Coolness Reigns At häberlein & mauerer
by Johannes Keil posted on April 09, 2009Always one of the highlights during Berlin Press Days, the lounge-like setup of the showroom at häberlein & mauerer invited everyone to calm down from the trouble of visiting over a dozen showrooms in just two days. The laid-back atmosphere helped opening oneself to the latest fashions, from streetstyle, represented by adidas and its various labels, to haute couture, represented by the likes of Kostas Murkudis, Stefan Eckert and Berlin originals FIRMA.
häberlein & mauerer’s biggest client, and also taking up most of the space in the showroom itself, is adidas. Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, adidas was featured with their latest ObyO, Originals, SLVR and Y-3 collections.
Most obvious of all four, adidas Originals reflects the strong diversity of the brand and its products built over the last 60 years. Proving its rich heritage and evolvement from a sportswear brand to a global contemporary lifestyle player, this range has something for everyone. Our favourite Originals: a pear of adidas Forum hightops of the brand’s Five-Two-3 collection. This anniversary collection is celebrating five of the most important and successful footwear models and two of the most beloved apparel styles from the brand with the 3-Stripes.
The current Autumn/Winter 2009-10 collection of adidas’ sports-inspired luxury label Y-3 is more masculine than the ones before as it is inspired by uniform silhouettes and militarism. Incorporating the work of artist MOMO, Yohji Yamamoto’s designs for adidas are truly very special, once again. No wonder it boasts such high brow fans as the Hip Hop superstar Kanye West.
adidas SLVR wowed us with its simple yet highly contemporary designs. Throughout, the pieces in the latest range are equally fit to be worn during the day at work and at a night out with friends. Still, all SLVR apparel is never overly obtrusive in its presentation.
Should you be willing to sport a style that’s a bit more in-your-face, another of adidas’ labels has just the right solution for you: The all new ObyO mini collections by grandmaster of glam Jeremy Scott, Kazuki and football playing style icon David Beckham (yes, it’s him and no, he’s not done it by himself — his collection has been realised in collaboration with James Bond of Undefeated) are simply AMAZING and will certainly help you to stand out from the crowd.
Opposite the extensive adidas area internationally renowned designer and former right-hand man of Helmut Lang, Kostas Murkudis, showcased his cool plastic meets cotton pieces. To some, his clothes may seem slightly crazy and outlandish but they are always 100 percent wearable. Murkudis makes use of unique fabrics and actually uses them to create and drape new shapes. As evident in former collections, he plays heavily with the idea of transparency and recombination. Kostas Murkudis is a sleeping giant! We are certain: he will soon be back on top, getting the international recognition he deserves!
Hamburg-based Stefan Eckert is a young but ever so successful designer. Renowned for his amazing knotted robes, in a private lecture he told us all about his education at AMD (where he is now giving lectures himself) and at London’s world-famous fashion college, Central Saint Martins, his work experience with Alexander McQueen and Wolfgang Joop at Wunderkind and – on a slightly weirder note – the stuffed white peacock in his freshly opened shopwindow in Hamburg’s elite shopping area. Inspired by the precursors of today’s fashion photographers at the turn of the century – especially Tina Modotti – his collection appears to be elfish and magical. Eckert’s dresses are always made to measure. No wonder. It helps him to truly display his high aspirations towards his fashion as art.
Last in line at häberlein & mauerer were Berlin originals FIRMA, who showcased a lot of elegance with a collection largely dominated by leather and black. Inspired by electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk and the avantgarde Bauhaus movement, FIRMA’s Autumn/Winter 2009-10 collection is dedicated to the heroes of the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the year of its 20th anniversary – the Wall came down in 1989 – the collection stands for wearable business chic for tough yet androgynous girls and boys.
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