Backissues
Issue 2/2012
Styleguide São Paulo
Interview Dirk Schönberger
Editorial
While the economy in the old world is apparently only being held together by rescue packages and bailouts, the mood in Brazil is completely different. The country is booming. High growth rates and record foreign trade figures, investments and burgeoning employment all spell out a clear message. The economic growth forecast for 2012 is around 4 percent. And the fact that Brazil will be hosting the football World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016 is merely the icing on the cake.
A great mood, thanks to good performance: for us it was a reason to take a peek over the big pond for a change – not just to the tourist magnet, Rio de Janeiro, but also and specifically to São Paulo. During our research for the current J’N’C City Guide we were welcomed with open arms by the ‘Sampa’, as the Paulistas call their city. What awaited us in this metropolis of 11 million inhabitants was far removed from the cliché image of an ugly concrete jungle, or any fears about criminality. Quite the contrary in fact: with a flourishingmiddle class, the gap between rich and poor appears to be closing. Thanks to the ban on public advertising billboards, your eyes are free to scan the sights of its modern architecture.
Germany is also experiencing a boom, even if it is more characterised by modesty and a down-to-earth attitude: DIY, or ‘do it yourself’ – a trend that harks back to the good old era of craftsmanship and is seen as a counter movement to the mass-produced uniformity of the high-street chains, and is strongly influencing the fashion scene today. J’N’C reporter Fredericke Winkler examined this phenomenon and not only came across knitting environmentalists, but also clever self-made businessmen and women. Svea Jörgens, our newest recruit to the J’N’C editorial team, met up with an old hand in the fashion business – Adidas Creative Director Dirk Schönberger to chat about the launch of the young Adidas line NEO and its interactive store concept.
Whether old hand or newcomer – designers are emphasising the excitement of contrasts for their autumn/winter 2012/13 collections. Minimalism meets maxi-skirts, denim meets sleek nappa leather. Grunge is experiencing a major comeback. Bela Tess Wind and Sophia Karlsson have summarised these runway trends for you. And there’s even more fashion in our photo shoots, for which we travelled from Rio de Janeiro via São Paulo, to the English countryside and finally to Berlin.
We hope that our journey was worthwhile and that you’ll once again feel inspired by what we have brought back from our travels for you. Here’s to a brilliant spring and a booming summer!
Ilona Marx, Editor in Chief
Freelance contributors
Photographers
Achim Hatzius, Rachel de Joode, Adriaan Louw, Michael Mann, Katharina Poblotzki, Arne Quinze, Johanna Ruebel, Christoph Voy
Illustrators
Roman Klonek, Sergio Membrillas, Vanessa Paulzen
Authors
Gerlind Hector, Svea Jörgens, Claudia Steiner, Eva Westhoff, Fredericke Winkler
