July 12, 2012

Berlin Fashion Week Roundup

As part of the International fashion circuit, we attended Berlin’s Fashion Week to cover a couple of tradeshows as well as look at shops in East and West Berlin.

In general the fairs had a good flow of attendees with visitors from the south of Europe making less of a presence. The Bread and Butter felt a bit emptier and watered down this time around, but regardless, exhibitors at the tradeshow were quite content since all the buyers from key accounts showed. The big question is, "what's next for Bread and Butter?" All eyes are on Karl-Heinz Mueller the founder of BBB as rumors surface that the show may be moving to Istanbul or Italy.


As far as what exhibitors were showing, we saw a major movement towards clean, sturdy looks. Japanese selvedge denim, work wear inspired denim, and raw denim dominated the market as well as boyfriend cuts and cropped skinnies. To counter balance this return to classic casual wear, we also noticed the presence of vintage menswear with distressed, destroyed, and worn in elements. Brights and neons saturated the scene in colored denim and cotton trousers. Not to mention, khaki and earthy tones made a comeback. Studs were everywhere from the sleeves of denim jackets down to pocket details. Sheens in metallic tones popped up on denim, knits, and jackets. Overall this season exemplified a sense of boldness and longevity.

photo via Show and Order

We started with the Show and Order Fashion Trade Event on Tuesday afternoon to get into the swing of it. The second edition of Show and Order was great and confirmed that this tradeshow will be in Berlin for the long run. The location is rather industrial and aged looking, but combined with the nicely spaced high-fashion order platform and very well curated exhibitors, this show stands out in the crowd. With a 40% increase in national and international exhibitors at the show, we will definitely follow up with this tradeshow next season.

photo via 10 Days

Created on the philosophy that "every woman needs good basics," Dutch design label, 10 Days is all about making things fun and easy. We saw them at Show and Order and felt their casual and comfortable style complimented by unexpected details was a great find!

photo via Panorama Berlin

The 11th edition of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin opened with an inaugural pre-view dinner for Panorama Berlin, the city's latest addition to it's already busy fashion trade fair roster. Though the show's premiere had to be postponed to January 2013 due to the delayed opening of Berlin's new airport BER, selected exhibitors and buyers enjoyed a delicious 4-course dinner in celebration of the things to come. We spoke with CEO, Joerg Wichmann who gave this statement about how Panorama contributes to Berlin's reputation as an important tradeshow destination, "Panorama Berlin shows an inspiring mix of womenswear, menswear, shoes and accessories. As such Panorama Berlin complements the city's range of fashion with a relevant selection of market leading brands offering a variety of style from preppy casual to chic."


We've watched the well established PREMIUM International Fashion Trade Show Berlin grow organically since the first show in the Tunnel at Potzdammer Platz was launched almost 10 years ago. Today the show exhibits a well selected portfolio of 800 brands of womenswear, menswear, denim, accessories and shoes, including a new section of Asian designers. Since the beginning, they have re-curated their identity again and again, each and every season by including a fresh array of new brands, in contrary to other shows who stick to the same lineup for years. In order to survive in the marketplace, constant change is extremely valuable to a show's longevity and, more importantly, very much appreciated by buyers who consistently need to be inspired to reinvent themselves and their product assortments.


This new category consisting of Asian talent brings both Korean and Japanese contemporary brands to the Berlin platform. For us, one of the seven designers from Daegu in South Korea peaked our fashion interest, Jaewoo Kim. With clean lines, exceptional tailoring, and inventive details, he designs for the modern, powerful woman living in the city. This design aesthetic enlivens fashion as an art form with  "clothes that can be displayed in the living-room rather than kept in her closet."


video by daumenkino

The highly anticipated “Denim Temple” at the heart of the BBB inspired audiences with 27 innovative brands from all over the world including the likes of the 3x1 shop concept and highly selected denim brands like Orta Anadolu, Kings of Indigo, and Industry of All Nations. The Denim Religion Fashion Show was amazing and right in sync with the times we are living in – edgy, imaginary, and cross-cultural. Despite speculation, we are confident Karl-Heinz Mueller will take BBB in the right direction and we look forward to see the evolution of the show in January.

photo via Matias Sauter

After its first success, we'd like to call out the second edition of Laboratorio by TRC Candiani at BBB. Created by three of the top global textile companies, TRC Candiani, Interwashing Group (Elleti), and Okinawa, the Laboratorio produced an authentic "live" lab where visitors could design their own pair of jeans by choosing the style, fabric, treatments and finishes. About 5,000 people replicated the manufacturing process from sewing to washing, lasering, and customizing the label to create Italian crafted denim. The workshop was made possible by Confezioni Crivellaro and Jeanologia.

photo via Seven Foot Cowboy

Also at the Denim Temple was Pokit's new line, Seven Foot Cowboy. Inspired by the American West but manufactured in London's cotton capital, this women's and men's authentic jeans collection is made from premium Japanese denim and is of utmost durability. From Prospector to Crazy Horse to Belle, Stampede, and many more, each pair tells a specific story relative to the style, fit, and customer's personality.

photo via Frida Weyer

One of the Spring/Summer 2013 fashion shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin definitely worth seeing was Frida Weyer. The collection drew inspiration from the Ottoman Era and included a broad mixture of dresses, pant suits, trench coats, and bags in brights of coral, turquoise, and yellow that were complimented by classic shades of black and white. The fusion of modern silhouettes with traditional Oriental patterns created the perfect combination for a fabulous summer wardrobe.


As for pop-up shops in Berlin, we'd like to recognize "The Upcycling Fashion Store" run by the team at the fashion label, aluc. The sustainable shop sells a plethora of merchandise like shirts, blouses, bags, hats, and other accessories from Berlin labels like aluc, ReClothings, SAG + SAL, and Western Trash as well as the Australian line Milk.

photo via Eva Napp

In a new location at the Postbahnhof, we attended the Capsule Berlin and lifestyle event . The atmosphere was very relaxing with an incredible supply of exhibitors geared towards high-end contemporary brands and premium street wear labels.

photo via A Kind Of Guise

What originally started as a student project in 2009 and first consisted of bags made of leftover leather from an old medicine ball factory, A Kind Of Guise has now expanded into a vast assortment of menswear jackets, knits, shirts, pants, and accessories. From manufacturing to choosing local fabrics, the label keeps production close to its roots in Germany. The brand's focus is to create long lasting, unique products that pay exceptional attention to color and detail.

Also, we had the pleasure to talk to Deirdre Maloney, one of the co-owners of the BPMW and publicist James Harris – so stay tuned and we will post the full interview in the next couple of days! 

2 comments:

  1. Brilliant! I am always impressed with the creativity coming from Berlin. We are looking forward on hearing more.

    ReplyDelete
  2. wow i love the fashion style and the creativity... you can check also my asian fashion style Here.

    ReplyDelete

 
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