„Doesn’t fit together? Perfect!“

Another old one... Did this article for my German class after our last trip to Berlin before graduation. Finally translated it. : )

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'Tacheles'

 

„Doesn’t fit together? Perfect!“

An article dealing with different subcultures and their co-existence, as well as my fashion experience in Germany’s capital Berlin; Or: My German major’s last class trip in high school

„It’s just that it seems like forever since I saw so many strange people all in one place...“ said Mr Katernberg – looking kind of paranoid – on our first day in Berlin as we made our way around a well-known flea market among fashionistas near the ‘Berlin Mauerpark’. He was referring to those ‘odd fish‘ we just met, experienced and saw there. In fact there were nearly all subcultures mixed together, meeting, colliding without crashing: Hip Hop folks (including dancers and rappers), alternatives and fashion students who were on the look-out for ‘new-old’ trends such as vintage gems, or nice fabrics to work with.

I think it is unbelievable how many different subcultures & characters meet in this city, live together and – in my opinion – form a great mix of all ‘worlds’. Living in Bonn you always have the feeling that you meet more or less two types of people on the street, everything else almost automatically falls out the picture and is labelled ‘strange’ or ‘freaky’. In Berlin those people either disappear in the crowd or flourish in combination with the rest of Berlin’s funky population, building a totally new piece of art. You get the feeling that Berlin’s citizens are completely different, randomly conglomerated, but still fit together perfectly. To such a degree as I did not just saw art presented in ‘Tacheles’ as colourful masterpieces but rather the constellation of city and people. In my opinion you wouldn’t find a house like ‘Tacheles’ next to a hamburger stand and/or a chic cocktail bar in Bonn.

It’s obvious that a mixed population like that does not only – at least in parts – share the same lifestyle & views, but also fashion trends. Since I – myself – do designs and plan on studying Fashion Styling or Journalism in the near future these ‘voguish dainties’ caught my eye. Until I really visited Berlin for more than two days I would not have thought that it was even possible to mix so many different styles together. I remember one of my classmates telling me one evening: “Combining that dress with a leather jacket is somehow classy… even though it should definitely CLASH!”. Well… I guess the ‘Thick B’ already fixed me – mental and fashionably. On the street I saw punks with pearl necklaces and matching earrings. Girls with skin-tight pencil skirts, blouses and sneakers. Men and boys in baggy jeans with button-downed shirts and ties. Women with long, military-looking coats, shorts and ties. Ladies pulling off a red lip, backcombed hair and the highest heels I have ever seen during the daytime without looking anything near ‘overdone’. The most striking thing was that no one really tried to look stylish. It even seemed like it didn’t even matter, like people did not care whatsoever. The day we went to the Berlin Philarmonic we noticed that even the well-dressed audience radiated a form of effortlessness. You can find that effortlessness in every corner in Berlin, not only in fashion. Exactly this ‘I-don’t-care-what-I-look-like’-attitude (or just the impression) makes every style wearable and every outfit matching. In Paris for instance people are trying so hard to catch up with the latest trends, to be ‘fashionable’, to be good-looking, to the point where people just look fake. That is definitely not the case in Germany’s capital. IF something seems artificial or fake you can almost be sure that this is the volitional effect. Out here the consumer is not just a mannequin, dressed by designers. He or she is a living piece of art that can be re-invented whenever it is needed or wanted.

All in all, this last trip was not only a lot of fun, hanging out with great people, an important cultural experience, but also an inspirational pool. Now I can sit down again, draw, sew & cut new pieces, always keeping one line in mind: “Doesn’t fit together? Perfect!” Now I know that even things, which do not seem conventional or matching in the first place can be a new trend in no time, especially since fashion has no borders anymore. This teaches us a lot about today’s understanding of the whole industry. Ever since Beth Ditto came along we know: Not only all sizes, but also all styles are allowed in fashion. Fashion is fun. It embodies art and life. In Berlin’s case the life of a pulsating city, full of different characters, which could not be more different. Restraints are completely out of place here. Thank God!