Bread and Butter Trade Show
Spending the day at the Bread and Butter trade show was an amazing experience. It was slightly overwhelming to begin with due to the size of the building, the sheer number of halls, stands and brands on show, however we worked our way to the main hall and began from there. The stall designs were fantastic, very exquisitely designed and provided great inspiration for me as I am so passionate about visual merchandising. There was a waterfall inside the building, at the front of one of the brand's stands, that spelt out the name of the brand in water droplets - it was amazing to see. It was really beneficial to see how each brand portrayed their brand image and essence. Some brands had open stands with big displays and eyecatching designs whereas the more exclusive, high end brands often had their stands hidden behind big walls or created within their own individual arena.
I managed to snap a few photos in there, without getting thrown out...
Premium Trade Show
Ever since 2003, Premium trade show has opened it's doors to hundreds of international brands selected for innovation and quality. It showcases women‘s and men‘s collections, a wide assortment of accessories and shoes, as well as fine fragrances and cosmetics.
This trade show was more of a luxury show than Bread and Butter and had more prestigious brands rather than showcasing some of the more urban, streetwear brands I saw at Bread and Butter. It was a on a much smaller scale as well.
In-store and Promotional Techniques
The in-store displays, visual merchandising and promotional techniques used by brands and stores in Berlin appeared to be very interactive. They focused on getting customers and passers by involved. There was a 'design a boot' competition whereby those who succeeded got their design posted up onto a wall in the shop, a feature in 'Adidas' whereby a camera on the wall took customers photos and displayed them in digital photo frames in store. Another feature we saw and I loved was a promotional technique used by the 'Bread and Butter' trade show. When walking around we noticed sticky arrows stuck onto the outside of shop windows and poking out into the street. They were there to take and originally made attention grabbing patterns on the shop windows. Another promotional techniqiue I saw was on a streetwear store whereby 3D glasses were attached on the outside of the store window for passers by to try on and watch a video being shown inside the store - a clever way of stopping people and drawing them inside.
Crazy Cap Designs
We stepped into a shop in Berlin that sold mainly streetwear and trainers, hoping to get some research for our New Balance project. We went upstairs and found a gallery-like layout of these caps with crazy designs and exquisite levels of detail. This really helps to back up the point i made before about the emphasis there seemed to be on crazy, bright accessories in fashion in Berlin. Note again, the heavy use of bright, fluorescent colours.
Trends
The general style in Berlin was a very urban, casual look. However, for the males especially, accessories such as trainers and caps seemed to be a prominent feature in each outfit. Whilst the clothes were quite simple, the accessories were bold in design and colour. Key colours included bright orange, green, blue and yellow.
Berlin Wall (East Side Gallery)
“The East Side Gallery is the longest preserved stretch of the former Berlin Wall. It is the largest open-air gallery in the world with 106 original mural paintings on 1.3 km-long created by artists from all over the world after the collapse of East Germany.” (Olivier Blaecke)
Street Art
The art scene in Berlin is very urban and has a strong focus on street art and graffiti. The walls and streets are covered in artistic designs and powerful messages. The Berlin wall used to serve as the main canvas for street artists, but after its descruction artists had to find somewhere else to create their designs.
Famous street artists: Kripoe, Xoooox, and Alias.
Key locations: Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain which are filled with ramshackled buildings.
The Kunsthaus Tacheles (Art House Tacheles)
The kunsthaus Tacheles (Art House Tacheles) was formally called Friedrichsstadtpassagen after serving as a Nazi prison. It was taken over by artists in 1990, two months before it was supposed to be demolished. The group 'Kunsteriniative Tacheles' occupied the building from then on.
It is currently used as an art centre, graffiti yard and a nightclub. The courtyard around the back acts as work space for artists. The courtyard is covered with street art and is filled with sculptures created by local artists. You can watch the artists working in their own little areas, creating fascinating sculptures and exquisite pieces of art. The area also allows the artists to sell their work to visitors and tourists in the area. The atmosphere really displays the essence of the urban art scene in Berlin.
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