On January 21st, Esther Perbandt presented her collection for the fall and winter season 2015/2016 within the legendary tent of the Mercedes-Benz-Fashion Week which indeed caused a big turmoil in the fashion world. With her new collection, she surprised everyone. Critics and fashion audience were in fact looking at a collection completely colored in black, a pattern which however was then thrillingly interrupted by looks entirely dyed mustard yellow. Esther Perbandt designs outfits which appear strict, almost military and yet they exude a sophisticated, casual and clear aura. Shaped by her dedication for well thought-out cuts and details, the designs serve as an extravagant but still clear case or frame for the wearer’s personality.
The look is a balanced combination of the dandy style and almost cheeky coolness. The formal strictness of her clothing clashes with the extraordinary hats, which appear both ironic and cool at the same time due to their almost exaggerated, cool and nearly grotesque shapes. The collection features a high military baseball cap and a huge felt hat for instance which reminds you of a wizard’s headgear. Heavy wool fabrics, felt, leather and oiled cotton determine the collection which is also marked by bio silk and transparent materials.
But more than the single looks, it’s the overall impression of the collection which left the audience in awe. Esther Perbandt created a collection which emphasizes the independence of the wearer who does not only pretend to be individual, but in fact clearly distinguishes herself from the rest. Esther Perbandt is a label which shows all good sides of urban life with her incomparable and subtle style. Yes, this collection simply breathes Berlin, but yet will appeal to an international crowd. During the previous fashion weeks, the designer made herself a name with her extremely upmarket looks. Often considered and called the highlight of the Fashion Week in terms of quality by the critics, the show which celebrated the brand’s 10th anniversary in the Volksbühne on the Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz appears to be the climax of the designer’s artful interpretation of fashion to this day.
The basic concept of the show was the topic “Reading and Writing”.
The extremely thrilling introduction in the shape of a performance was created by the French artist Jaybo Monk, a long-time friend and muse of the designer. When the room was darkened, the runway turned black. Supported by the sound of chalk writing on a blackboard, the artist walked across the runway while wearing a small blackboard mask. The entire time, he was writing on his mask, which was followed by himself wiping it off with a sponge. When he arrived at the end of the catwalk, standing in front of the photographers, the models followed him, dragging behind black sticks whose ends were provided with chalk. Thus, white lines were drawn on the black underground. To top this artful effect, Esther Perbandt didn’t send ordinary mannequins across the runway. Intriguing characters and personalities with a distinct aura were presenting her fashion. Actors like Alexaner Sheer, the “Anzugdealer” (engl.: suit dealer) Bent Angelo Jensen from the brand Herr von Eden and allrounder Friedrich Liechstenstein lent Esther their expressive appearance, their body, their face and charisma. A 60-year-old woman particularly caught my attention when she walked across the runway like a cat.
Esther Perbandt’s collection and the concept of the show is devoted to the 7.5 Millions analphabets in Germany. He herself feels alive when she is reading a book, when she is able to immerse into its little universe. For this reason, she is trying to support the charity educational establishment “Kopf, Hand und Fuss” (engl.: “Head, hand and foot”) with the development for the first App for analphabets. This App is called “Irmgard” featuring an eponymous real person, a former primary school teacher who works with analphabets and therefore created the App’s content. Esther will donate one share of the proceeds she will be making with her “Chalk” t-shirts to Kopf, Hand und
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