We couldn’t go to Berlin for the Fashion Week without abandoning the catwalks for at least a day to discover the green spirit of the city! So that’s exactly what we did, in a bit of a rush though! Here’s the result of our wanderings especially for you …

When we asked our new friends at TheKey.To and the GreenShowroom where to go, all of them recommended the same place: Wertwoll, THE green concept store in Berlin.

Located in the heart of Prenzlauer Berg, one of the trendiest districts of Berlin (beware, if you go by Berlin guide books, almost all districts, bars and restaurants are considered « amongst the trendiest » !!)

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Wertvoll

Wertvoll

So… located in the heart of the trendy district of Prenzlauer Berg, Wertvoll (“precious”, in German) is the reference in terms of ethical fashion. We had the pleasure to find some classics such as Kuyichi jeans, or G=9.8 lingerie (yes, there are some French brands over there!) but also to discover small local gems, as for example Silvia Bundschuh, who makes her hats and accessories by hand in her German workshop. We especially liked these camellia brooches made out of men’s suits … very chic!

Sylvia Bundschuh @ Wertvoll

Every item on sale here is either fairly-traded, made from organic materials, hand-made, manufactured using recycled materials or intended to support charitable projects… that’s already a good point!

We must also say that the team – Judith Finsterbusch and Monika Lesinski, the owners, and Tilman Weiland, the architect (who conceived the shop by using recycled materials – if you want to discover his work, click here) warmly welcomed us, which was nice given the cold that prevailed in all the trendy districts of Berlin that day!!

Wertvoll - l'équipe

Other Mecca of eco-fashion: the multi-brand Ecoshowroom.

There, we had the opportunity to discover the young German label Mikenke. For both of the founders of the brand – Rosa Gröszer and Tina Luther, who met each other during their fashion studies at the Weißensee Art College of Berlin – every step of the production process is an opportunity to question and to rethink fashion’s founding principles. Their workshop is a laboratory where classic cuts are optimized to produce less scrap and where new materials are studied. At the time of our visit, Mikenke and Dr Hauschka (one of the pioneers in organic cosmetics) were promoting a clever and attractive accessory: a convertible bracelet-hairband made of … salmon skin! This new type of leather, called “nanai”, is named after the German firm that developed the eco-friendly tanning and dyeing process of the salmon skins. The skins used come from organically-farmed salmons. Formerly fish cannery waste products, these skins now live a second life as high quality leather! It may sound odd but we’ve tried and the pictures speak for themselves… simply beautiful!

Bracelet & Hairband - Dr Hauschka et Mikenke

DrHauschka & Mikenke

DrHauschka & Mikenke

DrHauschka & Mikenke

Credits: Moods: Constantin Falk, Portrait Mikenke: Julischka Stengele, Packshots Produkt: Dr.Hauschka Kosmetik, Packshots Fashion Item: sieben&siebzig

On the cosmetic side, we found what we were looking for at Lotte Naturkosmetik. The shop showcased Dr. Hauschka (no big surprise… Germany is the brand’s home country after all!), but also some well-known local brands such as Lavera and Logona, and less known brands like i+m, which is locally produced in  Berlin.

Naturkosmetic Prenzlauerberg Berlin

Naturkosmetik

i+m & Logona

Close to starvation after an entire morning of shopping, we pepped ourselves up thanks to a hearty lunch at the vegetarian Seerose restaurant located in the (obviously trendy) district of West Kreuzberg. We feasted on goat cheese and spinach penne, crunchy seed salads and fresh carrot juice. Cheers! The setting reminded us more of a welcoming German farm than of a fashionista’s ultimate hide-out. We were all the more delighted to share our lunch with the neighbourhood’s locals… But that’s very trendy anyway right?!

Seerose

To end the day, there’s nothing like a dinner at the vegetarian restaurant Cookies and Cream, one of the trendiest of the city! You doubted it? The entrance is located behind the Westin hotel, in a dark alleyway full of garbage.  Visit their website, you will see for yourself …

Cookies & Cream

Cookies & Cream

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There’s absolutely no doubt about it, Berlin is “grüne” AND trendy … and we loved it!

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Julie & Marie

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Address Book

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Wertvoll

Marienburger Strasse 39

Prenzlauer Berg

10405 Berlin

www.wertvoll-berlin.com

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EcoShowroom

Almstadtstrasse 35

10119 Berlin

www.ecoshowroom.de

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Lotte Naturkosmetik

Prenzlauer Allee 40

Prenzlauer Berg

10405 Berlin

www.lotte-naturkosmetik.de

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Seerose

Mehringdamm 47

Kreuzberg, Berlin

www.seerose-berlin.de

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Cookies and Cream

55 Behrenstraße

10117 Berlin

www.cookiescream.com

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Julie & Marie

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