vans off the wall

Whilst at Bright we were invited by Vans to the launch party that happened to be just down the road from Clärchens, when we arrived it looked like an empty warehouse but inside (and up a few fights of stairs) it had been transformed. There was the main room, which had a beautiful architectural dome above that was the main stage area for a lot of the bands performing that night and to the left was the jager room. The deal was as long as your drink had some form of jager in it was free. Vodka and lemonade was expensive, vodka, jager and lemonade was free, get the picture? As you can see there are many perks to networking in Berlin, I can honestly say I counted the business cards I got from brands I thought were interesting and were based in the UK and there are over 50, I got a lot of contacts that I hope to use at some point as well. TIP: make sure you produce some business cards for your trip to berlin that self promote the service you offer effectively, you never know who you might meet…

ps. We arrived home form the Vans launch party at 6.00am with our coach taking us to the airport at 6.30am, we packed up quickly and ran to the coach. Slept right the way through to Nottingham (with a few breaks of course to get on to the plane, explain why I had 40 magazines in my hand luggage…) best trip ever.

berlin fashion week feat. sebastian ellrich

Twice a year Berlin becomes an international location for fashion and lifestyle topics. During the Berlin Fashion Week, fashion enthusiasts, buyers, trade experts and the media interact at shows and awards ceremonies, collect information at fashion trade shows and attend exhibitions and off-site events.

After a slight (big) disaster with some local transport police, after ‘forgetting’ to pay for the U-Bahn we had to literally sprint through Berlin on foot, after being banned from the subway and eventually had to launch myself in front of a taxi to take us to Fashion Week I was not missing this opportunity. TIP: Berlin transport is not free but you can bend the rules slightly, a week long ticket costs about 65 euro, but the fine for getting caught is 40 euro, seems silly if you ask me… but be careful, after a thirty minute discussion with the police officers they let us off by three of us paying 10 euro each a mega saving of 90 euro, but not everyone will be so lucky…

I walk into a disused second floor warehouse, in the middle of Alexanderplatz, an up and coming fashion and cultural district in central Mitte Berlin. It is a cold January and walking up the various floors with the surge of fashionable people, I hit Mercedes Benz fashion week… Sebastian Ellrich style. When I arrived to the second floor the concrete structure was transformed into a out of the ordinary catwalk installation. Being greeted in a smoke filled room with mystical models in raincoats twirling umbrellas everyone was intrigued. Walking around the circular complex and peering into the different rooms manikins were transformed into models full of energy and enthusiasm. One room showcased a couple fine dining in eveningwear, whilst another shows models jiving to a piano player, one showcased a rollerblader collaging on a wall and another with a group posing and slouching on a brick wall.

The finale room featured fiveteen models walking backwards and forwards through the width of the room with the guests walking in-between for a more close up look. With all the models coming together for a catwalk show at the end, the tailored, resistant and timeless nature of Ellrich’s designs are apparent. With the Cole Porter classic ‘Just one of those things’ being played it was the perfect end to the show. Ellrich is hoping to bring his designs to the UK and I think they will fit in perfectly in the London high fashion ready-to-wear crowd. Mercedes Benz label him the one to watch, Ellrich is something not to be missed… 

reichstag

The Reichstag building (German: Reichstagsgeb äude; officially: Plenarbereich Reichstagsgebäude) is a historical edifice in Berlin, Germany, constructed to house the Reichstag, parliament of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Reichstag until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a fire. After World War II, the building fell into disuse, since parliament of the German Democratic Republic met in the Palace of the Republic in East Berlin and the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn. The ruined building was made safe against the elements and partially refurbished in the 1960s, but no attempt at full restoration was made until after German reunification on October 3, 1990, when it underwent a reconstruction led by internationally renowned architect Norman Foster. After its completion in 1999, it once again became the meeting place of the German parliament: the modern Bundestag.

With the hostel a five-minute walk to the Brandenburg gate, every morning we would walk the same route past the Reichstag to the main tube line. Everyday I would take a photo, each equally impressive and by the end of the trip one of my aims was to go to the top. TIP: book the Reichstag before you head to it to ensure a place up to the dome, it gets very busy and is one of the top tourist attractions in Berlin and offers free admission to concessions so remember that student card. After a long wait in the security queue and getting everything passed through the ex-ray machines you go into a lift with a small group and arrive in the dome overlooking the whole of Berlin. An incredible view is even more amplified at the top of the Reichstag where the centre spirals into a path to the top. Very high… you have been warned but an incredible panoramic view. A lot of history in this building and tour guides and information panels tell you all you need to know. 

bread and butter launch

BREAD & Butter international tradeshow for selected brands represents the strong, overall and global marketing and communication platform for international oriented enterprises in young, progressive contemporary fashion culture: jeans & urbanwear, sports & streetwear as well as streetcouture on a top-level

Having never visited a trade show before I didn’t quite know what to expect but before visiting the two facts that stuck in my head were

1) It was the old Berlin airport (so I thought it must be pretty big)

2) No students are allowed so I spent time developing and establishing contacts in the hope they would allow me to represent their company in Berlin.

Having interned once a week at Designer Forum, a trend research agency I was lucky enough to go on behalf of them and was given the task of researching for up and coming SS12, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

When arriving at the Bread and Butter launch we were led into the main arena and got a sneak at a few of the stalls being prepared for the next day, I couldn’t see the end of them and realised this was a big adventure and flat shoes were a must. 2manydjs and Berlin talent played at the launch with a circus acrobatic performance happening above our heads, BB needs to impress the buyers and press and vice versa, it felt quite surreal being there for a business and I hope to return when I have graduated for a company I am employed at.

brandenberg gate

(German: Brandenburger Tor) is a former city gate, rebuilt in the late 18th century as a neoclassical triumphal arch, and now one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city centre at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which Berlin was once entered. One block to the north stands the Reichstag building.

The Brandenburg gate is a must see in Berlin, in both day and night it looks equally impressive and is a busy tourist attraction that leads to ‘Unter den Linden’ a large park and runway up to the ‘Pariser Platz’ which hosts a lot of festivals and market stalls through the year. When we visited the Brandenburg gate Berlin Fashion Week was being constructed and we decided one of the aims for the week was to visit and be part of Fashion Week. 

recommended travel guides

The Berlin travel guide I brought as a bit of a souvenir whilst in Berlin in Summer was DK’s Eyewitness Berlin, it is a very formal and informative guide with everything you could possibly want as a tourist on a trip to Berlin, it mentions war history, context and different prices to suit the individuals needs.

Having a bit of a collection of travel guides I decided to get a new one for my next trip and was recommended Lonely Planet’s Berlin City Guide. It has everything you need to know about every part of Berlin and even gives an overview of the different districts and what type of people and activities you would find there. It is really informative and mentions a lot of behind the scenes Berlin with its graffiti, urban culture and art movements, it’s all about now and not then. 

travel background

Whilst backpacking through Europe last year my main aim was to visit all the well-known landmarks and see as much of the cities I visited as possible. When researching travel and tourism for design and visual culture this year it has brought up a lot of issues with authenticity and escapism.

Is something as authentic when you don’t know they history behind the landmark? Why was I so bothered by the landmarks and not the culture? Within the media we are bombarded with travel images and create pre-conceived perceptions of cities before I even visit them. I had seen so much of Berlin before the Summer I visited I wanted to see this in person. All the images below are my own, unless otherwise, I enjoyed going to Berlin with an SLR, a digital is just no good to me in comparison…

This time around, Berlin was much more insightful, yes I visited the tourist hotspots, but also focused on the culture, its people and alternative and interesting places that are off the beaten track. My aim in this research project is to show you both tourist Berlin full of history and information but also alternative Berlin full of culture, modernity and quirks that you wouldn’t find in the average tourist handbook. 

a quick language lesson

Guten tag- Formal hello

U-bahn- The underground system in Berlin/ S-bahn- The over ground system in Berlin

Männlich- Male/ Weiblich- Female 

a guide to the districts of Berlin

Before you get to Berlin you may want to research into the types of areas and sightseeing you would like to focus around. Berlin is a big place, although it is walkable if you would like to fit in everything you want to in your short stay it is best to focus around the different districts (kind of like suburbs for us. In Berlin there are six main districts offering different things, from people, culture, history and activities, there is something for everyone and if you get stuck just start in Mitte (the central hub) and work your way out and you can't go wrong. 

Mitte (Mitte)

The historical center of Berlin, the nucleus of the former East Berlin, and the emerging city center. Cafes, restaurants, museums, galleries and clubs are abundant throughout the district, along with many sites of historic interest

City West (Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf,Schöneberg, Tiergarten)

Ku'Damm (short for Kurfürstendamm) is, along with Tauentzienstraße, one of the main shopping streets in former West Berlin, especially for luxury goods. Many great restaurants and hotels are here and also on the side roads. The district also contains the Schloss Charlottenburg, Tiergarten and the Olympic Stadium. Schöneberg is generally a cozy area for aging hippies, young families and LGBT people.

East Central (Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Prenzlauer Berg)

Associated with the left wing youth culture, artists and Turkish immigrants, this district is somewhat noisier than most, packed with lots of cafes, bars, clubs and trendy shops, but also with some museums in Kreuzberg near the border to Mitte. These districts are undergoing gentrification as they are popular with students, artists and media professionals alike.

North (Spandau, Reinickendorf, Weißensee, Pankow, Wedding)

Spandau and Reinickendorf are beautiful old towns which feel much more spacious than the inner city. Pankow was once synonymous with the East German government, and the villas the SED leaders inhabited still exist.

East (Lichtenberg, Hohenschönhausen, Marzahn, Hellersdorf)

The museum at the site of the 1945 surrender to the Soviet army is of interest, as well as the former Stasi prison, an essential visit for anyone interested in East German history. Marzahn-Hellersdorf has a not entirely deserved reputation for being a vast collection of dull high-rise apartment blocks, as it contains the "Gardens of the World" [2], a large park where various ethnic styles of garden design are explored.

South (Steglitz, Zehlendorf, Tempelhof, Neukölln, Treptow, Köpenick)

South is a mixed bag of different boroughs. Zehlendorf is one of the greenest and wealthiest districts in Berlin, while Neukölln is one of the poorest of the city. Köpenick's swaths of forest around Berlin's largest lake, Müggelsee and the nice old town of Köpenick itself beg to be discovered on bikes and using the S-Bahn.