Tag: Issever Bahri

NEW AT MODEFABRIEK// BERLIN PROMISES: LOOKING BACK AND AHEAD WITH HIEN LE & ISSEVER BAHRI S/S 2012

In Berlin the old and new are merged as one. The city is known for its industrial design as well as its Russian architecture, bohemian artists, its do-it-yourself mentality and graffiti plastered districts. Somewhere along the line the old and new blended and it has been translated into fashion. The Next and Cutting Edge-platform presents two Berlin-based labels that pay homage to modern fashion design: Hien Le and Issever Bahri.

Hien Le, born in Laos, describes himself as “precise, patient and strong willed. Patience and strong willingness are shown by his choice to gain years of experience in tailoring and pr before he took the ‘jump’ in starting his own label. The other trait ‘precise’ is reflected by a minimalistic signature. The garment is sharply designed, using “clean and refined shapes”, which fits the frame of ‘new’ Berlin. In the S/S 2012 collection he combines his love for simplicity with his family’s origins in Laos. Hien Le named every garment after one of his relatives and incorporated colours like dark blue, deep red, soft yellows and apricot out of folklore outfits. These colours are neutralized by focussing more on European-styled garments: sharp blazers, breezy shorts, jumpsuits and dresses. Hien Le dedicated the collection to his grandfather, who encouraged him to become a designer, he explains: “I was always impressed as a child when watching my grandfather working and sewing. I wanted to do fashion at the age of 12, so I kind of got into his footsteps.”

Another Berlin promise, Issever Bahri, is founded by Derya Issever and Cimen Bachri in 2010. Both were fresh out of college (Fashion Design at HTW Berlin) but packed with impressive experiences. To name a few: Alexander McQueen and Boss who taught them the secrets of embroidery.

Issever Bahri is all about handcrafted items inspired by Greek and Turkish traditions. Derya Issever explains: “While growing up we were both always surrounded by handcrafted items and the different techniques of handcraft.” Handcraft is used to make a sophisticated yet edgy statement, or as the designers call it “sleek, strong and raw.” How is this sleek yet raw image translated in S/S 2012? “The silhouette is sleek but the material we used represents rawness. For example the raw look of neoprene in combination with the crochet leather,” answers Issever. And yes, crochet leather inspired by traditional Turkish doilies– the handcrafted item she refers to – plays the lead in this collection. This shows Issever Bahri’s strongest quality: making the best out of childhood traditions and putting it in a modern context.

The two labels resemble in the fact that they focus on the future but embrace their backgrounds. Just like Berlin itself they aren’t afraid to blend the old and new into a cutting-edge story.

For more information, visit:
http://isseverbahri.com and http://hien-le.com/

Zoo Finest

Get your credit cards ready! Being an avid online shopper, I absolutely love Zoo Finest – an exclusive collaboration between online boutique thecorner.com and Zoo Magazine, the beautiful magazine I work for.

As you may know, thecorner.com is part of YOOX Group, the global fashion e-tailer. On thecorner.com, its high-end online department store, you can shop for labels such as Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Haider Ackermann, Rick Owens, Marc Jacobs, Raf Simons, Kris Van Assche and Adam Kimmel. But what sets them apart from the rest is the fact that thecorner.com is also devoted, just like Zoo Magazine, to cultivating art and encouraging the creative process with talented artists in the world of fashion, art and music. And that’s how Zoo Finest came into being: the collaboration originated from the need to strategically support creativity, authenticity and originality on an international level.

Zoo Finest is the first online mini-store curated by a style magazine, featuring the collections of four emerging fashion talents. We have selected three womenswear brands from Germany (Kaviar Gauche, Issever Bahri and Hien Le) and one from the Netherlands (Anne de Grijff) to participate in this project. It’s quite a struggle (and that’s an understatement) for up and coming designers to set up an international distribution network. But thanks to this project, their collections are available in more than 50 countries, giving them a global reach.

The introduction of Zoo Finest took place during Berlin Fashion Week, on the evening of July 6th. We organized an intimate get-together at the lovely Direktorenhaus, the new, central venue for Berlin’s design and art scene. Guests included photographer Miron Zownir, artist Michael Kunze, musician Wende Snijders, editors from the likes of Style.com, i-D, and Sleek, and the designers from Kaviar Gauche, Issever Bahri, and Hien Le. DJ Yourhighness (Rollerboys / Ultracity) played an exclusive set at the cocktail. During the event, we showcased a short movie curated by the Zoo Magazine team. In collaboration with Amsterdam-based photography duo Bill Tanaka, Zoo’s Sandor Lubbe directed a poetic video that stars Dutch model Nora Ponse, stylishly modeling the best looks of each of the four designers participating in Zoo Finest.

The collections will be available as of this week, so I suggest you go to thecorner.com for some fall/winter wardrobe essentials now. Sorry guys, it’s only womenswear for now. But I can already tell you that this might change next season…