Why did you decide to set up Fier Management, your own fashion events agency for young emerging designers?

I moved to Berlin in 2008 and started to work for a start-up that specialised in fashion. There, I met Lisa Filippini and we decided to create this agency together in order to represent emerging fashion designers from the Berlin scene. We knew that Berlin had great potential in the fashion world, but it was still behind in terms of its local designers attaining international recognition. We saw a niche there and decided to set up Fier in 2010. The main idea was to organise events that would allow us to spread the word about young fashion designers. From there, we grew a lot. We developed a blog that we constantly feed with fashion news, we organised the first fashion film festival in Berlin, and we opened a concept-store in order to sell our designers' work.

Why Berlin?

Berlin has a strategic, geographical position. It is in the centre of Europe, which makes it open to Nordic, and Eastern markets but allows it to still be linked to France and Italy, countries that are traditionally more established in terms of fashion.

As you are constantly in touch with young and emerging designers, in your opinion, what do they need in order to grow and gain recognition?

They really need to work on their identity, and be aware of how necessary it is to invest in their image. I think that's something that Berlin fashion designers still overlook. They don't invest enough in their image and in building their brand.

In your opinion, what are the most important rules an emerging designer must follow in order to become a fully professional designer?

To begin with, it is absolutely necessary to have a very clear and neat website and lookbook. When I say clear and neat, I mean that your must be able to actually see the clothes. It might sound a bit stupid but it’s true. We see a lot of lookbooks and websites with fancy pictures of men in the countryside and women's lips etc. They’re very beautiful but if you can't see the clothes, you can’t see your work!

It’s also really important to start getting posts or articles published about your work in the press or in fashion blogs, and sell some of your creations in a few shops.

You must also have a strong brand identity! You have to start by thinking that there are thousands and thousands of fashion brands out there. Yours has to be different, strong and easily identifiable. Time must be invested in this.

Finally, price your work fairly.

¿What are the most common concerns and questions asked by emerging fashion designers who come to you to organise an event?

Most of the time they are concerned with their prices. It’s really difficult to establish a price for your own creations. We always advise them to take into account that if their prices are too high they won't sell but if they’re too low they won't be taken seriously. They also have to take into account the time they spend in creating the artwork, as well as the material they use. They also have to know their target clients, who they want to sell their work to.

¿How do you select the designers you are going to represent and sell in your concept store?

Some designers contact us directly and want us to represent them. We base our decision on a bunch of criteria that could be summed up as the following: their creations must be of quality; they must be affordable and wearable, but still interesting and different. It’s risky representing emerging designers because you invest everything in them and have to build their image up from nothing sometimes. But when a designer sees the results of our work and is grateful to you for your efforts, it’s the most rewarding thing about the job.

We currently have a great selection from a wide range of countries at KONZEPT86, ranging from the geometric prints and flowy shapes of Laend Pheungkit, to the grundgy cuts of Ukrainian label Sasha Kaneviski, and playful shapes of Mexican Los Vladimirovich. But we also showcase designers from Italy whose designs are best suited to Berlin, such as womenswear label Mimi Factory, jewellery designer MySkin, and accessories label 72SmallDive.

What about your next adventures?

We are planning to play a stronger PR role for our Konzept86 designers. We will be hosting monthly events and photoshoots, working with the press and strengthening our social media. For the next Berlin Fashion Week we are also going to present new designers, but this time, we’re going to follow them throughout the whole year and push sales. And of course, last but not least, there will be the next edition of the Berlin Fashion Film Festival, which we are already working on to get sponsorship for, so finger’s crossed!

Fier Management on The Art Boulevard

Berlin Fashion Film Festival on The Art Boulevard.

Konzept86 on The Art Boulevard