More fashion, more fun please

Berlin Fashion Week is over. Was it a good week? We honestly don’t know yet as it takes some time and distance to digest. We haven’t had time to post every day but surely with all other posts and pictures and street style snaps and instant reports, fashion readers are already overwhelmed. The information overkill and the quality of it do not necessarily correlate, but the readers were not alone. Let’s be honest – with so many locations, shows, tradeshows and shop openings do we really have time to see it all? No. Do we need to? Not so sure. Do we miss something? This is a rhetorical question.

Don’t get us wrong – we love fashion. We are prepared to spend hours waiting for a good show to get our chunk of inspiration and emotional touch. We really care and would give anyone daring to show as much credits as we could. But this week was different. And confusing. Too many shows with less quality were our problem. We missed Kaviar Gauche and Penkov. We enjoyed Michael Sontag, Vladimir Karaleev, mongrels in common, Patrick Mohr and Hien Le, and studio presentations of DSTM and Dawid Tomaszewski.  Dutch Iris van Herpen and Belgian A.F.Vandevorst brought a bit of a sparkle into the sea of reduced, minimalist, good quality fashion. 


But the rest? Solid but boring. The concept of wearability does not justify the absence of ideas. The core, the essence of what fashion made or shown in Berlin should be is missing. Jil Sander has put her minimalistic mark – 20, 30 years ago?  Karl Lagerfeld said in his Spiegel ping pong with Bread and Butter CEO Karl-Heinz Mueller: “Berlin takes itself way too serious...”  Maybe he is right; we shouldn’t be so dead serious about it. 
Let’s have some fun next season!


image courtesy: Iris van Herpen

Next week' madness, relaxed

Just one more day, and the fashion week Berlin (pardon, Mercedes-Benz Fashion week BerlinJ) kicks off.. Season after season, there are more designers, shows, off-schedule events and presentations, trade shows and installations.  No wonder everybody seems stressed even before the first model steps into the catwalk. Instead of  running a fashion marathon, we have decided to be relaxed and to attend only a few, very subjectively selected shows and presentations we feel somehow represent the capital of emerging fashion and capture the zeitgeist at their best.

The week starts on Tuesday with two events both off-schedule and both equally intriguing –

EDGED showroom and projektGALERIE run their opening parties. Pretty energetic start right on into the mood for avant-garde in fashion, we will be there.

Wednesday 10 sharp (10 am of course!) is the Michael Sontag Show. He is one of the designers featured in the book, and we really like his work outside of trends and seasons. He is also last year’ nominee of the Start Your Fashion Business award we will be attending too. Hien Le, Issever Bahri and Augustin Teboul are on board this time.

Back on Wednesday – we will sashey to the (capsule) and then back to PREMIUM where our book presentation will be taking place (if not accredited yet, a short email, pronto!)

Then will be just on time for the Zadig & Voltaire event at the Lafayette, the label finally available in Germany, yes!  Reality Studio guerilla presentation is on our list after that. And then - open end, with a few more events to drop by. 

You better check IHeartBerlin providing an excellent party calendar for the best and funniest parties in town this week. 

Thursday is a very exiting day. Vladimir Karaleev will be showing in the morning, right after the first morning slot allocated to Schumacher, Mannheim-based  label that caused quite a stir last season. Laurèl and mongrels in common are the shows we would not miss, followed by the avant-garde and street fashion at its best: Patrick Mohr (!), Wood Wood and later the gem – Designer Scouts with an excellent portfolio. Our personal highlight of the week.

Back to the tents next morning, Don’t Shoot the Messengers followed by Marcel Ostertag. Berlin is known for being unpredictable and mixing all sorts of things, two labels that cannot be any different.  Frida Weyer and Kilian Kerner are on our schedule too; later on the night at Tempelhof, the place to be.

Saturday on ease. Dawid Tomaszewski and Hien Le, and a closure by A.F.Vandevorst, we hope this time there will be their first line - the capital of emerging fashion is definitely worth it!

see you around! xo

image courtesy:  MBFW, IMG

Shopping Sunday

Tomorrow we will do a girl thing. Shopping!  First, hunting for bargain and really edgy pieces by JulaandBen, Reality Studio, Boessert/Schorn and many more. Konk, de La Reh (green fashion lovers cannot miss this one!), and other stores will show their best pieces too, united all together at Voo and supported by LesMads.

Traditional German “Kaffee & Kuchen “(Coffee and Cake) and cocktails & ice cream (mm… a tasty/ dangerous combo!)  will sweeten the pain of spending money well.  And Voo store is always worth a visit. Something with a very personal character, “as if you stepped into the private home of a world traveler  who amassed a collection of unique, gorgeous artifacts", so Ingrid Junker who curates the store selling Henrik Vibskov, Silent by Damir Doma, Surface to Air, Stine Goya, Cheap Monday and B Store..If you are a fashion junkie – and we expect so! – high blood pressure is a usual side-effect when shopping these names.

Voo store is listed in the book, of course. So is Sing Blackbird, a vintage fashion store and a café. Diana Durdic and Tasha Arana (who worked for LeSportSac designing accessories) wanted a place in Berlin where they and friends could share their passion for delicious food and vintage clothing. Homemade cakes and a good selection of Seventies, Eighties and Nineties clothes and shoes (Dior and Yves Saint Laurent might be your lucky find!), and you can cash in your own vintage clothes for store credit. It feels like a cozy flea market for friends and friends of friends.

Location and other info:

LesMads Designer-Flohmarkt @VOO-Store

Blackbird Flohmarkt + Sunday Vegan Breakfast

See you there! 

image courtesy: Voo Store / George Roske

Schmetterlinge x Orange. Teil 2.

Schmetterlinge x Farbe Orange schein ja DAS Motiv des Sommers zu sein. Allerdings kommen einige IT-Pieces wie z.B. so ein iPad Bag schon jetzt recht viel rum – das freche Stück wurde schon in London, Copenhagen, New York, Amsterdam, Berlin und Paris ohne Aufsicht gesehen (Siehe Travelling Urban iPad Bag). 

Und überhaupt... Orange. Wir würden sagen – Win-Win Kombination für alle beteiligten. Macht gute Laune, ist nicht so schräg wie Gelb und steht (fast) jedem. Oder jeder.  Coole Jungs und Mädels tragen sie gerne – egal ob als Tasche, Tuch oder T-Shirt...

p.s. Nein, dies ist keine Werbung in eigener Sache. Wir haben sehr strikte Editorial Guidelines, also redaktionelle Vorschriften, und die Freiheit, das interessanteste/spannendste/skurrilste zu posten. In diesem Sinne... ))) 

mongrels in common x XOOOOX = ♥ Schmetterlinge

Hightech meets Fashion. Für die mongrels in common Sommerkollektion 2012, die in zwei Wochen in Berlin präsentiert wird, entwickelte der Berliner Künstler XOOOOX exklusiv einen Stoffprint. Wilde Mücken auf Barcode an Schmetterlingen heißt seine Komposition, zu sehen auf Blusen, Kleidern und Schals aus halbtransparentem Crêpe-Satin.

Entstanden ist das Motiv aus einem gewöhnlichen Barcode, den die beiden Designerinnen Christine Pluess und Livia Ximénez-Carrillo via Blackberry Messenger dem Künstler schickten – ohne zu ahnen, dass sie den Entstehungsprozess damit bereits in Gang setzten. Wie bei den lebensgroßen Fotomodellen auf Häuserfassaden, mit denen XOOOOX 2007 bekannt wurde, setzte der Künstler auch hier seine filigrane Schablonentechnik ein, um das Motiv nachzuzeichnen, zu verfremden und mit neuen Elementen anzureichern. Das Ergebnis ist ein Druck, einprägsam wie ein grafischer Code, der perfekt mit den geometrischen Schnitten der kommenden Sommer- Kollektion von mongrels in common korrespondiert.

Wir sind jetzt auf die Show und die Kollektion gespannt. Klar ist, dass die neue Schals Potenzial zum einem Must Have haben. Lala Berlin (DIE Schals, Mädels!) darf sich warm anziehen (Smiley). Wir freuen uns jedoch auf die unerschöpfliche Quelle für Motive und auf die Vielfalt eines Accessoires, das sich von einem modischen Mauerblümchen zu der Queen des lässig-urbanen Chics für Fortgeschrittene bedenklich schnell mauserte. We like!

Off schedule: EDGED Showroom & SHOW0711

EDGED ist eine Plattform zur Förderung Kreativer während der Fashion Week, ein Showroom und Laden zugleich, der unabhängige und urbane Couture präsentiert. Aufstrebende Designer, Fotografen, Stylisten und Models lieben EDGED wegen seiner lebhaften, trendigen Atmosphäre.  Zum Portfolio im Januar zählten die dänische Designerin Barbara I Gongini (Black Line), das Berliner Label Kimberit und die polnische Designerin Joanna Hawrot.

EDGED SHOWROOM  präsentiert diesen Sommer eine Auswahl von mehr als 30 internationalen Designern aus Norwegen, Belgien, Polen, Österreich, Schweden, Serbien, Australien, Japan, Korea und Deutschland im Glashaus, Arena direkt am Spreeufer. 

Ergänzt wird das Programm durch die Kooperation mit Show0711 (Jeden Abend jeweils um 19.30Uhr).

OPENING PROGRAMM 5. JULI 2011
18:00 PRESS & BUYERS COCKTAIL
Visual Effects Anton Schilli,  DJ Philipp Melon

Akkreditierung via visitor@the-edged.com

19:30 OPENINGSHOW BY SHOW0711

21:00 EDGED & SHOW0711 Opening Party

Band Hairy Chest, DJ Ike ReleaseHAIRY CHEST

Akkreditierung für Opening Party & SHOW0711 via:

accreditation@show0711.com

EDGED Showroom 6 - 8. Juli 2011

11:00 - 20:00 

Images: COINONIA ( Japan/Korea), BarbaraiGongini Black Line AW2011/12.  

projektGALERIE kicks off Berlin fashion week at the new location

In case you haven't noticed yet, projektGALERIE has moved. The new promising location is Passarelle, Alte Muenze.

Conceptualised as a meeting point for alternative fashion and art lovers, projektGALERIE has become a dedicated home to Scandinavians wanting to show in Berlin while entering the German market – Danish designers David Andersen and Barbara I Gongini are both regular guests. Expect to find an eclectic mix of Scandinavian, British, French and German fashion, live performances, installations and the off-schedule movie screenings.

“We are trying to refl ect what makes Berlin special – a feeling of endless opportunities, and an idea that fashion is part of the daily lifestyle. We have created an environment where fashion, art, design and street art all meet in synergy,” affirms founder Sven Krueger.

We are excited to see more of an intriguing portfolio. And just to remind you – that’s what pG looked like a few months ago in January.. Enjoy!   images: courtesy of projektGALERIE

OPENING by THE PROJEKTGALERIE SHOWROOM & FRIENDS 
July 5 | Tuesday | Start 21:00 Uhr 
Entry Free | r.s.v.p@projektgalerie.net | public event