SLEEK: We’re talking about passion in this issue. Let’s start with Montblanc’s latest leather collection Extreme 3.0, designed by creative director Marco Tomasetta. You’re one of the brand’s ambassadors, and the collection epitomises the joie de vivre of a life spent in motion, daily adventures. Do you have an example of a daily adventure, a daily experience?
Jannis Niewöhner: Adventures always come from movement. Movement always stands for new encounters – any new beginnings, new ideas, new possibilities, variety. And for me, of course, this takes place in my professional life. I meet new colleagues or directors with whom I develop something together or create a world. Or there are scenes that have only existed on paper so far, and that you then have to realise somehow in a playful and cinematic way. But adventures also always arise when not everything has been planned out beforehand, and new things are allowed to happen that you didn’t know before.
S: Sustainability is one of the most important topics today. Is your ecological footprint important to you?
JN: Yes, I think it’s important to think about your decisions, they have to make sense to you so that you can enjoy them. I travel a lot and always try to take the train. The train is one of the places where I can learn best. In the city, I really only ride my bike.
LEFT JANNIS JACKET & T-SHIRT Zadig & Voltaire TROUSERS Jil Sander BAG Montblanc RIGHT JANNIS FULL LOOK Louis Vuitton BAG Montblanc.
JANNIS FULL LOOK Prada BAG Montblanc
S: As discussed, you’re a Montblanc brand ambassador. Why did you choose Montblanc?
JN: I decided that if I was going to do this kind of collaboration, I had to know exactly why. I knew that Montblanc stands for quality, for tradition and for attention to detail. But the most important thing for me is that all products can be combined with a love for stories. And that also applies to my love for stories and for value.
S: Value also means sustainability. If possible, you don’t throw high-quality things away; in the best case, you inherit them, pass them on. Have you also received an heirloom?
JN: Yes! I actually inherited a black leather bag from my father that belonged to my grandfather. I took it with me everywhere. After more than 60 years, it’s now finished, and so it’s on display at my house.
S: Oscar Wilde once said that you can tell a man by his shoes. Do you recognise a man by the accessories, a bag he wears?
JN: Yes, totally. The kind of bag someone chooses tells a story, but also how the bag looks, how it is handled. It says something about a person and it stimulates the imagination. It gives you an idea of the paths someone takes, the places someone travels to, what they need, whether they need a lot or a little. Also, how much I want to decorate myself, how much I value good quality, or whether I just need something to carry my most important things. All of that.
LEFT JANNIS FULL LOOK Prada RIGHT JANNIS SUIT Versace LONGSLEEVE Schiesser SUNGLASSES Moncler x Gentlemonster BAG Montblanc
S: Have you ever played a role where a bag was important?
JN: Actually, in Munich: The Edge of War (2021). In that, I play a German diplomat who works for Hitler in the foreign ministry just before the Second World War and is actually involved in the resistance movement against Hitler. He carries documents in his briefcase that say what Hitler’s real intentions are in order to pass that on to the British. In that respect, the briefcase and what was carried in it played a very important role.
S: Are you more interested in arthouse films or are you also into blockbusters?
JN: Both really, a lot! With blockbusters, there’s not so much new stuff to see, yet it has a totally powerful effect because it’s so incredibly big and elaborately staged. But I love arthouse films and the possibility of finding new narrative forms through them.
S: Is there a director you’re dying to work with?
JN: Many. In New York there are two brothers, the Safdie brothers. They always tell special ‘milestones’ and every film becomes a trip. Those are two people I would work with in a heartbeat.
JANNIS SUIT Versace LONGSLEEVE Schiesser SUNGLASSES Moncler x Gentlemonster BAG Montblanc
The Montblanc Extreme 3.0 Collection will be available to shop from 1st July 2022 in Montblanc boutiques worldwide and online at montblanc.com.
Credits
Photography: Eoin Moylan
Talent: Jannis Niewohner
Styling: Alisa Vornehm
Hair: Wataru Suzuki using Less is More Organic Haircare, Dyson Deutschland
Makeup: Tina Pachta
Concept & Creative Producer: Claude Gerber
Photography Production: Lea Pech
Production Assistant: Sonya Mazuryk
1st Photography Assistant: Liam Mulligan
2nd Photography Assistant: Fabrizio Bilello
Styling Assistant: Illia Kulishov
As featured in SLEEk 73 – PASSION. Available in print and digital here.