Studio Visit: BLESS

Tucked away in a rear building in the family-friendly Berlin neighbourhood of Prenzlauer Berg, the world of BLESS lies behind the stucco-adorned facade of an apartment building. Only the word BLESS, written in capital letters on the doorbell, hints at what is to be explored. After walking up to the third floor in the never-ending Altbau staircase, the door opens and Mitchan, the current store manager, welcomes me into BLESSHome – which he at the same time also calls his home. 

The two founders of BLESS, Ines Kaag and Desiree Heiss, brought BLESSHome to life in 2009 after an extensive set of trials experimenting with how to bring BLESS products closer to the consumer. Ranging from clothes to everyday objects and everything in between, the products revealed their full purpose and potential in their display at the first pop-up shops. Products were conceptualised with the intention to either accompany everyday life or to be lived in – that is to say, as clothes. After its first iteration as a shop in Berlin Mitte, BLESS moved the space for customer interactions to a more private and intimate environment. Thus, BLESSHome was born and with it the idea that the store managers actually live in the space to showcase the experience of what life with BLESS might look like.

As soon as I set foot in the apartment/store, Mitchan welcomes me with a set of BLESS slippers that are shaped to resemble high-top sneakers, just with the twist of being indoor shoes. As I’m trying to take in every corner of the space, it’s almost a physical instinct to take a closer look. Like those memes that say the more you look the more you see, I notice a hairbrush made out of real hair (you can even send them your own hair to have an individual hairbrush made) and a chocolate vinyl record that can play a song up to five times and which afterwards can be eaten. There is a wine glass with a base made of rock, making it look more like a piece of art than a glass that is there to be used. Both Desiree and Ines never defined their work as art though; their aim is to enrich and give meaning to everyday life. For them, BLESS pieces are to be understood as art with a functional twist rather than objects in museums. 

After asking Mitchan about the wine glass, he explained that the design involves a rock so the glasses do not spill over when you take them out for a picnic. The glass is the creative work of EXOTERIKA, a group of former design students at HFG Karlsruhe. It seems as if everything is connected by the core value of serving a purpose, all building up to form the BLESS universe in this one-bedroom Prenzlauer Berg apartment.

These rich conceptual ideas are based on problems of practicality or on social and cultural issues. The physical manifestation of the solution to these problems is the BLESS product. BLESS is its own self-contained world; it doesn’t go with the seasons but creates its own rhythm. Each item gets a number once it is introduced, and it can then be reproduced. During the design process, neither Ines nor Desiree decides how much functionality one product must fulfil. Trusting in the idea of emotional attachment as a form of functionality, BLESS creates products in the design studios in Berlin and Paris that will stay by your side as a loyal companion, thus finding its purpose in being useful there. Since BLESS items require the consumer to really engage with the product thoroughly, each individual accessorises their purchase differently, creating new communication flows inside the BLESS community. 

The act of rebuilding the connection from product to consumer at BLESS seems like a criticism of fashion at first, but both founders have given up on the idea of fighting the industry long ago. BLESS is an act of rebellion within the fashion sphere without forcing others to change their mind, letting critics be critics. Inhabiting a space in between, BLESS nourishes those with a different perspective and offers an alternative to fashion overkill.

Fully immersed in the BLESS world, I’m now invited into the bedroom of the apartment, where a pattern of hundreds of faces dominates the space. A scarf and a matching set of jacket and trousers are covered with images of people blurring into one big swirl that depicts every collaborator BLESS has ever worked with, all in one picture. Mitchan finds his face in the crowd on the scarf and points at it with a smile. Collaboration stands big at BLESS, with each person aiming for genuine creative exchange; this can be challenging, but it always shows up new routes and innovative ideas. 

Personal interactions are a daily occurrence at BLESSHome. Some customers even become friends. Once, Mitchan got hungry as the last customer was still in the store, so he started to cook, set the table and asked the then-stranger if he also wanted to have dinner with him, to which he happily agreed. BLESS always seeks to find meaning and the door for that always remains open; well, if not always via private appointments, then at least from Wednesday to Saturday during the opening hours.

As featured in SLEEK 78 – BLISS. Available in print and digital here.