Bread & Butter is the largest Urban and Streetwear tradeshow in Europe. Showcasing the lastest innovations, their motto is ‘Best Brands. Best Buyers. Best Business’. The Berlin event sprawls across 8 disused airport hangars and is attended by a host of the industry’s biggest players. Last week we explored the AW 12/13 collections, profiling the latest trends and selecting our Top 5 brands of the show.
Bread & Butter: The Top Brands
1. Moods of Norway
Hailing from Stryn in Norway, three friends founded Moods of Norway in 2003 and since then it’s gone on to be stocked across Europe, Japan and the U.S. With the ethos of creating ‘happy clothes for happy people around the world’, the brand injects sartorial wit into everything it does. Take the woven care labels which read ‘made with love by really really pretty blonde girls’, or the cocktail and tractor emblems worked into knits and prints. Then there’s the ‘Spending Pants’ – a pair of jeans intended for those feeling flush, with the Norwegian Oil value over the past 50 years embroidered on the back pocket and ‘Flat out broke’ printed inside the pockets for when the money has stopped rolling. With such strong and witty branding and for such fervent disregard for the economic climate, we give these guys a thumbs up.
2. Spitfire
The coolest in eyewear, Spitfire’s face furniture struck us as being particularly worthy of a mention. Taking overtly vintage shapes and reworking them in unexpected materials such as wood or neon plastics, the brand feels at once retrospective and cutting edge. We were particularly fond of the two-tone winged shades and the 40s inspired motorbike shielded sunglasses. On trend for SS12’s automotive appreciation!
3. Adidas Originals
With their high-impact stands and hoards of well-trained sales staff, it isn’t hard for the big brands to be noticed at tradeshows. Adidas Originals, however, stood out from the crowd – demonstrating a sense of charm that many of the powerhouses overlook. Adidas took the opportunity to display the results of really eclectic unisex collaborations, including the latest from Jeremy Scott, David Beckham and footwear concept Ransom. But it was the Adidas Blue line that struck us as being particularly innovative. Aimed at a more mature customer, the line took a plethora of hipster references and created a range which felt new and very interesting. Reworked heritage prints combined with sports meshes, suede bomber jackets with feminine detailing and quilted shirt/coat hybrids were amongst the stand out pieces of a thoughtfully designed ranged.
4. T&F Slack Shoemakers
With so much newness around, we sought comfort in footwear label, T&F Slack Shoemakers whose traditional product speaks of true craftmanship. Having been in business for 40 years, ‘slow design’ is at the core of the company ethos, as the considered product bears testament. Whilst bright soles are a popular trend currently, T&F’s beautiful suede brogues, with contrast sole and laces will survive well beyond the glut of interpretations.
5. One Green Elephant
Denim is big news at Bread & Butter and we were fed plenty of food for thought when it came to washes, fastenings and shapes. One brand which really caught our eye was One Green Elephant. OGE’s eco range uses 100% organic cotton denim and they treat/dye their garments in an ecologically conscious way. Their intense palette of bright greens, near-neon blues, raspberries and turquoise, paired with double-dye effects made us smile. And even better, makes the planet feel happy too.
Katie Smith
