Parabellum—Built for a Lifetime

One of the most creative and eye-captivating collections that I was able to review at the Capsule Show in New York City last week was Los Angeles-based accessories label Parabellum.

Originally, the term parabellum was coined by DWM—the GermanWeapons and Munition Works—which was founded in 1896.

The term comes from the Latin phrase, si vis pacem, para bellum, translating as ‘If you wish for peace, prepare for war’.

Parabellum belts, pouches, cases, portfolios, and wallets are all handcrafted, using the rare hides of North American bison, which are raised free-range on small reservation owned ranches.

Instead of metal furnishings, buckles and other highlights are made with military grade ceramic, which is rugged enough for anti-ballistic plating in vehicles.

Inspiration of each Parabellum accessory is deeply rooted in military history, such as the WWII grenade pouch, which can be attached to a belt (photo top).

Photos Copyright Parabellum.

Acne Jeans & 90 Years of “Bauhaus—A Conceptual Model”

Finding its roots in Modernism of the 1880’s, one of the most influential schools of design was founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany.

Although the school’s doors were forced closed by the Nazis in 1933, disciples of the movement emigrated all over the world and disseminated the teachings of Bauhaus, which ultimately exerted a profound impact on industrial, graphic and interior design; color theory; painting; textiles; fashion and apparel; and, of concern to us, menswear.

Now marking its 90th birthday, Germany is celebrating with the “Bauhaus—A Conceptual Model” exhibition, which, from July 22nd to October 4th, will present approximately 1,000 objects in 18 galleries at the Martin-Gropius-Bau Museum in Berlin.

Bauhaus, which means “House of Building” or “Building School,” marked a new era in design after WWI and now represents a long-lasting revolution owing to its principles of form.

Keeping in step with the celebration, the 2009 spring/summer of Acne explores the Bauhaus legacy, which harmonizes function with design.

Keeping in step with the revolution, creative director Jonny Johansson integrates the Bauhaus concept in a commemoration of the Fifties’ youth, whose rebellion, sexual liberation, and pursuit of fun unleashed the modern teenage culture. In Acne’s words,

“Significantly it was also the era when jeans became a serious fashion item. Nothing said rebellion like denim. But the emphasis of the collection is on the young and playful, giving the man back the boldness of his teenage years with the Bauhaus simple sophistication.”

Acne started in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1997 with 100 pairs of jeans!

So, if you can’t celebrate Bauhaus at the exhibition in Berlin, you can still celebrate with Acne in a pair of Bauhaus-inspired jeans.



Photo 2009 spring/summer collection Copyright Acne.
Slideshow 2009 spring/summer collection Copyright Acne.

Luise&Franck: The Individualists

Luise&Franck is a Franco-German label that was born in 2007 out of the convergence of two unique individuals who bring numerous dualities into one brand: light vs. dark, fitted and loose, melancholic yet fun.

The dualities began with two individualists, who met on the banks of a fashion school in Paris in 2005.

Franck Pouch is a native of Paris, while Luise Schwarze is from Halle an der Saale—a picturesque city in eastern Germany that is home to composers like Händel, theologians, and several religious movements.

Luise and Franck define their collections as reflecting the contemporary evolution of the definition, of masculinity, whereby "emotion and fragility rise in a perpetual opposition between structure and fluidity."

Minimalist but expressive, the styles draw heavily on East German expression art, which deals not so much in clear messages as in evoking strong feelings through images that explore the human psyche often through distortions of reality.

Combined with the atmospheric sounds of psych folk music and the ornamental eclecticism of postmodern architecture, Luise&Franck represents a menswear brand that is made by "individuals for individuals."

The 2009 s/s collection entitled “Reborn” brilliantly develops the dualities of Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote “It will be eternally reborn and return again from destruction,” when he was exploring the concepts of joy and power through the antitheses of tragedy and weakness.

As for the 2009 a/w collection, “Vanished” derives its inspiration from the surrealistic collection of award-winning Japanese photographer Ikkō Narahara, “Where Time has Vanished,” which documents his travels throughout the US.



Slideshow 2009 s/s collection "Reborn" & 2009 a/w collection "Vanished" Copyright Luise&Franck.
Photo top left Copyright Luise&Franck.

Patrick Mohr's Quadrangle Renaissance

Close your eyes and tell me what images come to mind when I say, “Germany.” Beer fest, bratwurst and sauerkraut, the Autobahn, cuckoo clocks, castles, and maybe the Cologne Cathedral?! Well, how about fashion?! “Maybe lederhosen,” you say—those famous knickerbockers made of leather?! Stereotypes don’t die fast…

As we learned in the last article, Berlin alone is home to over 700 designers. The city also hosts the bi-annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, as well as the infamous European menswear show, Bread and Butter! Moreover, young German tourists were the biggest buyers in my showroom in Naples, Italy, always searching for the newest trends.

Twenty-nine years ago, a young man by the name of Patrick Mohr was born in Mainz, Germany. The city is also birthplace to Johannes Gutenberg, who has been credited with inventing the mechanical printing process circa 1439, revolutionizing book-making in Europe and fueling the European Renaissance!

After a 4-year stint of modeling in Milan and Paris, Patrick studied fashion at the prestigious Esmod Fashion School in Berlin. Living up to the reputation of his Mainz predecessor, Patrick has been stamping his name on menswear with prize-winning collections since graduation in 2007.

Now based in Munich and Paris, Patrick has been pressing hard to stamp out his 2009 summer collection around the world, including Australia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, and Spain.

Patrick succeeds in binding together ∆ quadrangle jeans, jerseys, and eye wear with a thread of affordable prices and eclectic themes of deconstructed shapes and asymmetrical patterns.