February MBF Picks Special Edition: Berlin Fashion Week Round Up

Berlin's Fashion Week was just a few weeks ago and we at MBF Trend Consulting, took a break from NYC and flew to Germany to catch in on all the action. As always, the 5 day venture felt too short as each day was packed with a never-ending to-do list. From attending various trade shows, handpicking new and innovative designers, visiting new concept shops, and trying out the latest restaurants, this was definitely a fun and inspirational trip.

For this month's MBF Picks, we share with you some of our favorites, highlighting what we think were the most interesting places, people, and events. So without further delay, here is our favorite picks!

1. Events
To mingle and catch up with friends, we checked out the Wood Wood shop in Mitte. Pointer, the London based footwear brand, recently collaborated with the popular Danish brand Wood Wood for their spring 2011 and developed new, exciting color ways for their classic "Cargo" shoe. The collection is exclusively presented by the Front Line Shop. Check it out!

2. Shops
Torstrasse is the most talked about street right now in Mitte, Berlin's coolest neighborhood. Here, you can find the best selection of chic galleries, shops, and restaurants. And might we add, a perfect place for style watching!

Each month, Dudes Factory invites different artists to collaborate and create collections for their shop. The designs from these collections are the raw materials for the lab, their online software for customers to remix and individualize dude products. Find out more here.

Happy Shop carries a mix of both emerging and established designers from all over the world. Presenting an adventurous collection, sourced everywhere from South American markets to Parisian luxury designer showrooms, this shop offers a truly unique experience!

Best of Germany  offers a selection of traditional German pieces and special editions like books, toys, cuckoo clocks, glass, cards, German beers and much more. Check out their latest selection here.

Inspired by glamorous movie icons of the 40s and 50s, Lena Hoschek's designs combine nostalgic patterns and high-end tailoring. A lover of punk music, bad guys, and fast cars, Hoschek's collection is always sensual and fierce. Click here to view her most recent collection. 

3. Restaurants

Pret A Diner is a trend-setting culinary experience for a private circle. It's so secretive we needed a special log-in to even get into the website! In a very Berlin tradition, the entrance to the restaurant is led by a candle light maze in an underground hallway. Once you find the door, there is a beautiful bar and another separate entrance to the restaurant. Brought together by an international team of young chefs, the food was fresh, seasonal, and regional. It was a great night with wonderful food and fabulous friends! 

4. Designers

Ann-Kathrin Carstensen and Nuria Ana Schmidt, designers behind the label Rita in Palma, work in collaboration with Turkish women in Berlin to create the most beautiful accessories using traditional crochet techniques. Focusing on the idea of a cultural exchange, the label is recognized for it's fine craftsmanship, avant-garde designs, and high-quality construction.   

The latest eco-friendly fashion designer hails from Delhi, India. Ela by Joyjit is a perfect balance of eco-friendly and edgy style. Using a wide range of textures and hand woven embroidery details, Joyjit explores the multi-faceted nature of sustainable fashion in his most recent collection. Using un-dyed organic fabrics, there is a natural quality in his effortlessly chic outfits. 

YOJ's philosophy is based on the responsibility that man must have toward his fellow men and the Earth. Respecting nature and mankind, YOJ only uses biological fibers and colors extracted from nature. Each item is completely handmade, from the initial drawings to the final tailoring details. Their latest collaboration is with artist Franco Gervasio as he interprets seven dresses for S/S 2010 and A/W 2010-11. Each piece will come in a limited edition of 20 originals. Click here for more information.

Launched in 2008, Gluejeans was announced Holland's best fashion product and rewarded the Dutch Design Award. Gluejeans are not stitched, but visibly glued at the seams. They also recently introduced the revolutionary Genecor PRIMAGREEN enzyme finish, exemplifying it's innovative and sustainable tradition. Click here to find out more.

To wrap up Fashion Week, we joined Jan and his amazing group of friends to a fabulous dinner at Bar Tausend for his newest product launch. The gift polish of the night was gifted from the first appearance of Uslu Airlines. With no airport, name, price, or place to buy, other than from the PIC (Pilot in Command, among non avaiators aka 'Captain') himself, it was a real treat! Watch out for future Uslu Airline events to get yours!

All right, that's all we have for today. We hope you enjoyed this post. If you live or plan to visit Berlin in the near future, we'd love to hear from you! 

Face to Face

The Internet was invented in 1989 and with that came the birth of the cyber world. Through online messaging and emails, our world found a new, faster way of "talking" without the hassle of having to meet face-to-face or dial the phone. Saving time and money (and perhaps some awkward moments), online interaction has greatly changed the way we interact with one another. Even this week, as thousands of flights across Europe have been cancelled due to the Iceland volcano, people are still able to resume work via video chat. Even in extreme natural disasters, it seems that the Internet does not fail us in getting our jobs done. 


We are so accustomed to the cyber world that online interaction has possibly become the main form of interaction, from both a personal and professional level. Even our free time has become dependent on online media as there are endless forms of online entertainment.


As communication today is more about convenience, speed, and efficiency, when is physical interaction appropriate and how much of it is needed nowadays? The Internet makes it increasingly easier to find specific people; whether it's reuniting with an old classmate, finding a community that shares a common interest, or researching a potential employer through an online network. 


However, while it is true that the Internet allows us to engage with a wider group of people in an efficient time, this kind of networking only touches the surface of one's true personality and identity. Yes, online networking is important, especially in the times we are living in, but perhaps we need to reevaluate our physical interactions and find more meaningful, unique ways of meeting new people in our community. In a society that is so technologically advanced and culturally diverse, there should be some more creative, exciting ways of meeting interesting locals around our town.


As New York City is one of the most crowded and busiest places in the world, many would assume that it's the last place where people want to spend more time with one another. However, New Yorkers are so busy with work that the majority of their time is spent alone. How great is our social skills if we don't even know the name of our next door neighbor?


So maybe we should all take a step out of our comfort zones and try something new for a change. Below are some of the trends we've spotted in New York City that may be worth checking out:

 Lobby of the Ace Hotel via: Trip Advisor

1. Communal Table Dining
New York Ace Hotel
Le Pain Quotidien
Gusto Organics
Ippudo 
Tarallucci E Vino

 via: New York Social Sports Club

2. Social Gatherings and Events
Meetup.com
NYC: Invitations
New York Social Sports Club

Park Slope Food Coop via: NY Times

3. Local Green Initiatives
Sustainable NYC
Park Slope Food Coop
Green Guerillas
Green Hill Food Coop

Beijing: Eating and drinking

There's really no comparison between Chinese food in the United States or Europe and Chinese food in China. One is typically cheap, greasy, uninventive, and sometimes bland; the other is a smorgasbord of different cuisines, from Uighur to Sichuan to Cantonese, with an astonishing range of flavors and textures. In Beijing, the ever-present street vendors hawk all sorts of stuffed pancakes, roasted vegetables and nuts, and sweet or savory pastries, all for under a dollar; while restaurants range from tiny local dives to ultra-fine dining, with minimalist décor and maximalist prices, attentive waitstaff and jewel-like confections served in course after course. Beer is the usual drink with dinner, often Tsingtao or Nanjing.

The types of tea are innumerable; it's worth stopping by a tea shop to marvel at their selection, and possibly to buy gifts to bring home. In hipper neighborhoods, the abundant cafés offer bubble tea, along with wi-fi, espresso drinks, and a comfy couch for students or freelancers to lounge with their laptops. Unlike street vendors, brick-and-mortar establishments tend to charge something closer to Western prices; and Western chains, which include Starbucks and Coldstone Creamery, seem to charge about as much as back home.

Seoul: Eating and drinking

Korean food is popular in the U.S. for its spicy and tangy flavors, along with its super-fresh ingredients. A colorful array of  small plates, called banchan (above center), arrive alongside your main dish. Sadly, the many banchan have made home cooking all but impossible for modern Koreans, but luckily, eating out is cheap: at most restaurants, lunch will run you W5,000 ($5) and dinner around W10,000. 

Seoul is one of the few places on Earth where McDonald's has fared poorly, because Koreans prefer the healthiness of their own cuisine. Along with the current wellness trend has come a rise in organic food, with the requisite organic cafes, often decorated in rustic style (above left). Korean barbecue came about as a way for restaurants to minimize kitchen size and staffing, and with all the heat, eating outside is popular.


Between meals, those who can afford it pay $10 for a French press coffee at chic cafes that range from a rustic French look to ultra-modern and streamlined. (Those who can't afford it skip meals to pay for coffee.) Tea drinkers shouldn't feel left out, as they can pay just as much to sip a variety of whole-leaf and even whole-blossom teas. For a bargain option, vending machines dispense instant tea and coffee for W300 ($0.30) on subway platforms and throughout the city.