Since the departure of the designers Jörg Ehrlich and Otto Drögsler as well as a new management board, René Lezard has yet to make a proper comeback, as CEO Heinz Hackl openly admits. I am pleasantly surprised to be invited to a breakfast reception in a huge loft apartment – it gives credence to the old saying “Composure with style”. Hackl and I agree to continue our conversation sometime in Hamburg.

Re-invigorated I head back to Bread & Butter for a second visit. There is a lot of nice clothing but nothing really grabs you. Perhaps the most notable item is the invention by Francois Girbaud. 40 years ago he invented the stonewash treatment for jeans. However, it takes 700 litres of water for every pair of jeans. Impressively, his innovation utilizes a laser and requires only 5 litres of water.

There is some time remaining for a second visit to the Premium Fair which also serves to provide a better overall impression. Returning to the fair is worthwhile as there is a big surprise in store: the most important Germany-based fashion designer Wolfgang Joop presented a new sportswear collection under the label “30-06 by Wolfgang Joop” yesterday. The collection is made in cooperation with the Berlin sports- and hunting fashion-specialists Rascher. I am very surprised since Joop is well-known for his marketing genius. Is there something we don’t know about?

Handcraft meets High-tech

Over coffee a flyer brings my attention to the award-winning label Trikoton by Magdalena Kohler and Hanna-L. Wiesener. Trikoton is an example of experimenting with new production processes. Trikoton was incubated in the “Design Reaktor Berlin” of the Universität der Künste Berlin. The goal was to develop strategies for post-industrial locations. My involvement in the project was taking responsibility for the design management. 

On the website the visitor gives a speech sample which is processed by a software program. The program converts the voice frequency into a pattern for the selected product and uploads it to a server. The company Strick Chic then produces the unique piece. The ability to produce small numbers is becoming more and more important. Trikoton is able to do this and also enables clothing to be produced that have are individual and personalized. It also underscores that design and technical creativity can co-exist.

The result for Trikoton has been very positive: appearances at the first Fashion Week Berlin; the Ars Electronica; and the Design Week in London. In addition, the start-up has been awarded funding and ideational support by the Career Center of the University and the Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology.

I also bump into the winner of the 2007 European Fashion Award FASH, Batmunkh Bataa. The Institute for Foreign Relations recently published an article about why she came from Mongolia to study in Germany. She is now presenting her light, easily transportable clothing for a mobile working-life. The visit is made worthwhile by seeing first-hand the success of young designers.

I find myself heading to the first showcase of the work of the photographer Andreas Mühe held in the renowned Camera Work Gallery.

Arriving ten minutes too early allows me to look at the pictures. Immediately I am impressed – despite not being acquainted with his work. The pictures are not flighty but enduring in their impact. They have a calming effect on me, undoubtedly the effect of Mühes precise consideration of lighting and color.

The portraits shot by Mühe include former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Mikhail Gorbachev, George Bush Sr. at the 20 anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and, uniquely, pictures of the house of Chancellor Angela Merkel. I find that the enduring images juxtapose nicely with the ephemeral nature of fashion and are able to capture the quality of the best designs.

Reflecting on the past days I realize that visiting the Fashion Week gives me some unique insights into fashion and, at times, deepens my understanding of the currents and developments in the industry. While the Fashion Week remains memorable for a lack of decent meals – finger food can only take you so far – the more enduring impressions and inspirations are what I will take home with me.

Published/Released

Young Germany, 22 January, 2010, with the heading “insights and inspirations“