I just wanted to quickly explain the picture I chose as background for my Blog. It is a shot I took about two weeks ago at my favourite Bar, Happiness Forgets in Hoxten.

To me, Beauty can be found in carious places and forms. Here, I found it in the atmosphere of a celler bar and its simply perfect service. There is nothing nicer than being served a drink with a honest smile and a quick chat. Add that to a beautiful, not overloaded nor cold interior, you get the perfect recipe for Beauty.

Consistency is Beauty.

Merci, Lars

Berlin might not necessarily strike you as an undiscovered trend city; it being the capital of Germany, the second biggest city in the EU and Centrum of Politics of my country. It most certainly cannot be described as a blank, yet to be discovered spot on the map, with 3.5 million inhabitants and almost two thirds of the square footage of London. Berlin is located in northeast Germany, was first mentioned in 1237 and has since then had a rich history, still very prominent in the today’s cityscape. The most recognised sites are probably the Brandenburger Tor, the Siegessäule and of course the Berlin Wall.

 Top left: Brandenburger Tor / Low Left: Berlin Wall / Right: Siegessäule

Nowadays Berlin enjoys a great world-wide reputation in science, politics, education, culture and art. Many international artists, especially those of film and media call Berlin their home.

All in all Berlin seems to be rather established within the world community. Nevertheless I choose this city for one particular reason. Potential. Even though Berlin has been around for quite some time and the reunion already dates back 23 years, Berlin has still not exhausted the potential, the energy it had back then.

After the fall of the historical landmark, the fall of the wall, Berlin was strewn with scars slashed by the decades of war it had endured and it was from these scars that Berlin awoke to new life.

There are still scars. And there is still life flourishing in these.

Talking about Berlin, many books can and were filled but I want to talk about the Berlin that I know.
To this day I have not found another city with a similar vibrant nightlife and subculture as Berlin.
To this day there are still illegal or barely legal clubs found all over town.

It is a scene with its own rules, beliefs and looks. Especially the belief when and how long a party should last, is very different. Going out on a Friday evening and returning on a Sunday afternoon, without changing location is nothing extraordinary. The music born and developed in this environment – Paul Kalkbrenner, Oliver Koletzki – has a strong impact on the world’s electronic music scene.

In retrospect it reminds me a lot of the modern fashion scene; in itself as diverse and individual as the people who create it, but nevertheless one community. The way I see it, this scene still holds the potential from 20 years ago, less distinct but still capable of reinvention, innovation and  taking a stand.

 Top Left: Holi Festival / Middle Left: Club der Visionäre / Low Left : Sven Marquardt / Center: Kater Holzig /Both Right: Bar 25

An example would be the legendary Bar 25. After being shut down by the city in 2010, the ‘owners’ of the establishment just crossed the river and opened a new Club, Kater Holzig.

But that was not the end of it. They kept on fighting for the property of the former Bar 25 and in spite of their capitalistic competition; today the acquisition was settled. Where does the money for such an enterprise come from? The property will be bought by the Holzmarkt collective, consisting of friends of the former Bar 25. (Watch the Trailer to the Movie about the Club, even if it is in german with english subs, the pictures alone should say enough!)

Going back to the earlier mentioned comparison to the fashion scene of the aughts, obviously Berlin has a fashion scene too. And for 5 years running even a fashion week. But similar to the nightlife, Berlin’s fashion scene does not thrive on the big brands or well known concept stores like Murkundis but on the little boutiques and Pop-Up Stores all over town. Especially the UPCYCLING FASHION STORE has captured that Berlin vibe in its concept.

Top Left: Upcycled Skateboards /Low Left: Upcycled Shirts / Top Right: Upcycled Printing-Rubber / Right: Design by Joanna Paradecka

Upcycling comes from recycling and that is where their products come from. Aside from their own creations, that always follow a certain theme or group around certain, to be ‘upcycled’, materials, be it scrap gold or skateboards, they also sell clothes. For example those by the Vienna-based label Milch – recycled clothes and bags, simply made from old clothes.

Why Berlin does not yet have a stronger stand within the international scene, amongst other things where fashion is concerned, is to be blamed on the city itself. No good connection into the international traffic and a still strongly blemished cityscape with too many players not pulling on the same string. But I hope Berlin as a whole, behaves similar in its development as upcoming districts. First it is the artist that moves in, and then the rest of the world wants to follow.

Merci, Lars

Fashion Statement

(I apologise for the long post, but as this is one of my universities assignments and therefore its length was not at my mercy)

Fashion is…

superficial, short-lived, masquerade, illusion;

It’s all about beauty. It’s all about the ‘new’. It’s all about the superficial.

Fashion is overturn-wise one of the fastest industries we know. It is obsessed with beauty and the superficial looks of people. If you see a mannequin on the runway you would not necessarily recognize her or him on the street. Fashion is not only able to provide us with a mask but even with a whole identity or to be precise the illusion of an identity. The opinion about this is very diverse; some say it is bad to not be able to tell who one is or that we judge based on people’s appearance. Whereas I think, that through the knowledge of this we are given a strong tool everyone can use. Fashion gives the shy person a place to hide, and provides the strong person with the ability to even better display themselves.

individual, expression, character, group;

Lately fashion has been undergoing an interesting evolution. The big trends were replaced by a new fad, a fad more diverse in itself. Today it is ‘everything goes’. Less than fifteen years ago the (western) world would know only a few, big trends, often influenced through political and social affiliation or introduced by the big designers of the industry. Nowadays, there is a new and strong force. So strong in fact, that it influences the industry from ‘below’.

It is the people themselves, the people who actually wear the clothes who decided to be more individual. Individuality, the need of expression is one of the most interesting features our modern scene has. This has evolved to the point where there are still trends, as people in general feel the need to belong to a group, but these groups then identify themselves through the need of every single member to be unique. Therefore the logical consequence is that just as each human is unique in his or her character, clothes are becoming unique in expressing their carrier’s personality.

mirror, cultural, history, heritage;

Another strong influence in fashion is is the wearer’s background, their knowledge, their cultural influences. It is very interesting to see how there are ‘typical’ style ideas for various countries. Even in our strong flattening world, fashion is still not the same everywhere. Trends that develop separately in different places, will eventually swap over to other scenes, places and communities but their core will be preserved in their birthplace.

All this can be observed in the personal style of people which transforms ‘dressing up’ into more than just an expression of personality but also heritage.

architecture, craftsmanship, art, movement;

All together, to me, there is also a more physical aspect to fashion. It is still one of the largest artistic craftsmanship in the world. It uses architecture and design to forge creativity and movement together to create art. In the end it is about the piece of clothing, which eventually embodies a transcended meaning, but still is but a physical object after all. Especially the ability to capture movement is one of fashions strongest features to differentiate itself from other arts.

Furthermore there is not only a strong diversity to be found in the different styles people have, but also in the approaches in creating fashion. Every designer has their individual process, influenced by the same factors a private person would be influenced by as far as their own style is concerned.

My conclusion, my fashion statement, deriving from all this, is that fashion, is not only interesting from a social, creative, craftsmanship or artistic point of view, but in our times also adds to all our lives a tool of expression, a tool everyone can use  without the social need to. I know that this is an idealistic and extreme view on fashion, but I feel it is appropriate as I am an idealist and extremist.

Merci, Lars