It seems to be a trend for Berlin designers to trace their own youth for style inspiration. Malaika Raiss’s fashion journey into the past, however, was the most expansive of all, packing almost her entire individual discovery phase into one collection in keeping with her principle of “dressing the woman I always imagined I’d be one day,” from Nirvana to John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the original mothers of Y2K. The result was a (time-) capsule wardrobe that would fit in a single suitcase.
The biggest challenge of the whole process was to combine grunge, modernity and sufficient elegance without the individual components losing any of their energy. Rough knitwear was paired with flowing dresses, heavy coats were loosened up with vintage-sourced Levi’s jeans, and classic blazers were sprinkled between off-shoulder dresses. The designer seemed particularly keen to be as close as possible to the real behavior of those who shop her line. “I think it very much reflects the style of my customers. They mainly buy pieces from me which they combine casually,” said Raiss after the show, referring to her last collections, which were a little more consistently elegant. “Many of my customers are recognizable in these new looks,” she said. “It wasn’t just a question of my own fashion past, but also their present.”
