Words Maria Rauter / mmrauter /

Berlin-based designer duo RICHERT BEIL recently celebrated their third runway show UTOPIA (A/ W 20/21) outside the confinements the official Berlin Fashion Week, which was held earlier this year. Hosting a self-produced show enabled the designers to avoid creative austerity and dictated time tables. Smart! The show was held at the Cleanteam dry cleaner’s headquarter on Berlin’s northern end, and it turned out the choice of location was in no way involuntary: The idea was to offer its 400 guests a glimpse behind the manifold stations and stages of professional cleaning and reconditioning – most probably to emphasise the duo’s unmistakable efforts towards sustainability, quality and longevity. The first opening looks, which almost seemed like a sartorial ode to Ozzy Osbourne in the late 90s, featured a lot of outerwear (coats in particular!), black, minimalist combinations, and decidedly straight cuts. It was all about living and breathing inclusivity, obviously. The rest of the lineup illustrated a clear inclination to workwear showcasing the typical colour schemes and patterns of military garments. We’re talking camouflage, signal colours such as orange, yellow and red and a reinterpretation of trenchcoats and sports jackets. Lest we forget to mention accessoires: XXL bags, shopping bags and the brand’s first independent ten-piece jewellery collection (all produced in Germany!) pay tribute to a future where animal leather no longer persists and jewellery in general becomes gender neutral. In light of a newly-formed individualism that emphasises a novel approach toward originality the designers acknowledged their artisan dexterity far beyond the usual concepts of creative craftsmanship and design thinking. All while staying true to their underlying guiding manifesto of UTOPIA: "I believe in the future, the freedom of identity, and tolerance of sexuality. Beauty and human dignity have no size, no gender, no age, no religion, no sex and no origin."