Four brands joining Premium and Seek for the first time

The time has come – from July 7th to 9th the fashion fairs Premium and Seek will be back in Berlin – this year for the first time as ‘Premium Kosmos’ with The Ground, the event for end customers.. In addition to big names and well-known labels, there are some exciting newcomers again this year.

230 new brands are exhibiting at Premium, and 134 brands are present at Seek for the first time. FashionUnited took a closer look at four labels making their debut at the fairs – from traditional companies like French leather goods manufacturer Le Tanneur to brands that are taking their first steps with colorful designs like Sara Linke.

Liapure Design Studio

Liapure was founded in 2019 by Leonie Appels from Munich. The label takes a purist approach – the clothing follows a “pure and authentic style (…) that lasts longer than just one season”.

The range is divided into three areas – Essentials, Atelier and Tailormade. The Essentials range consists of quality basics, many of them knitted, in neutral tones throughout the year. With the Atelier collection, launched twice a year, Liapure offers more fashionable, handmade pieces. The Atelier collection is produced in very small numbers, with an average of six to ten items per style. In addition to Germany, the materials are also procured from Italy and Portugal. In addition, Liapure offers a bespoke tailoring service in the Munich studio, which is also the label’s only stationary point of sale.

By participating in the Premium, Liapure is taking the first step in the direction of wholesale – because the label would like to present the Essential collection in selected stores in Germany in the future. Other own stores are also planned. “Liapure would like to give many new customers the opportunity to experience the qualities, the feel of the materials and the always optimal fit of the pieces directly at the stand,” Appels told FashionUnited.

Sarah Linke

The label Sara Linke has been active since 2022 – the first collection will be presented on Friday – just a few days before the label is exhibiting at Premium. In addition to skirts, T-shirts, bodysuits and tank tops, the 16-piece collection also includes sportswear such as leggings and long sleeves. The designs feature prints and lettering that are visually reminiscent of brushstrokes and tie-dye patterns.

Some pieces in the collection have been designed in collaboration with Swiss artist Beat Toniolo – his work adorns the pieces in Linke’s collection. The pieces will be in one German factory in Chemnitz manufactured, which Linke took over as managing director in 2020. Sara Linke is run there as a private label that offers her, as a “passionate designer and artist, a balance to tough entrepreneurship”.

Linke is pursuing the creation of “a creative space” with the brand. “My vision is to lead a successful textile production company that always pursues current and interesting projects and is economical and innovative, a company that optimally uses the synergies of Made in Germany and our partners in Europe,” explains Linke FashionUnited.

Linke hopes that the Premium will arouse visitors’ interest in the extraordinary story behind the brand – but the focus is also on increasing awareness and making new contacts, Linke tells FashionUnited.

Le Tanneur

Even if Le Tanneur is not a newcomer with its more than 120 years of company history, it is still the first year that the French bag making company is exhibiting at the Berlin Premium. Le Tanneur has been making genuine leather bags and accessories for men and women since 1898. The processing of leather is the specialty of the company – it was founded by a tanner and a craftsman.

So far, Le Tanneur has been represented in Germany with an area in the Berlin department store KaDeWe, and it has also worked with other stationary retailers or e-commerce partners. Le Tanneur plans to expand this business in Germany. By attending Premium, Le Tanneur wants to “make itself better known among German industry people and establish contacts for international development,” CEO Christian Rondelet told FashionUnited.

Studio Arde

Studio Arde was created by Flor Mazzuco and Pauli Jael Garcia. The two Argentines run the studio from Barcelona.

In addition to Hawaiian shirts, shorts, bikinis and bucket hats, a large part of the range consists of colorfully patterned towels in various sizes. The colorful products are designed and made in Spain – there are two collections a year, but the label stimulates customer curiosity with spontaneous drops of new designs and illustrations between the main collections.

In addition to its own online shop for end consumers, which is currently designed entirely in Spanish, Studio Arde is also active in the B2B business. “The website serves as a catalog for B2B,” says co-founder Flor Mazzucco to FashionUnited. The label is currently planning further steps towards wholesale, also in Germany. “We think the German market would be a lot of fun,” says Mazzucco. “Arde is still very young and we have a lot planned.”

By attending Seek, Studio Arde hopes to sell more through wholesale and partner with international retailers. Studio Arde concludes transactions with trading partners through a sales partner who will support the two founders at the Seek.