Fashion Evolution

The world of fashion winds its way through the city like an elegant thread and – in typical fashion for Düsseldorf - on short paths. It is only a few minutes' walk from the high fashion boutiques on the world-famous Königsallee to the showrooms of well-known brands. Designers with their own, smaller brands also shape the city`s fashion image with their boutiques and studios in Flingern, Unterbilk and Hafen - and in many other places. Even Die Toten Hosen dedicated a song to "Modestadt Düsseldorf" back in the 1980s. But how is the industry, especially the stationary retail trade, doing now of after the pandemic - in a time when online trade is demonstrating strong growth and important topics like sustainability and diversity are placing completely new demands on the fashion industry?

At fi rst glance a sober assessment of the most recent economic statistics from 2020, the fi rst year of the pandemic, reveals: 1,067 companies with almost 18,000 employees subject to social security contributions worked within the industry, with an annual turnover of 9.03 billion euros in the city. "The industry" in this case is like an extremely diverse potpourri with contributors from the areas of clothing, accessories, beauty and lifestyle (see also p. 16). Compared to 2018, it thus recorded a slight decline (1,153 companies, approx. 19,200 employees, a turnover of approx. 10.2 billion euros). However, it remains a key revenue driver in the metropolis by the Rhine - and the city is very invested in maintaining and expanding this status.

The "Planning, Building, Living" speech by Lord Mayor Dr Stephan Keller at the MIPIM real estate trade fair in March 2023, which can be viewed on the city's YouTube channel, makes a strong statement in this regard. "Kö-Bogen 1 and 2 have shown that it is possible to completely redesign a city. And we will now take the next step. In the next fi ve years, 2.5 billion euros will be invested in and around the world-famous shopping mile. Calatrava Boulevard (Centrum Group) will receive 1.1 billion euros. Trinkhaus Caree 500 million (Momeni), Le Coer 400 million (Hines), Kö-Tower Königsallee 106 300 million (Catella) and the conversion of Galeria Kaufhof 120 million (Signa)," said the city leader in Cannes. These enormous investments will also benefit the fashion business.

“Kö-Bogen 1 and 2 have shown that it is possible to completely redesign a city”

— Dr. Stephan Keller Lord Mayor of Düsseldorf

"Personally, I regard Düsseldorf as the current and future number one fashion location in Germany, ahead of Berlin and Munich. You mustn't forget the economic and purchasing power we have, with the still remaining 600 showrooms and also trade fairs that attract so many interested people to the city," says Ulrike Kähler, Managing Director at Düsseldorf trade fair organiser IGEDO Exhibitions. The experienced and well-connected entrepreneur has been in the fashion and trade fair business for decades; her parents ran the children's fashion shop "Ulrich & Ulrike" on Schadowplatz for over 50 years. "As a fashion location, we are an established player and that is sometimes regarded as a bit boring in our industry, which often goes for glamour and novelty. That is the reason why, in my eyes, we have to communicate more to the world what Düsseldorf actually means as a fashion location. The city is a place-to-be for the industry, in particular on the two fixed order dates at the end of January and the end of July and on the order dates in March and August for SHOES Düsseldorf," says Kähler.

In recent years, the economic development agency for Düsseldorf, Wirtschaftsförderung, has worked hard to increase this visibility. "With the introduction of the now well-established umbrella brand "Düsseldorf Fashion Days" in 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, we laid the foundation for our future work with Fashion Net Düsseldorf e.V.," explains Head of Office Theresa Winkels. The new umbrella brand emphasises that Düsseldorf is open for order business 365 days a year, with peaks during the Düsseldorf Fashion Days in winter and summer. "In order to make these dates more visible and to involve the stationary retail trade, we have developed the Düsseldorf Fashion Days Festival Edition in 2021.

This way we create a platform for the retail trade that takes place every summer and move Düsseldorf as a fashion location and the topic of experiential shopping into the national spotlight," adds Theresa Winkels. Compared to other metropolises, the city can play on its strength of being a "10-minute city" – offering a diverse range of shopping experiences, culture, lifestyle and gastronomy all within easy reach. The economic development agency is also pushing for a city management: "The city manager acts as a central contact for all local traders and their concerns and is in regular contact with the location and marketing associations in the state capital. We aim to build on this foundation over the coming years and shape our formats together with the contributors in a sustainable and future-oriented way," says Winkels.

“As a Fashion Location, we are an established Player and that ist sometimes regarded as a bit boring in our industry, which often goes for glamour and novelty.”

Speaking of sustainability - this is only possible if the next generation of designers is supported and retained. Like young designers who think and act outside the box (see page 48). Startups that advance the fashion world with innovative business ideas. All these young designers find a supportive ecosystem in the wider Düsseldorf region, where numerous specialised educational institutions (see info box) work with a wide variety of local fashion brands and events offer platforms for exchange and presentation. •

3 Questions to Claudia Ebert-Hesse

Professor Claudia Ebert-Hesse is Dean of studies of Fashion Design BA (Hons) as part of the Design Department at the AMD Akademie Mode & Design Düsseldorf, a staple in the fashion community for more than 30 years.

How do you link up the students with their future working environment?

We give them the opportunity to build up and use a practiceoriented network very early on through co-operations with the industry or also with cultural institutions. Recently, for example, we had a project with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, where we dealt with historical costumes. In order to strengthen our local network, we also meet regularly with the economic development agency. And, of course, we also maintain a global network so that students can gain international experience - for example, with university co-operations in Europe, the USA and Australia.

What role do trends like sustainability orgender identity play in your courses?

They have an extreme influence on design and fashion, which is why they are integral parts of our curriculum - and they are also eagerly accepted. We teach as many basics as possible that are helpful in developing new design strategies. We are the only fashion university in Germany to offer a Master's degree with a focus on sustainability.

How are digitalisation and AI changing fashion design?

Quantitively, many new ideas can be produced through the possibilities of digitalisation. And nowadays fashion designers find it more important to choose designs after critical evaluation, based on aesthetical understanding, and to come up with a different composition of the best ones and then place them in new contexts - like conducting an orchestra. I think this conceptual and analytical skill will become more important.

2023/03, Key topic engVIVID Magazin13. Juli 2023Düsseldorf