a crossroads for art, design, fashion and music: a place that represented contemporary attitudes and rivalled traditional galleries by being a platform for young Spanish artists and a new generation of creative talent that didn‘t fit into other programs. The work that the gallery represented helped to build the bridge between high and low culture, proving that some so-called lowbrow art merited confirmation from highbrow gatekeepers. I especially liked the gallery because they reflected what was happening

05

amongst young artists in the city. Iguapop had a vision and wasn‘t afraid to take risks. It was playful, fun and committed to change. On many trips to Barcelona, I made no plans besides visiting the gallery and seeing what happened next.

Unfortunately, the Iguapop Gallery closed their doors in Barcelona, and they‘re currently preparing to reopen in Madrid, where it is considered to be a better market for collectors.

With the changes enforced by the new laws, and the closure of my favourite art space, in my last few trips to Barcelona I have been introduced to new spots. Nostalgia is unhealthy.

There are still several younger galleries in Barcelona that boast similar programs, in the sense that they pledge no particular allegiance to any one medium and they showcase local and international works that might otherwise go unnoticed. Of course, there are also a few more established places that have earned their reputation within the international artworld.

Art vs. Art If you want to get a better understanding of what still might be called non-art, you could visit concept spots like Galeria Oberta, Miscelanea or Cosmos Galleria. The latter is basically a café with a creative shop and an exhibition space. They show graphic work that ties into the more colourful and aesthetic side of urban illustration. Miscelanea has more history. While it‘s also a combo (store and exhibition space), it has developed an interesting model of artistic autonomy.

They‘re maintaining a conscious program as a commercial gallery, as well as providing a breeding ground and structure for subsidised projects (workshops, residencies,

conferences and more) that are directed towards capacity building.

Kowasa Gallery is another gallery that merges related businesses under the same roof.

Dedicated to presenting historical, modern, classic and contemporary photography, it operates as a gallery and a publisher. You‘ll find Kowasa books in the store as well as sharp selections of other outstanding books on photography. Gallery MiTO focuses on Realism in what they call the Post-Digital era. Their program exhibits emerging trends in figurative visual art, and focuses on artists who tend to be pulled out of non-Spanish scenes.

These spots reflect efforts to pioneer directions in new media aesthetics, but Barcelona also has a few galleries – such as Galeria Joan Prats, ADN Galeria, Angels Barcelona and Senda Galeria – that have already established some new territory for Catalonia to build on.

Joan Prats has been around since 1976 and has long been recognised as a leading player in the world of international contemporary art. In the mid ‚90s, they opened a second gallery, called Joan Prats Artgraphic. The sister gallery has its own roster of artists and is equally challenging and accessible.

Spain doesn‘t have an Art Basel Miami Beach, and, unlike Rio de Janeiro, the economy is not on the upswing. While Barcelona is still a great place for artists to live, work and practise, it makes sense for younger initiatives to watch the Spanish galleries that have established themselves in the global market, while enjoying a quality of life that isn‘t as easy for the recession to crack. x

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

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Replay Denim Couture For Hong Kong

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Cream Moving On Up

Full speed ahead for Replay this year! At the start of 2012, the Italian denim and casualwear specialist opened a flagship store in Hong Kong. The concept goes by the name One-Off and everything is tailor-made. The idea is to design a tailormade store in which creativity plays an important role: tailor-made shop windows, tailor-made interiors and tailor-made jeans. The focus is on exclusivity and individual creation, two important elements that in future are meant to be associated with the brand and its collections. In addition to tailor-made jeans, the concept will also feature denim couture dresses that Replay made for the two style ambassadors Bar Rafaeli and Irina Shayk at the MTV EMAs 2011. With its high windows, the architecture of the 120 square metre store on Hysan Place is highly reminiscent of Bauhaus style whereas, in contrast, the interior is much more natural. Plants, wood and bamboo materials give the store a warm atmosphere and build a bridge between modernity and tradition. The featured collections include Replay, We Are Replay, Red Seal by Replay and White Seal by Replay.

It's been dubbed the SoHo of Hamburg: the St. Georg district behind the central station. The heart of this district is the Lange Reihe shopping street with its numerous boutiques, delis, bars and restaurants. Since April 2011, the concept store Cream has also been based in this top location. "When we were looking for a location for the Adidas Ransom pop-up store, we came across this site and were so enthusiastic that we instantly decided to move everything to these premises," explains owner Matthias Scholz, who has been running the street boutique together with Till Krüsmann since 2009.

The new sales space of 80 square metres not only offers a much more prominent location, but it also stands out due to its rooms that are flooded with light. "We can continuously develop our business here and add new products and brands to the range. Unfortunately, this was somewhat limited in our old location," says Scholz. Cream today not only sells streetwear and accessories for men, but also a selection of women's clothing. Its brands include Pendleton Woolen Mills, Norse Projects and Kidrobot. It also stocks shoes by Nike, Adidas Originals, Wood Wood and Adidas SLVR. The highlight is the Annex, an independent room in which Scholz and Krüsmann occasionally present product launches, collection highlights and exhibitions. They have also used it as space for a pop-up store.

ContaCt: Replay One-Off, Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong/China, www.replay.it

ContaCt: Cream, Lange Reihe 88, 20099 Hamburg/Germany, T 0049.40.188811670, service@saintcream.com, www.saintcream.com

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retailnews –– in store

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n.d.c Berlin Cooperation

In time for Bread & Butter, the first n.d.c. store opened its doors in Berlin-Mitte on 17 January 2012. The 40 square metre shop was developed in close cooperation with Karl-Heinz Müller, Managing Director of Bread & Butter and owner of the 14 oz. store. The shop used to house a multilabel shoe store of the 14 oz. brand. The new shop will in future feature a wide selection of shoes, accessories and bags by n.d.c. For Thomas Vulliez, Managing Director of Forward Design and International Sales and Distribution Manager, the cooperation is a highly desirable project: "This is the highlight of a great business relationship and partnership." Müller also believes that n.d.c. is the right cooperation partner: "The n.d.c. and 14 oz. brands have already worked together successfully for many seasons, and we share a distinct value consciousness for outstanding quality." In keeping with the brand's authentic styles, the designers worked with rough boat planks and untreated brick walls to effectively present the accessories.

ContaCt: n.d.c. made by hand, Münzstrasse 19, 10178 Berlin-Mitte/ Germany, www.ndcmadebyhand.com

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Kult Expansion to Austria

On 23 November 2011, Austria's first trend stores opened in the new Bahnhof City Vienna West. Over an area of 600 square metres, the branch that is part of the Görgens Group is selling a range of jeans, casualwear and urbanwear for women and men, as well as high-fashion labels and accessories. Brands such as Poolgirl, Smashed Lemon, Bench, Only, Diesel, Le Temps des Cerises, Guess, M.O.D, Justing, G-Star and Rock Revival target customers in the medium-price range. They are accompanied by premium brands such as Blauer, Peuterey, Canada Goose and Barbed. Across Germany, the Cologne based Görgens Group has more than 85 branches that do business with the brands Kult, Olymp & Hades and Planet und Elb. In 2011, there are plans to open ten new branches, as well as a further nine locations in 2012.

ContaCt: Bahnhof City Vienna West, Europaplatz 3, 1150 Vienna/Austria 05

Adidas SLVR European Launch in Berlin

During the Berlin Fashion Week, adidas opened the first European SLVR-only store for its premium brand SLVR on Mulackstrasse in Berlin-Mitte. Designer Dirk Schönberger, Global Creative Director of Adidas's Style Division welcomed the guests personally at the store's opening party on 18 January. A cross-section of the puristic collection for women and men, as well as accessories and shoes, were displayed across the store's 120 square metres.

ContaCt: adidas SLVR Store, Mulackstraße 31/32, 10119 Berlin/ Germany, www.slvr.com 06

MantisLB Skateboarding Expansion

Hamburg has a new skateboarding shop: MantisLB, a pure

longboard shop that opened at Grosse Theaterstrasse 43 on November 18, 2011. "With a product range of 1,000 articles and 80 brands, opening a new store and splitting our selection of skateboards was the next logical step," says Mantis owner, Richie Löffler. "Fortunately, commercial space became available right across the street from our main shop, the Mantis Lifestore." With 120 square metres of space, the store offers dedicated asphalt surfers an impressive selection of hardware, decks and accessories from brands like Loaded, Fulbag, Earthwing, Indiana, Urskog and Airflow, to name just a few. In addition to the Mantis Lifestore and the longboard shop, Löffler also owns the Animal Tracks street fashion store in Hamburg's Colonnades and the TRAP Skateboards brand, founded in 1992.

ContaCt: Mantis Longboardshop, Grosse Theaterstrasse 43, 20354 Hamburg/Germany, www.mantisshop.de 07

Peak Performance Off to Kitzbühel

Kitzbühel not only attracts the rich and the beautiful, it's also the place for enthusiastic skiers. Since December 2011 they have a new place to go for winter sports apparel: The Swedish sports brand Peak Performance opened a general store in the heart of Kitzbühel just in time for the annual Hahnenkamm race. The opening was celebrated mid-January with a big party. The Swedish brand's entire outdoor collection is on display on 100 square metres of space spread over two floors. From 2013 Peak Performance will also be the official outfitter for the traditional Hahnenkamm downhill race, which has been taking place each year on Kitzbühel's "Streif" course since 1931. "We're very pleased to be supporting the local ski club," says Matthias Josander, Marketing Director at Peak Performance. "Opening a new own store in one of the most famous ski resorts in the world is another milestone in the history of Peak Performance."

ContaCt: Peak Performance, Bichlstraße 8, 6370 Kitzbühel/Austria, www.peakperformance.com

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Too Many Good Things She says, "You're obsessed." He says, "Please, just another one!" Being a couple in AFew is not easy. The guys at the Düsseldorf trainer store know how to wrap you around their little fingers. For those who come in search of Air Jordan 8/15s, it‘s all in vain; only genuine trainer treasures can be found here.

Text Nicolette Scharpenberg Photos AFew

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afew, Düsseldorf –– In store

Glow in the dark – the kryptonite floor charges during the day and glows at night.

sures from the past. Not only can you come in and just examine them, but can buy them as well!" With their 65 square metre store, the Biergen brothers have turned their hobby into a career . "We love to play basketball, and during trips to the U.S. we would often bring back trainers that couldn't be found here in Germany. A lot of friends and acquaintances were always asking us where we got our shoes, so in 2004 we started bringing some back for our friends on a very small scale. At one point we had to decide whether we would pursue a real career or if we would go into business for ourselves and open a store. We took a chance," Biergen explains.

to miss out on the product selection, as their online store gives fans outside of Düsseldorf access to the rarities. They can stay informed of event news and sales through the blog. The store is intended to operate just as successfully as a cultural centre for small exhibitions and events. For the re-opening party in July 2011, an exhibition of the MAX100 project by Matt Stevens was on the programme. They have also presented an Air Max 1 exhibition in cooperation with Nike Sportswear, and accompanied by a hearty barbecue. There are also plans for an exhibition with the Düsseldorf based pop artist Ivan Beslic. Further information about this can be foundonhis blog. x

Kicks, Art, and Kryptonite The store was renovated and renamed AFew in April 2011. The interior, painted a subdued black and white, was just a framework for the bigger picture: rare trainers by Nike, Adidas, KangaRoos, New Balance, Puma, and Onitsuka Tiger for men and women. The product range is supplemented by a subtle selection of textiles from Beastin, New Era, Nike, and Adidas.

The store's furniture has been designed to be versatile so that the floor space can be used for other events like small exhibitions, unplugged concerts, and readings. "We're especially proud of the kryptonite 'glow in the dark' floor by the company ENKE. It charges during the day and glows at night. It's worth stopping by to take a look, even after the store has closed," says Biergen. Those who aren't in Düsseldorf miss out on experiencing the cool design of the store, as well as its various events. But they don't have Afew

"A

Few Good Things" – just a few, but the right ones. The name really seems to accurately reflect the store concept of Marco and Andreas Biergen. The store in Düsseldorf, which opened in 2008 under the name Schuh-You, is located on Schadowstrasse in the city's Japantown across from the mall. "Most of the things we offer are very rare and are usually only available in small quantities," says Andreas Biergen. "Here the customer will find some rare trainer trea-

"We had to decide between a real career and a hobby. We've made our passion into a business."

Oststrasse 36 40211 Düsseldorf/Germany www.afew-store.com Opening: Schuh-You October 2008, Afew April 2011 Owners: Marco and Andreas Biergen Staff: 2 Retail space: 65 sqm.

Shoes and accessories: Adidas, Asics, Beastin, Jordan, KangaRoos, New Balance, New Era, Nike, Onitsuka Tiger, Puma

Andreas Biergen, AFew

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In store –– Ontfront, Amsterdam

Sartorial Splendour

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Tomas Overtoom and Liza Koifman share a passion for classic clothes with a twist. Their menswear label Ontfront may be associated with terms such as preppy, street dandy or sidewalk tailoring, but whatever the description, these young fashion designers sure know how to twist a good classic.

Text Miranda Hoogervorst Photos Ontfront

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ntfront was launched in 2007 during the off-schedule program at Amsterdam International Fashion Week. As young fashion entrepreneurs, Tomas and Liza quickly discovered a niche between mainstream urban confection and high-end formal menswear.

Their first successful design, a conventional men's blazer converted into a stylish hoodie, is characteristic of their twisted-classic style.

Liza: "We've always loved an old-fashioned look, like that of a cool grandparent or soul musician, which we combine with contemporary styles. We call it 'sidewalk tailoring.'

When Ontfront first started, we were really inspired by Andre 3000. He'd have been our perfect client. It's great for us that his preppy

"Our customers are looking for styles with a special twist in order to show their creative character."

Tomas Overtoom, Onfront

silhouettes and details like an extra small collar, an asymmetrical cut or an unusual button placement." Some clients buy one special item, such as a collarless v-neck dress shirt or the far from conventional ribcord trousers. "Those trousers are every man's friend – whether he has a well-formed behind or not," explains Liza with a grin. Other clients go for a complete look, matching ankle-length trousers with colourful Italian style knee-high socks, a double-breasted shirt and a choker.

01 Even the interior pefectly reflects the urban dandy character.

02 Liza Koifman and Tomas Overtoom.

Store Dog Zazou

Ontfront

Haarlemmerdijk 121 1013 KE Amsterdam / The Netherlands www.ontfront.nl Opening: 24 January 2011 Retail space: 65 sqm Staff: 2 Clothes: Ontfront, L'ecole National, Sopopular Shoes: Filling Pieces, United Nude Accessories: Cassius, Ray Ban, Spyker, Von Eusersdorff

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style has become a trend, but the key to our success is that we always stay true to our own style, regardless of trends."

Chokers and Knee-High Socks Tomas: "We make clothes for young men who used to wear skate or other casual urban clothes, but now need to dress up for work or other occasions. They don't want to wear a conventional suit; they want something with a twist so they can still show a bit of their creative or rebellious side. In our collection they'll find affordable styles with original

Ontfront has twelve points of sale in the Benelux. Tomas: "We like to work with retailers who understand our concept and who are able to present it clearly to their clients." Of course, the first Ontfront monobrand store, which opened in January 2011, gives the best indication of their key ideas. In the richly coloured and elegant space, many men will easily be seduced into taking home at least a hint of pavement prep. Tomas's and Liza's dog Zazou, who was named after the colourful Parisian hipsters in the '40s, looks perfectly at home in Ontfront. He dozes off while down-to-earth guys transform into men with sartorial splendour. x

VEZjun, Amsterdam –– In store

20 square metres of unique designer pieces.

Super Small but Oh So Special About seven years ago, Gabriëlle Holland decided to move her sewing machine from her home table to a more vibrant location. With three fellow fashion designers, she rented a small space on Amsterdam's Rozengracht and opened Vezjun: a store and atelier that showcases one-of-a-kind womens items.

Text Miranda Hoogervorst Photos Vezjun

T

he concept behind Vezjun (pronounced 'fashion' with a French accent) is simple. Part of the store is dedicated to Gabriëlle's own label G(rrr)AB, and the remaining space is given to young designers on a consignment basis. At the moment there are nine labels on display at Vezjun. Some designers stay with the store for years, whereas others seek short-term exposure before moving on. Vezjun represents young fashion designers as well as experienced fashion professionals who want a career change. Gabriëlle and the designers Audrey Weeren (Label 3) and Shari Scholte (second place in Project Catwalk 2010) are now running the store on a daily basis, working on the floor and behind the counter.

Vezjun only sells one-of-a-kind items. Gabriëlle: "People these days love handmade clothes. A few years ago it wasn't very trendy, but now we have a lot of new clients coming in. Every day we have another designer working in the store.

Our clients like to talk directly to the designers as it allows them to have an item fine-tuned to their liking. If a woman wants a certain dress in

"Every item we sell is unique, it's our trademark." Gabriëlle Holland, Vezjun

Vezjun

Rozengracht 110 1016 NH Amsterdam / The Netherlands www.vezjun.nl Owner: Gabriëlle Holland Opening: September 2004 Retail space: 20 sqm Staff: Varying Labels: Femke Agema, G(rrr)AB, Label 3, Ropa Rosa, Shari Scholte a.o. (see website for updates)

try to display work by designers who have recently graduated from the fashion academies.

They're always full of new and creative ideas."

Visibility another fabric or, for instance, in a sleeveless version, then it's possible. Every item we sell is unique, it’s our trademark."

Playful and Experimental Apart from clothes, Vezjun also stock inventive fashion accessories such as handbags made from old leather sofas, quirky brooches and creatively designed shawls in unusual fabrics.

It's all very affordable as well, with prices for handmade clothes varying between 100 and 250 euros. Although Vezjun's support of young designers adds to its playful and experimental character, it also means that as certain designers become really successful the store will naturally become a bit more commercial too.

Gabriëlle: "It's inevitable of course because we all have to make a living, but I never want to lose Vezjun's creative vibe. That's why I always

Shop front visibility is a bit of a problem for Vezjun. Rozengracht has some great stores, but the busy traffic on the street means there aren't a lot of shoppers or passers-by. At just 20 square metres, the store is easy to miss. A more spacious location might help, but it could also mean that Vezjun's concept has to change – and this isn't desirable. Gabriëlle: "I love the way we do it now; working a few days at home and a few in the store, talking to clients on the spot, sewing and designing clothes at the same time. It's very satisfying to see a client who is happy with your handmade designs."

Vezjun proves that you don't need to buy a wedding dress or expensive couture to get the benefits of a handmade service. It'd be great to see this low-key fashion store expand so that more people will be able to experience the luxury of having a tailor-made piece of clothing. x

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01

Old and New Classics with a Charming Creak In the Dutch capitol, Aebe Ferilli has opened his first fashion shop with a most fitting name – 1. In his selection he only carries things that he'd like to have in his own closet. His personal style seems to suit his customers superbly.

Text Miranda Hoogervorst Photos 1-Store

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1, Amsterdam –– In Store

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1

Cornelis Schuytstraat 19 1071 JD Amsterdam / The Netherlands www.1-store.nl Owner: Aebe Ferilli, Carlo Ferilli Opening: September 2010 Retail space: 110 sqm Employees: 1 Clothes: Our Legacy, Gant Rugger, Gitman Bros, Penfield, Super Future, Barbour, Mauro Grifoni, Strategic Business Unit, Red Seal, Maestro a.o.

Shoes: a.o. Tricker's, Clarks, Filling Pieces a.o.

Accessories: Retro Super Future, Travelteq, Mona di Orio, Zenology, Filson, Guild of Holland, Happy Socks a.o.

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ornelis Schuytstraat in Amsterdam South provides a welcome escape from the crowded high streets. It has been referred to as "Notting Hill-like," offering a wide variety of high fashion boutiques and hip places that are situated amongst a local butcher, florist and grocery store. Aebe Ferilli opened his first fashion store 1 here, showcasing the products that he'd love to have in his own wardrobe. His style perfectly reflects the "Southern" way of life.

With his father, the Replay agent Carlo Ferilli, young entrepreneur Aebe opened 1 in September 2010 for Replay sub-labels Red Seal and Maestro. However, they soon changed their plans and began stocking a selection of exclusive classics and accessories, quality basics and jeanswear. Whilst Carlo keeps an eye on the administrative side of the business, Aebe runs

the store on a daily basis: "I just want to sell nice things, it doesn't have to be super trendy. Our style is timeless, it's like an addition to my own wardrobe. Everything I buy, I like. I literally buy things that I want to have for myself. But then, once it's in the store, I'd rather make my client happy. At the end of the day, they rarely end up in my own wardrobe."

Something old, something new The interior has a warm, rich and classic vibe.

The walls and ceiling are decorated with handmade and painted tin squares, and the floor is covered with a beautiful parquet pattern. It also makes a charming creaking sound when

"It doesn't have to be super trendy."

Aebe Ferilli, 1 Store

From the entrance you can see all the way through the store and the dressing room, right into the small back garden.

Neatly folded shirts against a background of hand made tin wall tiles.

people walk from a rack with Barbour, Gitman and Gant to the corner where Travelteq bags and Tricker's shoes can be found. Apart from the beautiful interior and stylish collection, it's the spontaneous attitude of Aebe and his colleague Gordon, as well as their genuine interest in people, that make 1 a friendly place for everyone; be they students, creatives, young career hunters or serious "suits."

1 also has some interesting interior surprises, such as a fitting room with a beautiful view to the back garden and a narrow metal staircase behind the front counter that leads directly to the basement. Here you'll find a small collection of womenswear and more: "We change the basement from time to time", explains Aebe. "At first it was only for vintage from Replay USA, but now we stock vintage, women's and men's clothing. We recently painted one wall in red. It's a bit of an experimental space."

Quality clients Cornelis Schuytstraat is a stylish and easygoing street with lots of charm; however, it can also be fairly quiet. Aebe: "Sometimes there are hardly any people in the street. I had to get used to that in the beginning. But when you have one great client that makes your day; it's amazing." After his first year, Aebe is already expanding. From January he will start an agency for the brands Strategic Business Unit and Red Seal, amongst others. 1's online store will also be launched at the start of 2012. If only they could recreate the quaint and ambient creaks in 1's digital shopping experience. x

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in store –– Boom!, Bochum

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Boom!

Kortumstraße 2 44787 Bochum/Germany www.boom-bochum.com Owner: Vivovas / Vivamo GmbH Managing Director Volker Brunswick Opening: 03 September 2011.

Retail space: 230 sqm.

Staff: 3 full-time and 8 part-time employees Women: DC, Element Eden, Etnies, Hurley, Mazine, Quiksilver women, Roxy, RVCA, and others Men: Adidas, Altamont, Analog, Billabong, Brixton, DC, Element, Emerica, És, Etnies, Hurley, Mazine, Nike 6.0, Quiksilver, RVCA, Turbokolor, Undefeated, and others Accessories/Hardware: Adidas, Baker, Billabong, Burton, Brixton, Chakejunt, chocolate, Deathwish, DGK, Diamond, Element, Etnies, Flip, GIRL, Globe, Gold Wheels, Gravis, Hurley, Incase, Kidrobot, Marschall, Nike 6.0, PlanB, Roxy, Royal, Santa Cruz, Stance, Tragwerker, Turbokolor, Urbanears, and others

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01 Capturing the scene: Bozo Wecke (left), Volker Brunswick, and Mehmet Aydin.

02 Fashion from Adidas, Emerica, Mazine and Hurley make up the main portion of the product range. And then there's hardware by, amongst others, Burton, Billabong, and Quiksilver.

Living room for the scene Small, jam-packed skate shops are not his business. Instead, Volker Brunswick is setting new standards in Bochum with Boom, and is taking the genre to the next level.

Text Nicoletta Schaper

Skate Park on the Roof

Photos Boom!

H

is intention was to make the store modern, with plenty of space for product presentation. And that's exactly what Volker Brunswick, owner of Boom, has done. Behind an impressive rotunda with industrial Ruhr Valley charm hides a true skater's paradise with the largest selection of skate and streetwear brands in Bochum, as well as just the right amount of hardware.

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of a parking garage - in the Bermuda triangle' of Bochum's night life spots. "I just couldn't imagine having Boom between the Saturn store and Mayerscher bookshop. I wanted it to bring the scene together, and that doesn't really work when you're located in a ordinary shopping zone," he says. He made sure that he surrounded himself with all the right people, including Managing Director Bozo Wecke - former owner of the Bochum skate shop T-Nuts - and Mehmet Aydin - one of the first widely sponsored skaters. "The success that we achieved early on told me that we were on the right track," Brunswick states.

The store was launched in September 2011 and it's open until 10pm on weekends, in addition to the long Lounge Day on Wednesdays with a DJ and drinks. "It's really catching on. Boom is set to become the main hangout area for the scene," he says.

Meeting Point for Board Brothers Volker Brunswick specialises in presentations in the board sports segment. With his company Vivamo, he carries out store and exhibition display concepts across Europe for brands such as Etnies, Billabong, and Burton. The idea using his skills to run his own store had long appealed to him. He finally found the right location in the main building

The skate park on the roof will be ready in March 2012. It has a floor space of 400 square metres and will be peppered with street courses, stairs, rails, as well as a stage for concerts. The aim of Boom is ultimately to combine streetwear, board sports, street art, and music. This ambition is evident in events such as the Boom hip-hop party at Goethebunker in Essen last November, and the live painting session by the Polish street artist Swanski on the skate park deck. x

Kafe Liebling, oslo –– in store

A Piece of Berlin in the Heart of Oslo

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Grünerløkka is a neighbourhood in Oslo. It's where everybody in the scene comes together. It's where you'll find all the hot clubs, businesses, and playgrounds. And it's there that you'd love to spend a Sunday strolling around the Loppemarked flea market in search of long-forgotten treasures. At the edge of this trendy neighbourhood lies yet another treasure called Kafé Liebling.

Text Sebastian Schulke Photos Kafe Liebling

K

afé Liebling is a wonderful mixture of dining area, fashion boutique, and playground. "It all started with my Aunt Guri," says Ola Refsnes, who developed and created this loving mixture together with Katrin Schauer. "We both come from the design industry and used to have a small shop with my aunt's name. The entire thing was more of a hobby. But then we wanted more," so they came up with the idea of Kafé Liebling.

It was an idea closely associated with two major German cities - Berlin and Munich. "I'm from Bavaria," states Katrin, "and Ola really loves Berlin. These two places have given us a lot of inspiration," and the idea of opening a German coffee shop in Oslo with German bread, organic German drinks, and international fashion. In addition to coffee, cake, and a phenomenal breakfast, visitors can also enjoy the fashion and design for kids and adults. They can discover not only the games, postcards, cuckoo clocks, and baking pans in the shape of a football field as well as other valuable designer pieces for the home, but also high-quality, eccentric articles of clothing by independent brands like Ich Jane, A better tomorrow, FRISUR, s.wert, and Humör. "Just as with eating and drinking, we also place a high value on quality in fashion, and this has nothing to do with bulk goods," says Katrin. "We want to be more than just a normal café. We want our guests to feel at home and to enjoy their time at Liebling."

"With Us You Can Have your Dreams."

The café is spread out over 90 square metres, with the three areas, consisting of a dining area, a fashion boutique, and a playground, perfectly tying into one another on two levels. After going through the front door, the first thing you'll see is the lower level: This is

where you'll find the sales counter, with the smell of fresh-roasted coffee and fresh-baked bread. To the right is a small ramp leading up to the second level, where the café splits into the fashion boutique and the playground.

Of course, it doesn't have slides or swings, but there are plenty of games, like Parcheesi and Connect Four. The tables and chairs are simple and very functional, because they once were used school classrooms. On the wall hangs an old black and white photo from Berlin. And there's a drawer with classic children's books like "Where the Wild Things Are." "Fashion, design, and coffee aren't everything. Of course the kids shouldn't miss out," Ola says and adds: "Kafé Liebling is a piece of Berlin in the heart of Oslo. This is where you're able and allowed to dream." x 01

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Naturally, Kafé Liebling would not be complete without the cuckoo clocks and candy apples.

Discreet and unobtrusive: the German café is tucked away in the heart of Oslo.

A real classic at the Kafe Liebling: Parcheesi.

Kafe Liebling

Øvrefoss 4 0555 Oslo/Norway www.facebook.com/kafeliebling Opening: October 2010 Owners: Katrin Schauer and Ola Refsnes Employees: 10 Retail space: 90 sqm Fashion labels: A better tomorrow, FRISUR, Humör, human empire, Ich Jane, stadtkluft, s.wert Lamps and designs: Atelier Haussmann, AIAIAI, Tom Dixon, Excel, Is that Plastic, Northern Lightning, Lomography Toys: chamue Jewellery: Angelica Leon In-house design label: olaogkari (including postcards, breakfast boards, and refrigerator magnets)

"We want our guests to feel at home and enjoy their time here."

Katrin Schauer, Kafe Liebling

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One last thing

Well Obviously!

Text Stephan Huber, Publisher style in progress und x-ray

I

t's the way people are. We tend to take for granted the things we're used to – even the things that can't be taken for granted, objectively speaking. They're called "vested rights" in the language of Austrian bureaucrats. Take for instance workers from the Viennese Public Parks Department who collect a hazard bonus for watering the geraniums in front of the city hall windows. People are right to laugh or grumble about things like that, but taking this sense of entitlement for granted is pretty widespread. It would do us all some good to take a critical look at our own behaviour. Sure, people should be there for us: good friends we can depend on. And what about a democratic society that guarantees a high amount of freedom, opportunities, participation and security? Of course! These very things we see as our due almost seem boring - almost, that is, until we realize how easy it is to lose them.

The trade fairs and events offered for the fashion industry in Berlin, specifically Bread & Butter, should in no way be taken for granted.

This January's Bread & Butter was stunningly presented in every way imaginable. But because it's spoiled us in so many ways, we, or at least many of us, have got used to this superb standard. We take it for granted.

It's by far the largest platform for denim, street, contemporary and authentic....what else? But it's got to be so huge, so commercial and blah, blah, blah. "I remember the Bread & Butter when they only had 50 brands. Those were the days!"

A fantastic location made to work through enormous investments – in an icy winter like this one as well as in summer. Absolutely! "Nah, there's nothing really new here anymore."

Personalized free tickets that arrive by post just in time for the Bread & Butter? Well, of course! But watch out it if doesn't work out! "That's ridiculous...now I'm supposed to actually stand in line for a ticket!!!"

Do you see yourself here?

Don't take me wrong. I'd be the last person to argue for total approval and no criticism. There are enough things that not only I wish were different. And it's important to bring them up and discuss them openly. But there's a big difference between constructive criticism and spoiled griping. I'd like to dedicate a song to that on the piano, or in my case, guitar. x

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Flag Publisher, editorial office, advertising department and owner ucm-verlag B2B Media GmbH & Co KG Salzweg 17 5081 Salzburg-Anif/Austria T 0043.6246.89 79 99 F 0043.6246.89 79 89 office@ucm-verlag.at www.ucm-verlag.at Management Stephan Huber, Nicolaus Zott Publisher Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at Editors-in-chief Ina Köhler ina@ucm-verlag.at Isabel Faiss isabel.faiss@ucm-verlag.at Managing editor Nicolette Scharpenberg nicolette.scharpenberg@ucm-verlag.at Art direction/assistant Stephanie Hoffmann steffi.hoffmann@ucm-verlag.at Michaela Aschauer michaela.aschauer@ucm-verlag.at Contributing editors Miranda Hoogervorst, Nicoletta Schaper, Harlan Levey, Kay Alexander Plonka, Julia Lauber, Sebastian Schulke, Nicolette Scharpenberg Photographers & Illustrators Andreas Klammt, Van Data Illustration & Design, René Fietzek, Veit Ritterbecks Styling Sabine Berlipp

Image editor Anouk Schönemann anouk.schoenemann@ucm-verlag.at Advertising director Stephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at Publisher's assistant, distribution Sigrid Staber sigrid.staber@ucm-verlag.at Christina Hörbiger christina.hoerbiger@ucm-verlag.at English editor Wesley Hill, Elizabeth D'Elsa English translations Word Connection, Business Translation Service Printing Laber Druck, Oberndorf Printing coordinator Manfred Reitenbach Account info Volksbank Salzburg 105 627, BLZ 45010

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