Team Credits:

Photography by Suzana Holtgrave
Styling by Andrea Horn
Hair & Make up by Tony Lundström (at Blossom Management)
Model: Stacia Roz (at TFMmodels)

Fashion Credits:

All pieces by Lena‘s Lovely Vintage

Rhyannon grew up as Ryan in a small village in England. “When I was a teenager, boys weren’t allowed to have long hair. But I always wanted to grow my hair long and I also wanted to wear girls’ clothes.” She felt trapped because of not being able to express herself and the femininity she had within. “I wasn’t particularly comfortable in a male presentation. Having a male body was OK, but I wasn’t comfortable about the demand to be a man.”

When Rhyannon was the little child called Ryan, she loved to dress up as a fairy. Suddenly she was herself. “It felt like, ‘Oh, I can be that girl, that fairy, if I want to.’ It was a sense of acceptance. I accepted myself.”

At this time, Rhyannon didn’t have any knowledge about what it was to be transgender or anything about transitioning. Transgender people were pretty much seen as outsiders – “They weren’t accepted in society, they were hidden away,” says Rhyannon. “They were sex workers or working at night clubs. They didn’t have another position.”

At the age of 18, Rhyannon moved to London. She describes this point in her life as a progression from being trapped in a cage to living with no boundaries: “Everything was possible. In my home town, gossip spread and everyone was watching each other. When I arrived in London, no one cared if I had blue or pink hair. It was very liberating.”

Rhyannon became a club kid, wearing crazy dresses, shaving off her eyebrows and hair. The atmosphere was a complete contrast compared with where she had come from. She was able to be anonymous in London, and the possibilities to do what she wanted were endless. “It was how I discovered my sexuality and my gender identity,” she says.

During her nights out, she saw more transgender women. “I realised they had done what I wanted to do,” she says. But it wasn’t until 2011, after watching a TV series called My Transsexual Summer, which documented the transitioning of trans people, that Rhyannon decided to take the next step. The show gave her a new perspective. “They were people my age, doing the same as me. I thought, ‘I have to do this.’”

Rhyannon had already realised she was transgender, but prior the TV show she had felt ashamed about it. “In my early years, I was told that it was wrong. In London I pretended I was a boy. I had a boyfriend and had relationships as a gay boy. But I finally accepted that it wasn’t making me happy.”

So she decided to transition and, in 2012, she started her hormone therapy. “It was scary telling my friends, because I wasn’t sure how they would react. But I also thought, ‘Thank God, now everyone knows. Now I can start the process and enjoy myself.’ I was moving forward.” She changed her name from Ryan to Rhyannon and a process of learning began: “I realised the world would act differently when I had become the person I wanted to be, when I was finally recognised as a girl. I knew I couldn’t behave as I did when I was Ryan.”

A lot has happened since. Rhyannon is now a writer for Elle magazine. In her column, The New Girl, she writes about her life as a transgender woman. Last year she published the book The New Girl: A Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is. Her writing is open and honest. “When I was growing up, transgenders wouldn’t be seen on TV. If they were, they’d be portrayed with a negative approach. Now, it’s very important for me to let people know that being transgender is OK and that I’m a normal person. It isn’t something to be ashamed of. It’s very important to raise awareness – that’s what encourages me.“

Rhyannon advises, “Believe in yourself and try not to let other people’s opinions about you stop you from being your actual self. Keep doing what feels good!” She smiles. No more words are needed.

rhyannonstyles.com

Team credits
Words by Ole Siebrecht
Photography by Jennifer Endom
Styling by Andrea Horn
Hair and make up by Julia Firefly

Fashion credits
All clothes from Lena´s Lovely Vintage, Berlin

DENA

Musician

The 34-year-old singer Denitza Todorova, aka DENA, hails from Bulgaria, has lived in the German capital for more than 10 years and writes in English. The result is a genuinely catchy combination of R’n’B, rap and hip-hop inspired by life, love and friendship – and the scene she found in her adopted home.

Why did you choose to live in Berlin?
“I moved here in 2004, when I was 22, from Bulgaria via West Germany. I thought, as a capital, Berlin must be bigger and more liberal and open-minded than other German cities. Also, I got to study here.”

Berlin is probably the most multicultural city in Germany. What was it like for you when you first arrived here after growing up in Bulgaria?
“Socially, Berlin definitely made up for the experience of the two years I spent living in a small place near Frankfurt, where I remember feeling alienated and like I was ‘the other’. I quickly felt at home in Berlin and made a lot of friends from the art and culture scenes.”

Does Berlin feel like home?
“Totally, especially living in Kreuzberg, which is in the middle of the Turkish-German community. In Bulgaria I grew up in a town near the Turkish border that also had a big Turkish community. And, in 2008, I studied in Istanbul for six months. There is a certain vibe in the streets in Kreuzberg and that feels like home.”

Do you feel Berlin has changed much recently?
“Yes. There are a thousand times more people coming and going, which is a beautiful thing, because we are all searching and moving around the world. There has been a boom in tourism lately, especially in my neighbourhood. Sometimes I have to wait a while at the lights when I want to cross the road – that’s how crowded it is now. I’ve noticed something in the euphoric state of so many visitors when I look around that I can’t identify with any more. But I guess I remember the feeling.”

When and how did you start making music?
“When I moved here. I met a girl from Toronto who asked me if I wanted to start a band, and I was like, ‘YES!’ I played the synth and she played the drums. We were called Tschikabumm and lasted for about two years.”

What inspires your music?
“Life, love, friendship.”

Do you have a life motto?
“The future is tomato shaped.”

We love your music videos. Are you the one who comes up with these great ideas?
“Yes, thanks. I also always work with talented friends and we inspire each other.”

You rap about not needing cash or diamonds, so what do you really need in life?
“A house in a sunny place with a swimming pool and family and friends to enjoy it with.”

You just released your new EP, Trust. What’s it about?
“It’s about freezing the moment of heartbreak and observing it from different angles.”

What’s next for you?
“I am playing some shows in Europe and releasing another mini album soon, so stay tuned.”

Trust is out now on Normal Surround; denafromtheblock.com

Anne Bengard

Artist

The route to Berlin and her chosen career was not the most direct for Anne Bengard, 28, but her open-minded approach and unstoppable desire to push boundaries in her work meant settling into both was seamless.

Why did you choose to live in Berlin?

“I lived in Leipzig for the first three years of my life and grew up in Berlin after the fall of the wall. I was nine years old when my family relocated from Berlin to a small coastal town in southwest England. Even though it’s a beautiful place for kids to grow up, moving from a big, multicultural city to a place where I was the only foreign girl at school was quite a culture shock and I always intended to return to Berlin as soon as I’d finished school. That didn’t happen – instead I moved to London at 19 to study at Central Saint Martins, again with the intention of returning to Berlin once I’d finished my studies. That didn’t happen either. I got caught up in fast-paced London life, learning lots along the way, having a lot of fun, working different jobs, probably sleeping way too little and, suddenly, four years had passed. Things got a little difficult for me in London, so I decided to make the best of a bad situation and finally go through with the long-overdue Berlin plan to become a full-time artist.”

What do you like about Berlin?
“Many things, but mainly the space – Berlin has so much space! Compared with England, anyway. My work has developed drastically because of it.
I also really appreciate the balance of urban landscapes and nature. It’s amazing that I can just jump on a train and be somewhere like Grunewald in 30 minutes and feel completely removed from city life. Or I can cycle from my studio to Weissensee in 10 minutes to relax under a tree, let little spiders crawl over my legs and put on my mermaid tail to swim in the lake. That’s luxury.”

What inspires your work?
“Shortly after moving to London, I started working for Torture Garden, the world’s largest fetish club, and got involved in the city’s colourful alternative-nightlife scene. It opened my eyes to a world with an abundance of creativity, self-expression and open-minded, tolerant but above all respectful behaviour. It taught me to be a less judgmental person. The friends I’ve met on this journey have become my muses, feature in my paintings and aim to inspire people to question their own preconceptions and adopt a more thoughtful, less judgmental attitude.
“I’m also heavily inspired by Japan and Japanese postwar pop culture, having been influenced by anime such as Sailor Moon and Cat’s Eye, which were aired on German television in the 1990s. I also started collecting manga when I was 12. I think those influences are evident in my work, particularly in my colour palette.”

Does Berlin – not as a city, more as a vibe – influence your work as well?
“Yes, I think so. For example, my brushstrokes have become a lot looser and I’m slowly breaking my perfectionist habits when painting and just going for it. Splashing some colours here and there. Not being afraid of ‘mistakes’ and embracing the unrefined.”

How do you define your work?
“In one sentence – provocative, realistic portraiture in optimistic, bright-yet-soft pastel hues that is designed to make you question your preconceptions.”

When did you realise you wanted to make art?
“When I was three or four years old. I’ve been making art ever since, despite exploring other creative avenues, such as set design, venue styling, art departments. Art was always a hobby, then a sideline and, since 2014, full time. In future I might decide to work in other fields again, but fundamentally I just love being creative – to create, solve problems and learn.”

Who is your favourite artist and what do you like about him/her?
“One particularly notable favourite artist from my vast pool of favourite artists is Takashi Murakami. His style alone already inspires me, but also his entrepreneurial skills and informed yet honest and real approach to the contemporary art world and his own position within it. Despite having a whole company of artists, making pieces that sell for millions and having collaborated with big names like Louis Vuitton and Kanye West, he openly admits to constantly facing bankruptcy in the pursuit of making his artistic visions come to life. His level of dedication is incredibly impressive. I also love how he has championed his assistants and helped them launch their own careers under his company Kaikai Kiki.”

Do you feel like the art world is changing in these times of Instagram, Snapchat and co? If so, do you think that’s a good thing?
“Definitely. Suddenly, everyone with an Instagram, Snapchat or Tumblr account has a space to curate, meaning artists can rely less – or not at all – on galleries to promote their work. However, we need to be aware that algorithms can change at any time, which can also have a negative effect if your audience has been built purely on social media.
“In terms of galleries and museums I feel there’s an increasing demand for time-based and media art simply because a well-photographed painting or sculpture can easily be presented online – though, of course, experiencing it in real life is very different. This is more difficult for performance or installation art, for example, so if you want to experience it, you have to go to the gallery/museum. I wouldn’t label it a good or a bad thing, just interesting. Everything changes.”

You don’t only sell your images, you also sell clothes – why’s that?
“I’m interested in experimenting with the correlation of art and other disciplines, such as design, technology and science. I love to collaborate and see how my work can be applied and I believe in the power of teamwork and combining ideas to create something much greater than you could as an individual.
From a consumer’s perspective I also want to offer affordable art and target a wider range of people that way. Not everyone can afford an original painting to hang on their wall and not everyone wants an original painting to hang on their wall, but they might like to wear it. Also, it’s just quite a thrill seeing people actually wearing my art.”

What are your plans for the future? Are there any upcoming exhibitions?
“To continue learning, to continue working hard, to make good art. I plan to live and work in Japan for a while, within the next two years, so I’m currently hatching a Japlan – pun intended!
“In terms of upcoming exhibitions, I’ll be part of the Monster Madness group show from October 15 at SlushBox gallery in Florida. It’ll be my first time showing work in the US. My work will also be presented at the Affordable Art Fair in Hamburg in November. There are some other exciting things being planned, but unfortunately I’m not allowed to talk about them yet. Exciting times.”
annebengard.com; Instagram: @anne_bengard_art

Credits:

Words by Ole Siebrecht
Photography by Maximilian Attila Bartsch
Styling by Andrea Horn
Photographer’s assistant: Maria Lomschicki
Stylist’s assistant: Nuria Gregori

Fashion Credits:

1. Dena wears jacket by Cheap Monday, dress by Henrik Vibskov

2. Dress by Sparkle & Fade by Urban Outfitters, top by Nike, trousers by Frisur

3. Top by Pins & Needles by Urban Outfitters, T-shirt Dena’s own

4. Top by Nike, trousers by Frisur

5. Jacket by Ivy Revel, vest by Blank Etiquette, skirt by Pins & Needless by Urban Outfitters

6. Jacket by Oh Yeah! Berlin, vest top Anne’s own, trousers by SAMPLE-CM

Red is a warning colour. It means danger. Red is the colour of blood, meaning life. Red is the colour of fire, of flames. Red is a very powerful, flamboyant colour. And who knows this better than Christian Louboutin? The Parisian designer made the colour his signature. The soles of his world-famous high heels blaze in a striking red.

Red like love?

The French designer discovered his love for shoes at a very early age: the showgirls of Folies Bergère – a famous Parisian music hall – fascinated him, with their long legs, their attitude, their grace. They somehow burned into his memory and seem to inspire him to this day.

Some years later, Louboutin went to a museum, where a warning sign caught his attention. It said: “Stiletto Heels Forbidden!” The young designer could not understand why someone would ever forbid something that beautiful. He became obsessed. Obsessed with shoes, with their styles and patterns. A remarkable career was about to start.

But why the red soles? There might be a lot reasons, but Louboutin himself often tells of how he sat in front of his early sketches, dissatisfied with the results. There was something missing, a detail, a certain je ne sais quoi. Suddenly, he noticed the smell of nail polish in the air: his assistant was sitting at her desk, painting her fingernails. And at once he knew what was missing. He didn’t like the featureless, blank soles of his creations. So he took the nail polish and the world-famous red sole became the signature of his brand.

These days, everybody knows his creations. High society loves them. Is there a red-carpet event where Louboutins don’t make an appearance? They’re in all the fashion magazines, even in the yellow press. Some people call them the best therapy against depression, something every woman dreams about. But why?
Louboutins are more than articles of daily use. The designs are hard to define, they cannot be pigeonholed. They offer a great variety – you cannot pin them down to only one style.

Solely their red soles and the super-high heels mark Louboutins out from others. In addition, the shoes move from being classic, chic and kittenish to extravagant and dominant. Sometimes they’re colourful, with adventurous patterns, sometimes they’re monochrome and severe. Some might remind you of divine figures, with their wing-like elements, others appear dramatic and menacing, with their striking spikes.

For a lot of people, Louboutins are not normal shoes. They see them as unique and beautiful creations, they are obsessed with Louboutin’s work – that is to say, his artwork.

Louboutin’s designs have included some of the highest heels that have ever been made in the world of commercial and high-end shoe design. His talent for creating towering and unique beauties was nurtured during his time as a shoemaker for the cabaret and showgirls of the Pigalle area in Paris, which is known for its peepshows and sex shops. This could be one of the reasons for the versatility, the unconventionality of his designs. Louboutin seems to gather his inspiration from almost everything and everywhere.

Those heels are another unique feature of his work: they’re a woman’s dream and nightmare at the same time. More a deadly weapon than a shoe, maybe. Who is able to go through daily life in those super-high heels without twisting an ankle?

But maybe that’s the idea behind it: of course you can’t run through your life in high-heeled shoes. But do you have to? Is it really necessary to keep on running the whole time? The daily grind is enough: can’t we just slow down, pause for a while? Maybe that’s an inspiration, too. Which goes to show there is so much room for interpretation when it comes to shoes.

Louboutin has created a platform for shoe lovers – for those who think shoes are more than just two bits of fabric you put on your feet before you leave home in the morning. His shoes seem to offer the possibility of expression, of communication. He leads people into a creative world that is aimed at people who think shoes are more – an obsession, an emotion, an approach.

Credits:

Words by Ole Siebrecht
Photography by Alexander Gehring & Paula Winkler
Styling by Andrea Horn

Christian Louboutin

Kira Stachowitsch

Do you dream of editing the freshest fashion magazine, influencing with your own style, and DJ-ing in the greatest party city in Europe? Well, the Austrian Kira Stachowitsch has done it all. The brains behind the magazines Material Girl and Indie provides a cocktail of colourful, multicultural fashion straight from Berlin ’hoods.

What has been your best experience DJ-ing in Berlin?

“I used to DJ with my friend — the artist Daliah Spiegel — before she moved to Shanghai last January. We played at quite a few of the infamous Berlin Fashion Week opening parties by the bloggers from Dandy Diary. We particularly loved playing at their punk/squat house-themed party, which was pretty wild, and I also vividly recall another of those gigs, where Daliah and I were wearing dozens of fake glue-on tattoos on our faces and bodies that did not come off for days. I went to all my appointments at the fashion trade shows wearing those tattoos the next day, naturally.”

I know that your favourite areas are around Kreuzberg and Neukölln, areas where immigrant communities blend with bohemians. What crossovers from international communities can you see in fashion?

“I think the last show of the Serbian-born and Berlin-based designer Sadak, which incorporated flowing, unisex designs with silk burkas, is a perfect example of the blend of greatness that surrounds us here. We are an international team from very diverse backgrounds here at Indie and Material Girl ourselves — taking in all those influences is key to talking about popular culture today.”

Name the most Indie-like persona you’ve ever seen on the streets of Berlin and who would make a perfect Material Girl?

“If I may dream away into previous eras, I see a young David Bowie or Nick Cave wandering the streets of Neukölln — our Indie spirit animals. And for Material Girl, maybe Jane Birkin.”

Dandy Diary

David Kurt Karl Roth and Carl Jakob Haupt are the sharp fashion critics behind Dandy Diary — in their own words, “the most massive men’s fashion blog in the world”. Their adamant approach and astute sense of humour make them stand out on the fashion-blog scene. Haupt explained their stance further…

What is the most embarrassing fashion trend in Berlin right now?

“Most embarrassing is that many, many people still dress in this whole gothy, layered, Rick Owens style and see themselves as the fashion forefront. This look has had its time but we have definitely moved on. Berliners to me seem very slow in adapting new tendencies in style and stick to trends for too long. It’s the same with all these generic techno clubs. Most of them still look like Bar 25, which of course was legendary but closed, like, five years ago. No one really seems to want to add something new to their scene.”

I just saw your Berlin City Tour editorial and found it very witty and amusing. Could you tell me more about your thoughts behind it and what you wanted to pinpoint about the city?

“The tourist look is one of those looks everyone would agree is ‘unfashionable’, but with fashion trends such as normcore and a general functionality trend in high fashion, it became really cool. Though it’s much harder to decode than, let’s say, high heels, a Birkin bag and a fur coat. During the shoot people on the street didn’t recognise us as fashion guys, but rather just as two of the city’s thousands of tourists. Total camouflage in a very trendy way.”

Has living in this city sharpened your sense of fashion in any way?

“Maybe not in fashion. We seek fashion inspiration in other cities such as London, which is much more forward. But Berlin is a great city to learn about liberalism in. It’s definitely one of the most liberal cities in the world. I don’t know why this doesn’t really affect the fashion scene. So much more should be possible here, but most of the scene really sticks to old ideals, old looks and the trends they know from the US and London. So all this liberalism doesn’t really lead to new creative levels. It’s a pity.”

Magic Island

When the Canadian musician Magic Island moved to Berlin, she found a keyboard on the street where she lives. With childish energy and heartfelt lo-fi dream-pop, she continues her music adventures as Magic Island.

How were your personality and your music influenced by moving from Canada to Berlin?

“Before Berlin I actually lived in Poland, where my father is from, and prior to this, Canada. As an artist I definitely became naked in Berlin, embracing my inner identities and demons without fear — the ability to openly exist and express yourself is something invaluable that the ethos of this city offers.”

What is the first sound that comes into your mind when you think of Berlin?

“The emotional journey of a techno set. Where the introduction of every new element — snare, high hat, etc — cannot go unnoticed, and progresses this story that your body and mind are understanding symbiotically.”

I know that you found the keyboard you are performing with on Sonnenallee in Neukölln. What other surprises has the city given you?

“I’ve furnished my flat mostly with found objects. Furniture. Quite an assortment of cassette tapes. Berlin has an amazing ecosystem of sharing, trading, donating, borrowing… Contemporary communism.”

Your songs are very heartfelt and talk about feelings. Is Berlin a city of love for you?

“Any city could be full of love, it just needs to come out of you first. Many loves have been loved and lost here, and I hope to continue that way. I am addicted to love but I am also addicted to the suffering that comes from losing it. A high is nothing without an equally severe low.”

Kianí del Valle

The contemporary dancer Kianí del Valle creates her conceptual worlds in motion between Berlin and London. Born in Puerto Rico and educated in Canada and New York, she constantly explores the blending territories of movement, music, choreography and film in her multifaceted creation.

How have the different places you have lived inspired and changed your creative expression in dance?

“Living in different places has definitely shaped my work incredibly. There is a little bit of every city in my dances, from the way I move to the selection of music. Everyone should be an immigrant at some point in life. Not only because it exposes you to different cultures, food and people, but also because of the struggle. It’s good to reach a point in life where you feel proud of your own struggles.”

The relationship between one’s surroundings and body is extremely important in the performing arts. Which spaces in Berlin influence your work directly or indirectly?
“Directly, living in Neukölln. I like to be exposed to the hectic mix of cultures in each city. Neukölln gives me that; other parts of the city feel like suburbia to me. Maybe I like the craziness.

“Indirectly — the canal. It’s not the Caribbean, but I have realised that having water close to me makes me feel good. I love water.”

You are not only a dancer but also a creative director for dance movies. What projects are you working on at the moment?

“At the moment I am working with a group of dancers in Berlin, for what has become the beginning of my dance company. I am also working on a series of nine dance films in collaboration with many music producers I really admire and am writing a feature film with my creative partner Paola Baldion. And working on Alien, a project that joins all this forms together — music, dance and film.”

Credits:

Words by Weronika Pérez Borjas

Photography by Harling & Darsell

Styling by Andrea Horn

Hair & Make-Up by Velta Berzina using Mac

Fashion credits:

Kira 1: Dress by Stine Goya, boots by Premiata. 2: Dress by Stine Goya, scarf by Monki

Jakob 1: Shirt & jacket by Henrik Vibskov, pants by Adidas, shoes by Premiata, watch and socks: private 2: T-shirt by G-Star, jacket by Tata Christiane

Magic Island: Dress by Gianni

Kiani 1: Dress by American Apparel 2: Highwaist panty by American Apparel, top by American Apparel, ring by Cease & Desist