mongrels in common
autumn winter 2010_11

Bonn vs. New York

‘mongrels in common’ stands for the fusion of different cultures resulting in a unique, urban look –Mongrelism. In the upcoming collection, the designer duo combines the conventional, decorous charm of Bonn with the cosmopolitan, intoxicating influences of the metropolis New York.

Style model for the collection is a mixture of Hannelore Kohl and Grace Jones – an exciting mix of elegant, feminine elements and extravagant finesse.

The collection is elegant and individual – interplay of various forms and qualities: tulip-shaped silhouettes define the collection. Draped, loose tops are combined with narrow-cut trousers, while special emphasis is placed on the shoulders.

High quality grade natural fibres such as silk, cotton, cashmere, nanai leather and gabardine are combined with coated materials and fabrics with a metallic lustre. This look is enhanced by the unique collar pins, also made of gold for this collection, known from classic men’s’ shirts.

The mongrels in common key looks are masculine trouser suits, draped softly flowing dresses and cocktail dresses that delicately embrace the female body. Long skirts are combined with brilliantly cut dinner-jackets and masculine pleat-front trousers meet romantic silk blouses. Worn singly or in combination – there are no limits to the creative freedom!

Black is interrupted by perfectly combinable flesh, rose, teal and grey colours. Among the collection’s highlights is a print designed by mongrels in common. Its conservative dot pattern merges perfectly with the bright street lights of New York.

Another highlight of the collection is the premium and exclusive nanai leather. The company nanai represents leather Made in Germany and is the only producer of salmon skin leather in the world that uses 100% chrome-free tanning and dyes on a vegetal basis. Due to its appearance, nanai leather is a real alternative to exotic leathers such as stingray, snake, ostrich or alligator. As implemented in the mongrels in common collection 2010_11, the leather was used both for clothes and for a high quality, extravagant bag collection.

Credits & Copyrights

Designer:
mongrels in common
Berlin, Germany
www.mongrelsincommon.com

Source:
PRESS FACTORY
www.press-factory.de

Morfae interviews ‘mongrels in common’:

Your clothes ‘…mix masculine severity and straightness with female delicacy…’ What type of woman is your audience?

It’s an independent woman who likes to treat herself with individual clothes. After all she loves good quality of Materials.

Your collections have an urban feel. Is the city part of your field of inspiration? What are your inspirations and influences?

Since we live in Berlin, we are obviously influenced by an urban feel. Every collection of mongrels in common is Mongrelism, meaning that in every collection we do combine two completely opposite cultures. For instance in the summer 2011 collection we will mix the British queen with jeans…

The colour schemes in your collections are mostly earthy and monochromatic. What does this mean for you?

Every collection has a different colour scheme. It always depends on our mood. We always use a strong colour and mix it with more subtle colours.

What is the philosophy / concept upon which your collections are based?

Mongrelism: mixing themes, cultures, genders, eras.

In 2007 ‘Mongrels in common’ was awarded with the Berlin prize for ‘The Premium Young Designers Award’ for Best Men’s Wear AW 2006-7. How did this affect you?

It gave us some awareness and publicity. That helped us a lot to get more known in the industry.

The SS 2010 collection was in cooperation with Nanai™ salmon leather, an environmentally friendly and chromium free salmon skin. How did this collaboration affect your collection?

We always loved to work with leather and we are always keen on working with new, exclusive materials. Hence, the cooperation was an add-on to our collection.

At some point in your life you had to make a choice between going it alone or to collaborate forming ‘Mongrels in common’ and you opted for the latter. What made you go for Mongrelism?

We met at school and had been working together on a couple of projects, so we knew that working together works. It was after all more a gut instinct thing than a deliberate decision to form mongrels in common.

Is Fashion Design: Art or a stylish commodity?

For us it is our job, on what we have to live on. Therefore we see Fashion more as an artistic way of having a normal job.

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