For ages the main draw to Berlin has been its singular creative scene. Full of artists, fashion designers and musicians, the city is crawling with people putting art over profit. At PLATTE, a concept store a few meters off Alexanderplatz, this community finds a gathering place, an incubator of ideas, a mouthpiece.
Created by a collective in 2021, the relatively young store is part of a renewed wave of fashion renegades coming out of Germany. For co-founder Kathy, who worked for several conglomerate-owned luxury labels in Paris for over ten years, it was clear that she wanted to do something for young designers after returning to her homebase. “I wanted to distance myself from these big luxury houses and really do something that would make sense for me”, she explains in an interview.
One of the most pressing issues for her right now are the cuts in Germany’s government funding in the cultural and arts sector — public arts program funding are being cut, including art schools and youth outreach. While PLATTE’s partial government funding comes from a different government department, they still see the creative scene in Berlin (and by extension their community) endangered: “The government needs to see how important this funding is to Berlin, it’s not just a culture factor but also an economic factor.” Their statement on this comes in the form of a campaign shot by Sven Marquardt featuring PLATTE’s own apparel line.
The photo series, titled THE DOUBT, is a collection of portraits featuring five personalities from the Berlin creative scene, each representing a different keyword. DJ Juba symbolises Presence, Jette, a painter, poses as Absence, the artist Samja Zad personifies Drama, the musician Zachi embodies Despair and Eike König, artist and mind behind the campaign concept, takes the role of The Doubt. They trace current realities of the city’s artists, musicians and designers find themselves in.
DJ Juba, shows presence in the face of the challenges the creative sector is currently facing. “It’s about being there in spite of all the things that are going on, having a certain level of confidence in your ability to make it work”, though the Nigeria-UK-native admits, ”It does require a certain level of like intentionality in how you approach things.”
Though most only know PLATTE as a destination to discover Berlin’s newest emerging designers, it is much more than that. “Our real strength is that we all have our roots in the community”, says Kathy. And this statement holds true — the store knows exactly how to cater to its audience.
Regularly offering events for those interested or working in fashion to hang out with friends or meet new ones, they offer a third space full of inspiration. It goes beyond parties, though, with free workshops like their Education Series. Bringing in industry professionals to teach what they know, PLATTE creates actual support and opportunities for young creatives. ”If PLATTE didn’t exist the community would lack something, especially those who otherwise wouldn’t have an entry point to things like Berlin Fashion Week”, says Luigi Miccoli, who works in brand management and event planning in the German capital.
“Our focus is on fashion design and supporting young talents”, Kathy says. While emphasizing Berlin as a place of interdisciplinarity. “Separating creative fields doesn’t work.” Many of the clothes on the salesfloor double as works of art. SELVA, for example, creates sculptural garments from old cars. They are one of about two dozen designers currently sold and consulted by the PLATTE Team. ”They offer a platform to a very young, and aspiring community with a lot of fresh ideas”, says Luigi.
Photo/Creative Direction @svenmarquardt
Photo Assistant @streetmoments.nyc
Collection @eikekoenig X @platte.berlin
Creative Production @ann.on.air
Production Assistant @jakobilcom
Coordination/BTS @anni.mlz
HMUA @sue_eder
Creative/Styling @martin.de.siqueira
Location @hausdervisionaereberlin
Shoes @trippen.official
Talents
@jubamusicldn
@eikekoenig
@zachi01099
@jette
@i_samja
sustainably produced by @gaellemarting with @edogoods for PLATTE.Berlin and designed by Eike König in collaboration with PLATTE.Berlin
written by @https1ynn
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34th issue of KEYI MAGAZINE with JEFF MILLS on the cover
