Issue 02/2012 . 17th Year . ¤ 6.90

Is Too Much Enough?The young art scene in Rio, Barcelona and MiamiBuIld Your BrandWish and reality in the shoe businessconquErIng ThE WorldNew fairs for new marketschEck InTo ThE hIgh sTrEETMobile commerce offers new strategies for retailers

Cover design by dannY sangra

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PEPE WAS HERE.PEPE WAS HERE.PEPE WAS HERE.

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EdITorIal

Less Is More At Berlin's trade fair marathon, it was clearly visible what happens when "too many cooks spoil the broth..." If there are too many recipes and ingredients, visitors won't find the soup as tasty...

B ut a wide selection is always good ... It's rather impressive how

many people came to Berlin to attend the trade fair in the

third week of January. And it's fascinating how many different

events were on offer. But for your average team of buyers (inclu-

ding journalists), it's practically impossible to attend everything.

When there is no difference between ranges, it doesn't make sense

to create new spots, unless they really do have something new to

offer. It seems that the buyers here show what they want by the

events they chose to attend. In our fashion discussion, we asked

those who attended what they thought of Berlin and what impres-

sions they got of the retailers and brands. (page 36) Meanwhile,

the caravan of buyers continues to move from city to city. What's

relatively new is the phenomenon that even trade fairs are leaving

their original homes and getting involved in up-and-coming inter-

national markets. Learn more on page 18. Strong brands are im-

portant, but not just in the trade fair business – We've presented a

few examples of how shoe brands attract attention to their wares.

(page 22) And you can find out on page 28 how retailers can hold

their own against vertical mass products. Because it's not just the

shoe market that's being affected by current portals such as Za-

lando and Amazon. And when it comes to digital communication,

new opportunities are available to the retail trade in the form of

local based services, enabling local trade to be supported by the

smartphone. Find out how on page 32.

We hope you enjoy this issue. Your xray team

Danny Sangra

Danny Sangra, aka "The Poly-math of Creativity," did us the honour of designing the current x-ray cover. The 31-year-old Lon-doner began his artistic career at the tender age of eight. Today, he works for music labels such as Virgin Records, designers such as Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu and See by Chloé, or brands such as Nike, Burton and Gravis. The cover de-sign with the title "Rebel behind the Velvet Rope" was created in close cooperation with Harlan Levey, CEO of Modart magazine and author of our special: "Gotta go to - Black Leather Jackets in the Sun." You can read about Sangra's rebellious tendencies, his fashion range AMS and his passion for hunting Moomins in Finland on page 38. Thank you Danny for this wonderful cover!

on the Cover

08 ––

"I'm not really much in that young streetwear segment anymore."

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conTEnT

10 ––

32

Content 08 Editorial 14 Right Now

What'S the Story 18 Conquering the World New fairs for new markets 22 Build your Brand Wish and reality in the shoe business 26 How Really Organic Is Organic? A little plain talk here! – Cotton as the bogeyman 28 Let's All Scream! Mass vs. competence 31 The Great News: Storch Heinar 32 Check into the High Street M-Commerce offers new strategies for retailers 35 The Belgian Window Streetwear-pioneers from Gent – ICC Distribution

the talk 36 Is much too much? The Big Berlin Tradeshow Bash 38 "The Polymath of Creativity" An interview with cover artist Danny Sangra 40 On What Planet Are You? Planet Sports' secret of success

faShion 44 Want It! 48 A Girlz Thing Street Fashion report 56 Trend Report Autumn/winter 2012/13

gotta go to 68 Urban Art Gallery Guide The young art scene in Rio, Barcelona and Miami

in Store 80 Retail News 82 Too Many Good Things AFew, Düsseldorf 84 Sartorial Splendour Onfront, Amsterdam 85 Super Small But Oh So Special Vezjun, Amsterdam 86 Old and New Classics with a Charming Creak 1 Store, Amsterdam 88 The New Scene's Living Room Boom, Bochum 89 A Piece of Berlin in the Heart of Oslo Kafé Liebling, Oslo

90 One Last Thing. Imprint

40 6848

THE ROCKBREAD & BUTTER

04 – 06 July 2012AIRPORT BERLIN–TEMPELHOF

www.breadandbutter.com

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rIght nowTExTIna Köhler, Isabel Faiss, Nicolette Scharpenberg

PhoTosBrands

14 ––

01 g-Star neW Campaign moDel

G-Star's spring/summer collection 2012 will be introducing the French actress Clémence Poésy as the new face of the brand. Poésy became famous thanks to blockbusters such as Harry Potter, in which she played one of Harry's classmates, and the TV series Gossip Girl. The photos for the new campaign were made together with the photographer and producer Anton Corbijn who took black and white photos in his typical style of the actress against the backdrop of Lisbon. Vincent Gallo, who was in some of the previous campaign's motifs, also features in this campaign.www.g-star.com

02 neW era neW viCe preSiDent emea

Since the beginning of 2012, Paul Gils has been the new Vice President of the American lifestyle brand New Era. He has worked for brands such as Nike, Reebok and Columbia Sports, and will now be in charge of all marketing, sales and distribution activities for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The goal is to increase the brand‘s growth in these countries. Gils will be reporting back to New Era‘s President Pete Augustine at the global headquarters in Buffalo, NY.www.neweracap.com

04 pepe JeanS leSS Water

Tru Blu, the jeans collection that Pepe Jeans launched for the trade show, reduces water consumption by eliminating chemi-cals from the wash process. Pepe Jeans is already working on its main collection with factories that recycle the water used in the elaborate jeans-making process. The new technology for Tru-Blu combines laser technology with ozone washes. The new collection will be available in stores from May 2012 and consists of six successful styles, such as Kingston and Venus, for men, women and kids. Each style will be available in six different finishes ranging from a dark-used to a bleached look, all achieved without chemicals. www.pepejeans.com

03 DieSel a Strong BranD preSenCe

At Berlin Fashion Week, Diesel relied on its strong presence in retail: For the relaunch of the Diesel Female range, the brand presented a sophisticated installation in the atrium of the KaDeWe, as well as in the shop windows. In all 11 windows, garments from the Diesel Spring/Summer 2012 collection were presented from 11 January. Diesel set up its own brand world in the atrium. In addition, a huge Diesel poster from the current campaign adorned the store‘s façade. The campaign was developed for the relaunch of the female range by Diesel‘s creative team together with the Argentinian agency Santo . Its aim is to focus more on the brand‘s „feminine“ side.www.diesel.com

rIghT noW

07 ChriS SportS europe gmBh expanSion of the DiStriBution netWork

Chris Sports Europe GmbH, which is based in Munich, is expanding its distribution structures in Germany and Austria. The Munich-based sports specialists have commissioned new retail agencies with the distribution of their brands Powderhorn, Bula, Björn Daehlie and Nomis. Since January 2012, these agencies have been overseeing the German states of Hesse, Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine Westphalia. Managing Director Thomas Stumpp is hoping to use these new agencies to achieve Germany-wide distribution. Agentur Dörsam from Weinheim is in charge of Hesse, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate, whilst Agentur Grawunder from Dortmund will in future be in charge of North Rhine Westphalia. In Austria the company has brought a real winter sports specialist on board: Salzburg native Gerry Wingert. "Right from the outset, we had the ideal position in Southern Germany due to our portfolio focussing a lot on winter sports. Unfortunately, it was difficult to serve from Munich German states such as NRW, Lower Saxony and the entire East. That's why we were looking for support," says Stumpp. In addition to the already mentioned brands, New Balance and Technine have also been added to the portfolio.www.chrissports.eu

09 replay faCelift

Innovative manufacturing technologies that reduce water consumption and are more environmentally friendly remain one of Replay's top priorities. At the end of last year, the company introduced an ozone-based refinement process that it developed in-house, as well as new additions to the collection that get their washed vintage appearance with the help of laser technology. The jeans that go through the laser-wash process, as Replay calls it, come in two models: a skinny fit for women and a regular slim fit for men. A limited edition collection will be available in all Replay stores. www.replay.it

05 loiS relaunCh of a ClaSSiC

Return of the Spanish Brand Lois: Back in February 2011, the global general licence (with the exception of Spain, France and Canada) was granted to Eindhoven-based Michiel de Ruyter BV. Before buying the licence, Commercial Director Michael Blankenstein worked for Diesel for 14 years and after that for the VP Group. Now the brand is presenting itself at Bread & Butter with new European distribution partners: Countries such as Finland, Norway, Sweden, Portugal and the Benelux countries already have distribution companies and in England the Egomark agency is responsible for distribution. Eightball GmbH is now responsible for the brand's distribution for Germany and Austria. In future, the brand will have four collections, each with 60 garments for men and women. The range will be com-plemented by flash collections. Retail prices for the brand range from 79 to 119 euros. "The first season, we are hoping to provide Lois products to around 40 to 50 trendy customers," says Susanne Imhof of Eightball. Lois was founded in 1962 and is celebrating its five-year anniversary in summer 2012.www.loisdenim.com

08 tommy hilfiger liCenCe agreement

After signing a worldwide licence agreement with the Tommy Hilfiger Group, the Italian company Ittierre S.p.A. will soon be making Hilfiger's Runway collection. From A/W 2012, Ittierre will make and sell the collections for women and men. Pre-collection garments will be in shops as early as July 2012. The ranges' main target markets are Europe, North America and Asia. "The licence agreement with Ittierre enables us to strengthen our worldwide distribution of sophisticated designer fashion," says Fred Gehring, CEO of the Tommy Hilfiger Group. Ittiere S.p.A. also has partnerships with Karl Lagerfeld, Pierre Balmain and Fiorucci.www.tommy.com

06 inCaSe CapSule ColleCtion With SheparD fairey

Incase, the bag and accessory brand founded in 1997, has a new co-operation with US artist Shepard Fairey. The limited edition, which will appear in spring 2012, is comprised of various bags, iPhone and iPad sleeves with typical Shepard Fairey motifs such as elephants and ornaments. „The artwork used in my collection for Incase mirrors the concept of peace,“ he says. The collection is immediately available in selected concept, lifestyle and fashion stores as well as at Apple stores.www.goincase.com/shepardfairey

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12 floriS van Bommel takeS over DiStriBution

The Dutch shoe brand Floris van Bommel took charge of German distribution at the end of the last year. Agentur Eightball had helped establish the brand success-fully in Germany. "Working with a national distribution agency over the last two years was a great way of establishing the Floris van Bommel brand in Germany," says Sales Director Pepijn van Bommel. "But we've now reached the point at which we believe that a new strategy with direct access to the German market is the best way to move forward." Van Bommel will be assisted by a new export manager for Germany: Patrick Meijers has worked recently as Sales Mana-ger for Adidas and Converse in the Benelux. He will lead the new German sales team. The separation has also led to the closing in Berlin's Rochusstrasse of the Floris van Bommel Shop, which was owned and run by the agency. Next year the brand plans to open its own stores in Germany, modelled on the shop in Amsterdam.www.florisvanbommel.de

11 umDaSCh Shop aCaDemy WorlDWiDe Shop expeDition 2013

The Umdasch Shop Academy started 2012 with an excursion to London to see the largest urban shopping centre in Europe: the recently opened Westfield Stratford City. On 23 February, internationally acclaimed dramatist Christian Mikunda, PhD, guided trend scouts from the German-speaking retail community through the shopping centre. In the evening, the participants were treated to a presentation by Nike's head designer Greg Stobbs at the Umdasch Shop Academy Forum, which was held in the Austrian Embassy in London. The event is part of the Shop Dramaturgy LIVE format, which is performed at regular intervals. Umdasch's next event will be a worldwide shop expedition from Frankfurt via Miami to the Caribbean (on the Allure of the Seas), then on to Los Angeles, Macao, Hong Kong, Singapore and Abu Dhabi. The trip is scheduled to take place from 5 to 24 April 2013. Two-thirds of the available places have already been booked. Registration forms and the programme for 2012 with up to 80 events in Germany, Austria and Switzerland can be downloaded from:www.umdasch-shop-concept.com

13 SalSa planS for expanSion

The Portuguese label Salsa hopes to step up the expansion of its German market presence. To date, the brand is represented in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, the Benelux countries and the Middle East. In Germany Salsa has been distributed by Retailpraxis in Düsseldorf since 2010. Sales Manager Claus Busse takes care of around 120 customers, including retailers such as Chicago in Frankfurt or Leffers in Wilhelmshafen. "The brand's strengths lie in its great fit," he says. Around 20 cuts, including a push-up fit called the Wonder, provide a wide selection in the denim range. There are five different delivery dates per season. Innovative washes in every fit offer a wide selection and there is also an NOS range. Retail prices range from 75 to 150 euros with a 2.5 markup. The company used to work as a producer for brands such as Ar-mani Jeans, Pepe or Gant and established its own label Salsa in 1994.www.salsajeans.com

10 StriCt DiStriBution expanSion of the ServiCe paCkage

The Berlin-based agency for streetwear and high-fashion brands Strict Distribution has expanded and now offers customers a range of services as a general agency or distributor, including sales management, PR and marketing. All brands represented by Strict are provided with professional press relations services by the company's own PR department. In addition to their Friedrichshain headquarters - in a lovingly furnished loft in the second back yard of an old building - the agency also runs showrooms in Hamburg, Stuttgart, Zurich, Munich and Frankfurt. The Managing Director is Mike Kreyssig, who founded Strict Distribution back in 1995. The agency currently represents the brands Twist & Tango, Suit, Fracap, NYPD, Bolongaro Trevor and Brixtol Jackets.www.strict-berlin.de

16 ––

rIghT noW

17 Sixxa BaBieS & toDDlerS

The Viennese streetwear label Sixxa is expand-ing its range to include kids' styles. From now on there will be babygros, jogging bottoms and jackets.. In 2004 Sixxa started printing its own T-shirts and developed into an independent label in 2007. A large part of its materials come from Portugal, France, Italy, England and Aus-tria. All products are made of organic cotton. "Fair treatment of producers and employees is an essential part of our business. It is one of our goals to work with everyone involved to create optimum products," says designer Katharina Macheiner. Wholesale prices for the kids' collection range from 12 to 15 euros.www.sixxa.com

18 k1x DiSarming

The Munich-based basketball lifestyle brand K1X and the NGO initiative Black & Yellow organized a basketball tournament in Sierra Leone called the Disarmament Game. Rival gangs were invited, their members disarmed and mixed into teams. The tournament's success was a tribute to Black & Yellow's and K1X's commitment to combatting gang crime in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Members of each gang picked the players for the four teams with the goal of turning former enemies into team players. www.k1x.com

15 laCoSte faShion for little people

Lacoste's spring/summer collection 2012 includes a range for infants and toddlers: cotton panties and a soft, ruffled pink polo shirt for girls; white jersey shorts and a short-sleeve, royal-blue polo shirt for boys. Each set comes in a pink or light-blue kids' suitcase with a crocodile cuddly toy. The sets for infants up to one year are all one size.www.lacoste.com

16 CinelliStuDio firSt Shop

Last October, the Tuscan down specialist Cinellistudio opened their first shop in the small town of Buggiano where the traditional company also has their head office and makes most of their jackets. Back to the roots is the motto of Nicola Cinelli, who runs the family business: "We will of course continue to expand internationally, but we're honoured that our products have been so well received in our home town." The opening day was a big success for the company: All of the models on display in the shop had been sold by the evening.www.cinellistudio.it

14 makia & etnieS frienDShip

The Finnish streetwear brand Makia Clothing and the French skate brand Etnies have joined forces. The winter 2012/13 collection will introduce a range of shoes, T-shirts, hoodies and jackets that the two companies created together. Classic, timeless elements with an eye for detail were inspired by old black-and-white photos and raw Nordic nature. The range was shown for the first time in spring 2012 in Germany at the Bright trade show in Berlin and ISPO in Munich. The partnership was duly celebrated with Beatz and Finnish vodka.www.makiaclothing.com, www.etnies.com

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18 ––

f or a long time now

the Asian market has

attracted European trade

fair companies – and China has

been particularly appealing with its

growing middle class and vast consumer

potential. The generation born after 1980 a-

lone consists of over half a billion people and

there are plans to build more than 180 shop-

ping malls in China during the next five years,

with nearly half of these projects slated for

completion within the next three years.

The first trade fair organiser to venture into

China was Messe Frankfurt, which used its

Hong Kong subsidiary to successfully establish

the apparel sourcing trade fair Interstoff Asia

Essentials. However, manufacturers are not the

only ones interested in China. The country is

particularly important for brands because the

local market has barely been tapped.

iSpo – an early pioneer Starting with ispo in 2005, Munich's trade fair

company Messe München was also one of the

Cpm Focussing on the Russian market: the CPM is the meeting place for Russian buyers.

novomania A newcomer with interesting prospects: Novomania is focussing on young target groups and on trendy brands in the mid-market segment that aim to establish themselves in China.

ChiC The CHIC is the fashion fair with the longest tradition in China. It was joined by the young spinoff CHIC Young Blood in the autumn of 2011.

iSpo BeiJingStill underdeveloped with regard

to the sports market: China has enormous potential for Ispo Beijing.

ConquerIng the worLd While Europe's markets are running out of steam, other regions are looking increasingly robust. At the top of the list are China, Russia and Turkey, where a surprising number of German trade fair companies have set their sights on reaching new groups of consumers.TExTIna Köhler

PhoTostrade fair organisers

ConquerIng the worLd –– WhaT's ThE sTorY

–– 19

"New sports activities like outdoor, trail running and action sports arebecoming increasingly popular in China." Tobias Gröber, Messe München

"It's important to bring together the right people to develop projects."Markus Capone and Uwe Scherer, Novomania

early pioneers in Asia, but success was a long

time in coming for its ispo trade fair. After

two seasons in Shanghai, ispo china, as it was

called at the time, moved to Beijing, where

it was hoped that the proximity of newly de-

veloped ski areas would lead to improved

synergy effects. Many brands that tried to

gain a foothold early on found that they were

not as successful as they had hoped. "But the

global sales crisis of 2009 played right into

the hands of the market," says Tobias Gröber,

Director Business Unit Consumer Goods

Messe München. "The Chinese market pi-

cked up speed and was able to balance out

flagging sales in Europe. This made the mar-

ket interesting again." The same conclusion

was reached by a study of the outdoor and

sports fashions market conducted by ispo in

collaboration with the China National Com-

mercial Information Centre. Following two

years of stagnation, growth picked up again

in 2010, with sales of outdoor and sports fa-

shion articles increasing by 30 per cent. Six

out of ten outdoor brands are international

firms like Columbia, The North Face, Con-

verse, Ecco and Jack Wolfskin, but Chinese

brands like TNF, Toread and Ozark also play

an increasingly important role in the market.

Chinese companies are highly active and

don‘t wait for competition from the West to

pave the way forward. "There are a lot of very

good brands that are highly professional,"

says Gröber. "Many people unfortunately

believe in the old stereotype that Chinese

companies only copy people's products," he

contends. "That changed a long time ago."

Chinese consumers have also become more

discerning and want original products. Prices

in China are at the same level or, in some

cases, even higher than in Europe. The Chi-

nese market has enormous potential for cer-

tain sports brands like Adidas and Nike. For

instance, Nike has over 7,000 stores in the

country. As Charlie Denson, President of the

subsidiary Nike Inc., told the China Daily in

October 2011: "I think China is more impor-

tant than any place else in the world." Nike

intends to make massive investments and

double its turnover of roughly 2 billion euros

in the country by 2015.

The economic upswing has also been felt by

ISPO BEIJING, which has approximately 300

exhibitors. "New sports activities like outdoor,

trail running and action sports are becoming

increasingly popular in China," says Gröber.

This is also reflected in the wider selection of

clothing. In the spring of 2012, the fair will fea-

ture an action sports segment for the first time

with exhibitors like Burton that were involved

in the market early on and are now redoub-

ling their efforts as the core segment becomes

more interesting. Bogner will also be exhibi-

ting there with a large fashion sports booth de-

signed to appeal to an entirely new clientele.

The focus of the fair has shifted from marketing

retail space to bringing the right partners to-

gether. Since the expansion into the new mar-

kets is taking place primarily in the cities whe-

re it‘s driven by department stores, monobrand

stores and specialty shops, it's important for

the brands to find the right business partners.

"At ISPO we've developed a matchmaking sys-

tem, which brings together partners according

to certain criteria," says Gröber. This service

is subject to a fee just like the booth spaces.

"The purpose of a trade fair has changed," he

explains. "It's no longer just about the three

or four days in the season when everyone

meets. Now we have a job to do 365 days a

year." Presentations and seminars support

the regular daily programme of events du-

ring the fair. Gröber is a firm believer in the

enduring importance of such exhibitions:

"Ten years from now, there will still be trade

fairs," he says. In his opinion, personal con-

tacts can't be replaced by a digital network.

iSpo BeiJing

Since 2005. Approximately 300 exhibitors, including Deuter, Five Ten, Lowa, Salomon, Vaude, X-Bionic, Bogner and Burton.Segments include Action sports, sportswear, sports styles. 22-25 February 2012 in Beijing. www.ispochina.com

novomania

Approx. 25,000 square metres on the former Expo grounds. About 200 exhibitors and roughly 20,000 visitors are expected. Segments include contemporary wear, denim, fashion & chic, shoes & accessories, sports & street, real estate. Featured brands include Custo, Wrangler, Lee, Replay, G-Star, OVS, Mango and Superdry. 7-9 March 2012 in Shanghai www.novo-mania.comwww.novomania.com.cn

neWComer in ShanghaiAlthough it's only been held twice, Novo-

mania appears to have struck a chord in the

rapidly growing youth market. This coming

season, it will expand to cover 25,000 square

metres of exhibition space when it moves

to the impressive former Expo grounds in

Shanghai. In March 2011 Novomania attracted

some 11,000 trade visitors and this figure is

expected to soar to about 20,000 at the next

event. However, what is more important than

these sheer numbers is the calibre of the visi-

tors, according to Uwe Scherer, who repre-

sents Novomania in Europe. He says that the

organisers have invested a great deal in the

area of guest management. "It's important to

bring together the right people to develop

projects. Novomania is the ideal place for

this. In Asia you don't have as many of the ty-

pical buyers whom we're familiar with in Eu-

rope, but rather developers from the malls."

The event is divided into the following five

segments: denim, fashion & chic, shoes & ac-

cessoires, sports & street and real estate. This

last segment is a unique innovation for the

WhaT's ThE sTorY –– ConquerIng the worLd

20 ––

trade fair scene, offering a meeting place

where real estate developers can present

their projects for Chinese cities and estab-

lish direct contacts with potential franchise

holders and distributors. „The large real es-

tate companies have a central platform here

right at the heart of the event,“ says Scherer.

Brands can stage their fashion shows three

times a day at the centrally located Fashion

House. Novomania also includes seminars,

presentations and a party. „There is a pressing

need for information,“ according to Scherer.

„We‘re bringing international brands to Asia.“

Nevertheless, doing business is only one as-

pect – the design of the fair comes from Eu-

rope, and the music management, opening

party, catering and visitor guidance system

have a standardised, international character.

„It‘s important that the fair reflects the flair of

the target group,“ says Scherer. Especially in the

newly developed malls, the brands should be

able to find the right setting. The Novomania

Group also plans to launch a new multilabel

concept as a pilot project in September. „We

want to dedicate ourselves to a market segment

that has not been very strongly developed in

China,“ he says.

ChiC With the moSt experienCeThe CHIC (China International Clothing Fair)

ranks among the most well-established events

in China and is organised by Beijing Fashion

Expo Ltd. This year CHIC is celebrating its

20th anniversary. Last September saw the de-

but of the young spinoff CHIC Young Blood,

which serves as a platform for the young

trendy market. The new exhibition attrac-

ted nearly 100 brands and 17,000 visitors in

September 2011, although local brands like

The Thing and Holy Moly staged events that

appealed not only to trade visitors, but also

to end consumers. In September 2012, CHIC

Young Blood will enjoy an even stronger pre-

sence at a new venue. That‘s something that

the traditional CHIC, which relies on strong

foreign participation, no longer really needs.

The German pavilion is booked up, according

to Margit Jandali, who represents the CHIC in

Europe. Chinese purchasing patterns are very

promising, she says, adding that the Chinese

are developing brand awareness. „Chinese

brands, which have an excellent profile, are

currently still busy with their own market.

Nonetheless, they may still have something

in store for us in Europe,“ she predicts. The

German pavilion, which is organised by Messe

Düsseldorf, is not the only Western presence.

Italy and France have been participating for

several of seasons, and the US and Japan will

be making their debut at the upcoming fair.

„The CHIC has continuously developed over

the past years to become an established event

in Asia,“ she says. After luxury brands like Guc-

ci, Louis Vuitton, Versace and Burberry have

successfully established themselves in the

Chinese market, things will become more

exciting for the mid-market segment. Verti-

cal companies like Topshop, H&M, Zara and

Uniqulo are major players in the market along

with the Bestseller Group, which has 4,000

stores in China alone.

preSenCe in ruSSia In addition to the Chinese market, both the

Turkish and the Russian market offer exciting

opportunities for brands. The Igedo Company

is active in both countries, although the event

in Istanbul is surpassed by the exhibition in

Moscow, which has become well established

over the years. „The market has become increa-

singly consolidated,“ says Mirjam Dietz, Executi-

ve Fashion Director Igedo. The denim sector in

particular has become even bigger in Moscow:

Diesel, Wrangler, Lee, Kaporal, M.O.D, Silver

and Camper are all showing their products in

the Russian capital. „CPM Fashion & Denim was

so well received that many top brands will be

exhibiting in February,“ says CPM Product Ma-

nager Christian Kasch. New exhibitors include

Desigual and US brands Joe‘s Jeans and Robins

Jeans. However, it‘s difficult to do business in

Moscow without sales and marketing partners,

says Dietz, who has worked with her team over

the years to forge good connections to Russian

agencies that are also present in Germany. „In

Russia trade fairs are an essential tool because

the agencies otherwise have trouble reaching

their customers.“ However, in Moscow there is

a pronounced tendency to show not only col-

lections but also complete store concepts: „The

Russian market is changing,“ she explains. „It‘s no

longer just a matter of individual local retailers

who are looking to sell individual products, but

rather the focus is increasingly on partnerships.“

Kasch adds: „An increasing number of firms that

show their collections at the CPM use this event

purely for ordering,“ he says. „Many of these ex-

hibitors are interested in familiarising trade vi-

sitors with their store concepts, franchise offers

and shop-in-shop systems.“ This prompted the

CPM to create its own concept for the event: In

February it will present the CPM Store Concept,

where the brands can show what a shop with

their products could subsequently look like.

This appears to be the trade fair concept of the

future in all emerging markets. x

ChiC

is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. 110,000 square metres of exhibition space.1,000 exhibitors, including brands like Desigual, Byblos, Gerry Weber and Kapalua. 26-29 March 2012 in Beijing. www.chiconline.com.cn

ColleCtion première moSCoW

Organisers reported 17,500 trade visitors in September 2011; 140 German exhibitors alone are expected to attend the event in the spring. The German pavilion presents brands like Bugatti, Falke, Olymp and Roy Robson. The CPM Fashion & Denim segment features brands like Desi-gual, Lee, Wrangler, Diesel, Timezone, M.O.D. and Kaporal. 28 Feb. to 2 March 2012 www.cpm-moscow.com

"The market has become increasingly consolidated." Mirjam Dietz, Executive Fashion Director Igedo

"The Chic has continuously devel-oped over the past years to become an established event in Asia."Margit Jandali

22 ––

01

BuILd your Brand –– WhaT's ThE sTorY

–– 23

"It was important for us to give it a face with which the customer can identify." Roland Hoffmann on Floris van Bommel

BuILd your Brand

Shoe brands go to a lot of effort to give their brand its very own lifestyle. But in the retail trade, things often look quite different – long, monotonous rows of shoes in brown and black, sorted by size. How can a brand represent more of a lifestyle?TExTIna Köhler

PhoTosFloris van Bommel, Kangaroos, Converse, Camper

t here are many strategies to make a brand

more well-known: Converse sponsors

music festivals and artists, Floris van Bommel

fashions his own image as a brand, Camper

has a sail boat built for the toughest regatta in

the world, and Kangaroos present their pro-

ducts all around the sneakers scene. Shoe

brands in particular have to try very hard to

give a product a lifestyle. All too often, the

message falls on deaf ears, especially if the

shoe is positioned alongside a lot of "me

too" products. Do shoe brands still have a

harder time emotionally charging their pro-

duct than textile brands? Here x-ray presents

some different brands and their strategies -

each with a individual approach to branding.

BranD oWner A good example of the effect of the "person

as brand" phenomenon is Floris van Bommel.

Originally, the Dutch shoe brand Van Bom-

mel had an image problem in Germany: It

was only known by a few customers and end

consumers. However, in the Netherlands

Van Bommel is a long-standing company that

is very popular with consumers as a high-

quality brand. In Germany, the high-quality

market is notoriously competitive; therefore

it didn't make much sense for Van Bommel

to rely on the same marketing strategies.

They saw potential for the newly created

line in the young brand segment. "We asked

ourselves how we could position the brand,"

says Roland Hoffmann, PR consultant of Van

Bommel in Germany. "It was important for us

to give it a face with which the customer can

identify. Without Floris the brand wouldn't

have been as successful." It's lucky then that

Floris van Bommel, member of the family of

owners and designers, is the embodiment of

rebellion and unconventionality. He loves

rock'n'roll and football – interests that are

not only a great fit with a classic shoe brand,

but also attract a young target audience. So

the Floris van Bommel range also had to fea-

ture younger products: Their sneakers and

classic designs have coloured soles, bright

rubber inserts or colourful laces to give

them that special twist. However, trade fair

stands and a good product are not always

enough to get through to the end consumer.

The brand's solution was to work with celeb-

rities. Together with footballer Philipp Lahm

and actor Daniel Brühl, the brand launched

charity projects in aid of the German AIDS

Foundation, soon attracting attention to

the brand itself. There were many media re-

ports on Floris van Bommel that mentioned

the story of the brand and the person be-

hind it. "The cooperation with Daniel Brühl

and Philipp Lahm was a stroke of luck," says

Roland Hoffmann. "Both of them are very

well-known and have a very likeable and in-

dividual image." Hoffmann believes that it's

easier for shoe brands to emotionally char-

ge their brand than it is for fashion brands.

"The shoe market is still as highly branded

as the fashion market, where there is much

more brand power. But you need far fewer

methods to attract attention to your brand."

At the same time, the shoe retail trade has

much less understanding about the impor-

tance of the lifestyle factor for sales. Here

the product has to speak for itself or be pre-

sented in their own stores.

plaCing everything on one CarD The Majorcan brand Camper also uses its

own stores as an important communication

medium. Designers such as Jaime Hayon fea-

ture highly visual messages. In addition, the

brand has been making a name for itself for

many years through collaborations with vari-

ous designers. The special thing about this

02

01-02 Celebrities boost the brand image: Floris van Bommel and Daniel Brühl in a joint appearance.

24 ––

is that it isn‘t just fashion designers such as

Bernhard Willhelm or Veronique Branquin-

ho who have designed shoes for the compa-

ny. Architects and industrial designers such

as Alfredo Häberli, Jaime Hayon or Hella

Jongerius – absolute stars in the design scene

– have also created their own shoe models for

Camper, as part of the Camper Together pro-

ject. Furthermore, Camper operates design

hotels and restaurants in Barcelona and Berlin.

For 2011 and 2012, the company embarked

on a new adventure. In October 2011, Cam-

per set sail in its own boat on the world‘s lon-

gest sailing regatta, the Volvo Ocean Race.

They raced in the signature colour of Cam-

per red, created by the British designer Mark

Farrow. Because it‘s not the brand‘s usual style

of communication; why do this event?

„Camper has supported various sailing

events in the past such as the Copa del Rei

or the America‘s Cup. We have a great deal of

experience in this field,“ explains Dahlia Sali-

amonas, communication director of Camper

Volvo Ocean Race. „We saw the opportunity

to participate in a truly global undertaking,

one of the most famous races in the world. Of

course, this was a big chance for us. It opens

many doors for us in terms of communica-

tion and new products.“ Together with the

British manufacturer Musto, sailing jackets

were developed, and shoes were created

in close cooperation with the sailing team,

who wore them in public view. Additional

products such as polo shirts and sunglasses

were also created by the design department.

„It‘s important that we don‘t act as a sponsor.

Topics such as design and performance re-

ally affect both ourselves and the product.

We redeveloped the shoes,“ she says. These

shoes are also sold in retail stores in order to

establish the connection between the brand

and the end consumer.

Would the product have been possible with-

out the personal involvement of the owner

Lorenzo Fluxa? „Probably not,“ admits Sa-

liamonas. „Lorenzo has been an avid sailor

since childhood. For a Majorcan, the sea is

an important element. We are surrounded

by sea and many people grow up with sailing.

Lorenzo Fluxa‘s grandfather had his shoes

shipped to the mainland in London.“

To what extent does the big project influ-

"Of course, this was a big chance for us. It opens many doors for us in terms of communication and new products." Dalia Saliamonas, Camper

01 Everything in striking Camper red: boat, shoes, sunglasses and sailing clothes. 02 The world's toughest sailing regatta and Camper is right there amongst the action: The shoe manufacturer is sponsoring their own team.

01

02

BuILd your Brand –– WhaT's ThE sTorY

–– 25

ence the company? Will Oxley, team mem-

ber of the Camper crew, sums it up: „Sailing

is a team sport. Everyone is dependent on

everyone else – this is something that a team

can also apply to its internal structure.“ The

regatta plays a key role for brand recognition

as it is covered by a lot of the global media

outlets. The retail trade didn‘t just launch

the sailing collection; in the Camper shops

there are also small models of the boat. The

actual boat set sail in Autumn 2011 from Ali-

cante. In July 2012 they hope it will win the

world‘s toughest regatta after sailing round

the world and arriving in Europe.

a muSiCal launCh For Sören Greb, Marketing Manager of All

Star D.A.C.H. GmbH, a clear focus is the

most important consideration when brand

building for his brand Converse. „The emo-

tional power of a shoe brand, as well as its

products, is absolutely vital,“ he says. „A snea-

ker is currently an integral part of various

fashion worlds, and emotionally completes

the respective fashion outfit by enabling the

wearer to really stand out from the crowd.

Some people even go so far as to say that

the remaining outfit should be based on

the shoes in order to achieve the desired

personal look.“ Credibility is the key factor.

„It is important for us that our consumers as-

sociate us with terms such as independent,

rebellious, and creative.“ And, of course,

it also helps that not only athletes, but also

music celebrities such as the Ramones, the

Sex Pistols and Blondie have worn Converse

shoes. „Since the origins of rock‘n‘roll, the

Converse brand has been indelibly associ-

ated with music and its artists,“ says Greb.

Their marketing strategies in German-speak-

ing countries also focus on music. Converse

specifically aims to become the outfitter

for artists and bands. They also support the

Hurricane music festival. „It‘s important for

us to not only be present with logos, but to

offer all Converse fans a special experience

at a festival,“ he explains. „As a Hurricane

sponsor, our stand builds a bridge between

music, skating and basketball, and we also

actively challenge the creativity of our target

group. Creative interaction is always very im-

portant in our marketing activities.“ For the re-

tail trade, this is an important support. „One the

one hand, it enables Converse to sell an already

emotionally charged product and, on the other

hand, it enables the brand to emotionally shape

the shopping experience, which in turn is good

for its own brand image,“ he says. Converse sup-

ports the brick and mortar businesses with visu-

al merchandisers which produce local stories.

„The possibilities range from seasonal window

design to complete 360-degree marketing at

the POS. After all, 70 per cent of all purchase de-

cisions are still made here,“ says Greb.

proDuCt iS the imageFor Kangaroos, brand building is so impor-

tant that in 2010 they even created a special

position for this purpose. Bernd Hummel

brought Marco Lachner on board as Head of

Line & Brand Building, in order to enhance

the brand‘s profile. Since 1991, Kangaroos has

been part of the Pentland Group. The Pir-

masens-based Bernd Hummel GmbH is the

world‘s biggest licensee of the brand. First

of all, Lachner focused on the product: „We

have placed more significance in the com-

mercial line in order to make it more recog-

nisable and create an independent CI in the

retail trade. Most shoes were given matching

bags,“ he says. In addition, he strengthened

the high-quality Roos Red line by presenting

hybrid shoe models at the Bread & Butter

trade fair. These were boat shoes with the

silhouettes of a running shoe. Together

with young designers from the Pirmasens

shoe college, Lachner launched a design

competition. A further ingenious launch

was organised together with a distribution

employee. He established contact with the

cult store Patta in Amsterdam, and the de-

sign team worked with them to select mo-

dels from the archives, modifying them to

suit their needs. This is how the brand gave

birth to the hiking models K2 and Woodhol-

low. The shoes are produced in Portugal and

distributed globally by Patta to stores such

as Colette in Paris, 24 Kilates in Barcelona,

Norse in Copenhagen, Dover Street Market

and Hideout in London. „Of course, this is

a very positive way for the brand to present

its image,“ says Lachner. But the team has

even more up its sleeves. From 2012, there

are plans to produce a few high-quality shoe

models in Germany again, near the compa-

ny headquarters in their own shoe factory.

In addition, the line manager is working on

improving the shoe technology. „My goal is

to upgrade the brand to a healthy and cre-

dible level,“ he says. In the long term, he is

planning additional marketing measures for

the retail trade and for end consumers. But

Lachner readily admits that the classic shoe

trade – in comparison to concept stores or skate

stores – is not as open to this. „Image building is

a very lengthy process and you have to fight on

many different fronts.“ x

03 Converse concentrates on a young target group.04 Creativity in the product: Kangaroos focuses on innovation with its design competitions.05 Cooperation with cult stores: Patta Amsterdam and Kangaroos are joining forces to supply shoes to the most exclusive stores in the world.

0403

05

26 ––

how reaLLy organIC Is organIC?As Stiftung Warentest's last jeans test showed, there are still many unanswered questions concerning sustainability in the fashion industry. Unfortunately, it also showed how serious the effects are if they remain unanswered. This is one more reason to finally answer a question that stands on its own: How really organic is organic cotton? After all, nobody wants to see the bubble burst.InTErvIEWIsabel Faiss

PhoTosGöttin des Glücks, Goodsociety

t he Frankfurt-based CSR and communica-

tions consulting company Kern Kommu-

nikation has set itself the goal of providing

in-depth sustainability consulting, from the

preliminary stage through to vertical retai-

lers, for fashion companies from all sectors

and jointly implementing communication

strategies. As they demonstrated at the Mu-

nich Fabric Start press conference, their

full-service package includes a great deal

of expertise in the sustainable treatment of

materials generated in an environmentally

friendly manner. It's one more reason to dis-

cuss the actual potential of organic cotton

and the real alternatives to white gold with

owner Jana Kern.

organic cotton currently has a squeaky clean image that many people turn to their advantage. Can it live up to its image?Jana Kern: All rankings and studies in which

various fibres are compared with each other

show that cotton – whether from organic or

conventional farming – is a fibre that has a

worse life cycle analysis than many others.

Recycled fibres, for instance, have a much

higher ranking. Recycled polyester does

much better than organic cotton.

that sounds rather contradictory...JK: But it's not. "The greenest product is the

one that already exists." That says it all really.

A life cycle analysis assesses the CO2 con-

sumption, the use of water and energy, the

farming area or land required and the eco-

logical and human toxicology impacts of the

manufacture of textiles. When I have a chem-

ical or natural fibre that first has to be culti-

vated or produced, the process chain is na-

turally much longer than that of a recycled

product. It's there that the production of the

original product is not included in the cal-

culation. Recycling is more environmentally

friendly than starting at the beginning of the

chain every time. This is relatively logical be-

cause you're effectively reusing rubbish.

Organic cotton ranks higher than conven-

tional cotton because organic farming holds

very many advantages and requires a much

lower CO2 consumption. But when you stu-

dy sustainable textiles, cotton is certainly not

the most ecological variant. In the "made by"

environmental benchmark, recycled mater-

ials rank much higher, but organic hemp and

linen rank even higher than organic cotton.

to make matters worse there's the bad news that the production of organic cotton is well below the 5 per cent mark and it's unrealistic in the long term to try to satisfy global cotton demand with organic cotton. So is recycling the new organic?JK: Recycling is becoming increasingly im-

portant and is from my viewpoint the ideal

complement. It also gives designers new pos-

sibilities. Eco-cotton's share is currently 0.5

per cent, which is unfortunately indisputa-

ble. Although the market is growing – last

year by 12 per cent – we're still doing business

in a niche market. Organisations such as the

Better Cotton Initiative are currently improv-

ing conventional farming methods in order

to reduce damage to the environment. This

can be extremely effective on a large scale.

Most textiles are currently still made of cot-

ton and this is not likely to change any time

soon. That's why I don't believe that this is a

bubble about to burst. Eco-cotton has trig-

gered a global discussion. Particularly big

brands such as H&M, C&A, Nike, Puma and

Adidas are the world's biggest buyers of or-

ganic cotton. Today, it's much more impor-

tant for the biggest brands to keep an eye

on their entire value chain. This means that

companies must once again take responsi-

bility for process steps that they outsourced

for many years. It gives lost knowledge back

to the companies.

01 02 03

01-04 The makers of the Austrian eco-fashion label Göttin des Glücks visited organic cotton fields in Indian and brought back pictures of a perfect world.05 The new eco-fashion label Goodsociety presented jeans made of recycled PET and organic cotton for the first time at the Greenshowroom in Berlin.06 Jana Kern heads Agentur Kern Kommunikation with headquarters in Frankfurt.

Cotton as the BogeyMan –– WhaT's ThE sTorY

–– 27

"Recycled polyester does much better than organic cotton." Jana Kern, Kern Communication

at the same time, the industry is exerting growing pres-sure on the preliminary stage. is this really productive?JK: That is always a problem with this topic. The

pressure is incredible and will continue to grow

as the demands continue to grow. More and

more, there has to be compliance in terms of

quality, sustainability, social and environmen-

tal aspects at the preliminary stage. In turn, it

also profits. A production site, which is certi-

fied in accordance with GOTS and SA 8000, will

in future profit from this switch.

is it realistic to supply a complete collection with recy-cled materials or is the profit only marginal?JK: Recycled cotton, polyester and wool can

be used commercially. But currently recy-

cled materials are primarily made of fabric

scraps at the production plant. So there are

also limitations here. Procedures now have

to be developed that enable the end pro-

duct to be recycled and turn a jacket into a

jacket again. Incidentally, the idea of using a

mechanical procedure to spin milk proteins

into fibres is also quite interesting. The fab-

rics even have antiseptic properties.

it's unfortunate that the general public are rarely able to profit from such innovations. JK: The eco-fashion labels are faced with a chal-

lenge in their pioneering role. They're the

pioneers who show what kind of innovations

are meanwhile possible. They must make sure

they pay attention. And this can only happen

with a high level of fashion. I'm very curious to

see how trade fair formats such as the Ethical

Fashion Show or the Green Showroom here in

Berlin will continue to develop and whether

they'll succeed in attracting more conventional

retailers. The problem of this segment is that

there has not yet been a key green trade fair in

Berlin. There were too many platforms. This ur-

gently needs to change.

Why isn't eco-fashion part of commercial trade fairs?JK: There are a few individual brands, but

only a few. The question is always whether

it's better to use an eco-fashion platform to

specifically target customers who are also in

search of green products. Or should com-

panies exhibit their products at a trade fair

such as Bread & Butter, where the frequen-

cy is generally higher, but these companies

might get lost in the sea of other brands. One

thing's for sure: A buyer who's specifically

searching for eco-fashion is in the wrong

place at Bread & Butter.

the publication of the jeans comparison test results by Stiftung Warentest was definitely a hit with the general public. the winner was a pair of jeans from Zara for 26 euros. Brands such as Diesel, lee, Wrangler and ku-yichi didn't rank very highly because of their unwilling-ness to provide information. how could this happen?JK: The industry views this study very criti-

cally. You always have to ask how the results

really came about. Whoever knows the mar-

ket also knows that Kuyichi should definitely

not have been at the bottom. Stiftung Waren-

test greatly influences the consumers. A re-

sult like this doesn't reflect the reality of the

market and does more damage than good

to the topic of sustainability in the textile

industry. This is sad, particularly regarding

the consumers whom Stiftung Warentest pri-

marily addresses. It causes confusion rather

than clarification. And clarification is defini-

tely needed for this topic! x

04 05

06

organiC Cotton in CompariSon

Retail turnover of organic cotton in US dollars2010 5.6 billion USD2011 6.2 billion USD2012 7.4 billion USD20 per cent growth from 2009 to 2010 The world‘s biggest buyer of organic cotton is H&M, followed by C&A, Nike, the Inditex Group and Adidas.www.kernkommunikation.de

28 ––

Mass vs. CoMpetenz –– WhaT's ThE sTorY

–– 29

Let's aLL sCreaMZalando announced the opening in February 2012 of a permanent outlet in Berlin Kreuzberg that will sell brand fashion marked down by up to 70 per cent. This is the first physical shop the online giant is opening in Berlin and it will probably not be the last. It's high time for some brands to start explaining to their long-standing retail partners why they're participating in this shotgun model.TExTIsabel Faiss

IllusTraTIonVan Data

PhoToGlamourSister.com

Without any online concept of their own,

more and more fashion brands that put

a lot of money into expensive image cam-

paigns and back up their dominant retail

strategy with selective distribution policy

are jumping on the bandwagon. And thanks

to companies like Zalando, they can achieve

huge sales, even if only in the short term. The

losses that their long-standing, reliable brick-

and-mortar retailers and service-oriented

online dealers are making as a consequence

are justified behind closed doors by the fact

that Zalando is currently the best-paying

customer. Here is a customer that doesn't

just pick out the bog-standard models from

a matching collection it knows will sell well,

but writes a cheque for the whole shebang in

quantities that other retailers wouldn't even

dream of selling in a year. They wouldn‘t or

couldn‘t because companies that buy in

such large quantities are expected to sell

the merchandise with-out markdowns. But

not Zalando, where we know things are done

differently. People who are familiar with the

Samwer brothers' MO know that the compa-

ny isn't designed to be profitable, and peo-

ple who are familiar with the laws of fashion

retailing know that the numbers won't add

up in the long run. In 1999 the website Boo.

com showed us how a similar business model

could race to bank-rupcy in just 198 days lea-

ving a debt of 130 million dollars in its wake.

But this won't happen to Zalando thanks to

experienced investors such as the Tengel-

mann group.

So why is everyone jumping on this band-

wagon? Could the availability of a brand's en-

tire collection be the goal? Is this the distri-

bution department‘s answer to the pessimis-

tic mood among brick-and-mortar retailers?

Whatever it is, it seems to be an answer to the

ubiquitous loss of direction that is not exclu-

sive to online business. Google has become

the market compass and shop windows are

rare, even online. And the retailers' submis-

sive attitude doesn't give small brands and

newcomers much of a chance to prove them-

selves either. In a sector that is plagued by

minimum orders, pressure to sell off stock,

price-aggressive competitors in the young

fashion market and forever increasing pro-

duction costs, floodgates like the ones Zalan-

do successfully opened are a relief. Zalando

promotes itself as a collecting tank where

everything is possible, where positioning

isn't important and profiles aren't necessa-

ry: a place where product and price are the

only things that matter. But business models

such as Zalando have also transferred an un-

pleasant phenomenon from the high streets

to the web: the replacement of competence

with mass. Competent service-oriented re-

tailers like Frontlineshop don't stand a chance

in a price war with Zalando. The only thing

they can do is position themselves in a niche.

Zalando is probably the most clever e-com-

merce business model today. One has to admit

that shifting leftover stock from the physical to

the virtual shop in order to achieve staggering

online sales statistics was nothing short of brilli-

ant. But even more astounding than the desire

to ignore the visible risks is what the market is

saying about Zalando. Letting the bandwagon

pass you by is virtually reckless behaviour.

The ruthless discount policy is justified by the

principles of free enterprise and the fact that

this area of retail can't be regulated. However,

experience with smaller accounts is different

and brings us back to a recent hobby-horse:

close partnerships with retailers, a discussion

we can start but not conduct in public mainly

because everything is said off the record. x

ADDITIONAL VIEWS:

"There's nothing wrong with someone starting a good online shop as long as they run it responsibly. E-commerce is as much a business as brick-and-mortar retail. What's unfair though is when a company buys brands to grow quickly and uses the earnings to gain a certain position in the market. A company that wants to grow for the sake of growing and then flogs off merchandise through another channel when things don't work out isn't a suitable partner for us and our brand Superdry for which we're currently creating a market." Henrik Soller, Komet und Helden

"Many distributors get weak when they think about Zalando. For us retailers, that can actu-ally be an opportunity because Zalando gives brands that didn't do well in shops a second chance. We benefit from that. What we don't particularly like about the business model is the lack of regulation. No one seems to be thinking about the potential consequences. And what happens then? This should be the first question all brands ask." Björn Müller, Dresscode

"Zalando has trained their customers to expect return rates around 50 per cent. That's not feasible for a profitable online retailer like us and it distorts the competitive context. Our clear position as a brand and in the defined boardsport niche makes us strong compared to mass online retailers. Competence is key in my opinion. That's why we're pretty laid-back about it all." Sebastian Knebelkamp, Planet Sports

At Zalando the problem of remaining stock is pushed into the offline world.

WhaT's ThE sTorY –– Mass vs. CoMpetenz

30 ––

m ail-order companies are gaining market share from specialist online retailers. What are you do-

ing to survive?Valerie Gryson: We see ourselves as a trendy

shoe specialist and have positioned our-

selves in that market segment. We intend to

remain a specialist retailer and not take part

in predatory pricing with price stunts and

discounts that attract the masses. We know

that we have to take consumer price sensiti-

vity into account, but I think that consumers

are actually looking for more service, more

inspiration and more unique products espe-

cially when shopping online. They like stores

with a select range of products because re-

sponding to current themes and trends is

considered to be service. If you want to sur-

vive online, you have to find a niche and es-

tablish a clear position. The German market

is a very mature market with experienced

consumers. The first thing we did when we

decided to enter it was look for brands that

fit our business philosophy. The brands we

found were mainly German, but there were

also new names that mail-order companies

don't carry. That's what makes us a compe-

tent specialist retailer. We didn't go looking

for investors either; our company is still run

by the owners. We're profitable and we in-

tend to remain that way.

When money doesn't matter because profitability is se-condary, advertising budgets tend to go through the roof. how do you make sure you're not dwarfed by such giants?VG: Well, you either take them head on and

advertise more, or you hope that they've

taught the market how to buy shoes online.

The TV campaigns indirectly help all retail-

ers because they encourage customers to

buy shoes online. It makes more sense for

us to appear on the main shopping channels

and in blogs and print media.

Do online customers have higher expectations in terms of value for money? VG: There's a growing target group that isn't

looking for the lowest price but for the

shopping experience. An online store has

to have a personal touch just like a normal

store does. We feature unusual shoes, and we

give each shoe a tip, which is similar to the

advice you'd get in a normal store. The shop-

ping experience has to be inspiring. We work

regularly with smaller new brands, and we've

helped build up some brands like Anabel

Winship. We want to offer customers models

they might not dare to try elsewhere.

leftover stock is always a problem and there are brilliant examples of bad solutions...VG: The solution starts with the buying. We

have good and experienced specialized

buyers who ask questions. Selling is also im-

portant. You have to buy right, and you have

to sell right. Selling right means promoting

the right products at the right time. We have

about 800,000 pairs of shoes in stock. The lo-

gistics have to be perfect as well in order to

steer sales in the right direction. That's how

you avoid having 100,000 pairs of shoes in

stock that never made it onto the website. x

"we wILL reMaIn profItaBLe."The online shoe retailer Sarenza is the market leader in its home country, France. The company entered the German market in 2010. Valerie Gryson, Country Manager for Germany, explains how the specialist retailer intends to compete with big mail-order companies.TExTIsabel Faiss

PhoToSarenza

faCtS anD figureS

Sarenza was founded in France in 2005 and is head-quartered in Paris. The company is active in Germany, England, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. In 2010 Sarenza's turnover exceeded 80 million euros and it recorded a growth rate of 75 per cent over the previous year. Stéphane Treppoz is the Managing Director. www.sarenza.de

"If you want to survive online, you have to find a niche and establish a clear position." Valerie Gryson

the great news, storCh heInar –– WhaT's ThE sTorY

h is hair is rigidly parted to the side, he has

a toothbrush moustache, he loves egg

nog, and he has an intolerance to frog meat. In

2008, the comic character Storch Heinar was

hatched in response to a Rostockbased shop

that was mainly selling clothes by the contro-

versial brand Thor Steinar. With its military

graphics, the label of the Brandenburg-based

Mediatex GmbH rapidly established itself as a

trademark of the neo-Nazi scene. 'Endstation

Rechts' or 'Last Stop for the Right Wing'. The in-

formation portal about Nazis and the NPD par-

ties in the state parliaments of Mecklenburg-

West Pomerania and Saxony felt it was time

for change. "What could be more fitting than

creating our own fashion label?" asks Mathias

Brodkorb, SPD MP of the Mecklenburg state

parliament, and one of Storch Heinar's fathers.

While drinking red wine together, Brodkorb

and others hatched the idea to create a clum-

sy, fashion-obsessed Führer stork – as a way to

lampoon right-wing extremism.

Striking prints on T-shirts, hoodies, coffee

mugs, umbrellas, baby jumpsuits and bags

have since poked fun of Nazi culture. The

right-wing scene itself provides inspiration for

their new motifs. The digital store for Storch

Heinar advertises with slogans such as 'Bügel-

falten hart wie Kruppstahl' ('ironed-in creases

as hard as Krupp steel'), 'kriminelle Inländer'

('criminal natives') or 'Sieg Style.' The typogra-

phy and graphics of the store frequently refer

to Nazi aesthetics. The subjects of satire also

provide plenty of publicity for the fashion

stork. Thor Steinar sued the Adebar initiative

for belittling his products and violating his

trademark. The Court of First Instance rejec-

ted the accusations and, accompanied by a

widespread support from the media, Storch

Heinar celebrated the "historic victory of the

Nuremberg fashion process" with a World War

Loser Winner special collection!

the führer'S ongoing propaganDaOn Facebook, the anti-Nazi stork is listed as

being a registered politician who is in an open

relationship with Eva Braunstorch. As a cartoon

character the height of a man, he performs for

his supporters at propaganda festivals together

with his band Storchkraft (Stork Power). The

band contest, or as Storch Heinar dubs it, "or-

chestra contest," Storchkraft Statt NPD (Storch

Power instead of Nazis) inspired thousands of

youths at the 'Achse Rostock-Leipzig.' In June, a

pun-filled book Mein Krampf (My Cramp) was

published, featuring tales of the victory against

Thor Steinar, the radical consumption of all egg

nog supplies, and the strive to fashionably take

over the world. In the textile sector, the politi-

cal feathered friend has acquired support from

the pacifist project Front Deutscher Äpfel (The

German Apple Front). The unofficial target of

the group is the NPD party leader Holger Apfel.

Youths with red apple logo armbands comment

on right-wing demonstrations with slogans such

as: "What gives strength to German youth? Apple

juice! Apple juice!"

All proceeds from these clever political satire

campaigns go to anti-Nazi education projects,

so that supporters of the brown lifestyle will give

up their pathetic weapons once and for all. And

the stork continues to clatter its beak! x

the story of the führer stork Wit is a powerful weapon. Intelligence is even more powerful. Storch Heinar is a witty and intelligent fashion project. His enemy? The face of right-wing extremism.TExTKay Alexander Plonka

PhoToStorch Heinar

"All I care about is the radical consumption of all egg nog sup-plies, and striving to fashionably take over the world!" Storch Heinar

Above: One song, two, three, four – thex stork doesn’t just blast music to make the brown mob march properly. Below:With slogans such as „here marches the national cattle herd,“ the collection is constantly expanding.

WWW––––––––––

www.storchheinar.dewww.endstation-rechts.de

–– 31

32 ––

MCoMMerCe –– WhaT's ThE sTorY

–– 33

CheCk Into the hIgh street!Mobile commerce is supposed to lure consumers away from cyberspace and back into shops. New strategies give retailers hope. TExTNicolette Scharpenberg

PhoToswynsh, Sixty

IllusTraTIonAndreas Klammt, Breitengrad 53,5°

"g o shopping? Why would I, when I can

shop online?" This is the answer people

often hear, when they say they want to go on

an old-fashioned shopping spree. Three ye-

ars ago eCommerce was all the hype, which

made brick-and-mortar shops break out in

sweat. The tide is now turning again as devel-

opments in mobile commerce are bringing

consumers right back where retailers want

them: the high street.

The ever-growing number of smartphone

users, improving internet connectivity and the

sinking cost of mobile data transfer are also

contributing to the popularity of shopping by

mobile phone. According to Germany's Fede-

ral Association for Information Technology, Te-

lecommunications and New Media, 7.4 million

smartphones were sold in Germany in 2010. In

2011 phone sales rose by 31 per cent to 11.8 mil-

lion. This makes mCommerce, shopping and

paying by smartphone, a kind of eCommerce

revolution. But just how do you get customers

back in the shops?

WinDoW ShoppingA good example is an experiment run by the

online auction site eBay. At the beginning

of December 2011 eBay opened a pop-up

store in London that gave window shopping

a brand new meaning. Opened at the begin-

ning of the holiday shopping season, eBay's

Christmas Boutique enabled customers to

use their smartphone to order merchan-

dise and have it delivered to their home. The

shopping experience consisted of scanning

QR codes to order and pay for the items cus-

tomers wanted to buy. And the cherry on

the cake was that you could continue shop-

ping after the shops had closed because the

items in the window also had QR codes. eBay

opened the temporary shop to promote its

mCommerce business. It had already run

a similar project in New York where they o-

pened two "Give-A-Toy-Stores" in mid-Novem-

ber. Here, customers could donate money to

the Toys-for-Tots campaign by scanning the

QR codes on the toys.

CheCk in, CheCk out, CaSh in mCommerce revolves around mobile cou-

poning, a kind of digital voucher or dis-

count, which, in contrast to classic vouchers and discount tokens, has a redemption rate

of 10 per cent - considerably higher than for

conventional voucher promotions. Most of

the services work with location-based services,

which use the consumer's GPS location to

offer local vouchers. Mobile location-based

services are believed to have a huge market

potential: According to the British consulting

firm Juniper Research, worldwide sales ge-

nerated by these services will rise to over 12.7

billion dollars by 2014. For Germany, Research

and Markets forecast sales of more than 1 bil-

lion dollars by 2016. A pioneer in the field is Ebay launched a pop-up store in London, where customers could order merchandise directly from the shop window - all via smartphone.

"We turned the discount paradigm around: Customers decide which products they want a discount for. It's a way for us to increase the amount and number of items in an average sales transaction."Sascha R. Rowold, WindoWin GmbH

WhaT's ThE sTorY –– MCoMMerCe

34 ––

the Foursquare service, which was founded in

2009 and, according to its own information,

has some 15 million users. While Foursquare

will continue to focus on their US market, the

German counterpart Friendticker, which was

launched in the same year, will concentrate

on the European market. Both online services

are a mixture of game, social network, advice

portal and mobile city guide. Retailers can re-

gister their shop for free and create promotio-

nal and sales actions for customers that check

in to the shop. The advantage: Recommenda-

tions, information and special promotions are

spread across a larger area faster than word-of-

mouth advertising and the offers are easy to

find on Google. There are many other kinds of

discount platforms such as Groupon, Rabees,

Qype, Gowalla and the location and event

search engine Loxicon. „We‘re used to getting

the offline community online. Today it‘s all

about getting consumers out of cyberspace

and back into shops,“ says Boris Lücke, Mana-

ging Director of Gettings GmbH. A subsidiary

of E-Plus, mobile marketing provider Gettings

GmbH was founded in 2009. The location-

based service was launched in November 2010

in the Rhine/Ruhr region. The offer has been

constantly expanding across the country since

March 2011. „Brick-and-mortar retailers have

to build a bridge to customers that adds value

to web-based consumerism and that‘s exactly

what mobile LBS does,“ says Lücke.

Where WiSheS Come truewynsch, the playful spelling of the German

word Wunsch (wish), is a relatively new service

that was launched in March 2011. It‘s a kind of

discount generator and has already attracted

the attention of companies such as Miss Six-

ty, Energie, Killah, Bally, Replay, S.Oliver and

René Lezard. And it‘s fun too because custo-

mers get to pick the items they want to have

discounted. The app tells them where they

can wynsch. In partner stores customers take

pictures of the products they‘ve marked as

favourites and press a button. The smartpho-

ne app then displays a discount produced

by a random generator or information about

the desired product. The discount has to be

redeemed at the POS within a specific time

frame. The type of action, the time frames

and the product groups can all be changed

individually. „wynsh enables us to offer a plat-

form that puts the fun back in shopping, and

results in higher sales. The amount and the

number of items for an average sales tran-

saction both increase. And it all starts with

a customer making a wish,“ explains Sascha

Rowold of WindoWin GmbH, the company

that launched the service mid-2011 together

with founder Marc Schwieger.

wynsh turns the discount paradigm around:

Customers decide which products they want a

discount for. The retailer, whether monobrand

or multibrand, can follow and optimize their

wynsch campaign in real time via a personal-

ized interface. In addition to the discount rou-

lette customers can play in the shop, retailers

can also send personal messages and promo-

tions to their customers‘ smartphones. „Almost

10 per cent of the customers we approached

this way returned to the shop and used wynsh

again, meaning they took another look at the

product range,“ says Rowold.

not a rummage Sale In autumn 2011 Sixty Deutschland GmbH

took advantage of the free test phase wynsh

was offering. „It‘s a playful alternative to a

discount sign and a nice way of getting our

target group to buy,“ says Nico Hoffmeister,

Head of Marketing and PR at Sixty. „When cus-

tomers are standing in line at the POS and

can‘t make up their mind, you can always

say: ‚wynsh something and maybe you‘ll get a

discount.‘ We think it‘s a great way of helping

customers make a purchase decision. One

of the neat things about it is that it doesn‘t

feel like a discount: wynsh makes customers

feel like they‘re rewarding themselves. It‘s a

great tool for our fashion customers,“ says

Hoffmeister. The company tested the app in

its shops in Germany and received positive

feedback, in particular from the staff. Hoff-

meister: „A lot of other companies are now

offering these discount apps, but we chose

wynsh because we like their fashion environ-

ment and it doesn‘t have the feel of a rum-

mage sale. We don‘t want to use discounts to

attract customers, but to help them make a

purchase decision in a playful and non-in-

trusive way.“ Miss Sixty has since introduced

wynsh for its products in Austria and the

Netherlands. A new version of the app will

be available in January 2012.

Although this way of shopping may be Greek

to many retailers and mobile phone-a-phobes,

the number of users and providers is steadily

growing. But for this type of mobile-voucher

marketing to establish itself, coupons have

to become part of people‘s daily shopping

routine and easier to use. Only then will this

form of advertising be profitable and usable

in shops of all sizes. The shopping hunt will

go on – offline. Check. x

linkS

www.wynsh.comwww.sixty.comwww.foursquare.comwww.friendticker.comwww.loxicon.dewww.groupon.dewww.rabees.comwww.gowalla.comwww.gettings.dewww.mobile-zeitgeist.com

01 "There are a lot of discount apps, but many of them have the feel of a rummage sale." Nico Hoffmeister, Sixty Group

02 "We're used to getting the offline community online. Today it's all about getting consumers out of cyberspace and back into shops." Boris Lücke, Managing Director of Gettings GmbH

01

ICC dIstrIButIon –– WhaT's ThE sTorY

the BeLgIan wIndowOnly two objects on Earth can be seen from space with the naked eye: the Great Wall of China, and Belgium – as a small point of light emanating from their illuminated motorways. Small country, big achievement. This was also what we thought when we talked to Jean Peeters, the founder of ICC Distribution in Ghent, and a pioneer when it comes to streetwear.TExTIsabel Faiss

PhoTosICC Distribution

D escribing Jean Peeters as an institution

might sound superficial; however, he

combines so many different facets of the fa-

shion industry that it is almost impossible to

stop interjecting with questions once he starts

telling his story. Luckily, it's a story that doesn't

end with him as an over ambitious hawker who

offers his entire repertoire from his jacket po-

cket. Rather, it ends with him at the offices of

ICC Distribution in the introspective city of

Ghent, where Peeters and his team first esta-

blished their presence on the Belgian street-

wear scene, and have dominated it ever since.

the CourSe of eventSTogether with a friend, Peeters started the

small T-shirt line Artware in 1998. Their main

goal was to incorporate prints designed by

artist friends onto T-shirts (a ground-brea-

king idea at the time) and to sell them to se-

lect stores. It was not a particularly profitable

business, which is why the boys soon began

propping it up with proceeds from their hip-

hop party series Citykingz. It went through

the roof. Thanks to acts such as De La Soul,

about 1000 guests showed up at the Citykingz

events. Through Artware, the boys came into

contact with other street wear brands such

as Saiko Expeditions, Broke and Iriedaily, for

whom he started selling and marketing in

Belgium. The network grew. Shortly thereaf-

ter, Peeters founded the agency ICC Distri-

bution, initially selling aerosol cans because

of his close ties with the graffiti scene. They

went on to become Belgium's general im-

porter for the Montana label.

ICC Distribution's breakthrough came af-

ter their collaboration with Supremebeing,

which at the time was a small underground

label from Cambridge. "From then on we

started growing continuously as a compa-

ny. We've brought in some of the best labels

to the market, whether as distributors for

Boom Bap or as sales agents for Dr. Denim.

Herschel Supply and 667 were recently ad-

ded to the list," Peeters says. He also counts

himself lucky that OriginalEskimo helped to

improve his agency portfolio early on. ICC

Distribution's office is located in the former

textile factory of Eskimo – a traditional Bel-

gian production founded by the De Groote

family in 1906. At some point, Peeters ap-

proached his landlord, a relative of the De

Groote family, and proposed to establish the

sub-label OriginalEskimo. Since this time,

graphic designer Wies Wydooghe has desi-

gned the collection in-house, and ICC now

sells it all over Europe. Their B2B platform

www.getstock.eu was recently launched, and

retailers can use it to order online. Inciden-

tally, the agency opened a couple of stores in

Belgium, but have since moved on. The websi-

te Citykingz.com still serves as their webshop

platform, offering the entire range of their ex-

tensive networks to the end customer. x

Jean Peeters (top middle) and his team at ICC Distribution.

iCC DiStriBution

Jean Peeters900 Gent/Belgienwww.iccdistribution.eulabels: 667, Boom Bap, Dr. Denim, Herschel Supply, Montana, OriginalEskimo, Supremebeing, Upper Playground

–– 35

Is MuCh too MuCh?The Berlin Fashion Week was a week of shows, exhibitions and events, many of which took place in parallel. Visitors complained about too many events and how they couldn't attend them all. Here's what some exhibitors and visitors had to say about this season's fair. TExTIsabel Faiss, Ina Köhler

PhoTosBrands, istockphoto.com

"things have become confusing for re-

tailers. Three to four days really aren't

enough to see everything in Berlin. A lot of

the events and shows are held in parallel; I

don't care much for this kind of cannibaliza-

tion. We've reached the point where we have

to ask ourselves whether Bread & Butter still

meets the goals we set for our brand four or

five years ago. Nowadays everything needs to

be tested, developments watched and alter-

natives considered. We never used to think

twice about going – it was as clear as day that

we'd set up an attractive stand and put on a

great show. But this time is different: We'll

monitor the frequency and the quality of the

visitors and then draw our own conclusions.

I'm not really happy about the way the denim

base turned out. Our sports collection doesn't

really fit here so we'll be displaying it at Bright

and ISPO instead. We decided to show what

we can do with denim at Bread & Butter."

Hanjo Argendorf, Bench, Americana Germany

"At the beginning in 2003, there were two

trade fairs in Berlin: Bread & Butter and Pre-

mium. They complemented each other very

well because they covered different core seg-

ments. Premium works mainly with agencies

and sales agents. Bread & Butter on the other

hand targets companies that want to show

their brands to an international audience.

The difference between the two platforms

was pretty obvious. In 2007 IMG introduced

the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and orga-

nized fashion shows mainly with young design-

ers – an interesting addition. A few special

segments are also developing, such as the

Green Showroom and Bright, which moved to

Berlin. Berlin is like a magnet. Every year the

city attracts new events that offer a platform

for brands that could also exhibit at established

trade fairs. There's a fashion gold rush on the

city. It'll be interesting to see how organisers

sell the events to brands and buyers. How will

buyers decide which events they should go

to? The events don't reflect the real market

segments, and you have to be careful not to

spread them out all across the city – Berlin is

not a small town.

Looking at it from a retailer's perspective,

trade fairs enable buyers to see and compare

as many collections in as little time as possi-

ble. You can discover new things, try out

proven concepts, meet with suppliers and

exchange ideas with peers. That's why they

should take place early in the season.

Orders shouldn't be placed for the main col-

lections at trade fairs. The agents' and brands'

showrooms are important for that very rea-

son. They're the only place where buyers can

place their orders in peace and quiet.

In the meantime a kind of caravan has devel-

oped: It travels from Berlin to Düsseldorf and

on to the different order platforms in Mu-

nich; then it makes its way to the trade fairs

in Florence, Paris, Milan and Copenhagen.

Everything's hustle and bustle. But there's a

lot of talking and very little serious work; it's

somewhat a waste of time and money really.

As a retailer, I'd like to spend more quality

time in the showrooms of the brands I'm in-

terested in selling. But frequently my agents

are at some national or international trade

fair or order event because it's fun and

36 ––

01 – 02

03

01 Norbert Loew (left), 02 Hanjo Argendorf (right), 03 Karl-Heinz Müller

fashIon dIsCourse –– ThE Talk

–– 37

05

04

06

07

08

someone might drop in. If I want to meet

with them, I have to go to them or wait until

the buying season's over. The brands need to

structure their sales machine better. Many

orders are placed by accident, which means

that every shop carries a bit of everything. In

consequence, various brands are underre-

presented on the market. A lot of potential

is wasted. The sales departments have some

catching up to do.

Karl-Heinz Müller, President Bread & Butter

"A lot of important meetings take place in

our K1X showrooms before and during Bread

& Butter, but the trade fair enables us to dis-

cuss with our regular customers things like

SMUs, quickstrikes or their final selection. Its

quality isn't only determined by the exhibi-

ting brands, the regular and potential cus-

tomers play a role too. And as far as I could

tell, January's Bread & Butter attracted a lot

of people. We also want to expand into other

countries, which makes a trade fair the perfect

place to meet with our international contacts."

Philip Buchholz, Vice President of Sales K1X

"I think the Berlin Fashion Week was a lot of hot

air. As usual, the sector put its best foot for-

ward, even in the face of the financial crisis.

There was a lot of hype and everyone seems

to have done well except the retailers and the

suppliers who got left behind. I think the mar-

ket is frozen, although there is more selection

these days. Many retailers complain about

how spread out the events and the shows are,

but I see that as a positive development. All of

the shops look the same these days. Everyone

orders what everyone else orders; no one dares

to do their own thing anymore. Flocking to

the same trade fairs won't solve that problem.

The more events come to Berlin and the more

alternatives there are to the big commercial

fairs, the more variety and individualism there

will be. And that's what we need. Small, inno-

vative brands don't stand out at big trade fairs.

Formats like Capsule that focus on one theme

add diversity and create new opportunities

for retail."

Philippe Nowotny, Importer and retailer

"For Lacoste Footwear Bread & Butter is the

most important trade fair in Berlin and is still

our preferred presentation and communi-

cation platform. Most of our customers will

already have seen and ordered the new col-

lection. No one places an order at this kind

of event; it doesn't make sense. Bread & But-

ter combines business and entertainment.

Of course the visitors are challenged by the

number of trade fairs. But it's like a good de-

partment store, isn't it? There's a huge and

great selection customers can choose from.

How much better can it get? And as an aside:

Bread & Butter is and always has been the

crown jewel of all trade fairs in Berlin.

High Fidelity – the motto of the last show –

comes from the Latin for loyalty, fidelitas.

We'll always be loyal to BBB."

Conny Stöckl, Marketing Manager Lacoste Footwear

"If I were a buyer, spending so much time

travelling through the city from one event to

another would drive me nuts. Our retailers

come to Bread & Butter, some go to Bright

and some go to Premium. Some went to the

best-seller event, but almost everyone fo-

cussed on these three main shows. Streetstyle

buyers find all of the relevant brands at these

shows. I don't think having a lot of platforms

helps structure retail at all."

Norbert Loew, Bench, Americana Germany

"Berlin is always worth a trip. New fashion dis-

tricts always seem to be in the making. Torst-

rasse is one of them and the developments

there are certainly interesting. I didn't see

anything particularly innovative or inspiring

during my stay in Berlin, at least not in terms

of fabric retailers. The hospitality and art

scenes always surprise me, as well as the crea-

tivity that Berlin brings out in people. A lot

of the stuff that happens here is unthinkable

in other German cities because of the laws.

Berlin's a real pioneer and all I can say is: More

of the same; other cities should follow its

example. I wish retailers would be more dar-

ing. Berlin was always a fashion and concept

pioneer and retailers should use its typical

madness and aggressiveness to their advan-

tage because that's what distinguishes it from

other big German cities. Still I think all of the

trade fair organizers and Berlin Fashion Week

should be congratulated for a job well done –

it‘s great to see how Berlin has developed into

a fashion city."

Thomas Wirth, Managing Director Replay

"Of course the retailers are stressed. But not

too long ago, everyone was complaining that

there was no central fashion platform in Ger-

many. People used to complain that Cologne

and Düsseldorf were so far apart, something

a lot of us never understood. The regional

events have clearly improved our trade fair

landscape. This trade fair is really important

for us. The buyers' calendars are so full, and

there's no way they can piece together bits of

information they pick up in showrooms. View-

ing appointments are usually made in the

second phase when a new customer shows

a particular interest. They also remove the

barriers of dealing with a new product. A lot

of buyers don't make appointments though

because they feel obliged to place an order.

That's the wrong attitude because it damages

diversity throughout the sector. A trade fair is

the best way of getting around all these issues."

Frank Götz, Firetrap

04 Philip Buchholz, 05 Philippe Nowotny, 06 Conny Stöckl, 07 Thomas Wirth, 08 Frank Götz

38 ––

the poLy-Math ofCreatIvItyHe became an artist at the age of eight. Danny Sangra, now 31, lives in Hackney, the part of London, where in August 2011, the riots did the worst damage. Sangras rebellious streak, though, is mostly limited to the art: art in any form and with any technique. He doesn't want to be told what to do. It's a Sangra Thing. In this interview he talks about his penchant for black leather jackets, his designs for Marc Jacobs and passion for hunting Moomins in Finland.TExTNicolette Scharpenberg

PhoTos & IllusTraTIonsDanny Sangra

01

02 03

01+03 Animals and eyes are recurring style elements in Sangra's pictures.02 His knit label, AMS (a minute silence), is sold at places like the Dover Street Market in London.WWW

––––––––––www.dannysangra.com

danny sangra –– ThE Talk

–– 39

h ey Danny, thanks for designing the x-ray cover! Do you also belong to those rebels wearing black

leather jackets?Danny Sangra: I'd like to think so. Everyone

wants to be a rebel, right?

What went through your mind when you created the cover motif?DS: I wanted it to have attitude and coolness.

I was also probably thinking of grilled cheese

sandwiches. I've been craving them recently.

Danny Sangra, why do they call you "the polymath of creativity?"DS: Ha ha. I don't know who wrote that but it's

stuck, and now it gets a mention in my bios.

Whoever first said it about me probably said

it because I work in many different areas. My

favourite techniques depend on the mood

that I'm in, but I do love using brush and ink.

I tend not to use pencil first; I just draw di-

rectly with the brush. Drawing is like second

nature to me, and I don't have to think too

much about it. I love photography and film

the most, but there's so much more to learn.

leather jackets, wolves and eyes frequently appear as subjects in your pictures. What's that all about?DS: I suppose I like drawing animals, and wolves

and rabbits appeal to me. Maybe eyes are a

feature of my work because I constantly feel

on view. The leather jacket idea came from

something I wrote whilst living in Paris a

few years ago. The story was called "Leather

Heroes, Velvet Villains." I drew the phrase in

my sketchbook. When Harlan showed me

the art and gallery guides from Rio, Miami

and Barcelona, I immediately had to think

about this subject and found it very suitable

for the cover. There's a work with that original

drawing in my hallway.

Who inspires you?DS: Many people. As far as my work goes, Wil-

liam Klein is a big inspiration. He was a pain-

ter who picked up a camera and used it in his

own way. He did the same thing with film. His

work makes me feel like it's okay for me to do

anything that I want to in my own way.

you've worked for high fashion brands such as louis vuitton, marc Jacobs, miu miu, and many more. What did you do and how did these projects emerge?DS: They came about through people that

I know and who knew of my work. My early

work was mainly print design. With those la-

bels, it was Katie Hillier who first asked me

to do some print work for Marc by Marc. My

friends who work for certain fashion houses

like to work with me I guess. Also, I work fast

and produce a lot in a short period of time.

I'm a good person to have before a deadline.

For Miu Miu, I made an online fashion film

that was produced by Glass Magazine. I'm a

big fan of Miu Miu and that was my favourite

collection, so I was very happy to do it.

and what about streetwear?DS: I'm not really much of a streetwear type

anymore. I think it's because I did so much of

it when I was younger.

you also run your own fashion label called amS (a minute silence). in contrast to the name of the label, it's a very co-lourful knitwear collection. What prompted you to start it?DS: AMS was created with my friend Lynnda

Needles after I left college. She's an amazing

knitwear designer. However, we didn't have the

money to start a label at that point so we waited

until we could do it right. Our first collection

was handmade and sold at Dover Street Market.

Now we only make specific garments, so AMS is

really project dependent. At the moment, we've

just released a knitted dress, called "The Polly

Dress from AMS." Basically, it gives us the chance

to do whatever we want without any-one telling

us what to do. We can make videos, paintings,

random bits - whatever. It's ours!

art and fashion are closing ranks. today, the fashions at gallery vernissages often surpass the works on display. how do you assess this development?DS: That's how this collapsing of artistic catego-

ries developed, and the people that go to gal-

leries know this. When people lose their con-

nection to art, they find their own way of getting

it back. Something new has to be created.

art and fashion enthusiasts seem to go together. Why?DS: It's all creativity. Only those who can't do it

need to put a label on it. If I want to make an

image or a sculpture or whatever, then I find the

materials that I need and make it. I don't think

"well that's not art if I want to make a dress." A lot

of fashion is sculpture. The lines are illustrative,

painted and crafted. There's also a lot of fashion

going on in art, so it works both ways.

What comes next? DS: We're developing another project for AMS,

and I'm working on some new exhibition pieces.

There are also two short films that I'm currently

making, including a documentary about a new

gallery. But right now, I'm about to catch my

flight to Finland. I'm going Moomin hunting!

Thank you Danny! x

04

05

"I'm not really much of a streetwear type anymore", Danny Sangra

04 Organic and geometric forms and prints are common elements in Sagra's artwork.05 Sangra has worked for fashion designers such as Miu, Miu and Marc Jacobs.

t he Carlyle group took over six niche providers from the primondo portfolio in 2010. in addition to e-

commerce retailers, one of these was planet Sports. how was the decision made to sell the company to investors?Sebastian Knebelkamp, Head of Marketing: The

Carlyle Group took over several speciality

shippers from the former Primondo Group,

which now operates under the name Puccini

Group. The Puccini Group manages us and

other online retailers. We're glad to have a

strong partner at our side supporting us in all

matters. We're also happy we have the expe-

rience from our holding to fall back on, es-

pecially when it comes to internationalising

the Planet Sports label.

Oliver Garnier, Head of Retail: For us it makes

sense to be able to see each other eye-to-eye

and to take advantage of synergies. We're

thankful to have someone with experience

in the same group. Experience has enormous

benefits, precisely when it comes to business

abroad. We want to move full speed ahead

and, above all, aim for healthy growth. An in-

vestor like the Puccini Group is ideal for this

objective, because it gives us other possibili-

ties entirely. The first step for us is to tap into

the major cities in Germany, and there are a

few: Cologne, Stuttgart, Berlin. At the same

time, however, we're already on the look-out

for destinations abroad for the coming years.

Which foreign markets are of particular interest?OG: France and Spain are the markets we're fo-

40 ––

what pLanet are you on?...is the question that simply has to be asked when looking at the statistics of Planet Sports from the 2011 fiscal year alone. A success story as if the crisis never happened. Internationalisation, planned store openings, sales volume increases by over 80 per cent, a new investor, a new logo, new recruitment for the team. What is it that these folks have done so damn well? TExTIsabel Faiss

PhoTosPlanet Sports

01 Planet Sports has built up its own in-house surf, snow and skate pro team that is filled with prominent names.02 Up until now there has been no private brand, but the subject is "at a certain poin talmost logical," says Sebastian Knebelkamp. Above is team rider Marko Grilc in a Planet Sports T-shirt.

01 02

pLanet sports –– ThE Talk

cussing on at the moment. Barcelona is a ska-

te Mecca; there's hardly a more well-known

and better hotspot for skaters in Europe.

SK: We adopted our retail roll-out as a stra-

tegic initiative in 2010 with the clear goal of

opening two stores in Germany starting in

2012 and launching one store a year in other

European countries starting in 2013.

planet Sports is the market leader in its segment. at the same time, the young sport segment is currently gaining traction in the online division. how are you dealing with this?SK: Since its founding in 1993, Planet Sports has

represented the segments of board sports and

streetwear. The fact that we have now operated

in the divisions of snow, skate, surf, and street-

wear for 18 years give us the necessary experti-

se. This is where we get our credibility and au-

thenticity. The large selection of snowboards,

surfboards and skateboards underscores our

positioning. Our commitment to service also

plays a central role. As such, the top priority at

Planet Sports is customer service, with the goal

of passing our expertise on to the customers and

thus enabling them to find the best product.

We see Planet Sports as a label with a clear iden-

tity in the snow, skate, surf, and streetwear divi-

sion. Our day-to-day actions are shaped by this

and are anchored well in our value system. This

helps protect us from major competitors who

have entered into the world of board sports in

the course of expanding.

OG: We're authentic. You'll never find a skier

in our store. They can be found at competi-

tors' stores ever since the freeskiing wave hit,

but not here. For us, snow means a board, and

not any other types of scene-related sports.

SK: We're professionals with expertise in the

board sport division. The results of a major

survey have confirmed the position of Planet

Sports in the divisions of snowboard, skate,

surf, and streetwear.

What is the online-offline ratio?SK: 80 per cent is online and 20 per cent is

currently sold at retail branches.

Do you have any plans to balance this ratio out a bit with a shop campaign?OG: That won't be possible, since we're grow-

ing just as quickly in the online segment as

we are at our own retail stores. We're also

looking into expanding our online presence

internationally. Retail will become some-

what more proportionate, but we're still miles

away from a 50:50 ratio.

Would you consider limiting your business entirely to the online shop?OG: Of course, we think about it because

the high fixed costs in the retail division are

certainly a drawback. But we want to make

the label accessible for customers and we've

noticed that online customers also like to

come into the shop. Initially we wouldn't have

thought that the two were mutually benefi-

–– 41

03 The Planet sports team is represented by (above: left to right) Marko Grilc, Steve Gruber, Christoph Weber-Thoresen, David Benedekt, Linus Birkendahl, Ethan Morgen, (below: left to right) Wolle Nyvelt, Christophe Schmidt and Xaver Hoffmann.

04 Oliver Garnier, Head of Retail at Planet Sports, is responsible for the newly opened stores and planned retail expansion.05 Sebastian Knebelkamp, Head of Marketing, came to Planet Sports at the beginning of 2011.

03

05

04

cial. People have to make themselves aware,

but at the moment most only look at the end

result of less-than-pleasing margins in retail,

precisely when it comes to the hardware. So

many simply push their hardware into the

background and then are surprised at the

decrease in the overall result. If we knowingly

give up a margin of one per cent, but show

our expertise through our hardware, I see it as

the more successful strategy in the long run

because it improves our own image.

how freely can a label actually develop when the investor has influence over its performance? the fashion trade al-ways entails a certain degree of risk, and it's precisely in this niche that a label has to take chances if it's going to gain anything. how do you create this balance?SK: Best of all, through our product range. It's

very important for us to bring in new labels

on a regular basis.

We don't feel any pressure from our investors

when it comes to the operating business. As

long as we're doing everything right and

operating successfully, we have absolute

freedom. The past success of annual growth

rates, some even more than 100 per cent in

the last five years, has given us a comfortable

starting point, especially within the overall

construct of the Puccini Group.

42 ––

ThE Talk –– pLanet sports

SK: We're very proud of our team. We started

off small and have now picked up the pace,

especially in the snow division with Torstein

Horgmo. Then too, Marko Grilc and Eero

Ettala are the real giants in Europe. Our Pla-

net Sports team is characterised by a certain

affection, team spirit plays a major role, and I

believe that we project this onto our team. It's

not about monetary incentives; here we can't

compete with the brands and labels at all.

We actually only know this approach from brands...SK: That's right, the entire world knows about

Shaun White from Burton. But we have a

different perspective. First, we have emplo-

yees that are authentic and understand their

business. The second factor is communica-

tion, which plays a pivotal role for the Planet

Sports team. And the third is how we com-

municate to the end consumer, for example

via Facebook. Based on the factors menti-

oned above, we have the absolutely relevant

content for the target group and don't have

to make up stories out of thin air.

this is a target group that reacts very sensitively.OG: Right, if we were to do something dif-

ferent every year, this year BMX, then skiers,

then back to board, our credibility would

go south at some point. For us, the concept

has always remained the same; the guys have

done exactly the same thing for 18 years. It

has helped us build up a lot of trust.

Where is the target group exactly?SK: The average age is around 32. These are the

brand-conscious, lifestyle-oriented people. The

men-to-women split is approximately 50:50.

OG: In the retail division the share is 35 per

cent women.

is there a private brand?OG: Not yet. It's a topic that keeps coming up, be-

cause it also makes sense. Our long-term goal is

to have a private brand. But at the moment our

expertise can be found in our strong growth.

SK: At a certain point it will almost be logical to

start a private brand, but the issue is not yet on

our agenda. Should we decide one day to fol-

low this approach, we'll also want to do it right.

Because we can see the complexity of such a

collection. Creating your own product that you

can also justified on the market and is not a "me

too" product requires a great deal of manpow-

er, capital, and energy.

What information platforms does your purchasing de-partment use? are trade fairs still relevant? for examp-le a winter ispo?OG: Of course, especially because that's

where smaller companies present. We're

sending a total of 60 employees to the ispo.

This has always been the case. All store em-

ployees are there. The goal is to get everyone

involved. Before the fair, we distribute ques-

tionnaires to everyone to determine what

the strongest brands and labels were, what

the strongest product range was compared

to the previous year, and where the new

ideas and inspirations come from. To do this,

we split everyone into groups of eight to ten

people and hold a meeting at the trade fair

at 4:00 p.m. in the inner courtyard, where

everyone presents their results. The group

with the best approaches wins a day-pass. We

also have a team of 30 people for Bread &

Butter and Bright. Every other company goes

with two to five people max. After the fair we

sit down together and come up with new la-

bels and ideas.

SK: At the fair we can see the topics that are

relevant at the time. Those who don't take

this opportunity let all of the information slip

through their fingers. For us trade fairs are still

one of the central information platforms. x

the board sport scene only started to get commercialised at the end of the '90s. the whole theme was sub-cultural at first and closely tied to the music scene. to what extent does this inter-cultural cross-over still play a role today?SK: It's still extremely important. These days

it's not enough to assess the target group

using socio-demographic criteria. For our

customers, it's much more about a certain

way of life, which has nothing to do with age,

gender, or education. This way of life can be

seen in how our customers spend their lei-

sure time. Action sports are just as important

for them as the music industry.

The inter-cultural cross-over can also be seen

in the consumer behaviour of the customers

in the snow, skate, surf, and music divisions.

A skateboarder for example wears the same

trainers as a snowboarder. Given this overlap,

music is just as important to us as the facets

of action sports. This yields a number of syn-

ergies with DJs and bands. For example, we've

already arranged a few projects with the hip-

hop band Blumentopf or the Wax Wreckaz.

the four divisions that you define as the core of your la-bel are covered by strong labels from the independent scene, which place a great deal of value on a certain underground appeal. how did you manage to integrate these candidates into a commercial concept?OG: Through authenticity. There are several

additions. The first one is our team. We have

a team for skate, snow, and surf. That is a cen-

tral part of our credibility.

faCtS anD figureS

Planet Sports began in 1993 with its first shop in Herrsching (near Munich). The online shop was added in 1997. In 2007 the company was taken over by the Pri-mondo Speciality Group, which was bought out by The Carlyle Group in 2010. Planet Sports today has stores in Munich, Hamburg, and Dresden. Dr. Henner Schwarz became the Managing Director in June 2011, joining the company founders Marcel Peters and Sven Horstmann.

The new firm headquarters in Munich emphasizes the team spirit at Planet Sports: Football tables and an open kitchen with seating area are at the centre of the new offices. Company motto is: Together and not alone. (or Together is better than alone.)

out now!www.ucm-verlag.at/app

iPad_Sip_XR_212.indd 1 19.01.12 14:52

want It!TExTIsabel Faiss, Ina Köhler, Julia Lauber, Nicolette Scharpenberg

PhoTosBrands

44 ––

03 BriCS Coat maDame!

"Brics is our vision of garments that are simple and minimalistic but still have an individual identity and edge," says Elise Born who, together with Stephanie Gundelach and Ingrid Munch, created the Danish brand BRICS in November 2011. "BRICS comes from the French word bricolage, which means to sculpt and assemble components in a beautiful manner using the old and the new," says Stephanie Gundelach, CEO of BRICS. In addition to their own brand, the three women are the driving force behind the largest Danish fashion blog, Anywho.dk. In autumn/winter 2011 the brand launched its first products with a four-piece selection of coats and capes for women. The goal for the coming season is six to ten styles. Wholesale prices range from 70 to 108 euros. For the time being, the brand is only available via its own web shop.

ContaCt:Brics, 1260 Copenhagen/Denmark, T 0045.273.29981, nina@brics-store.com, www.brics-store.com

02 raleigh Denim gotta have – Whatever the CoSt!

At first, making jeans in their small apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina, was more of a pastime for Victor and Sarah. "We never intended to turn it into a business," says Sarah. Today Raleigh Denim is made in a factory in Raleigh's warehouse district and sold in famous boutiques like Barneys in New York, Tenue de Nîmes in Amsterdam, and Son of a Stag in London. The mixture of minimalistic design, loving details and exclusive denim – straight from North Carolina – turned Raleigh Denim into a brand that triggers the "gotta have" reflex in every jeans lover. The product range consists of shorts, bags, belts, and of course selvage denim for men and women. Wholesale prices for jeans range from 96 to 114 euros with a markup of 2.5.

ContaCt:Raleigh Denim, Raleigh, NC 27601/USA,T 001.919.9178969, john@raleighdenim.com, www.raleighworkshop.com

01 BriCk BeanieS nature CallS

Back in 2008, Eva Goldmann launched her own label in Austria with caps known as Goldhaubn that she crocheted and knitted herself. Now it's time for her second baby, Brick Beanies, which she runs together with Petra Schröckeneder. Their shared passion for board sports and love of beanies inspired them to create affordable headwear that is close to nature and also conveys urban style. The result is a collection that can be worn both in the mountains and in the city: nine different models inspired by the variety of nature in Austria. The styles such as Stone, Pine, Oak and Maple are mostly based on tree names and emphasise the label's philosophy.The focus is first and foremost on beanies, and later on T-shirts will also be added to the collection. The beanies wholesale from 8.65 to 13.00 euros. The brand is available from RAG in Vienna.

ContaCt:Brick Beanies, Petra Schröckeneder, 5020 Salzburg/Austria, T 0043.676.5450630, info@brickbeanies.com, www.brickbeanies.com

want It! –– FashIon

–– 45

05 frenCh kiCk neW Start for olD hanDS

After picking up experience with brands such as Boom Bap and Twelve Inch, manage-ment consultant Denis Fontaine teamed up with photographer Pierre Pironet, graphic designer Jonathan Gustin and collection specialist David Bourgeois to found French Kick in October 2010. The brand is brand-new, but its team are true business veterans. The entire collection is based on the graphic print theme. This includes photos, illus-trations and graphics. With retail prices starting at 7.60 euros for a T-shirt, the brand has much more aggressive pricing than its competitors in the segment. Hoodies and sweaters wholesale at 21 and 27 euros, respectively. The collection comprises 80 garments and is brought out four times a year, with two main and two flash collections. French Kick profits from its founders' big network and is already distributed across much of Europe.

ContaCt:French Kick, Denis Fontaine, London/UK, T 0044.20.80995498, denis@frenchkick.com, www.frenchkick.com

06 Soo graphiCS maDe With love in muniCh

"A person without imagination is like a bird without wings," according to the philosophy of 29-year-old Munich-based graphic designer Suse Ulhorn. Since 2008, she has been working as a freelance graphic designer under the pseudonym Soo, which is also the name of her label. Soo Products are everyday things turned into something special. "When I uploaded some of my creations online at the start of my career, in the back of my mind I was hoping to use this to get more graphic de-sign jobs. Suddenly, I started getting more and more enquiries about the products, so I began producing and selling them," she says. From watches to cushions, shopping bags, plates and T-shirts, Soo Graphics enhances items that are in need of a dose of fantasy. To date, her products are only available in selected Munich boutiques. Fans of items that are made with love can purchase her products from her website www.soo-graphics.com.

ContaCt:Soo Graphics, Suse Ulhorn,hello@soo-graphics.com,www.soo-graphics.com

07 perCival perfeCt at laSt

They didn't really know anything about design, but they did have a passion for classic menswear. After years of being unhappy with cuts and fabrics, Chris Gove and Luke Stenzhorn decided to take things into their own hands and founded their own label Percival, which is designed and made in London. Their first collection consisted of 16 different styles in a variety of colours and exquisite fabrics that included Harris Tweed, waxed cotton from Scotland, fine lambswool, heavy melton from Yorkshire and blended Portuguese cotton. Today their product range consists of knitwear, shirts, jerseys, suits, outerwear and accessories. High-lights are the jackets made from a blend of wool with a Norwegian pattern and leather. The prices for the styles range from 10 euros for T-shirts and 45 euros for shirts to 130 euros for outdoor jackets. The brand is available online at ASOS and shopstyle, as well as at renowned streetwear boutiques in London.

ContaCt:Percival Clothing, London EC1R 4RG/UK,hello@percivalclo.com, www.percivalclo.com

04 eBBetS fielD flannelS vintage flannelS

Back in his teen years, Jerry Cohen had a weakness for baseball shirts. In 1987 he failed to find a cool vintage baseball shirt for his band performance and decided to take matters into his own hands. He soon started producing his own flannel shirts and selling them from his garage. This was the birth of his label Ebbets Field Flannels. His design focusses not only on major league baseball, but also on the small groups like the Negro leagues or the Pacific Coast leagues pre-1958. Today, celebrities such as Spike Lee or David Letterman wear the Seattle-based brand. The range currently consists of vintage jerseys and caps, baseball jackets, football and hockey shirts, as well as simple T-shirts and sweatshirts. The jerseys wholesale at 59 euros and baseball jackets at 110 euros. The cult around this American brand has resulted in collaborations with companies such as the Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape. The brand is not yet available in Germany, but was first presented in January 2012 at SEEK in Berlin.

ContaCt:Ebbets Field Flannels, Seattle, WA 98104/USA, T 001.888.8962936,customerservice@ebbets.com, lcooper@ebbets.com, www.ebbets.com

46 ––

08 tuBelaCeS laCe up

Shoelaces in twenty-two different colours and four different lengths that can be custom printed are their recipe for success. Tubelaces by MasterDis GmbH in Munich have been pimping sneakers since 2009. Highlights are the glow-in-the-sun laces (yes, that's right, in the sun) that change colour in daylight. Rainbow, Neon, Glitter and Reggae laces are also highlights. The packaging is inspired by test tubes. Lining up the full range of colours next to each other makes the laces look like brilliant tin soldiers. The tubelaces are particularly dazzling in the desk and floor displays that retailers receive with their first order. The items wholesale between 0.95 and 1.70 euros. Tubelaces are available in well-known sneaker, sport and streetwear stores.

ContaCt:MasterDis GmbH, 83620 Feldkirchen-Westerham/Germany, info@masterdis.com, www.masterdis.com, www.tubelaces.com

10 amBuSh JeWellery that takeS you By SurpriSe

The jewellery brand Ambush was started in Tokyo in 2008 by the duo Verbal and Yoon. The two had been experimenting with different styles and designs for rings, belt buckles, earrings, bracelets and necklaces since 2002. In 2004 they founded their first brand, Antonio Murphy & Astro. Lots of gold, silver, brass, copper and precious stones went into the design of their own hip-hop jewellery. Ambush, the newer brand, is more experimental in its combina-tion of metal with gemstones and plastic. Jewellery collaborations with the British brand Cassette Playa, a watch collection with Georg Jensen and the apparel line with A Bathing Ape round off the standard range. Wholesale prices for the collection of necklaces, rings and bracelets, belts and caps range from 40 to 80 euros with a markup of 2.5. The brand is available at shops such as Colette in Paris.

ContaCt:Ambush Design, 150-0041 Tokyo/Japan, T 0081.565.0369082710, info@ambushdesign.com, www.ambushdesign.com

09 inDigofera DevoteD to Denim

The Swedish brand Indigofera is dedicated to the ancient craft of dyeing with indigo. The name of the brand pays tribute to what has become the standard in traditional jeans. The brand's founders Johan Söderlund and Mats Andersson have been working in the denim industry for over ten years with brands such as Edwin and Levi's Vintage Clothing. Indigofera is their own creation. The first collection was launched in summer 2009. The product range currently consists of jackets, shirts and trousers in raw denim and a variety of vintage washes. Prices for the product range vary from 56 euros for washed denims to 100 euros for raw denims. The brand is available at Burg & Schild in Berlin, Bluechesse in Paris and VMC in Zurich.

ContaCt:Indigofera, The Grocery, 11160 Stockholm/Sweden, T 0046.86780105, info@indigoferajeans.com, www.indigoferajeans.com

11 SuperhorStJanSen flouting all Conven- tionS

The Hamburg-based streetwear label Superhorstjansen contradicts the conventional order rhythm with its collections. "I'm not going to keep to those order guidelines. That's one of the reasons I founded Superhorstjansen. For me it means pure freedom!" says Janny Schulte. Once a year, a basic line is launched and is available all-year-round. This is regularly complemented by limited editions. The new basic collection Wicked Games was presented in Hamburg in January 2012. The label focusses on practical sweaters and hoodies for women and men, as well as on simple tops combined with striking mini skirts, flounce skirts or hot pants. There is also a new range of accessories that will in future be integrated in the main collection. These include tassel earrings, oversized shawls, hip bags, clutch bags, shopping bags and cosmetic bags of various types.

ContaCt:Superhorstjansen,22763 Hamburg/Germany, T 0049.176.21534911, superhorstjansen@googlemail.com, www.superhorstjansen.de

want It! –– FashIon

–– 47

13 anerkJent thoughtS of Denmark

Humör founder Per Johansen is launching Anerkjendt, a new menswear label for the premium sector. Following a successful debut at Bread & Butter, two 120-garment annual collections will be sold from autumn/winter 2012 in selected shops, including Crämer & Co in Nuremberg, Urban Outfitters in London and The Gloss in Zurich. Anerkjendt's first collection is inspired by nature: earthy colours, structured and washed fabrics with wood, leather or wool details. The wholesale prices for the product groups of knitwear, sweaters, chinos, T-shirts, shirts and jackets range from 8 to 48 euros with a markup of 3.0. Anerkjendt is already being distributed in Scandinavia, England, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France and Greece. Mario Widmann Handelsvertretung is in charge of the distribution in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

ContaCt:Mario Widmann Handelsvertretung / Mario Widmann, 71065 Sindelfingen/Germany, T 0049.171.3663658, mario@anerkjendt.de, www.anerkjendt.dk

14 Queen JeanS fair founDation

The women's brand Queen Jeans may not be brand new, but the range of trousers, which has been on the market since 1979, was recently relaunched with a new product and sales concept that focusses on the fit combined with a strong product and good value for money. The garments are produced by Uze, a family business in Turkey. Arif Urzel will manage the stores in Germany, the Benelux and Austria from the company's office in Dreieich. The new collection consists of 45 models that are split between the Comfort and Trendline ranges. Prices range from 79.95 euros to 119.95 euros. In addition to pre-orders, there is also an extensive warehouse and flash programme. Instead of targeting corporations and clothes shops, the brand will focus on small and medium-sized retailers that are guaranteed exclusive distribution. "We have no inten-tion of selling our range in online shops now or in the future," says Jenni Firneburg, Sales Manager for North-Rhine-Westphalia. The brand also offers its customers an above-average markup of 2.8 to 3.0.

ContaCt:Queen Jeans, 63303 Dreieich/Germany, T 0049.6103.8312926, sales@queen-jeans.com, www.queen-jeans.com,

15 Broke Clothing an italian inStitution

In the streetwear scene, Broke Streetwear practically has the same standing as a well-established brand. Founded 1994 in Italy, Broke had disappeared from the European market over the past four years, but is now making its comeback full of energy and with the backing of a private investor. At Bread & Butter in January, Broke presented its men's collection for autumn/winter 2012/13, which will be dis-tributed across Europe. True to tradition, absolutely everything is produced in Italy. Broke's characteristic garments feature classic streetwear elements and tend to break away from clichés, with pieces such as a classic cardigan with skull patches on the elbows. The denims retail from 75 to 150 euros with sweaters from 80 to 120 euros and T-shirts at 34 euros. The collec-tion has a markup of 2.5. Currently, there are plans to expand in Europe and in the long term the brand hopes to expand its distribution to North America and Asia.

ContaCt:Broke Clothing, Daniel Fitzgerald, 31020 Villorba/Italy, T 0039.0422.1581997, info@brokeclothing.com, www.brokeclothing.com

12 l1 Street faShion for the SlopeS...

In a city park and in the powder – that's the idea behind the L1 Snowboard Outerwear range that Tommy Delago and Sepp Ardelt, the founders of Nitro Snowboards, launched in Seattle in 2005. L1 complements Nitro's portfolio and proves that snowboarders have more to choose from than just nylon suits. The designers' inspiration doesn't come from the mountains but from the streets of some of the world's biggest cities. Add to that skate and vintage fashion from the '70s and out comes L1. Ergonomic fits, denim, vintage canvas, heavy stretch twill fabrics and performance features. The colours and fabrics are based on American vintage brand Roadway, military details and traditional work clothes. L1 team drivers Jon Kooley, Nima Jalali and Jordan Mendenhall (USA.) are the driving force behind the brand. The collection consists of 32 different jacket and trouser models for men and women and is supplemented with T-shirts, hoodies and beanies. L1 is distributed by retailers such as Planet Sports, Boarderline in Berlin and Goodstuff in Munich.

ContaCt:Foundry Distribution, Salt Lake City, UT 84115/USA, T 001.801.9946484, info@foundrydist.com, www.nitro.de, www.l1outerwear.com

48 ––

Left Side:Shirt –– A Kind of GuiseSweater –– Denim DemonJeans –– G Star

Right Side:hot pants –– G-StarShirt –– Eleven Parisvest –– TimezoneStockings –– FogalBoots –– Flip Flop

–– 49

gIrLs In Menswear –– FashIon

a gIrLz thIngPhoTosRené Fietzek / www.renefietzek.com

sTYlIngSabine Berlipp/ www.blossommanagement.de

haIr & MakE-uPSacha Schuette/ www.tune-m.com

ProducTIonNicolette Scharpenberg

ModElLilli B. / www.placemodels.com

Left Side:trousers –– BelstaffShirt –– TwoThirdsShort-sleeved shirt –– Sixpack FranceBraces –– Diesel

Right Side:trousers –– Mads NorgaardShirt –– MakiaDown jacket –– Peak PerformanceJacket –– PenfieldScarf –– YstrdyBoots –– Patta x KangaROOS

50 ––

gIrLs In Menswear –– FashIon

–– 51

52 ––

–– 53

gIrLs In Menswear –– FashIon

Left Side:trousers –– EnergieShirt –– Levis Made & Craftedvest –– DieselCardigan –– Freeman T. PorterBoots –– Flip Flop

Right Side:Shirt –– Sitkavest –– Mads NorgaardJogging trousers –– DrykornJacket –– MakiaShoes –– Lacoste

54 ––

Left Side:Jeans –– Antonio MoratoShirt –– M.O.Dvest –– HannibalJacket –– Revolution

Right Side:trousers –– CarharttSweater –– Nudie JeansScarf –– 3 monkeysJacket –– G-LabStockings –– American ApparelBoots –– Flip FlopSocks –– Happy Socks

–– 55

gIrLs In Menswear –– FashIon

56 ––

01 –– Blame, 02 –– Nikita, 03 –– Pepe Jeans, 04 –– MCM, 05 –– Diesel, 06 –– Mavi, 07 –– Element Eden, 08 –– Converse, 09 –– Firetrap, 10 –– Vans, 11 –– Sophia von Münchhausen

TExTNicolette Scharpenberg,Ina Köhler

PhoTosVeit Ritterbecks, Marken, istockphoto.com

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trends –– FashIon

–– 57

12 –– Pointer, 13 –– Sperry Top-Sider, 14 –– Blame, 15 –– Superhorstjansen, 16 –– Firetrap, 17 –– Cornelia Webb, 18 –– Vibe Haslof, 19 –– Hilfiger Denim, 20 –– Wrangler, 21 –– Miss Sixty, 22 –– Pointer, 23 –– Sitka

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MIdnIght In parIsOh là là! A touch of '20s charm with a hint of '60s mannerisms is provided by this look with that certain French je ne sais quoi. It sparkles with sequins, rhinestones and Lurex or pearl trim. Dresses or midi skirts, Marlene trou-sers with a high waist and a slim belt, large floppy hats and headbands, delicate tops and softly flowing blouses give "Madame fatale" that seductive look.

23

58 ––

01 –– WoodWood, 02 ––Bench, 03 –– Camper, 04 –– TwoThirds, 05 –– Pepe Jeans, 06 –– Wrangler, 07 –– Replay, 08 ––Sitka, 09 –– G-Star, 10 –– Levi’s, 11 –– Cornelia Webb

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trends –– FashIon

–– 59

12 –– ADenim, 13 –– WEMOTO, 14 –– Lacoste, 15 –– WESC, 16 –– Diesel, 17 –– Converse, 18 –– Floris van Bommel, 19 –– Element Eden, 20 –– Kangaroos, 21 –– Ben Sherman, 22 –– Edwin, 23 –– Eastpak, 24 –– Antony Morato

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hunter & foresterInspired by green landscapes, spruces and conifers, wood and water – quite simply rough nature. Thanks to its healthy portion of style and functionality, this look appears both bold and daring. Destroyed denim, hiking boots, waistcoats with leather shoulder patches and fluffy flannel shirts are the key items of this forester look.

60 ––

01 –– Lee, 02 –– Edwin, 03 –– Antony Morato, 04 –– Wrangler, 05 –– Hilfiger Denim, 06 –– Freeman T. Porter, 07 –– Miss Sixty, 08 –– G-Star, 09 –– M.O.D.

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CutsBootcut, flared or XL de-nims are where it's at with the denim collections. ¾-length denims with flared legs and high waists are also featured. Skinny is dead? – No worries. This ever-popular trend won't die that easily...

trends –– FashIon

–– 61

10 –– Mustang, 11 –– Replay, 12 –– Mavi, 13 –– Lacoste, 14 ––Energie, 15 –– Guess, 16 –– G-Star, 17 –– Replay & Sons, 18 –– Nikita, 19 ––Diesel, 20 –– Levi’s, 21 –– Cheap Monday

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washesHonest, rough indigo – smart and raw. As double denim outfits or graphic patchwork elements of dark or softly bleached denim. Washes have a rather calm 3D effect, coatings or colour stains. But a few birds of paradise are going for the destroyed look – Boom!

62 ––

01 –– Wrangler, 02 –– The Blue Uniform, 03 –– Pepe Jeans, 04 –– Etudes, 05 –– Vanishing Elephant, 06 –– Phonz sayz Black, 07 –– Levi’s Made and Crafted, 08 –– Diesel, 09 –– Mustang, 10 –– Phonz sayz Black

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Walk upright like the trees, live your life as strong as the mountains, be as soft as the spring wind, keep the warmth of the sun in your heart and the Great Spirit will always be with you. (Wisdom of the Navajo)

CowBoys & apaChesYEEHA! This winter, the prai-ries are experiencing a fashion comeback! Navajo patterns as far as the eagle flies! The well-known Indian pattern from Pendleton decorates winter rucksacks, shoes, ponchos, waistcoats, suit jackets and much more. Roughly bleached denim shirts and jackets with fur collars and lining give the look that cowboy attitude. Leather accessories, colourful beads, chains with ivory tusks or the classic homage to the Marlboro man complement the look.

trends –– FashIon

–– 63

01 –– Firetrap, 02 –– Replay & Sons, 03 –– Miss Sixty, 04 –– Drykorn, 05 –– Diesel, 06 –– Made In Europe, 07 –– Lee, 08 –– Adidas, 09 –– Pepe Jeans, 10 –– Levi’s, 11 –– 55 DSL, 12 –– Eastpak

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CoLour-tILt"Everybody only ever wears black in winter anyway." Good-bye monotony! Next winter too, the Pantone colour palette will be giving that lacklustre outfit a touch of colour drama. Here and there you'll see some citrus yellow, alarm red or bright green, but there are many more berry shades such as cherry, blueberry, burgundy or spice colours such as curry, mustard or peperoni, which set the pace for winter 2012/13 and look as tasty as they sound.

64 ––

01 –– Diesel, 02 –– Two Thirds, 03 –– Vanishing Elephant, 04 –– Trap, 05 –– Iriedaily, 06 –– Drykorn, 07 ––Costo, 08 –– Empires Union, 09 –– Lunettes

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gentLeMen’s agreeMentCorduroy chinos and jackets, chambray shirts, suit jackets made of tweed, jersey, wool or velvet, polo neck pullovers as an alternative to slim-fit shirts, colours such as smoky blue, dark chocolate and spicy shades such as russet or curry make this look appear increasingly sophisticated from season to season. Scarves, bowties, leather accessories and sturdy boots lend a casual touch to the statement made by the original men's outwear look. This is why it builds THE perfect bridge between business and leisure wear.

03

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trends –– FashIon

–– 65

10 –– ADenim, 11 –– WoodWood, 12 –– Ben Sherman, 13 –– Pepe Jeans, 14 –– LTB, 15 –– Poyz and Pirlz, 16 –– WEMOTO, 17 –– Phonz sayz Black, 18 –– Levi’s

13 14

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01 –– Lacoste, 02 –– Barts, 03 –– Miss Sixty, 04 –– Energy, 05 –– Antony Morato, 06 –– Sixty, 07 –– Pepe Jeans, 08 –– Replay

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fur Soft and fluffy – whether fake or natural on coats, parkas, waistcoats, dresses, scarves, boots, bags – there's fur trim as far as the eye can see.

02

trends –– FashIon

–– 67

09 –– Le Fix, 10 –– Vanishing Elephant, 11 –– Energy, 12 –– Ativ by Vita, 13 –– Bench, 14 –– Freeman T. Porter, 15 –– RTCO, 16 –– Energy, 17 –– Airbag Craftworks, 18 –– Drykorn, 19 –– Firetrap

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MILItary Woodland camouflage, desert camouflage, digi-tal camouflage or urban camouflage – this is the era of the modern sol-dier. Atten-shun!

wooLWhether as a shirt, chinos, a dress, a suit or a classic coat – boiled wool, tweed and classic draperies or high-quality wool-len yarns provide cosy warmth this coming winter. Various coatings make for a modern twist.

68 ––

BLaCk Leather JaCkets In the sunAsked to discuss the art scenes in 3 sunny cities, Harlan Levey looks at phases of gentrification and the mainstreaming of outsider aesthetics in Rio, Barcelona and Miami ....TExTHarlan Levey, www.hl-projects.com

PhoTosBHP.com.de, Ripo, Françoise Schein, Favela Painting Company

Boxi in Miami for Modart (The Embrace).

–– 69

rIo de JaneIrofaveLas and a BrIght future There's a small splash of paint on the bottom of my black leather jacket. About seven years ago I was at a dinner in Barcelona with twin brothers from Brazil. We were discussing graffiti and how it isn't really art. It's graffiti. It might be artistic, but it has its own set of references, rules, criteria and codes. Art references art. Graf-fiti references something else altogether. The brothers suggested that this is what's happening with Brazilian art in general; it's becoming more inclusive of alternative artistic production. They seem to be right.

gaLLery guIde_rIo de JaneIro –– goTTa go To

there's a small splash of paint on the bottom

of my black leather jacket. About seven

years ago I was at a dinner in Barcelona with

twin brothers from Brazil. We were discussing

graffiti and how it isn't really art. It's graffiti.

It might be artistic, but it has its own set of re-

ferences, rules, criteria and codes. Art refe-

rences art. Graffiti references something else

altogether. The brothers suggested that this is

what's happening with Brazilian art in general;

it's becoming more inclusive of alternative arti-

stic production. They seem to be right.

The Brazilian economy is currently booming.

At the end of 2011, Brazilian GDP surpassed

that of Great Britain, making it the 6th largest

economy in the world. It's estimated that Bra-

zil will surpass Germany in 2020. The abun-

dance of cultural diversity, fusion and friction

ensures that, in terms of art, the country will

continue to produce in bulk and will conti-

nue to distribute its wealth internationally.

I'll risk such a claim by citing the list of billi-

onaires who are being lured by Brazilian art

funds, as well as the grassroots policy trans-

formations that have resulted in more state

and private support for experimental young

artists. Brazil appears to have good times

ahead, and there's evidence of a willingness

to build from the ground up. This is certainly

expressed by developments in Brazil's local

art scene; however, it's not just limited to art.

This may be the first time that Brazilian art is

actually creating European standards rather

than absorbing them. In music, this occurred

in the '60s with the emergence of Tropicalia.

However, Brazilian art has largely followed Eu-

ropean trends, at least since its colonisation

by Portugal in the mid-16th century. This has

been the case in movements such as Baroque,

Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Moder-

nism and Pop. But this is changing. The vast

array of cultures in the country provides Brazi-

lian artists and designers with a treasure chest

of references, identities, colours, clothes and

narratives. Cultural traditions are mutating,

and this coupling of influences is creating

potent new languages. Art once spoke about

itself. This was one of the reasons why graffiti

was once not considered art, because graffiti

artists didn't appear to be overtly referencing

Picasso, Cubism, Caravaggio or the Counter-

Reformation. They didn’t care about Dada.

They were not following Conceptual Art or

Postmodernism. They were not deconstruc-

ting. They spoke another language, which

was directed towards a broader public. Like

many forms of art which are conceived in the

streets, graffiti was first detested and then em-

braced. Today, art is not only speaking, it's also

learning new languages. It's opening up again.

Creative practices which stem from graffiti

exemplify what is happening across the board

in art, fashion and design. Renowned designer

Humberto Campana has traced this new wave

of free-flowing Brazilian arts back to the '80s,

when the military dictatorship crumbled and

hosts of exiled artists and intellectuals came

home to feast on freedom. In a 2008 inter-

view, Campana spoke about Brazilian trends

and cited his personal challenge to make

"portraits of our poor, beautiful and culturally

rich country." Examples of this artistic free-

dom are hard to miss in Brazil.

70 ––

So, What aBout rio?It might be Brazil's second largest city, but all

of my contacts and the networks of news that

I pick up on always pulls me back to Sao Pau-

lo. For me, Rio de Janeiro remains a romantic

place in my head. I think of samba style foot-

ball, year-round carnivals and, of course, mu-

sic. I wonder if the Seleção will lift the Coup

de Monde in the 2014 final, as the nation goes

nuts in a wave of yellow and green.

I say this while recognising the more som-

bre realities of the region. It's estimated that

nearly 20% of Rio de Janeiro's 10 million-plus

population live in favelas, many of which are

built on hills that seem to stare across the

city. Things aren't so bright for everybody,

"Cultural traditions are mutating, and this coupling of influences is creating potent new languages."

art gallerieS anD eventS

artrio www.artriofair.com.bra gentil Carioca gallery www.agentilcarioca.com.branita Schwartz gallery www.anitaschwartz.com.brSilvia Cintra gallery www.silviacintra.com.br/sitehap gallery www.hapgaleria.com.brgaleria inox www.galeriainox.commultiploespacoarte www.multiploespacoarte.com.brJr http://jr-art.netfavela painting project www.favelapainting.cominscrire www.inscrire.commuseu de favela www.museudefavela.org

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–– 71

and one thing we can be sure of is that ar-

tists are attracted to favelas. There are many

interesting art projects from Rio de Janeiro

which attest to this. When I first started wri-

ting about what became known as street art

in 1999, I held talks with many artists who

shared an ambition to create a sort of ama-

teur street museum: a public exhibition

that would include everyone. It was a call

for creative action and for a new aesthetic

regime. This is what has happened in Canta-

galo, where local artists have been commis-

sioned to paint more than 20 large building

facades, and have transfomed the favela into

an open air museum called the Musea de Fa-

vela. Their aim was to bring both tourists and

wealthy Rio residents alike into what were

once risky neighbourhoods.

There are many other examples of how the

favelas inspire artists, and how artists at-

tempt to work within this environment. Let's

jump back to 1991 and the Campana brothers'

Favela Chair, which they made by transfor-

ming scraps of plywood they found into mesh.

We could also check recent headlines about

the TED prize winner JR, a young French artist

who took a stab at creating a public exhibi-

tion when he pasted large photographs of

women's faces onto the façade of Favela Mor-

ro da Providencia, as part of a project called

"Women Are Heroes." While this work genera-

ted some great pictures and earned massive

amounts of attention, it also appeared to me

as a European development initiative, con-

flicting with the capacity building and local

empowerment that Cantagalo represents.

Association Inscrire is another outstanding

Brazilian art initiative, which, in 2011, produ-

ced more than 30 art projects, and encoura-

ged the participation of an extremely diver-

se local population. All of their projects have

two goals: to teach crafts and to offer art his-

tory education. Education and capacity buil-

ding are two things that art will be busy with

in the 21st century, so it's great to see this

happening. I met two Dutch artists Jeroen

Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn in Miami last year,

both of whom are concerned with these ty-

pes of questions. They worked on the Favela

Painting project, turning 34 houses (7,000 sq

metres) of favela hillside into a unified mural

that, for some reason, reminds me of Tirana.

In Miami, the duo worked on an installation

for an open air exhibition that accompanied

the annual Primary Flight event.

Projects such as these made me wonder

about the situation of public art outside the

favelas, so I nosed around to find out more.

Photo reports from friends and various con-

tacts confirm that Rio is also teeming with

colourful, appropriated walls at the bottom

of the hills. A quick and easy internet search

supports this. In Brazil, street culture in-

spires high culture at all times, whether it

is football, visual art, design or dance. Is this

happening in mainstream contemporary

art? To answer this question, we have to turn

our attention away from the streets and on to

the galleries and institutions. It's not just in

the amateur sphere of culture that Brazil is

excelling. Institutions, curators, commercial

art galleries and educators alike are demon-

strating critical capacities and forward-thin-

king visions which are finding global sup-

port. Here are a few galleries worth visiting

on your way to Copacabana, as well as some

links to the projects mentioned above. x

gaLLery guIde_rIo de JaneIro –– goTTa go To

01 Santa-mart (courtesy Favela Painting Project): Favela Painting Project. 02 home: Home is where you're happy? (courtesy of Ripo, artwork by Ripo)03 Beachballons: Brazil is bursting, but not in the way European banks are (courtesy of Ripo).04 Waiting for better days: Rio is powerful even when the colors are hued (courtesy of BHP.com.de).05 Rio is stylized even in almost empty spaces.06 Stairs: Rio de Janerio has its up and downs (courtesy of Ripo).07 inscrire: Physical and invisible community transformations (Françoise Schein).

07

05 06

72 ––

MIaMIwynwood and art BaseL MIaMI BeaCh week Miami offers a full spectrum of "life as art" and "art as industry" scenarios. It's a glorious and terrifying suburban sprawl.PhoTosCourtesy 0f BHP.com.de

f lavio came from Rio de Janeiro. He wore

a black leather jacket and drove a yellow

cab. He brought us back to the apartment on

Collins Avenue one night, and the next night

he returned to our 9th floor flat with a bag

of weed. The place we had rented was luxuri-

ous and cheap. Like most of South Beach, Art

Deco dreams had deteriorated into an odo-

rous elderly home. The floors were polished,

but the wallpaper was peeling. The porcelain

fruit bowl had begun to rot, and the ice trays

in the freezer spoke of a well-stocked bar

that was no longer there. The artwork must

have been bought in the '80s, when the area

had a highly speculative Miami Vice style re-

vival. Large abstract paintings covered the

walls with a failed glamour that matched

the worn-out carpet and tarnished mirrors.

There was a small kitchen, a living room, two

bedrooms, two bathrooms and the one big

perk: a balcony large enough for seven peo-

ple. That's how many of us were living there.

Like thousands of other arts professionals, we

were snowbirds crashing in Miami in search

of better times. It's hard for me to talk about

Miami itself. I'm too tempted to write about

Don Johnson, Al Pacino or Lebron James. If I'm

going to speak honestly about what's going on

there, I can only talk about the Art Basel Mia-

mi Beach orgy: the week in the artworld that

offers a full spectrum of "life as art" and "art as

industry" scenarios. So much happens in this

week, both for the city and for those who par-

ticipate, that it's a question of absolute occup-

ation, a series of constant takeovers.

iS too muCh enough?I'm not sure how many satellite art fairs are

spinning around Art Basel Miami Beach but

their constellation keeps spreading like a

glorious and terrifying suburban sprawl. It

01 Miami usually provides a warm welcome like Will Smith.02 Smash137: An honest way to put graffiti into an art fair – no canvas necessary.

01

02

–– 73

gaLLery guIde_MIaMI –– goTTa go To

74 ––

has new fairs, merging fairs and concurrent

fairs, but usually you tend to follow your own

interests anyway; whether it‘s photography, de-

sign, established artists, unknown artists, and

so on. The highest quality is most visible at the

big fair, but the things that actually compel you

could be anywhere, so you‘ve got to choose

where you want to go. The Aqua Fair was great

last year. While most events held in hotels usu-

ally put me off as far as viewing art goes, here

the usual concerns didn‘t arise. NADA is a must-

see if you want to find out the market leaders‘

takes on the next big thing, whereas both Pulse

and Scope offer bold looks at art, which always

emerge in precarious circumstances (Pulse is

a bit more critical, and Scope could be called

the industry cowboy). Then there is Art Miami,

Seven, Fountain, and Red Dot. The list goes

on; however, by this point most people stop

reading the list of art fairs and start turning

their attention to non-fair exhibitions, private

collections, parties and other events. One mi-

nute you‘re drinking champagne in Emmanu-

el Perrotin‘s (a gallerist) garden, and the next

minute you‘re sitting in a motel in Wynwood,

before hustling back to South Beach where

you‘ll probably end up at the Club Deuce after

watching Iggy Pop or some other old punk per-

form by the ocean.

I sold my first painting in Miami. I remember

driving across town to deliver it at a country

club during the collector‘s tennis session.

You tend to make what appear to be unlikely

friends during this one week in Miami. It‘s one

art gallerieS anD eventS

the rubell family Collection www.rfc.museumlyle o reitzel gallery www.lyleoreitzel.com/the_gallery.phphardcore art Contemporary www.hardcoreartcontemporary.comBernice Steinbaum gallerywww.bernicesteinbaumgallery.compan american art projects www.panamericanart.comoh WoW http://oh-wow.com/aboutusprimary flight www.primaryflight.comWynwood Walls www.thewynwoodwalls.com/home.html

"The things that will compel you could be anywhere."

01 art Basel beach party: Every year there's a show by the sea, like Iggy Pop.02 Strumbel: Another picture from Primary Flight, this one from Stefan Strumbel's HEIMAT campaign.03 Club Deuce: Drinker's bar with a hustler's pool table. Great way to get back to reality.04 art Critic parking: Serious as any good joke. Some situational Mousse art.

0201

03 04

–– 75

gaLLery guIde_MIaMI –– goTTa go To

of the things about the event that you can al-

ways count on. The collector and I had a drink

together. He told me about another artist that

he knew who might interest me. Three years

later as we rode in his Porsche to meet Tim

(the artist he‘d mentioned in his Wynwood

studio), the collector told me how he had

been sleeping on his own desk for the previ-

ous 18 months. Sometimes life changes fast.

Wynwood provides a good example of this.

The Wynwood area is quickly becoming one of

the most appealing stories of Art Basel Miami

Beach. However, at the risk of being politically

incorrect, I‘d say that much of it is still what

Americans would refer to as „a ghetto.“ Having

spent many days and a couple of evenings

there, I‘ve heard gunshots on more than one

occasion, and I‘ve been in some situations whe-

re you‘d run if it could take you anywhere else.

On the surface, Tim‘s studio was similar. We

entered through an orange garage door whilst

lonely looking men approached us asking for

work or money. Once inside, Tim showed us

his recent portraits of men from the neigh-

bourhood, as two artists from Boston packed

up a show that they‘d created for an advertising

agency that week. This is another example of

the endless offshoots provided by Art Basel Mi-

ami, and which Wynwood is gentrifying in a way

that would have made FDR proud.

real eStateBroker David Lombardi (Lombardi Proper-

ties) was one of the first to inject this ener-

gy into the neighbourhood, hosting parties

called Roving Fridays to promote the arts and

to increase value on his properties. Back then,

walking through Wynwood at night felt like

you were inviting danger. This is becoming

less and less the case. Broker Tony Goldman

(Goldman Properties) took it a step further

when he and the new Museum of Contem-

porary Art Director Jeffrey Deitch launched

Wynwood Walls, commissioning twelve pu-

blic murals from respected international ar-

tists. In the spirit of FDR, Wynwood has also

developed an extensive mural campaign.

Goldman‘s initiative was launched two years

after Primary Flight, which claims to be the

world‘s largest mural project, and has fea-

tured more than 250 world-class artists from

all walks of contemporary creative life.

The effects of such actions have been potent on

several levels, one of which has seen Wynwood

transformed from a threat into a series of oppor-

tunities. Not surprising, this is demonstrated by

the rise of art galleries in the area. In just a few

short years, enough galleries have opened for

the neighbourhood to compete with more es-

tablished local art scenes. They even have their

own Art Walk. The neighbourhood now boasts

plenty of interesting spaces, including pioneers

Bernice Steinbaum Gallery and Dorsch Gallery,

as well as Lyle O‘Reitzel Gallery, Hardcore Art

Contemporary, Pan American Art Projects, OH

WOW, and more than 30 others. In addition to

the galleries, the area is now home to five mu-

seums, three significant collections, seven art

complexes, and five prestigious fairs. On the

second Saturday of each month, a community-

wide Art Walk is held, with most of the spaces

opening up their doors to the public.

If you‘re going to Miami, you‘ve got to have a

look at Wynwood; where art is being employed

as an advertisement for the future. x

"... Primary Flight, which claims to be the world's largest mural project and has featured more than 250 world-class artists from all walks of creative life."

05 fashion for less: Fashion is always for less.06 School buses and taxis as family portrait.07 apartment collinsave: Six boys, one girl, and a great terrace.

05

07

06

BarCeLonaMore spanIsh nostaLgIa This time I pulled out my old black leather jacket for a trip that I've already taken. There's a small rip on the elbow of the left sleeve and a tiny splotch of paint near the base of the zipper that is almost legible, but not really. Both have their history. The rip goes back a good seven years, to the time when I got my arm caught on a bit of rogue metal as I climbed onto a rooftop in Barcelona. PhoTosCourtesy 0f Ripo

76 ––

01

–– 77

gaLLery guIde_BarCeLona –– goTTa go To

B arcelona felt like an urban playground back

then, the background of a different sort of

Spanish Golden Age – where city heat still held

hands with sea breeze. It was the meeting place

of a contemporary Lost Generation: a cross-

roads for artists from all over the world that

represented a cheap, sunny and consequence-

free zone to young, creative wanderers. I met

several Hemingways there; writers in their 20s

or 30s, although none had been to war. Don

Quixote came to life on every corner and Goya

held his ground to remind history of how he

paved the way for Picasso. Dali was still hanging

in the air and Gaudi was there because he had

given Modernism a sustainable side. If Miró had

been around, he’d have been smirking as it

would've seemed like his assassination of paint-

ing had a legacy. If all this sounds like that lousy

Woody Allen movie (Midnight in Paris), this is

my fault. Back then, nobody was talking about

these ghosts – even if they were all around.

Many of the artists that I met in Barcelona

represented a new generation of poets who

were armed with paintbrushes, spray cans

and makeshift tools. They were not interested

in painting as much as they were interested

in transforming the sense of possibility that

a city could project. They took to working

on walls, window shutters and anything else

that beckoned. To say it more succinctly, they

were interested in having fun, sharing and

learning. It wasn't uncommon to spend the

days and nights exploring, painting, entering

art gallerieS anD eventS

iguapop gallery www.iguapop.netmiscelanea BCn www.miscelanea.infogaleria Cosmo www.galeriacosmo.commito galeria www.mitobcn.comaDn galeria www.adngaleria.comangels Barcelona www.angelsbarcelona.comJoan prats www.galeriajoanprats.comSenda www.galeriasenda.comgaleria mitohttp://barcelona.unlike.net/locations/307716-Galeria-MiTOSwab art fair www.swab.esmaCBa www.macba.cat

"They were not interested in paint-ing as much as in transforming the sense of possibility a city could project."

places that seemed to have been bleached

off the radar by the sun, while laughing with

strangers who quickly felt like friends. Post-

Franco, Barcelona appeared as a resistant

urban utopia. It stayed that way until Giuliani-

style tactics kicked in, and legislations were

passed to give the city some new rules. No

02

03

01 Buff: So much history erased every instant. Artwork by the city of Barcelona02 Dawn provides quiet.03 galeriaoberta: Oberta offers legal refuge to those who wish to paint in public.

78 ––

more beer on the street. No more tolerance

of illegal art. Vandalism was no longer con-

structive. Almost overnight, it was flat-out

frowned upon. Rules were put in place again.

It had already been dark for hours when I rip-

ped my jacket. I‘d drunk too many of those god-

awful street beers in red cans (the only beer I

ever had that actually got better when ice

formed at the bottom of the can) and it soon

became a carefree night. I woke up the next

01 Beacherased: So much history erased every instant. Artwork by Ripo02 Cosmooutside: Cosmos brings in a young, hip crowd.03 If you miss dawn's quiet, parks around the city are never a bad bet.04 lamerce: Every city has a colour; Barcelona's is red.05 Traditional mediums speaking contemporary langauges.06 Roa went from small in Barcelona to big in Brazil.

01

0602 03

"... it was playful, fun and committed to change."

–– 79

gaLLery guIde_BarCeLona –– goTTa go To

morning with a few small scratches and several

annoying grains of sand in my dry mouth. That

day, there were two things I had to do. In the

early afternoon I was to head to the Swab Art

Fair to meet a colleague. Later, I had to visit the

Iguapop Gallery for a column that I was writing

called „Squatting the White Cube.“

the gooD, But not So olD DaySFor several years, The Iguapop Gallery filled

a gap in the rich Barcelona art scene. It was a

crossroads for art, design, fashion and music: a

place that represented contemporary attitudes

and rivalled traditional galleries by being a plat-

form for young Spanish artists and a new gene-

ration of creative talent that didn‘t fit into other

programs. The work that the gallery represen-

ted helped to build the bridge between high

and low culture, proving that some so-called

lowbrow art merited confirmation from high-

brow gatekeepers. I especially liked the gallery

because they reflected what was happening

amongst young artists in the city. Iguapop had a

vision and wasn‘t afraid to take risks. It was play-

ful, fun and committed to change. On many

trips to Barcelona, I made no plans besides visit-

ing the gallery and seeing what happened next.

Unfortunately, the Iguapop Gallery closed

their doors in Barcelona, and they‘re currently

preparing to reopen in Madrid, where it is con-

sidered to be a better market for collectors.

With the changes enforced by the new laws,

and the closure of my favourite art space, in

my last few trips to Barcelona I have been intro-

duced to new spots. Nostalgia is unhealthy.

There are still several younger galleries in

Barcelona that boast similar programs, in the

sense that they pledge no particular allegiance

to any one medium and they showcase local

and international works that might otherwise

go unnoticed. Of course, there are also a few

more established places that have earned their

reputation within the international artworld.

art vS. artIf you want to get a better understanding of

what still might be called non-art, you could

visit concept spots like Galeria Oberta, Mis-

celanea or Cosmos Galleria. The latter is

basically a café with a creative shop and an

exhibition space. They show graphic work

that ties into the more colourful and aesthe-

tic side of urban illustration. Miscelanea has

more history. While it‘s also a combo (store

and exhibition space), it has developed an

interesting model of artistic autonomy.

They‘re maintaining a conscious program

as a commercial gallery, as well as providing

a breeding ground and structure for sub-

sidised projects (workshops, residencies,

conferences and more) that are directed to-

wards capacity building.

Kowasa Gallery is another gallery that mer-

ges related businesses under the same roof.

Dedicated to presenting historical, modern,

classic and contemporary photography, it

operates as a gallery and a publisher. You‘ll

find Kowasa books in the store as well as sharp

selections of other outstanding books on pho-

tography. Gallery MiTO focuses on Realism in

what they call the Post-Digital era. Their pro-

gram exhibits emerging trends in figurative

visual art, and focuses on artists who tend to

be pulled out of non-Spanish scenes.

These spots reflect efforts to pioneer direc-

tions in new media aesthetics, but Barcelona

also has a few galleries – such as Galeria Joan

Prats, ADN Galeria, Angels Barcelona and

Senda Galeria – that have already established

some new territory for Catalonia to build on.

Joan Prats has been around since 1976 and

has long been recognised as a leading player

in the world of international contemporary

art. In the mid ‚90s, they opened a second

gallery, called Joan Prats Artgraphic. The sis-

ter gallery has its own roster of artists and is

equally challenging and accessible.

Spain doesn‘t have an Art Basel Miami Beach,

and, unlike Rio de Janeiro, the economy is

not on the upswing. While Barcelona is still a

great place for artists to live, work and prac-

tise, it makes sense for younger initiatives

to watch the Spanish galleries that have es-

tablished themselves in the global market,

while enjoying a quality of life that isn‘t as

easy for the recession to crack. x

04 05

80 ––

openTExTIsabel Faiss, Ina Köhler, Nicolette Scharpenberg

PhoTosBrands

02 Cream moving on up

It's been dubbed the SoHo of Hamburg: the St. Georg district behind the central station. The heart of this district is the Lange Reihe shopping street with its numerous boutiques, delis, bars and restau-rants. Since April 2011, the concept store Cream has also been based in this top location. "When we were looking for a location for the Adidas Ransom pop-up store, we came across this site and were so enthusiastic that we instantly decided to move everything to these premises," explains owner Matthias Scholz, who has been running the street boutique together with Till Krüsmann since 2009. The new sales space of 80 square metres not only offers a much more prominent location, but it also stands out due to its rooms that are flooded with light. "We can continuously develop our business here and add new products and brands to the range. Unfortunately, this was somewhat limited in our old location," says Scholz. Cream today not only sells streetwear and accessories for men, but also a selection of women's clothing. Its brands include Pendleton Woolen Mills, Norse Projects and Kid-robot. It also stocks shoes by Nike, Adidas Originals, Wood Wood and Adidas SLVR. The highlight is the Annex, an independent room in which Scholz and Krüsmann occasionally present product launches, collection highlights and exhibitions. They have also used it as space for a pop-up store.

ContaCt:Cream, Lange Reihe 88, 20099 Hamburg/Germany, T 0049.40.188811670,service@saintcream.com, www.saintcream.com

01 replay Denim Couture for hong kong

Full speed ahead for Replay this year! At the start of 2012, the Italian denim and casualwear specialist opened a flagship store in Hong Kong. The concept goes by the name One-Off and everything is tailor-made. The idea is to design a tailor-made store in which creativity plays an important role: tailor-made shop windows, tailor-made interiors and tailor-made jeans. The focus is on exclusivity and individual creation, two important elements that in future are meant to be associated with the brand and its collections. In addition to tailor-made jeans, the concept will also feature denim couture dresses that Replay made for the two style ambassadors Bar Rafaeli and Irina Shayk at the MTV EMAs 2011. With its high windows, the architecture of the 120 square metre store on Hysan Place is highly reminiscent of Bauhaus style whereas, in contrast, the interior is much more natural. Plants, wood and bamboo materials give the store a warm atmosphere and build a bridge between modernity and tradition. The featured collections include Replay, We Are Replay, Red Seal by Replay and White Seal by Replay.

ContaCt:Replay One-Off, Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong/China, www.replay.it

retaILnews –– In sTorE

–– 81

04 kult expanSion to auStria

On 23 November 2011, Austria's first trend stores opened in the new Bahnhof City Vienna West. Over an area of 600 square metres, the branch that is part of the Görgens Group is selling a range of jeans, casualwear and urbanwear for women and men, as well as high-fashion labels and accessories. Brands such as Poolgirl, Smashed Lemon, Bench, Only, Diesel, Le Temps des Cerises, Guess, M.O.D, Justing, G-Star and Rock Revival target customers in the medium-price range. They are accompanied by premium brands such as Blauer, Peuterey, Canada Goose and Barbed. Across Germany, the Cologne based Görgens Group has more than 85 branches that do business with the brands Kult, Olymp & Hades and Planet und Elb. In 2011, there are plans to open ten new branches, as well as a further nine locations in 2012.

ContaCt:Bahnhof City Vienna West, Europaplatz 3, 1150 Vienna/Austria

05 aDiDaS Slvr european launCh in Berlin

During the Berlin Fashion Week, adidas opened the first European SLVR-only store for its premium brand SLVR on Mulackstrasse in Berlin-Mitte. Designer Dirk Schönberger, Global Creative Director of Adidas's Style Division welcomed the guests personally at the store's opening party on 18 January. A cross-section of the puristic collection for women and men, as well as accessories and shoes, were displayed across the store's 120 square metres.

ContaCt:adidas SLVR Store, Mulackstraße 31/32, 10119 Berlin/Germany, www.slvr.com

06 mantiSlB SkateBoarDing expanSion

Hamburg has a new skateboarding shop: MantisLB, a pure

longboard shop that opened at Grosse Theaterstrasse 43 on November 18, 2011. "With a product range of 1,000 ar-ticles and 80 brands, opening a new store and splitting our selection of skateboards was the next logical step," says Mantis owner, Richie Löffler. "Fortunately, commercial space became available right across the street from our main shop, the Mantis Lifestore." With 120 square metres of space, the store offers dedicated asphalt surfers an im-pressive selection of hardware, decks and accessories from brands like Loaded, Fulbag, Earthwing, Indiana, Urskog and Airflow, to name just a few. In addition to the Mantis Lifestore and the longboard shop, Löffler also owns the Animal Tracks street fashion store in Hamburg's Colonnades and the TRAP Skateboards brand, founded in 1992.

ContaCt:Mantis Longboardshop, Grosse Theaterstrasse 43,20354 Hamburg/Germany, www.mantisshop.de

07 peak performanCe off to kitZBühel

Kitzbühel not only attracts the rich and the beautiful, it's also the place for enthusiastic skiers. Since December 2011 they have a new place to go for winter sports apparel: The Swedish sports brand Peak Performance opened a general store in the heart of Kitzbühel just in time for the annual Hahnenkamm race. The opening was celebrated mid-January with a big party. The Swedish brand's entire outdoor collection is on display on 100 square metres of space spread over two floors. From 2013 Peak Performance will also be the official outfitter for the traditional Hahnenkamm downhill race, which has been taking place each year on Kitzbühel's "Streif" course since 1931. "We're very pleased to be supporting the local ski club," says Matthias Josander, Marketing Director at Peak Performance. "Opening a new own store in one of the most famous ski resorts in the world is another milestone in the history of Peak Performance."

ContaCt:Peak Performance, Bichlstraße 8, 6370 Kitzbühel/Austria, www.peakperformance.com

03 n.D.C Berlin Cooperation

In time for Bread & Butter, the first n.d.c. store opened its doors in Berlin-Mitte on 17 January 2012. The 40 square metre shop was developed in close cooperation with Karl-Heinz Müller, Managing Director of Bread & Butter and owner of the 14 oz. store. The shop used to house a multilabel shoe store of the 14 oz. brand. The new shop will in future feature a wide selection of shoes, accesso-ries and bags by n.d.c. For Thomas Vulliez, Manag-ing Director of Forward Design and International Sales and Distribution Manager, the cooperation is a highly desirable project: "This is the highlight of a great business relationship and partnership." Müller also believes that n.d.c. is the right cooperation partner: "The n.d.c. and 14 oz. brands have already worked together successfully for many seasons, and we share a distinct value consciousness for outstanding quality." In keeping with the brand's authen-tic styles, the designers worked with rough boat planks and untreated brick walls to effectively present the accessories.

ContaCt:n.d.c. made by hand, Münzstrasse 19, 10178 Berlin-Mitte/Germany, www.ndcmadebyhand.com

04

06

05

07

82 ––

too Many good thIngsShe says, "You're obsessed." He says, "Please, just another one!" Being a couple in AFew is not easy. The guys at the Düsseldorf trainer store know how to wrap you around their little fingers. For those who come in search of Air Jordan 8/15s, it‘s all in vain; only genuine trainer treasures can be found here.TExTNicolette Scharpenberg

PhoTosAFew

afew, düsseLdorf –– In sTorE

–– 83

"a Few Good Things" – just a few, but the

right ones. The name really seems

to accurately reflect the store concept of

Marco and Andreas Biergen. The store in

Düsseldorf, which opened in 2008 under

the name Schuh-You, is located on Schadow-

strasse in the city's Japantown across from

the mall. "Most of the things we offer are very

rare and are usually only available in small

quantities," says Andreas Biergen. "Here the

customer will find some rare trainer trea-

sures from the past. Not only can you come

in and just examine them, but can buy them

as well!" With their 65 square metre store,

the Biergen brothers have turned their hob-

by into a career . "We love to play basketball,

and during trips to the U.S. we would often

bring back trainers that couldn't be found

here in Germany. A lot of friends and ac-

quaintances were always asking us where we

got our shoes, so in 2004 we started bringing

some back for our friends on a very small sca-

le. At one point we had to decide whether

we would pursue a real career or if we would

go into business for ourselves and open a

store. We took a chance," Biergen explains.

kiCkS, art, anD kryptoniteThe store was renovated and renamed AFew

in April 2011. The interior, painted a subdued

black and white, was just a framework for the

bigger picture: rare trainers by Nike, Adidas,

KangaRoos, New Balance, Puma, and Onitsuka

Tiger for men and women. The product range

is supplemented by a subtle selection of tex-

tiles from Beastin, New Era, Nike, and Adidas.

The store's furniture has been designed to be

versatile so that the floor space can be used for

other events like small exhibitions, unplugged

concerts, and readings. "We're especially proud

of the kryptonite 'glow in the dark' floor by the

company ENKE. It charges during the day and

glows at night. It's worth stopping by to take a

look, even after the store has closed," says Bier-

gen. Those who aren't in Düsseldorf miss out

on experiencing the cool design of the store,

as well as its various events. But they don't have

to miss out on the product selection, as their

online store gives fans outside of Düsseldorf

access to the rarities. They can stay informed

of event news and sales through the blog. The

store is intended to operate just as successful-

ly as a cultural centre for small exhibitions and

events. For the re-opening party in July 2011,

an exhibition of the MAX100 project by Matt

Stevens was on the programme. They have also

presented an Air Max 1 exhibition in coopera-

tion with Nike Sportswear, and accompanied

by a hearty barbecue. There are also plans for

an exhibition with the Düsseldorf based pop

artist Ivan Beslic. Further information about

this can be foundonhis blog. x

afeW

Oststrasse 3640211 Düsseldorf/Germanywww.afew-store.comopening: Schuh-You October 2008, Afew April 2011owners: Marco and Andreas BiergenStaff: 2 retail space: 65 sqm.Shoes and accessories: Adidas, Asics, Beastin, Jordan, KangaRoos, New Balance, New Era, Nike, Onitsuka Tiger, Puma

"We had to decide between a real career and a hobby. We've made our passion into a business." Andreas Biergen, AFew

Glow in the dark – the kryptonite floor charges during the day and glows at night.

84 ––

o ntfront was launched in 2007 during the

off-schedule program at Amsterdam In-

ternational Fashion Week. As young fashion

entrepreneurs, Tomas and Liza quickly dis-

covered a niche between mainstream urban

confection and high-end formal menswear.

Their first successful design, a conventional

men's blazer converted into a stylish hoodie,

is characteristic of their twisted-classic style.

Liza: "We've always loved an old-fashioned

look, like that of a cool grandparent or soul

musician, which we combine with contem-

porary styles. We call it 'sidewalk tailoring.'

When Ontfront first started, we were really

inspired by Andre 3000. He'd have been our

perfect client. It's great for us that his preppy

style has become a trend, but the key to our

success is that we always stay true to our own

style, regardless of trends."

ChokerS anD knee-high SoCkSTomas: "We make clothes for young men

who used to wear skate or other casual urban

clothes, but now need to dress up for work

or other occasions. They don't want to wear

a conventional suit; they want something

with a twist so they can still show a bit of their

creative or rebellious side. In our collection

they'll find affordable styles with original

silhouettes and details like an extra small

collar, an asymmetrical cut or an unusual

button placement." Some clients buy one

special item, such as a collarless v-neck dress

shirt or the far from conventional ribcord

trousers. "Those trousers are every man's

friend – whether he has a well-formed be-

hind or not," explains Liza with a grin. Other

clients go for a complete look, matching

ankle-length trousers with colourful Italian

style knee-high socks, a double-breasted

shirt and a choker.

Store Dog ZaZouOntfront has twelve points of sale in the Be-

nelux. Tomas: "We like to work with retailers

who understand our concept and who are

able to present it clearly to their clients." Of

course, the first Ontfront monobrand store,

which opened in January 2011, gives the best

indication of their key ideas. In the richly

coloured and elegant space, many men will

easily be seduced into taking home at least

a hint of pavement prep. Tomas's and Liza's

dog Zazou, who was named after the colour-

ful Parisian hipsters in the '40s, looks perfect-

ly at home in Ontfront. He dozes off while

down-to-earth guys transform into men with

sartorial splendour. x

ontfront

Haarlemmerdijk 1211013 KE Amsterdam / The Netherlandswww.ontfront.nlopening: 24 January 2011retail space: 65 sqmStaff: 2 Clothes: Ontfront, L'ecole National, SopopularShoes: Filling Pieces, United Nudeaccessories: Cassius, Ray Ban, Spyker, Von Eusersdorff

01 Even the interior pefectly reflects the urban dandy character.02 Liza Koifman and Tomas Overtoom.

"Our customers are looking for styles with a special twist in order to show their creative character." Tomas Overtoom, Onfront

01

02

In sTorE –– ontfront, aMsterdaM

sartorIaL spLendourTomas Overtoom and Liza Koifman share a passion for classic clothes with a twist. Their menswear label Ontfront may be associated with terms such as preppy, street dandy or sidewalk tailoring, but whatever the description, these young fashion designers sure know how to twist a good classic. TExTMiranda Hoogervorst

PhoTosOntfront

vezJun, aMsterdaM –– In sTorE

–– 85

super sMaLL But oh so speCIaLAbout seven years ago, Gabriëlle Holland decided to move her sewing machine from her home table to a more vibrant location. With three fellow fashion designers, she rented a small space on Amsterdam's Rozengracht and opened Vezjun: a store and atelier that showcases one-of-a-kind womens items.TExTMiranda Hoogervorst

PhoTosVezjun

the concept behind Vezjun (pronounced 'fa-

shion' with a French accent) is simple. Part of

the store is dedicated to Gabriëlle's own label

G(rrr)AB, and the remaining space is given to

young designers on a consignment basis. At the

moment there are nine labels on display at Vez-

jun. Some designers stay with the store for years,

whereas others seek short-term exposure be-

fore moving on. Vezjun represents young

fashion designers as well as experienced

fashion professionals who want a career

change. Gabriëlle and the designers Audrey

Weeren (Label 3) and Shari Scholte (second

place in Project Catwalk 2010) are now run-

ning the store on a daily basis, working on

the floor and behind the counter.

Vezjun only sells one-of-a-kind items. Gabriëlle:

"People these days love handmade clothes. A

few years ago it wasn't very trendy, but now we

have a lot of new clients coming in. Every day

we have another designer working in the store.

Our clients like to talk directly to the designers

as it allows them to have an item fine-tuned to

their liking. If a woman wants a certain dress in

another fabric or, for instance, in a sleeveless

version, then it's possible. Every item we sell is

unique, it’s our trademark."

playful anD experimentalApart from clothes, Vezjun also stock inventive

fashion accessories such as handbags made

from old leather sofas, quirky brooches and

creatively designed shawls in unusual fabrics.

It's all very affordable as well, with prices for

handmade clothes varying between 100 and

250 euros. Although Vezjun's support of young

designers adds to its playful and experimental

character, it also means that as certain desig-

ners become really successful the store will

naturally become a bit more commercial too.

Gabriëlle: "It's inevitable of course because we

all have to make a living, but I never want to

lose Vezjun's creative vibe. That's why I always

try to display work by designers who have re-

cently graduated from the fashion academies.

They're always full of new and creative ideas."

viSiBilityShop front visibility is a bit of a problem for Vez-

jun. Rozengracht has some great stores, but the

busy traffic on the street means there aren't a

lot of shoppers or passers-by. At just 20 square

metres, the store is easy to miss. A more spa-

cious location might help, but it could also

mean that Vezjun's concept has to change –

and this isn't desirable. Gabriëlle: "I love the

way we do it now; working a few days at home

and a few in the store, talking to clients on the

spot, sewing and designing clothes at the same

time. It's very satisfying to see a client who is

happy with your handmade designs."

Vezjun proves that you don't need to buy a wed-

ding dress or expensive couture to get the be-

nefits of a handmade service. It'd be great to see

this low-key fashion store expand so that more

people will be able to experience the luxury of

having a tailor-made piece of clothing. x

veZJun

Rozengracht 1101016 NH Amsterdam / The Netherlandswww.vezjun.nl owner: Gabriëlle Hollandopening: September 2004retail space: 20 sqmStaff: Varyinglabels: Femke Agema, G(rrr)AB, Label 3, Ropa Rosa, Shari Scholte a.o. (see website for updates)

20 square metres of unique designer pieces.

"Every item we sell is unique, it's our trademark." Gabriëlle Holland, Vezjun

86 ––

01

oLd and new CLassICs wIth a CharMIng CreakIn the Dutch capitol, Aebe Ferilli has opened his first fashion shop with a most fitting name – 1. In his selection he only carries things that he'd like to have in his own closet. His personal style seems to suit his customers superbly. TExTMiranda Hoogervorst

PhoTos1-Store

1, aMsterdaM –– In sTorE

–– 87

C ornelis Schuytstraat in Amsterdam Sou-

th provides a welcome escape from the

crowded high streets. It has been referred to

as "Notting Hill-like," offering a wide variety

of high fashion boutiques and hip places that

are situated amongst a local butcher, florist

and grocery store. Aebe Ferilli opened his

first fashion store 1 here, showcasing the

products that he'd love to have in his own

wardrobe. His style perfectly reflects the

"Southern" way of life.

With his father, the Replay agent Carlo Ferilli,

young entrepreneur Aebe opened 1 in Sep-

tember 2010 for Replay sub-labels Red Seal and

Maestro. However, they soon changed their

plans and began stocking a selection of exclu-

sive classics and accessories, quality basics and

jeanswear. Whilst Carlo keeps an eye on the

administrative side of the business, Aebe runs

the store on a daily basis: "I just want to sell nice

things, it doesn't have to be super trendy. Our

style is timeless, it's like an addition to my own

wardrobe. Everything I buy, I like. I literally buy

things that I want to have for myself. But then,

once it's in the store, I'd rather make my client

happy. At the end of the day, they rarely end up

in my own wardrobe."

Something olD, Something neWThe interior has a warm, rich and classic vibe.

The walls and ceiling are decorated with hand-

made and painted tin squares, and the floor is

covered with a beautiful parquet pattern. It

also makes a charming creaking sound when

people walk from a rack with Barbour, Gitman

and Gant to the corner where Travelteq bags

and Tricker's shoes can be found. Apart from

the beautiful interior and stylish collection,

it's the spontaneous attitude of Aebe and his

colleague Gordon, as well as their genuine in-

terest in people, that make 1 a friendly place

for everyone; be they students, creatives,

young career hunters or serious "suits."

1 also has some interesting interior surprises,

such as a fitting room with a beautiful view to

the back garden and a narrow metal staircase

behind the front counter that leads directly

to the basement. Here you'll find a small col-

lection of womenswear and more: "We change

the basement from time to time", explains

Aebe. "At first it was only for vintage from Re-

play USA, but now we stock vintage, women's

and men's clothing. We recently painted one

wall in red. It's a bit of an experimental space."

Quality ClientSCornelis Schuytstraat is a stylish and easygo-

ing street with lots of charm; however, it can

also be fairly quiet. Aebe: "Sometimes there

are hardly any people in the street. I had to get

used to that in the beginning. But when you

have one great client that makes your day; it's

amazing." After his first year, Aebe is already

expanding. From January he will start an agen-

cy for the brands Strategic Business Unit and

Red Seal, amongst others. 1's online store will

also be launched at the start of 2012. If only

they could recreate the quaint and ambient

creaks in 1's digital shopping experience. x

1

Cornelis Schuytstraat 191071 JD Amsterdam / The Netherlandswww.1-store.nlowner: Aebe Ferilli, Carlo Ferilliopening: September 2010retail space: 110 sqmemployees: 1Clothes: Our Legacy, Gant Rugger, Gitman Bros, Penfield, Super Future, Barbour, Mauro Grifoni, Strategic Business Unit, Red Seal, Maestro a.o. Shoes: a.o. Tricker's, Clarks, Filling Pieces a.o. accessories: Retro Super Future, Travelteq, Mona di Orio, Zenology, Filson, Guild of Holland, Happy Socks a.o.

02

01 From the entrance you can see all the way through the store and the dressing room, right into the small back garden.02 Neatly folded shirts against a background of hand made tin wall tiles.

"It doesn't have to be super trendy." Aebe Ferilli, 1 Store

88 ––

h is intention was to make the store mo-

dern, with plenty of space for product

presentation. And that's exactly what Volker

Brunswick, owner of Boom, has done. Be-

hind an impressive rotunda with industrial

Ruhr Valley charm hides a true skater's para-

dise with the largest selection of skate and

streetwear brands in Bochum, as well as just

the right amount of hardware.

meeting point for BoarD BrotherS Volker Brunswick specialises in presenta-

tions in the board sports segment. With his

company Vivamo, he carries out store and

exhibition display concepts across Europe

for brands such as Etnies, Billabong, and Bur-

ton. The idea using his skills to run his own

store had long appealed to him. He finally

found the right location in the main building

of a parking garage - in the Bermuda triangle'

of Bochum's night life spots. "I just couldn't

imagine having Boom between the Saturn

store and Mayerscher bookshop. I wanted it

to bring the scene together, and that doesn't

really work when you're located in a ordi-

nary shopping zone," he says. He made sure

that he surrounded himself with all the right

people, including Managing Director Bozo

Wecke - former owner of the Bochum skate

shop T-Nuts - and Mehmet Aydin - one of the

first widely sponsored skaters. "The success

that we achieved early on told me that we

were on the right track," Brunswick states.

The store was launched in September 2011

and it's open until 10pm on weekends, in

addition to the long Lounge Day on Wednes-

days with a DJ and drinks. "It's really catching

on. Boom is set to become the main hangout

area for the scene," he says.

Skate park on the roofThe skate park on the roof will be ready in

March 2012. It has a floor space of 400 square

metres and will be peppered with street

courses, stairs, rails, as well as a stage for

concerts. The aim of Boom is ultimately to

combine streetwear, board sports, street art,

and music. This ambition is evident in events

such as the Boom hip-hop party at Goethe-

bunker in Essen last November, and the live

painting session by the Polish street artist

Swanski on the skate park deck. x

Boom!

Kortumstraße 244787 Bochum/Germanywww.boom-bochum.comowner: Vivovas / Vivamo GmbHManaging Director Volker Brunswickopening: 03 September 2011.retail space: 230 sqm. Staff: 3 full-time and 8 part-time employeesWomen: DC, Element Eden, Etnies, Hurley, Mazine, Quiksilver women, Roxy, RVCA, and othersmen: Adidas, Altamont, Analog, Billabong, Brixton, DC, Element, Emerica, És, Etnies, Hurley, Mazine, Nike 6.0, Quiksilver, RVCA, Turbokolor, Undefeated, and othersaccessories/hardware: Adidas, Baker, Billabong, Burton, Brixton, Chakejunt, chocolate, Deathwish, DGK, Diamond, Element, Etnies, Flip, GIRL, Globe, Gold Wheels, Gravis, Hurley, Incase, Kidrobot, Marschall, Nike 6.0, PlanB, Roxy, Royal, Santa Cruz, Stance, Tragwerker, Turbokolor, Urbanears, and others

01 Capturing the scene: Bozo Wecke (left), Volker Brunswick, and Mehmet Aydin.02 Fashion from Adidas, Emerica, Mazine and Hurley make up the main portion of the product range. And then there's hardware by, amongst others, Burton, Billabong, and Quiksilver.

LIvIng rooM for the sCeneSmall, jam-packed skate shops are not his business. Instead, Volker Brunswick is setting new standards in Bochum with Boom, and is taking the genre to the next level. TExTNicoletta Schaper

PhoTosBoom!

In sTorE –– BooM!, BoChuM

01

02

kafe LIeBLIng, osLo –– In sTorE

–– 89

k afé Liebling is a wonderful mixture of

dining area, fashion boutique, and play-

ground. "It all started with my Aunt Guri,"

says Ola Refsnes, who developed and crea-

ted this loving mixture together with Katrin

Schauer. "We both come from the design in-

dustry and used to have a small shop with my

aunt's name. The entire thing was more of a

hobby. But then we wanted more," so they

came up with the idea of Kafé Liebling.

It was an idea closely associated with two ma-

jor German cities - Berlin and Munich. "I'm

from Bavaria," states Katrin, "and Ola really

loves Berlin. These two places have given us

a lot of inspiration," and the idea of opening

a German coffee shop in Oslo with German

bread, organic German drinks, and interna-

tional fashion. In addition to coffee, cake,

and a phenomenal breakfast, visitors can

also enjoy the fashion and design for kids

and adults. They can discover not only the

games, postcards, cuckoo clocks, and baking

pans in the shape of a football field as well as

other valuable designer pieces for the home,

but also high-quality, eccentric articles of

clothing by independent brands like Ich Jane,

A better tomorrow, FRISUR, s.wert, and Hu-

mör. "Just as with eating and drinking, we also

place a high value on quality in fashion, and

this has nothing to do with bulk goods," says

Katrin. "We want to be more than just a normal

café. We want our guests to feel at home and

to enjoy their time at Liebling."

"With uS you Can have your DreamS."The café is spread out over 90 square metres,

with the three areas, consisting of a dining

area, a fashion boutique, and a playground,

perfectly tying into one another on two le-

vels. After going through the front door, the

first thing you'll see is the lower level: This is

where you'll find the sales counter, with the

smell of fresh-roasted coffee and fresh-baked

bread. To the right is a small ramp leading up

to the second level, where the café splits into

the fashion boutique and the playground.

Of course, it doesn't have slides or swings,

but there are plenty of games, like Parcheesi

and Connect Four. The tables and chairs are

simple and very functional, because they

once were used school classrooms. On the

wall hangs an old black and white photo

from Berlin. And there's a drawer with classic

children's books like "Where the Wild Things

Are." "Fashion, design, and coffee aren't ever-

ything. Of course the kids shouldn't miss

out," Ola says and adds: "Kafé Liebling is a piece

of Berlin in the heart of Oslo. This is where

you're able and allowed to dream." x

a pIeCe of BerLIn In the heart of osLoGrünerløkka is a neighbourhood in Oslo. It's where everybody in the scene comes together. It's where you'll find all the hot clubs, businesses, and playgrounds. And it's there that you'd love to spend a Sunday strolling around the Loppemarked flea market in search of long-forgotten treasures. At the edge of this trendy neighbourhood lies yet another treasure called Kafé Liebling.TExTSebastian Schulke

PhoTosKafe Liebling

kafe lieBling

Øvrefoss 40555 Oslo/Norwaywww.facebook.com/kafelieblingopening: October 2010owners: Katrin Schauer and Ola Refsnes employees: 10retail space: 90 sqmfashion labels: A better tomorrow, FRISUR, Humör, human empire, Ich Jane, stadtkluft, s.wertlamps and designs: Atelier Haussmann, AIAIAI, Tom Dixon, Excel, Is that Plastic, Northern Lightning, Lomographytoys: chamueJewellery: Angelica Leonin-house design label: olaogkari (including postcards, breakfast boards, and refrigerator magnets)

"We want our guests to feel at home and enjoy their time here." Katrin Schauer, Kafe Liebling

01 Naturally, Kafé Liebling would not be complete without the cuckoo clocks and candy apples.02 Discreet and unobtrusive: the German café is tucked away in the heart of Oslo.03 A real classic at the Kafe Liebling: Parcheesi.

01

02

03

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publisherStephan Huber stephan.huber@ucm-verlag.at

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Contributing editorsMiranda Hoogervorst, Nicoletta Schaper, Harlan Levey, Kay Alexander Plonka, Julia Lauber, Sebastian Schulke, Nicolette Scharpenberg

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StylingSabine Berlipp

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onE lasT ThIng

90 ––

it's the way people are. We tend to take for granted the things we're

used to – even the things that can't be taken for granted, objectively

speaking. They're called "vested rights" in the language of Austrian

bureaucrats. Take for instance workers from the Viennese Public

Parks Department who collect a hazard bonus for watering the gera-

niums in front of the city hall windows. People are right to laugh or

grumble about things like that, but taking this sense of entitlement

for granted is pretty widespread. It would do us all some good to take

a critical look at our own behaviour. Sure, people should be there

for us: good friends we can depend on. And what about a democra-

tic society that guarantees a high amount of freedom, opportunities,

participation and security? Of course! These very things we see as our

due almost seem boring - almost, that is, until we realize how easy it is

to lose them.

The trade fairs and events offered for the fashion industry in Berlin,

specifically Bread & Butter, should in no way be taken for granted.

This January's Bread & Butter was stunningly presented in every way imag-

inable. But because it's spoiled us in so many ways, we, or at least many of

us, have got used to this superb standard. We take it for granted.

It's by far the largest platform for denim, street, contemporary and

authentic....what else? But it's got to be so huge, so commercial and

blah, blah, blah. "I remember the Bread & Butter when they only had

50 brands. Those were the days!"

A fantastic location made to work through enormous investments –

in an icy winter like this one as well as in summer. Absolutely! "Nah,

there's nothing really new here anymore."

Personalized free tickets that arrive by post just in time for the Bread

& Butter? Well, of course! But watch out it if doesn't work out! "That's

ridiculous...now I'm supposed to actually stand in line for a ticket!!!"

Do you see yourself here?

Don't take me wrong. I'd be the last person to argue for total appro-

val and no criticism. There are enough things that not only I wish

were different. And it's important to bring them up and discuss them

openly. But there's a big difference between constructive criticism

and spoiled griping. I'd like to dedicate a song to that on the piano,

or in my case, guitar. x

weLL oBvIousLy!TExTStephan Huber, Publisher style in progress und x-ray

25.06.12––––––––––

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