Berlin’s 032c gives a masterclass in refining ’90s club kid style

Germany’s capital is synonymous with club culture, and many new pilgrims that arrive on its sticky,concrete dance floors are still amazed by the freedom (and lack of bottle service) that reverberates through the walls of its techno temples, but the city has certainly transformed since the 1990s, in the years following German reunification, when Maria Koch, head designer at 032c, was raving.

“The parties we are talking about were happening in squats and bunkers — not the super commercial venues you see today,” Koch tells SLEEK over email. “One of the reasons we are interested in club culture of the ’90s specifically is that it was a time before things became hyper commercialised, before a brand could come along and mass produce a club identity. We think club culture was the last anti-consumer, authentic underground.”

These were the days that served as inspiration for 032c’s Cosmic Workshop collection that premiered this week. While the club-influence can definitely be felt in the collection’s utilitarian tailoring, there is also a refined, even ladylike, element to the sheer and textured, sequin pieces, which would make us think twice about wearing them to an actual squat party (consider a gauzy, white pleated maxi dress).

The collection shown at London’s The Strand was the brand’s second full runway show and the first time it has showed womenswear. While the men’s line came as an evolution of the streetwear merchandising of 032c magazine, the womenswear strand is Koch’s specialty, having worked in the industry for big names like, Jil Sander and Marios Schwab.

“The menswear line we launched last year was a very natural extension of what we were doing with our apparel lines — it simply made sense, and of course, it’s worn by women as well as men,” Koch said. “My background is in womenswear, though, so I feel much more in my element designing for women — it feels like I’m exploring the full spectrum of design, which is important to me as a designer, and important to 032c as an expansive, curious brand.”

Despite her work history, the designer is not looking to become a familiar face at fashion week. Like many young brands, who are not part of large luxury groups, Koch believes she can grow her line into something “major”, without relying on the traditional “fashion week mega-structure”.

The clubs in Berlin may have commercialised, but Koch is not convinced that the city’s fashion industry has the infrastructure and capital requirements to support her brand’s runways. “It will always be an ideas centre, a place for inspiration and dialogue — just not a commercial centre,” she admits. Still, Koch and 032c are not ruling anything out and are invested in being part of how the city’s industry develops.

In the meantime, check out the photos from their London runway below: