As you may remember from our previous articles, Der Berliner Salon used to be situated at the Crown Prince’s Palace (“Kronprinzenpalais“) in the last seasons. This time the organizers decided to change the location and chose the imposing halls of the historic Bode-Museum (which used to be called “Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum” in previous times), a listed building on the Museum Island which is based in the historic centre of Berlin. Worth of mentioning is the fact the Bode-Museum, as part of the Museum Island Complex, was added on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999. What has contributed to that honour is its impressive architecture. Furthermore it contributed to the development of museums in the late 19th and 20th centuries. These days the museum hosts the sculpture collection (“Skulpturensammlung“), the Museum for Byzantine Art (“Museum für Byzantinische Kunst“) and the Münzkabinett. The contrast of contemporary fashion designs, interior design inspirations of the 44 participating designers and the art history of its antique, marble sculptures were incredibly interesting to observe. This exhibition hosts classy artworks that are ranging from the Roman period until the 19th century. The Museum of Byzantine Art (“Museum für Byzantische Kunst“) contains original garments, shoes and accessories of highest quality. That way the importance of fashion, also in previous times, is highlighted. The close connection of fashion and art was visible too: if you observe the colours of several artworks clearly, you will recognize exactly this colour choice in some creations.
Der Berliner Salon was founded by Christiane Arp who used to be the Editor in Chief of German VOGUE Magazine and Marcus Kurz, the owner of the creative agency NOWADAYS. It was once more supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises. The welcoming speeches were held by Michael Biel (Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board, State Secretary of the Senate Administration for Economy) who emphasized the focus on emerging talents and Berlin’s diversity. Then Christiane Arp welcomed the audience. She mentioned how Berlin Fashion Week changed and that this change is visible in Der Berliner Salon as well. Christiane Arp, who is now Chairperson of the Fashion Council Germany, usually selects the participating designers. With a very long history in fashion business, she usually trusts her long-term experience and instinct who has the talent to be promoted. This season she also gave 13 students the chance to be seen.
This time, the designs of the finalists of the FCG/VOGUE Fashion Fund could be also spotted in a group exhibition. This global initiative which was announced during the last Berlin Fashion Week in February aims to support upcoming design talents and promotes them by giving them more visibility. It could be visited in Germany for the first time. For almost ten years, Der Berliner Salon guides emerging design talents. Since then, it is a regular event during Berlin Fashion Week and has helped a lot of young talents to make themselves a name. However this happening does not only strenghten emerging talents but can be also seen as a stage to encourage interdisciplinary exchange between different creatives. Being significant for many participants of this exhibition was their focus on sustainability. Der Berliner Salon harmoniously united timeless artworks and contemporary fashion inspirations. It was once more an incredibly interesting event during Berlin Fashion Week.
Images Courtesy of © Der Berliner Salon / Photography by René Lohse
Review by Sussan Zeck for D’SCENE Magazine
