Berlin Fashion Week
July 5, 2012
The whirr of a sewing machine fills the atelier as Sonja Hodzode and Sarah Büren expertly juggle needles and scraps of material. Silk blouses in rust tones, decorated with flowers, flow from impromptu hangers.
The designers are putting the finishing touches on their new spring/summer collection, which they are presenting at Berlin Fashion Week.
Hodzode and Büren founded their label, Blame, in 2010 after completing apprenticeships at major international labels like Marc Jacobs and Hugo Boss."We invested our entire savings and tapped our parents as well," said Sonja Hodzode. "The first designs were created in my living room."
Their playful, feminine styles are rapidly establishing themselves on the market, particularly in Italy and Paris.
"Many buyers are surprised when they hear we're from Berlin," said Sarah Büren. "Most of them associate casual, sporty fashion with this city."
A boost for newcomers
No wonder. For years, Berlin Fashion Week was overrun by jeans and t-shirts. Little by little, other sections were added to the fair, like "Premium," where high-quality, high-priced designs are presented.
Nevertheless, fashion giants like Gucci and Armani are conspicuously absent, as are the most influential fashion critics. Berlin is considered to be a platform for experimental newcomers - not for the established fashion industry.And that was exactly what Blame needed.
"We're just more creative when we don't have to think all the time about paying the rent," said Hodzode. The low cost of living was a good reason to stay in Berlin, in addition to "the good financial support from the city," she added.
During the Berlin Fashion Week, the Berlin Senate and several large clothing stores present awards to outstanding new designers. Last year, Blame took home the Premium Young Designers Award.
With financial incentives, Berlin hopes to draw the 800 or so young participants in the fair to the city. Internationally known labels like Lala Berlin and Kaviar Gauche are some of the success stories in the German capital.
Innovation alone isn't enough
The city's image as Europe's creative hotspot certainly has economic value as well. During Fashion Week, restaurants, hotels and taxis also profit from the busiest days of the year.
In total, fashion brings 1.6 billion euros ($2 billion) to Berlin each year - a large number, but less than the annual revenue at Chanel or Hermes alone."I live and work in Berlin, but I earn my money elsewhere," said Vladimir Karaleev. Born in Bulgaria, the designer came to Berlin to study in 2001. The city's nine fashion schools enjoy a strong reputation, particularly in terms of learning the technical side of the craft.
Karaleev mainly sells his puristic designs in Tokyo and New York - but they are produced in Bulgaria.
"It's simply cheaper there," he said. His economical approach is key to his success. Each year, hundreds of young fashion designers found their own labels in Berlin, but only a few of them actually make it. "Of course you have to be innovative, but you also have to make fashion that lasts, and be able to deal with numbers," added Karaleev.
Painting the town green
It can take years to make a living from designing clothes, even though fashion, by nature, is transitory.
With his label Reclothing, 36-year-old Daniel Kroh makes the most of fleeting trends. Currently in: eco-fashion. He fashions extravagant men's suits out of worn-out painters' aprons and carpenters' pants and is showing his green, sustainable creations at Fashion Week.Eco-fashion is the most quickly growing branch of the fashion industry. "Many people eat organic food and pay attention to the environment, and they are increasingly wearing clothes that are produced in an ecologically and ethically conscious way," said Kroh.
These days, eco-fashion is a far cry from the scratchy sweaters many used to associate it with. Whether they make vegan dresses or recycled suits, most young designers want to be both sustainable and trendy. And Berlin Fashion Week is an ideal platform, said Kroh.
"Eco-fashion is still presented in a separate section of the fair, but nowhere is it presented on such a broad scale as here in Berlin," said the man behind Reclothing. "That's why the talent scouts and buyers come here."
Berlinisn't - and may never be - a haute-couture city like Paris and isn't as profitable as New York or London, but it has recognized the potential of being green.
Author: Aygül Cizmecioglu / kjb