Archivi tag: Munich

SPLENDIDO Magazin, the Food Magazin!

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“Focus on your true strength and find a niche. Don’t do it for the fame or your ego but for the matter. Convey value, ideally timeless value. Know what you’re writing about and don’t ever be seduced to become superficial or careless because the internet is quick and trashy. Be tyrannical when it comes to detail. And then: keep posting.”

 

Splendido Magazine, why did you start?!

Mercedes is mainly a writer, Juri is mainly a photographer. But for Splendido we switch roles all the time – sometimes Mercedes is behind the camera and Juri writes, and the next day it is the other way around. We are used to working together for years now and thats because we got to know each other while working together as freelancers for newspapers and magazines. But Juri started the blog that later became Splendido on his own at first, that was in 2015. He has always been a great cook and just started writing down what he was cooking. Since Mercedes loves cooking too and we both enjoyed cooking and eating together from the moment we first met, she got envious of his blog pretty quickly and was allowed to join. Eventually we decided to focus our magazine on Italian cuisine. Not only because it is the one cooking style we prefer and always come back to. Also it is a food culture with an almost infinite amount of local traditions, recipes and specialties to explore. Plus we have an apartment in Lombardy, Northern Italy, where we live up to about six months a year and travel a lot throughout Italy to learn more about Italian food and to find great spots to eat and shop local specialties. Pretty quickly we saw the interest for the blog grow bigger and decided to professionalize it.

 

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How did you start and what kind of work/preparation behind Splendido?

After we decided to professionalize Splendido in 2017, we hired an agency to help us with the visual concept and the programming of a website that resembles no longer a blog but a profound magazine with a look and feel that fitted our needs and intentions. The new website went online in the end of 2018 and immediately it was well worth the hard work and money that went into it. The website is growing steadily since and by now it really became a job rather than being a nice hobby. We put a lot of work into the content of our website and work constantly on growing our audience. But it is still worth every minute of it, because a) we get to cook, eat and travel a lot and b) there is no better feeling in the world than being a creator and work on the behalf of your own business.

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What’s so special in it?

A lot of people tell us they love not only our photos and recipes, but especially our writing. We try to write from a very personal perspective and we don’t just give instructions on how to cook something but always tell a little back story about a recipe too. Be it some witty or funny thought about life and cooking or some interesting fact about Italian food. Also we rarely give exact quantities in a recipe but rather encourage the reader to trust his own gut and develop his own sense and intuition for tasting and quantities.

We love the Italian principle of „quanto basta“, which means: no one can tell you how much of an ingredient you really need because you have to feel and taste for yourself whether its enough salt / flour / egg for your taste and also for the circumstances you’re working in.

 

How do you get inspired?

We travel a lot, read a lot, talk to people. Especially while on the road and when eating out in restaurants or visiting farmers. One of our favorite things to do is also to go for huge walks in a city like for example Milan and look at every single restaurant menu in the streets. Thats when we always come up with new recipe ideas or simply ideas for new combinations of ingredients. But inspiration can really hit you anywhere. We just launched our fashion collection (shop.splendido-magazin.de, we also ship to Italy), and therefore we collected photographs of Italian typography in the streets which we now worked with to design T-Shirts and Caps.

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Where does your passion come from?

Good question. I guess we have both always loved food, loved Italy, loved traveling and look at the world and learn about traditions, cultures, design and daily human life in general, but also loved being artists and follow our talents in the fields of writing and photography. We have always been searching for some platform to combine all of these things in a fruitful and focused way so that it could also become an independent business and source of income for us.

 

Difficulties you had to face and goals.

The goal is definitely to grow and to be able to keep exploring Italy as well as our own capacities. We have a lot of plans for the future, our fashion collection was only the beginning.

 

Suggestions/advices to someone who wants to start a blog?

Focus on your true strength and find a niche. Don’t do it for the fame or your ego but for the matter. Convey value, ideally timeless value. Know what you’re writing about and don’t ever be seduced to become superficial or careless because the internet is quick and trashy. Be tyrannical when it comes to detail. And then: keep posting.

 

Projects for the future?

Many.

Follow Mercedes and Juri here but also in FB and Instagram

ATELIER HAAS

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The Road is Devendra

 

A conversation with young clothing designer Lisa Haas, 27 years old and currently based in Munich, who wants to bring back the awareness to the original hand craft and loves to create common projects as the above video. 

 

When did you start with fashion and why?

There was no clear starting point but I always felt drawn to creating things with my hands. That started at a very early age – drawing, paper crafting, crocheting… and never stopped to this day.

It happened naturally that I ended up in this field.

The passion about creating and realising your own ideas from a picture in your head until it comes alive in reality is what keeps me going. During my teenage years I started to teach myself how to sew. This resulted in designing and sewing my own graduation dress for school, although back then, I didn’t have much experience with pattern cutting. There was just this strong wish and belief to get this red dress done. And with a little help it worked out in the end.

Looking at that dress now makes me smile… but we all start somewhere. This is important.
Then things moved on from there. I did my first internship in my hometown and had the chance to do another one at Puma in London, to find out whether my wish to study fashion design after those experiences would prevail. It did.
I started with fashion because I truly love the handcraft. The ability of creating things by yourself and experiencing the whole development, every step, from start to finish causes a deep connection to what you are doing. That is a wonderful process and feeling to me. Expanding the knowledge on your craftsmanship in order to prevent it from dying out feels even more important nowadays. Actually, I prefer to say clothing design instead of fashion design, because to me that adds value to it.

Dreams.

One of my biggest dreams is to go abroad again to work with an international team in an interdisciplinary studio. The exchange between people within a team and the common work on a project towards the same goal makes me feel the special energy coming alive. Also this environment doesn’t need to be within fashion only. It is about creating the network.
At the moment, I am enticed by the opportunities of clothing design of work wear for restaurants, hotels, etc. You create clothing for real people who work there. Still, there is a minimalist and timeless design approach customized for each client, with the goal of making the uniforms personalised for every employee.
Another dream is to work as a costume designer for dance companies and music artists. I have a strong connection and love for dance, as I’ve been dancing myself for years. Here, creating clothing comes again with different challenges, this time combining customisation for each dancer while allowing optimal performance, i.e. movement.

My goal is to spread my enthusiasm with my fellow workers through the work and projects as well as the time we share together. Basically, contributing to the creative field with my work while also being able to gather people to learn and create together and thereby giving something back.

What to do to pursue goals?

Right now, I am focussing on connecting with people it would be great to work for and with. I am always open to collaborations. Currently, it feels like a transition phase. Simultaneously, I’m creating ideas and realizing outfit projects I have had in mind for a long time. I’m also working with people within the network I built up here in Munich.

time(is)less_LisaHaas_6_by IsabellaHager-mintime(is)less_LisaHaas_3_by IsabellaHager-min

Inspiration.

Stories around people and feelings that certain situations create inspire me most. This method is also how I approached my graduation collection “Time(is)less”. The concept is about the perception of time nowadays with regard to deceleration. Keywords are, amongst other things, protection and restriction. This resulted in creating some kind of ‘armour’ protecting you as a second layer. At the same time, this piece might narrow your own field of action because you wear it on top and it is not always possible to put it on fully by yourself. To me, this is a way of translating feelings into clothing. What does the wearer feel? It is my main question when creating.
Colours and textures are a source of inspiration too. Often, the fabrics are there before I really know what it is going to be. It is interesting, as sometimes the fabric just ‘tells’ what it should become. When there is a certain colour combination that attracts me, my eyes begin to sparkle. No matter where I find it… in the streets, in the landscape, in rooms, in pictures. I take photographs, sometimes some notes as well and come back to it when needed. Over time, this has resulted in some kind of photo library, a personal collection of inspiration.
Talking about this leads to another form of art that I enjoy: collages. With small cut out pictures from an existing world another new world is created. For this, I am randomly collecting newspapers and magazines to look for interesting images I can use any time later on.

Motivation.

I remind myself why I started this in the first place. It is sewing. It is gaining knowledge about the handcraft and learning within the field of aesthetics. Being capable of performing a certain task. I am also happy to spread my knowledge.
Obviously, you might reach a point in life where you rethink what you are doing right then. At that time, it may seem difficult but this hardship may bring a lot of (hidden) opportunities with it. You need to keep going, trust in yourself and listen to that inner voice. Even if the next chapter you are about to embark on isn’t clear yet.
Also, I try to reach out to other disciplines. A huge passion of mine is cycling with my racing bike. Long distance trips or climbs in the mountains always help me clear my mind and I return re-energised for new projects.

Difficulties.

What is the purpose of fashion nowadays? If you can speak of purpose… In which way do we need to produce today? These questions became more and more present over the years since the beginning of my studies.
For me, it starts with raising the perception and value of clothing in society again. There needs to be an awareness of how long it actually takes to realize a single garment, how much work and time is invested, in order to prevent it from being thrown away carelessly. The value of clothing has decreased over the years, but I also think it is slowly increasing again. We need to shift our minds and attitudes towards the worth of clothing.

My personal style is minimalistic and reduced with some details you only notice with a second, closer look. Taking inspiration from menswear and combining it with feminine shapes shows the interaction of contrasts, which I am fond of.

Even though it’s been a couple of years since I created ‘Time(is)less‘, it is still relevant today – how are we using our time nowadays and how is it influenced by society and the system’s rules?

To carry on this thought I came back to creating a timeless wardrobe representing yourself, as I still believe that clothing is a protection for yourself and your personality, that can make you feel comfortable – because unfitted, impersonalised clothing can achieve quite the opposite. Through defining your personality and the clear vision of what you want to wear in order to feel being yourself automatically leads to buying less but selected garments of good quality that have a long term space in your wardrobe. This is what I am focusing on in my work right now. Another challenge is to only make use of all the fabrics I collected over the years.

There is a love to create an outfit for someone, be it a wedding outfit and concert outfit for a cellist. My wish is to allow people to feel like themselves when wearing their outfit, it encourages them in what they are doing because it fits perfectly and underlines their personality.

My take on these issues and the future of clothing design:

Be aware of what you have and use what is already there. I believe that personalised clothing, i.e. especially made for someone, will increase its value to the owner. The awareness of how long it actually takes to create a garment needs to be transparent to consumers again to avoid the cycle of buying cheap clothes just like that and throwing them away uncaringly as soon as there is the slightest damage that could easily be fixed by someone with the most basic knowledge of sewing. To me there is magic in repairing things. Not only clothing. It shows that you care about them. Hence, I want to share not only that magical feeling with others but also give them a means of achieving this by sharing my knowledge and experience in the field.

VIDEOS – Styling by Atelier Haas

“The Road is Devendra”
“Amy Ayanda – Visitors”

Photo credits by Isabella Hager, Manuel Nieberle, Simon Freund, Lisa Haas

Atelier Haas

Donatella

Pure & Simple

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Munich is a big city that offers many shopping opportunities, nevertheless it is not so easy to find shops with exclusive clothes. Furthermore many of them pretend to sell Italian dresses but unfortunately most of the time they are not. Our goal is always to help you to find the most fancy item for the best price!

If you are looking for a special and lovely spot where you can buy also clothes from Italy… then here you can’t go wrong!
The first time I stepped a foot into “Pure & Simple” was about two years ago. My sister- in- law Elena, who was visiting me in Munich, saw it first.  At that point I was not used to walk around that area so often that is why I never noticed it. Already the outside you really realize that it can be so precious and once you are inside, you definitely are sure about it! It is a small universe but incredibly exquisite.
They sell some of the best Italian and international brands, from Lanvin to Missoni (and if you love Italian style you know what I mean), items that can be afford because (here at least) they are not so expensive even though they look wonderful and elegant.

 

“Pure & Simple”

They also have a special corner where you can purchase some pre-owned clothes. I go there most of the time without thinking whether I need something special, just to have a glance and eventually allow these beautiful things, I accidentally see, to seduce me and win my love!
If you prefer to have a look without help, you can just do it.

The shop is in Munich, in the wonderful Glockenbackviertel neighborhood, in the heart of the city.

I have lost the count of how many people I have suggested to stop by “Pure & Simple” to get a glimpse, even when they weren’t looking for anything in particular they have been captivated, and nobody, up until now, no one has been disappointed. The upside is that you can find casual clothes or even formal dresses to wear for a special event. You better not forget that it is a first and also a second hand, so there isn’t an endless choice of sizes; it is more like “First-come, first-served”, I would say that it is more a matter of chance (this is always the case with outlets and second- hand shops).

“Pure & Simple” provides also shoes (upstairs they have a big selection) and accessorize, like sunglasses or bags.

Good Luck and enjoy!

All Images are the property of Dietlind Tornieporth

Donatella

QUATTRO TAVOLI

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Quattro Tavoli (literally “Four tables”) is a place of numbers: as the name says, a little bit more than four are the tables where it is possible to nibble something. There are also four “Champs Elysee- chairs” hanging on the wall, two old style TVs placed on a shelf looking on the public. Six are the spoken languages (Italian, German, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese), and three is the number of the official colors of the bar (red, white, black). Three is also the number of dudes running it! We had the pleasure to talk especially with one of them, to the tune of Carlos Santana, the crazy Lorenzo, the youngest of them, a kind of mascot!

Now, close your eyes and imagine the best of Italy: the powerful creativity of the interior, where everything tells sentimental stories and makes the people feel comfortable. The lights, soft and reassuring, that match perfectly with the many candles put on the tables, the magnificent smell of food on the air that make you eat even if you are not hungry. And the unique music, truly fitting with the location but always different, dipending on who is working that evening. Sometime it is also possible to hear the precious songs of Maurizio, the singer of the group.

But, above all, Quattro tavoli is passion and good vibrations, the one you can get and feel from Lorenzo, Marco and Maurizio: they are discreet but careful, funny and kind everytime they have to explain what is the menu of the day or specialties of the house. Not a huge menu, but it is always enough to find something tasty to try! From antipasti to pasta (bologna, prosciutto, cheese, grilled vegetables, piadizza, pasta etc.), they also have dishes for vegetarians, and you can have some wine (despite the wide choice, also the house wines are really delicious) or only one drink (only one? sure?!), optionally between the many they offer. Absolutely try their Portofino Spritz or Negroni sbagliato, to top off with a “Amaro del capo”, a drink particular to this Bistro!

This cute Bar can offers so much, and above all, it proves that Italy has so much to offer: three great people who do their job with the same enthusiasm they would put in an hobby; with so much love and care, together with the top quality of their products.

Lorenzo is the last one start to working here: after working in Italy, he went to work in Australia and Paris and before moving to Argentina, he decided to reach the other two friends in Munich and start with them this kind of adventure. Marco lived many years in Australia a Maurizio travelled in Europe and South America carrying around his music!

The clientele is a mixture of young and older people, they deserve a visit on saturday for the aperitivo “That’s amore” with an always different DJ and live music, and they offer also a “Party service” for up to 250 people (for private events and companies).

        

Quattro tavoli is a place in which you can get very good and traditional Italian food, in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere, a really special place, unique in Munich. Somebody found here one’s soul mate, somebody had a cozy evening…

It can cause dependence…but, as Lorenzo says, more probably “relationships” 🙂

Maurizio Cinesi will also be there waiting for you, either you can comfortably sit at home and, after you carried away some delicious food from Quattro Tavoli, listen to its music www.youtube.com/user/mauriziocinesi

Particular to Quattro Tavoli (and if you have already been there, you know it!) are also the special ceramic that decorate discreetly the Bistrot, from the front to the toilets.

     

And now you only have to visit them and try it!

Quattro Tavoli, Dreimühlenstraße 10, 80469 Munich

Donatella

PIZZERIA MIMMO e CO.

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When you travel a lot sometimes it’s difficult to find good places to eat where you’re not only satisfied but can actually feel spoiled and happy like a child. If you happen to be in Munich, don’t lose the chance to visit Mimmo!

Below are the comments of people who have already eaten at Mimmo’s restaurant, just to give you an idea of what he is capable of…

“I went there a couple of times and I had two great experiences. Finally, I found a nice pizza in Munich, the service is great and very friendly (and not expensive at all). I will go back for sure”

“In addition to a perfect pizza you can find very nice people working there: what makes Mimmo special is the hospitality and friendliness. Very highly recommended for anyone who would like to be thrown in an Italian environment and have a good meal. It could be useful to have a reservation for the weekend.”

“Be prepared to be transported to Italy the minute you step through the door of Mimmo E Co. The staff is Italian, a lot of the diners are Italian, the ambience is Italian – in fact it feels like you are eating in a family kitchen in Sorrento, not a restaurant in Munich. The food is simple Italian fare at its best with generous portions and good seasoning. The standard menu features all the usual classics with daily specials adding a bit more variety. My friend had a delicious linguine with swordfish, cherry tomatoes and olives – and I had dish envy all night! Prices are excellent value and the green salad was a proper salad not just a few limp lettuce leaves. We were too full to try the desserts but they looked scrummy. Make sure you leave room!”

“The pizza combined with the super friendly service makes it to an amazing place!”

“Tried this place for the first time after seeing all the excellent reviews in TripAdvisor- I actually live just around the corner from this place… Great place! Food is lovely; Augustiner beer is the best choice, friendly and great service!! I visited twice in a space of one week and each time I enjoyed my dinner very much! As it is already mentioned, Pizza crust is not as thin as I expected- it’s fluffy, and very filling but you can tell its made of good ingredients. Highly recommended”

“I found out this restaurant on TripAdvisor, and it was like being back to Italy for a dinner. I’m Italian, I’ve eaten thousands of pizzas in my life but I really loved Mimmo’s creations! I’ve tried Bresaola, Quattro stagioni and Rustica so far: all wonderful. Also tiramisù is good. The place is cozy, the staff very kind and Mimmo is supernice!
I totally recommend this restaurant, especially to those who want to taste pizza for the first time.”

“We got in early and it was a good thing, because Mimmo filled up right away. Great little neighborhood pizza place. It seemed like everyone knew everyone, except us, being travellers from Canada and being tipped off by TripAdvisor reviews. The aroma coming from the kitchen was outstanding. The staff was warm and attentive. We enjoyed some good wine, a couple excellent salads and a couple pizzas each. We left very happy. Pleased as well that we had a 1.5km walk back to our hotel, which we definitely needed.”

“… a perfect dough, the best quality Italian ingredients, baked in a wood fired oven… totally scrumptious. It is an absolute treat to have Mimmo’s pizzas, whichever one is chosen (one of my favorites is with prosciutto, parmesan and rocket/ rucola).

It is also a delight watching Mimmo making a pizza base, throwing the dough into the air and catching it while singing a familiar Italian tune.

Mimmo E Co(rina), the couple that runs the place with love and dedication, real Italian flair and friendliness, make you feel welcome and at home. “

“Habe den Laden gerade vor kurz entdeckt und bin mega begeistert!! Die Pizza ist der Hammer, Mimmo und Corina sind sehr sehr freundlich, einfach super sympathisch! Und auch die anderen Gäste waren sehr entspannt. Alles super! Das ist die beste italienische Pizza die ich in Bayern gegessen habe. Man merkt das hier ist alles schön kross, frisch und gut. Ich komm schnell wieder!
Fazit: Pizza, wie sie sein sollte! Dessert: Super!!”

“Всегда приятно отведать отличной пиццы. Нам показали это место местные друзья.
Очень понравилось пальчики оближешь! Немного прогулявшись от вокзала попадаешь в приятное (не пафосное) заведение.
Притом вкусно все и пицца и паста и десерты! По себе знаю что сложно угодить компании
(6 человек) и что бы все были в восторге.
Попробуйте будет вкусно “

“Accoglienza, professionalità, bontà, gentilezza, si mangia da Dio. Io l’ho trovato per caso, non pensavo di trovare un ristorante di quel livello.”

“Locale accogliente, moderno, con forno per le pizze a vista, insomma un ristorante Italiano “contemporaneo” e non il solito “pasta&pizza” un po’ datato che sovente si trova all’estero. Personale molto gentile ed attento (parlano tutti italiano), menù con buona offerta, tutto buono! Ha la fama di essere il locale che serve la migliore pizza di Monaco e ci credo! Lasciate un posticino anche per il dolce perchè non è da meno. Prezzi adeguati ed assolutamente contenuti. Appena fuori dal centro, ma facilmente raggiungibile (meglio in taxi), non dimenticatevi di prenotare perchè rischiate di non trovare posto! Se siete a Monaco ed avete nostalgia della cucina di casa… questo è il posto giusto! Da provare.”

“Servizio eccellente, locale molto accogliente, Mimmo e Co simpaticissimi!
Quindi diffidate delle imitazioni…e prenotate sempre e solo da Mimmo e Co! “

So, our experience was totally the same, you step inside and Mimmo smiles from the kitchen as you open the door and yells warmly at you in Italian: “Welcome, have a seat, what pizza would you like?”

And while you are appreciating the mozzarella melting deliciously in your mouth, or while you are losing yourself in a marvelous and almost erotic Spaghetti alla Carbonara, he will ask you if everything is all right with the dinner.

…OH, DAMN… YES, definitely so much that you would hug him!

Thanks Mimmo (and your staff) for this special and bighearted treatment, clients can always recognize when you do your job with real passion and love.

Keep it up the good work!

www.pizzeria-mimmoeco.de

Pizzeria Mimmo e Co., Kapuzinerstr. 6,  80337 München

Telefon: 089 – 76 70 15 45

SAMUEL SOHEBI

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             He started his professional adventure with the best statement ever:

“YES, I CAN DO IT”

Name: Samuel Sohebi

Profession: Celebrity Stylist & Owner of the shop Kult By Samuel Sohebi

Born in Munich in the 1988 and started as a Stylist for Philipp Plein.

He started his professional adventure as a fashion stylist with the best statement ever: “YES, I CAN DO IT”. Even though it was a new experience for him, he is convinced of the fact that you must be able to sell yourself even when you are not able to do something, and just GO FOR IT.

He started with Philip Plein, and from there the people and the press started to notice him, by taking pictures and talking about him. He has worked with Naomi Campbell in Ibiza, the Russian Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Glamour in Russia. He has prepared several campaigns for jewels and perfumes, and also provides styling services in Cannes for L’Oreal during the Film Festival event.

Furthermore, he has worked for Penelope Cruz and her sister Monica, to prepare them for the red carpet.

Of course, social networks played a big part on his success, people are always interested in which party you are going to, and which people you are hanging out with; you always have to keep the public informed and keep the magic alive.

In comparison to other stylists who start as Magazine editors, he started by styling models at events. For Sam, styling is not something you can learn; it’s a talent, something you do with passion and that needs inspiration. You have to combine the magic of the creation of the designer with the personality of the celebrity you work for.

In 2012 he opened his shop, Kult by Samuel Sohebi. The dresses he sells are purchased personally by him from around the world, especially from Italy (Bologna, Florence, Milan) and famous designers. Samuel cares not only about the quality or the brand of the dress, but about the aesthetics.

He realizes that not every woman can afford a designer dress since they can be expensive, but also, since every woman does not have the size of a model, he tries to mix and create a combination of the most beautiful dresses, taking into consideration that every woman needs to feel like a princess but in her own skin. There is no pressure to sell, every client must feel free and feel at home.

Something that always surprises him is when some famous women in the fashion or showbiz industry ask for his opinion on their look, and the best compliment for him is when clients come back to tell him about the event, show him pictures of the dress, how well it fit, and how satisfied they were.

What is the difference between a styling job for a magazine and a celebrity?

“In the first case, there is a story to tell the public, while in the second case, you dress a woman that wants to look and feel sexy. She wants to be the star under the spotlight and her goal is to get into the magazine or blogs in the best way possible. In order to do a great job as a stylist on the red carpet you have to study the trends of the moments, you need to know who is the designer of the moment.”

What are the difficulties of this job?

“Attitudes. A lot of attitudes are not coming from models or celebrities, as you could imagine, but from the staff, managers, photographers, who in some cases don’t know anything about fashion.”

Fashion in Europe and USA:

“I will like to move to New York to work as an intern for Vogue. I wouldn’t mind starting from scratch by doing trivial things like delivering coffee and making copies as long as I am doing what I love and taking steps to get where I want to be. In Germany fashion faces hard times. Sometimes you feel there is no progress like everything is moving in circles, and this is the unpleasant sensation I feel every time I come back from Milan or Cannes. In America it’s totally different, there is a lot going on and coming out and as a young man I know that professionally I can really grow up fast.”

WATCHING, LAUGHING AND TALKING ABOUT SOME OF SAM’S PICTURES:

4 men walking in suits

This photo depics Sam, his brother and two of his best friends headed to a sale event for the shop. It’s an unusual photo in Munich, where women love to be fashionable but it s more difficult to see guys walking like this along the street. The pic was taken with a simple phone but looks great and it captures a great moment for Sam.

Chanel Iman with a light blue dressabito lungo azzurro argenteo

They met each other at Elie Saab backstage in Cannes back in the 2009; Sam went to Iman because he noticed her cool tattoo on her back, from there they started talking and exchanged contacts to be friends. Sometimes Sam brings her dresses, she is really an easygoing and simple person. The dress she is wearing is from a Prêt-à-Porter dress (Versace).

Samuel on a catwalk

We jump back to 2009, the first year of life of the shop Kult by Samuel Sohebi and his 24th Birthday. He decided to launch this event, and while organizing by himself for the first time in his life, he realized how difficult it is to prepare an event for 600 guests, and manage the staff including photographers, models, and the press. But he took this event as an investment to let people know him, his job, his passion, and his shop, and you know how social networks of course do the rest by sharing the event, pictures, tags, hashtags, that is the way people get to know you faster and search for your name around… who is this guy? Just click on it.

Be always ready.

Sam and Redfoo moment LMFAO

The pic was shot in Cannes in 2013. It was 10 am on a beautiful sunny day and probably Redfoo from LMFAO partied all night long in the same distinct and colorful outfit, and as he was not interested in sleeping, he decided to look around for someone to play tennis with. Guess what? Sam is always in the right place in the right moment, you know that thing called… TIMING! Even though he was not able to play the game, he always finds a way to be over the top. And by the way, who would say no to LMFAO?

Mr. Bentley and Sam

The name of his dog has a reason!

Once, he worked for P. Diddy during an event promoting his perfume UNFORGIVABLE cologne by Sean John and the White Party, which took place at Nikki Beach in Saint Tropez. He remembered how P. Diddy’s family members were all absolutely nice to him; with his mother being the funniest woman in the world, and P. Diddy himself being one of the coolest party people ever. While Sam was having the best working experience of his life, the only person that was repeatedly rude to him without reason was the guy holding P. Diddy’s umbrella. His name was Mr. Bentley, that’s why he decided to Name his dog after him!

How did he get this job?

It was faith; Sam was in Saint Tropez when he met a guy he knew from the US who was kind of desperate because the stylist he wanted for the event was sick. He needed a replacement, so he just asked Sam if he knew a good stylist? SERIOUSLY?

At this point, we all know that Sam tends to have perfect timing, so he just suggested himself, and took the chance to show what his mama gave him! In every game played something unexpected always pops up, and in Sam’s case, he was able to meet Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton and received the chance to work with them.

Hotel Room with Model

sam hotel modelThis shot was taken in the room of Costes Hotel in Paris. It was a dress fitting for Alessandra Ambrosio and Sam needed to find a model the same sizes as her to see if the dress would fit her well.

In this picture you can see everything; Sam in the back, tired and doubtful about whether the client would like his choice or not, the model in front of the mirror, and last but not least, a dog, fearless of what is happening in the lives of the people there, as he hatches happily out of the window.

Alessandra Ambrosio loved the dress and we can totally understand why.

Samuel and Andre’ Leon Talley (Vogue)

This pic was shot at a Chanel event at Gran Palais. Sam designed the white fur bag is grabbing in the pic, André Leon came to him to ask who was the designer of the bag and Sam was surprised to receive his attention. For Sam, André is a really good advisor when it comes to the professional life.

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You are free to follow him and his celebrities here – SAMUEL SOHEBI FACEBOOK PAGE

NOH NEE, Dirndl à l’ Africaine

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In Munich, Glockenbackviertel is the most famous neighborhood where many fashion designers and artists in general are based. Historically the favourite location of gays (which is often still a synonymous with creativity!) it is nowadays the best place to find new trends and enlightenment.

Now, imagine the colour and power of Africa, mixed with the deep tradition of Germany: this is Noh Nee[1], a shop close to Sendlinger Tor (Sendling Gate), in the south of the historic old town area of the city.

When we met in Glockenback to talk about Noh Nee, we were overwhelmed by the passion and energy of Rahmée Wetterich, one of the founders of this business. She started to tell us about a new App for tourists in which also Noh Nee is involved, and went on talking about the amazing recent experience in Brussels (Ethno Tendance Fashion Weekend Brussels 2014). Noh Nee is also in the “Museum der Kulturen” in Basel until 2019[2].

So, Noh Nee is really everywhere, or better said, in every place it should be.

The project is more than clothes, it is more about the mix of cultures and the passion for fashion, the influence of Africa with the lightness of the improvisation: we can say it because Noh Nee was somehow achieved by chance, the result of a great passion for creation, in particular for fashion.

The heart and head of the project is Marie Darouiche, the one who designs the clothes, since she has always been dealing with fashion, the person who decides to melt the tradition of the dirndl with the style from the ’50. This was made possible and started through the project of “Colour Mix of Africa”, an idea (and an exposition) that comes from Rahmée, her sister (as she explained us, it has nothing really to do with colours but about the influence of different cultures).

Now, just try to imagine an expensive kitchen and some multicolored dresses spread everywhere and the feeling you have everytime you bump into something completely stranger: you become curious and you get excited. That is how I imagine the reaction of the people who were there and met for the first time (without knowing it) at NOH NEE. It was 2010.

Since 2011, Cornelia Hobbhahn also became part of the project. At the moment Noh Nee does not mean only dirndl, but also slacks, shoes, coats and more… The manufactoring is in Passau (the “Three Rivers City”), Bavaria.

The magic of the dirndl is that it does not matter how big or tall people are, a dirndl fits everyone! It is easy to realize it just by looking at the many photos that Rahmée keeps in the shop; pictures sent by people who got married with a Noh Nee creation, or went to a gala, or simply to Oktoberfest…

Let’s talk about textile. Maybe some people think, as myself, that they come from Africa… it is not really true! I mean, they are african samples but most of them come from Holland. More than 100 years ago  the first prints came from Indonesia to Europe and since then they are constantly edited: some themes are already 150 years old. There are circa 270 colours.

The fabric is really special, hard and difficult to work, unlike what we see, for example, everywhere.
Often many of them come from China, and are not original (Rahmée gave us a tiny tipp: you can recognize the original one because it is printed on both sides. The colour, in a manner of speaking, goes through the textile).

Furthermore, they revisit the textile they buy from them to create new designs through a process of development. Marie always has to find new ideas and patterns to match everything.
As Rahmée said, when they go to purchase the textile, in the same moment she has one in her hands she already knows if it has potential, and what it can be used for.
She talks about “visualize”, a kind of seer who can see into the future of fabrics.

Everything is special and privileged, also the wonderful pieces that they found are limited… and that is also another reason why they are so unique.

Explanation for such big success? It’s the right solution for people who are looking for a new fashion style to wear again, or for the first time, such a traditional dress like a dirndl.

The format of Noh Nee is different because it is new, powerful, multicultural and gives emancipation to this bavarian (but not only) costume.

But, above all, it worked because of the passion they put in it: to hear Rahmée  is like seeing a ball of fire, not only because of her enthusiasm and competence, but because she loves the project and she puts extraordinary effort in it.

It is easy to be infected from the feeling of love she feels when she talks about Noh Nee!

Noh Nee, literally “a godsend”, is also engaged with a project called: “Education for Girls in Benin“.

The shop is in Hans-Sachs-Straße 2, Munich.

[1] http://www.nohnee.com/

[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/pwpl8e2q3nrpr02/0143_VideoNohNee_FinalCut-DEF_1.mp4?dl=0

KILENZ

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“You have to be passionate in what you do, every plan needs more time than what you imagined at the beginning.“

 

 

Kilenz is Hanna and Anna’s delicate concept. It was a warm afternoon of summer when we decided to have a friendly chat with Hanna, 28 years old from Munich, in order to get to know their brand better. After 6- 7 years of studies and traineeships in several ateliers to gain experience, she pursued her dream with a friend, the other Anna, a former fellow student. In 2012 they launched Kilenz in a cellar in Munich, mainly friends and family were coming in, the main strategy was organizing parties to entertain and attract new clients and get known, was really though attracting more clients. In April 2014 they moved into the current atelier in Glockenbachviertel, since then their growth has been fast and stable.

Currently Hanna Wolf is leading Kilenz alone since Anna Hinterdobler left the business at the end of last year.

Let us talk about your marketing strategy.

The promotion of the brand happens most of the time by word of mouth, people have a look at the windows and come in, sometimes we produce small handouts and other times we throw nice parties so that our clients may have a drink, get to know the place, being intrigued by the product, the downside of this strategy is the small budget available, it is not easy to do everything we’d like to.

Second of all, it would be great to be a green company, regrettably it’s really expensive. More important: it’s hard to get the desired materials in organic or fair trade quality. The fact is that I really care about this issue, my mother who had an organic shop had a significant influence on me this is why environment is important to me.

How did you start to work together with Anna?

We started working in different companies but the fashion world is not an easy world, that’s why we decided to try to push ourselves beyond our limits and create something together. We spent half year thinking and discussing about the project, in January we started and in April the opening occurred presenting our first collection. Usually we work independently, each one of us on its own, in a second step we merge the ideas and it is definitely thrilling how they always fit.

Why the name Kilenz?

It means 9 in Hungarian: we started 9 years ago, me and Anna met 9 years ago. We changed the name a little bit, “Lenz” in German means Spring, we also tried to find a combination of different things that makes the name sound original.

Generally you opt for a static photo shoot, why?

I prefer to keep it simple and easy. I love it pure and straight, it shouldn’t be too much.

What are the people in Munich looking for?

Some people don’t know what they are looking for and most of the them don’t know what they’ll find by us. They come because they need a dress for a special day so we try to give them what they need, we showcase several options, starting from the colors for instance. We can customize everything or just details but we always stick to our style. We usually need around 6 weeks to realize a dress, but of course it depends on the specific case.

Do clients really realize how long it takes to make a dress?!

Usually they try to get earlier what they want! The first appointment is just to decide what the final desired product should be, after that my research focuses on the fabrics needed and eventually their purchase. In the following phase they come in to wear it on so we can start to make the right adjustments. Around 2-3 appointments are necessary to get the job done.

Which kind of customers come here?

They are so different: it could happen to be my neighbor or a princess!

It’s always exciting to find out the result of the combination of our style and their style. At the end of the day what matters is that we have both to be happy. If I think that the dress is not suitable for the customer, I just say it and we proceed only to produce something  that both we appreciate. It is a collaboration; if I do something that I don’t sincerely approve to be worthy, then at the end of the day nobody will be content.

From which fashion designer are you inspired?

I really love Dries van Noten. He is still independent and I think that this is great, he is really cool and successful. The whole concept is good, you can always notice when the clothes are from him.

How do you think you can inspire somebody?

“Less is More”, I want to show that simple things can be the right option. Fashion is often too much, too overloaded. A lot of people would look better if they rather choose the “Less”. I try to suggest to some of my friends for example, by telling them what they could try on, sometimes a person doesn’t understand alone what look is better for itself.

What would you say to somebody who show a dream like yours?

You have to be passionate in what you do, every plan needs more time than what you imagined at the beginning. Work very hard for a long time and later maybe you’ll get famous. I think that you need at least 4 or 5 years to see some results. It’s always a risk but you have to try. If you have a lot of money it can be easier, but otherwise you need a lot of creativity and work.

Our families strongly supported us, not financially but by doing for us everything they can, all the way until now they did everything necessary to make our dream happen.

What do the people say of your job?

Most of the time they only see the brightest side: they think that our job is amazing, they envy the fact we are able to spend our time doing something so creative, but they don’t realize the downside: for example, the struggle with the money, at the end of the month we have to count every penny because we don’t have a real salary, we need time and patience to get there.

Do you have time to travel? Where do you get your inspiration?

Unfortunately I don’t have so much time to do it as often as I would like. I often take my inspiration from the daily life, my environment and the people. Traveling is a way to get more and more inspiration, but anyway what I design is what I would like to wear and what my customer could actually wear in the daily life.

Any project for the future?

I would like to expand the brand and take the basic collection in more cities but what it is important for me is to lose not the contact with the reality, we like the glamour of the international world of fashion, yes, but our main goal is to have always real people wearing our clothes, I won’t ever sacrifice the connection with our regular customer.

To get more information, please visit: http://kilenz.com

The shop is in Jahnstraße 52,  Munich.

 

Donatella

ESRA

Galleria

“I try my best and I always go hard in everything I do. I am not sitting home waiting for something to happen.“

 

Esra, German – Turkish fashion designer with a Persian name was born in Munich 23 years ago.

Her grandparents came to Europe around 1964 to change their destinies and find employment. Eventually, they decided to settle in Munich. After so many years they still feel strangers in this host land for many reasons: a language which they can’t speak properly, a so faraway culture, say nothing of the different diet. Let us be real, in exchange the new land offered much more possibilities than what Turkey could offer at that time, so that was the best choice they could take. “For us, grandchildren, Germany is home, Turkey is a destination where to spend a nice vacation but as soon as we step in a German airport the feeling which embrace us is always the same: welcome back home. It is also true that the Turkish feeling you have in Turkey is so far away from the Turkish feeling you sense in Germany, I can’t explain”. The parents and grandparents lost so many things by coming to Europe, this is why they want to make sure that Esra and her siblings preserve their culture by teaching them the language, inspire their eating habits by cooking and dining together traditional Turkish food.

Why fashion, Esra? 

“I have always been used to drawing Japanese anime and I liked to draw them with different hair looks, add clothes for them to wear and make them fashionable. At that point I realized that I wanted to create clothes, it was funny to match them together, choosing the colours. I love drawing and love clothes so I have merged the two passions in one with the aim to make this big dream real. I am thrilled about the fact that my ideas have the chance to become real things, to feel and to touch. They originate from my head and come out into reality; seeing this process of transformation is amazing. I make everything by myself and I don’t like to copy, I want only my ideas.” The first collection of Esra, inspired by Hanbok (traditional Korean dress) and a bit from Yamamoto, is from 2014, a project with the university that took 6 months of hard work.

Why this overwhelming passion for Korea and Asia?

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“Because it reminds me of my childhood, I was always watching Japanese anime. I love Asian food (and she can prepare it very well!), the culture, how they live with each other. I also tried to learn Korean on my own, starting of course from a real so difficult- to- deal- with alphabet.”

– Esra admires Karl Lagerfeld, defining him as a wonderful and special person. Her positive opinion about him came thanks to a documentary which drove her in the perception of him as intelligent, pragmatic, appreciating the unique way he communicates [1]. She was also inspired by the designs of Yohji Yamamoto [2]; pure and clear, not exaggerated and not overloaded of accessories.

The studies.

MDH is a private University in Munich. Esra told us in a calm state of mind that if in 10 years she won’t feel to be in the fashion industry anymore, she will simply switch to something different. “I try everything that I want to try, I wanted to study fashion design and I simply did it.” In the next future, she sees herself launching her own brand and bouncing it all over the world, the aim is to create a high quality product which the consumer can wear in daily life, won’t be Haute Couture. “I think that every- day- fashion is more interesting and eloquent because it can communicate the identity of a person. Sometimes it screams and sometimes it only whispers who you are, but it always communicates. Haute Couture is just elegant, someone that wears a Chanel dress, predictably I would say, wants to appear beautiful or elegant but it will actually be more difficult to decipher the personality. See the clothes, and you can perceive something about the person.”

“I am currently at my fourth year of studying. I have also applied for an internship in Turkey for a fashion company in the city where my family comes from. In the future I would like to live in Japan and Korea.”
Her background is multicultural that is why she doesn’t have any problems integrating in another social and cultural context: “When I will be in Asia, the culture I belong to won’t matter, what matters is to be open, kind and friendly.”
Going back to fashion, what she appreciates in Asia is the freedom to wear anything according to your style and liking, since in daily life during work hours, they have to limit themselves stylistically, on the contrary in Europe “We are not really open minded in terms of fashion.”

 

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What can you tell us about this school?

“Unfortunately it is very expensive, if you can’t afford it you can’t study there. My monthly fee is around 700€, I can afford it by working on the weekend, trying on my own and not asking my family for financial support. It is hard, yes, but life comes in its own way, it does not make sense to make many plans, just live it. I try my best and I always go hard in everything I do. I am not sitting home and waiting for something to happen.”

Religion

Because of her religion Esra has to cover her body and her hair. Some people say that she should feel uncomfortable in creating clothes for women who don’t need to be covered. “The reason why I make clothes is because I feel that I have to, this is what I want to do. When I create, I feel that I want to share what I am, it would make no sense to create clothes only for myself”.

Why do you choose to wear total black look (except for your red Chucks!)?

Black is always elegant, for every occasion; cocktail, dinner, everyday life, easy to combine with other things. Black is uncomplicated.

Would you compromise in order to get where you want? 

“I wouldn’t, losing myself and my own ideas is not worth it, I want to do something that represents me and my thoughts.”

If you could give an advice to other fashion designers…

“Always believe in your dreams and yourself.”

How do you believe in yourself?

“If I really want to do something, I believe that I can do it. You learn this rule especially when you grow up with siblings, you have always to fight to earn your things!”

 Your inspiration comes from…

“Everywhere; a movie, a landscape, a flower, a colour.”

If you could choose to be someone else, to change something or to move to a place where nobody knows you, where you don’t have to give explanations to anyone, what would you do?

“I think I will like to be born again as myself because I am actually happy in my life. My strength resides in the fact that I don’t worry about the things I cannot control, I put always my all in everything I do, I give 100% and if anything negative happens I try to transform it to my advantage.”

Are you like this because of you or because of your family?

“It’s my experience, and of course my religion influences my view, it’s part of my life. When I am praying my life becomes easier, those ten minutes or more of prayer appear without problems, I can be myself.”

Describe yourself in few words.

“Basically a positive girl with a good sense of humor, focused and strong. I am a tough girl, I don’t give up easily. I am always honest even though sometimes it is hard to do it because it can hurt… What do I hate? When people are not honest.”

Good luck Esra!

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 [1] About KARL LAGERFELD, the star of a new documentary. The four-hour production aired on September 7 – 2013 in Germany. The mini biopic focused on the designer’s career and the relationship between fashion and religion – drawing comparisons between fashion magazines and the bible, and likening models to angels. The film was directed by television journalist Martina Neuen. “It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek,” Neuen told WWD. “It cannot offer you redemption or anything eternal.” Lagerfeld allowed the journalist access to his shows and studio over a period of 16 months – and shared details of his personal life and career. The documentary, entitled Mode Als Religion (Fashion as a Religion), also features interviews with Diane Kruger, Sarah Jessica Parker, Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista, Suzy Menkes and Milla Jovovich – to name but a few. “He is the most impressive person I’ve ever met,” added Neuen. “He is a true individual, and there’s a lightness of being around him.” Source: Vogue.co.uk.

 More information here: http://www.mediadesign.de/

 

Donatella