Can the Gritty German City Emerge as Europe's Next Fashion Capital?
By LAURA STEVENS
Berlin
With its cheap rents, gritty feel and high concentration of artists on a budget, Berlin is funky enough to have adopted the line "poor but sexy" as an unofficial motto.
The Berlin Runway
Agence France Presse / Getty Images
Kaviar Gauche gave soft materials and shapes a controlled look, sometimes adding contrasting accents such as black belts.
The city's edgy, sexy vibe was evident on Wednesday as German designers kicked off Mercedes-Benz Berlin Fashion Week, which runs through Saturday. Getting on the world's fashion map isn't easy, but Berlin is trying.
So far, it's not on a par with the fashion weeks of New York, Milan, Paris or even runner-up London. Most of the retail buyers are from Germany, and only a few of the designers, such as Hugo Boss—a German brand—and Calvin Klein, are major international names. Some big German labels, such as Joop!, Jil Sander and Escada, aren't participating.
Still, Berlin fashion week has grown steadily since its inception in 2007, and the biannual event is now a fashion hub for German designers and buyers. The number of designers showing has quadrupled, says Peter Levy, senior vice president of fashion-week organizer IMG Fashion Worldwide. The event now draws fashion media from all over Europe—eastern and western—including style capital Paris. And it is "now profitable," says IMG spokesperson Daniel Aubke. Amping up its impact, it's being presented at the same time as two other international fashion trade shows, the streetwear-oriented Bread & Butter, and the more upscale Premiere.
Berlin's cheap-chic character makes it a cultural center—and party town—for young Europeans. Its fashion reputation is growing as well. "Berlin specifically, but Germany is definitely a hotbed of creativity," says IMG's Mr. Levy.
"I like German fashion quite a lot," says said Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. "It's kind of tough, there's lots of leather, there's lots of kind of denim, it's not sort of chic the way Paris or Milan is, it's more kind of funky street style."
"Berlin designers take more risks than in other cities, for example, in Paris." says Julia Quante, a journalist for trade publication BerlinFashion.Daily and website berlinfashion.tv.
Germans' own love of fashion is growing, some labels say. Berlin-based label Kaviar Gauche showed in London and Paris before winning an award at the first Berlin Fashion Week. Now, the designers, who have a small presence in Japan, Hong Kong, Paris and London, among other cities, show their bridal and eveningwear collection only in Berlin.
"Of course, we were really skeptical in the beginning," says Johanna Kühl, one of the designers, laughing. "Who needs another fashion week?" But she and her fellow designer, Alexandra Fischer-Roehler, were convinced by the strengthening buying power and enthusiasm of German customers.
The range of German design was visible on Wednesday. Several designers played with flowy and sheer looks. At the same time, most clothes retained a sense of wearability and comfort, channeling streetwear—a casual, urban look—and rocker influences.
Kaviar Gauche, whose show's music switched abruptly from classical to the metal band Rammstein, paired many of its elegant designs with sheer white pants. Some of the dresses had a Greek classical look, with only one shoulder strap and loose silk material cinched at the waist.
Lala Berlin, which started its show off with a singer in a silver leopard-print dress performing "Come As You Are" by Nirvana, featured several pieces in loose, open knits, such as a black-and-white striped see-through dress. A white tube dress was covered by a very loosely knit gown that looked like a spider web. Other soft knits were given a rock-and-roll edge by animal-print patterns. There was even a silver and orange leopard-print skirt. The knits and billowy silk tops were paired with separates such as bright orange jeans, navy-striped pants and silver micro-mini skirts.
The collection is "Kurt Cobain in Kenya," says Leyla Piedayesh, Lala Berlin's designer. "It's a totally new interpretation of [African] tradition." Lala Berlin is sold in 140 mostly German stores, including one in the trendy Berlin-Mitte neighborhood.
Other designers showed a more extreme side of Berlin style. Lena Hoschek, an Austrian designer whose pieces are worn by singer Katy Perry, put her models in shoulder-length black wigs with bangs in 1950s style. While poofy skirts and flirty tops followed the malt-shop theme, metal spikes and leather straps gave the looks a dominatrix twist. (Think Grease meets Catwoman.).
Dimitri, a Milan-based designer, used color-rich embroidery, sequins and beading to create a traditional, almost Eastern European flavor. His designs—ranging from extremely short to extremely long—featured flowy clothing, big belts, and flashy details such as a skirt and a dress trimmed with gold coins.
Not every event is taking place in the main fashion tent. Michael Michalsky, previously a head designer for both Levi and Adidas, is known for combining classic styles with a streetwear edge. His new line will be shown Friday at an off-site event called "StyleNite" in Berlin's Tempodrom arena.
Fashion week, he says, is "the resurrection of the old and very successful fashion tradition of our city," he says, referring to Berlin's creative heyday in the 1920s. "We all feel this and have the same dream—to tell the world that Berlin fashion is back."
—Christina Binkley will return next week.
Write to Laura Stevens at laura.stevens@wsj.com
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page W3
Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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