By Richard Carroll; Photography by Halina Kubalski
The name rolls off the tongue in a poetic and memorable ring, the resonance tantalizing the ear like a beloved song. Dusseldorf, a little over an hour train ride from Frankfurt is world removed, and refreshingly faithful to art and fashion. Overlooking the vast Lower Rhine River in the heart of Germany, the city is brimming with energy and vitality with an elevated living standard and a five-star lifestyle, eminent among the best cities in Europe.
The creativity swirling through the city on the wings of fashion designers and students, ongoing fashion trade shows, and fervent fashion boutiques, has taken hold in Dusseldorf, not unlike the fashion cities of Milan, Rome, Paris, and London. With four public and ten private universities as well as Gallery Dusseldorf, Breuninger, and Fashion Design Institute, the dominant fashion school in Germany, everyone seems to be young, and even the older Dusseldorf folks look youthful.
The destination is one of the country’s brightest stars, yet often bypassed thanks to a rather threadbare tourist trail. With sustainability an ongoing focus, and Germany being one of Europe’s top solar producers, Dusseldorf is a green city with gorgeous leafy parks and gardens, ponds with snooty swans, impressive art centers, grand palaces smartly converted to elegant museums, and designated bicycle lanes with a cycling community not yet on the level of Amsterdam but inching forward. Bicycles or not, Dusseldorf is a compact city the residents say just relax everything in the city is only 20 minutes away, which includes the neighborhood near the main train station, home to one of the largest Japanese communities in Europe, and thriving Old Town adjacent to the Rhine River.
Fashion, City Center
For a mid-sized city, Dusseldorf has the most attractive city-center fashion shopping street in Germany, if not all Europe. The hefty bouquet of fashion influence drifts through the city center on a silver chalice. Mile-long Konigsallee, called Ko by residents and visitors alike, is lined with Prada, Miu Miu, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, Hermes, Armani, Fendi, Fashionette, Barbara Freres storefronts, and engaging fashion boutiques casting a huge presence in their shadows. Ko is separated by a large garden-like pond canopied with trees, small street bridges with Victorian-style lamps offering access to either side of Ko, while the island of green alters Ko as if it has been separated into two different streets. A visitor said, “It’s like shopping in a big park!”
Drenched with soothing morning light, Marion Strehlow’s intimate atelier in the Oberbilk city district, in a ground floor complex where she both lives and works, inspires a feeling of creativity and inspiration. Her collection of unisex garments would fit naturally on Ko with their dark, earthy colors. Smiling, “I started from zero in 1998. I spent three years in fashion school and work with Italian fabrics, cotton and cashmere, and beautiful black cloth. I love to sew and create a garment from beginning to end, and make my own look, a look that is clean with unexpected hidden details, comfortable and classy to wear, and for all ages. I follow my heart and create garments that I love. I do have a clientele, and visitors can come to the studio if they call or email me.” www.stre-low.com, info@stre-low.com, 49 (0) 172 29 88 500.
“Don’t Panic It’s Organic” is Heiko Wunder’s call to sustainability. His Wunderatelier {Werk} and retail stores are a commitment to an absolute sustainable lifestyle and a fully organic fashion collection. He said, “My fabric is from Austria free of toxic chemicals, and it’s softer and more attractive, and good for your skin, and I use stone nuts in place of plastic buttons.” His casual clothing is classic, not trendy, with six retail stores throughout Germany. www.wunderwerk.com
Suzusan, is a Japanese family-owned fashion house in business for over 100 years. Creative Director, Hiroyuki Murase said, “I design the collection and they are manufactured in Japan by my family dating to the 5th generation with special age-old Japanese skills. Cashmere-a favorite.” His clothes have been worn by Natalie Portman and created for Dior. www.suzusan.com.
Dusseldorf, a luxury fashion destination has a significate assemblage of elite fashion designers, a pleasure for fashionists world-wide.
