Among the big, famous cities of the Old World, Berlin is one of the few where the gritty meets the grand. Whether we look at the stores or the galleries, this dichotomy creates a wonderful space in which differing styles can be best explored, elaborated and combined. We asked these questions to a few of the fashion-conscious of this once-divided city:

1. Why is design important?
2. What is your favorite trend in design today?
3. If you could redesign any object, what would it be?
4. Who is your favorite designer?
5. What do you find truly beautiful?

Valerie
1. Nowadays you can hardly go anywhere without constantly finding design around you. In my opinion, design is very important for practical/functional and psychological reasons. 2. At the moment my favorite trend in design is that everybody can inspire anywhere and create his own personal style through a mix of influences.
3. I don´t like the design of new “overdesigned” cars. Sometimes you can’t improve a design any more because it is perfect at one certain point.
4. Bibi GHOST, Stine Goya, Henrik Vibskov and Patrick Mohr. There are also some interesting newcomers in Berlin like Sadak, Mads Dinesen, Juliaandben or Reality Studio.
5. When everything fits—from the outside and the inside.

Doreen
1. To combine function & style.
2. Oversize-Fashion.
3. Bathing caps. 4. Prada, Jil Sander.
5. A com-bination of charisma, personality and style.

Joyce
1. Design makes us aware of our senses.
2. Going back to nature; to our true selves.
3. The earth—I would make it pure love.
4. Isabel Marant.
5. People and objects, who are really close to their nature, expressing and being who they really are. Exotic, pure and sexy.

Erik
1. Because the aim of design is to define space.
2. Vintage is really big in design today.
3. Bicycles, definitely.
4. Monsieur Marcel Bich, creator of the Bic pen.
5. Fulfilled love.

Remus
1. It makes life more beautiful.
2. Rustic
furniture design.
3. Lamps.
4. Vivienne Westwood.
5. People with good character.

Tobias
1. To get variety and beauty in the ordinary daily life.
2. Layering & chino pants.
3. Polaroid Camera.
4. Alexander McQueen, Paul Smith.
5. Feminine shapes and contrast design.

Saphira
1. It means beauty in everyday life.
2. I don´t really care about trends, just like beautiful unique things.
3. Houses.
4. John Galliano.
5. Nature.

– Max Kessler

Photography by Katia Wik