We’ve asked some of the most inspiring German store owners to talk us through their ideas and plans for 2022. Thank you, Kerstin Görling, Nicole Mohrmann, Uwe Maier and Andreas Murkudis for spreading good vibes, motivation and your uniqueness.
Cin Cin to all beautiful innovators out there who make our fashion world shine bright.
How important is the synergy between online and offline business in the Bungalow world?
Very important! We are a multi-channel retailer and therefore we consider our online business as a third store. Bungalow relies on a constant communication between the two channels. For example, through the Click & Collect model in which our customer reserves the desired product online and then picks it up offline at the store.
Will you focus more on online or offline retail for the next year? Is there any difference between the online and offline consumer?
Definitely both. The stationary retail is very important for long-term customers whom we also know personally. However due to the current situation many have concerns and prefer online shopping.
But this does not apply to all customers. The target group at the store likes to be in contact and can be advised. On the other hand when shopping online the customer prefers to remain anonymous.
Everything you do has your very special signature and aesthetic – do you define this with your team or on your own? How do you implement it (e.g. your new logo the ice-bird)?
Most of the time I give the input and further steps are worked out together with the team. The Winkreative agency from London designed our great new icon for us. We had a few meetings where we explained our history, brand culture and aesthetics for more insight until we decided for the final logo.
What‘s your vision for 2022?
Bungalow should set itself even more apart from large luxury marketplaces especially regarding our brand culture. Our customers like exclusive pieces that are timeless and long-lasting. This is what we stand for and hope to implement this identity evenbetter in 2022.
How do you find the courage to always be ahead of your time and to fearlessly strike new paths?
I am driven by heart and passion with my feet on the ground. After 15 years as an entrepreneur in the fashion industry I feel what and when (it) is right for my business.
What’s your vision for 2022? What are you looking forward to the most? When you think of tomorrow, what comes to your mind?
We have learnt a lot in the last 2 years. Especially how to survive. We are now stronger than before and have new tools for the future. When I think about 2022, I hope for change. That we could act again and no longer just react. With our new self-confidence we are already making new colorful plans for Hayashi.
In your opinion what is needed to successfully run (or work at) a store in our todays/tomorrow’s world? And what are you looking for when you hire new talents?
Feet on the ground, Head in the sky. You have to think outside your system and a good self-assessment will get you further. Create dreams, create community. Be friendly. Be busy. Solve problems and make decisions.
Which projects are you planning for 2022 and what are you most excited about?
2022 marks the twentieth anniversary of the ANDREAS MURKUDIS universe so we have got a plethora of projects in the works. A particularly exciting one is the Copenhagen Collective project (the title is still a work-in-progress). In the past months, I’ve paid several visits to the Danish capital to meet with long-time colleagues and friends in the industry – Frederik Bille Brahe, Sophie Bille Brahe, Cecilie Bahnsen, Martin Gjesing and Nina Nørgaard amongst others – to craft a holistic “exhibition“ for ANDREAS MURKUDIS 81 (the main store) and ANDREAS MURKUDIS 77 (the gallery space). The aim is to bring a piece of Copenhagen’s culture – from the culinary landscape through to the capital’s acclaimed fashion scene – to the Potsdamer Straße. On a personal level, this project is a celebration of some of my oldest friendships in the industry. In ANDREAS MURKUDIS 98, Farah Ebrahimi (e15 Art Director), Philipp Mainzer (e15 Founder and Architect) and myself are thinking of ways to change up the e15 Showroom so to eventually have presented all the diverse pieces of furniture and products that the Frankfurt-based interior brand has to offer.
Is a new project long and meticulously planned or rather a product of an unexpected meeting and coincidental? The development of your projects, do they occur by chance or through an extensive planning?
The initial ideas for new projects spark from spontaneous conversations with colleagues and peers, more often than not. It is once such a fortuitous bud has sprouted that the planning process begins. For example, we are currently planning to stage a joint exhibition in ANDREAS MURKUDIS 77 between the artist Silvia Bächli and the light-designer Michael Anastassiades. I thought of introducing the two after having visited Michael’s exhibition at the ICA in Milan back in September. It was here that I realized how compatible Michael’s lamps are with the visual arts. I introduced him to Silvia and her drawings in London and soon their works will be on display in the Potsdamer Straße.
How do you manage to constantly incorporate art and architecture into your fashion vision?
The interface of these three disciplines (and many more, frankly) is the very essence of my stores’ concept. I founded my spaces precisely with this idea in mind – to interweave fashion, art, design and architecture. The stores are my attempt at a Gesamtkunstwerk, so to speak. If I’ve succeeded at this is for others to judge :) To give you a concrete example: In the Summer of 2020 we displayed Dries van Noten clothes against enlarged Viviane Sassen stills from Len Lye’s experimental films. The whole installation was then complimented by a large, colorful ‘bouquet’ of Bocci lamps. Here, fashion met art met film met interior design.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Simply by being so engulfed in this artistic cosmos and by being surrounded by so many creative minds, inspiration is just part of the daily agenda – I couldn’t dodge if I wanted to. It’s really a self-accelerating cycle – one encounter or idea inspires the next. I’m constantly thinking of ways to contextualize the objects and artworks I choose to display in my stores, beyond mere product placement.
What are you looking forward to the most in 2022?
A lot of the projects that will take place in 2022 were conceived in and planned for 2021, to be honest. By nature, I’m not the most patient person so I’m just excited for projects that have been in my mind for many months to finally come to fruition – hopefully!
How did you translate your successful offline store concept into the digital world?
Honestly, the first Covid lockdown forced me to think of something and be creative. That‘s why I used Instagram as a tool to actively and daily connect with our customers.
You seem to really enjoy working on social media – does it come spontaneously, or do you prepare it a long time ahead? How involved is your staff?
In the beginning everything was really spontaneous and without a plan. In the meantime, this is no longer possible. We now roughly plan a month in advance - with all the special promotions. The social media team is still small - one working student and me plus once a month a Social Media Strategist.
Where does your inspiration for your storytelling come from? How do you develop your stories?
Good question - I think I‘m a very open and curious person, that‘s why I constantly think of new actions etc. In addition, of course, I act on events of daily life. And I observe (if I have time) also accounts abroad.
What’s your vision for 2022? What are you looking forward to the most? When you think of tomorrow, what comes to your mind?
Expectations for 2022 I don’t have - hopes yes and I wish for 2022 more normality. But that can still take a bit because of the current situation and therefore I will continue to go my way, try to entertain our customers and simply make the best of it! Just stay positive and give everything.
