Are you craving a shopping spree but don’t want to feed into the fast-fashion frenzy? Here’s an opportunity to unleash your inner Carrie Bradshaw without losing karma points. Launched in August by four Berlin-based female designers – Therapy, Fade Out, Tata Christiane and Elise Rolot – RARE is both a co-managed creative space and a shop offering garments handmade from repurposed materials, designed to inspire not just an outfit but a mindset change.
“About 90% of the pieces at our store are completely upcycled,” Angie Aguirre of Therapy says. “In our case, we only use discarded materials, giving them a new life right here in Berlin.” Goodbye crippling cognitive dissonance, hello snazzy new statement piece!
The store mostly features swanky avant-garde creations – Fade Out, for instance, creates daring patchwork pieces exclusively from old denim bought at charity stores or flea-markets. Belgian designer Rolot, on the other hand, also offers comfortable everyday clothing, made entirely from secondhand textiles like duvet covers, tablecloths or curtains.
We wanted to create a space that highlights fashion for all genders and all bodies.
Another persistent issue the quartet of like-minded designers wants to address is the lack of inclusivity in the mainstream fashion world. “Usually, the subliminal message sent by big labels is that you’re somehow imperfect”, Aguirre says. “We wanted to create a space that highlights fashion for all genders and all bodies.”
When it comes to fostering community locally, the new Friedrichshain sustainability temple promises to be more than just another uber-hip Berlin boutique. “We want the store to be a place for people to participate,” Aguirre says, “whether that means hosting guest designers or inviting customers to learn how to repair or customise their own clothes.” With new collections and interactive events coming soon, the Friedrichshain concept store is not at all rare – in fact, it’s quite well done.
- RARE, Kopernikusstr. 21, Friedrichshain, follow them on Instagram.