Photos and text by Iva Batistic
Fast Fashion? – No, thank you!
What do you get when you mix wine, light, sounds and vintage clothes at low and fair prices sold by the kilo? An extraordinary show experience for all senses.
Sustainability – a term long known but rarely practiced, especially by the fashion industry. VinoKilo a.k.a. Robin Balser is changing that. For his pop up fashion show “Soundofafishingboat x VinoKilo“ on 4 October 2019 at Kunstverein Familie Montez, Robin had 30 models walk one of the hippest locations in Frankfurt. Dressed in sustainable vintage designs they were accompanied by an extraordinary light and sound show by SOUNDofAFISHINGBOAT a.k.a. Neil Balser.
Guests could not only experience a professional fashion show first hand, but were able to purchase the clothes afterwards, hand-picked high quality pieces of clothing were railed in the hall. As tunes by Eddy Hernández and Tim Eder played in the background, a glass of wine in one hand and a smile on their face, the trained eye made its way through the racks.
The young designer also opened up the stage for great local talent such as Fünf Clothing, Mainseam upcycled fashion, Menashion, moski.to, The Statement Thing, and Chii Nguyen Linh.
The show took place in two interconnected rooms. Models graciously glided through the “slow room”, entering the “fast room” in a more brisk pace. While guests at the former experienced a live sound show, the ones in the latter listened to Neil’s compositions on headphones. This parallel sound practice shows a socio-critical component mirroring the isolation of individuals in a “fast” environment: We are all part of the same structures but disconnected at the same time.
Who/What is VinoKilo?
VinoKilo wants to inspire people worldwide to see secondhand as a valid and long-term alternative to newly produced clothes. More and more people are looking for unique and individual ways to express themselves – what better way to do this than with your choice of style?
It all started in Groningen, when Robin established a small clothing library where he and his friends exchanged pieces of clothing. When his rental contract was terminated he sent out a FB invitation to sell his collection. More than 400 people showed up. The rest is history.
Per year, the average German throws out 10 to 12 kilogram of clothes – enough to dress the entire world population up to three times. Since VinoKilo was founded in 2015, some 90.000 kilograms of clothing have found new owners. Also, buying secondhand clothes means saving 7000 liters of water per item. While the fast fashion industry could consider changing regulations of their production, making it more sustainable, Robin Balser is successfully tackling this matter head on.
The social entrepreneur will expand his portfolio to include children’s clothes and also attract customers over 25 – currently, 80 % of his visitors are between 17 and 25 years old. So, pack your family and come join the next Vintage Kilo Sale in Frankfurt on 9 November 2019 at Halle 414, Gwinnerstraße 42, 60388 Frankfurt. If you prefer online shopping, check out their store.
Source: Reflecta.network and Journal Frankfurt
