Michael Sontag’s main seat is located deep in the middle of Berlin-Kreuzberg, a little outside of time. The place suits the designer who claims not to want to work with trends.
Michael is not interested in fashion standards like seasons, new trends or the target group age; what he creates is meant to be universal. For the designer, clothing is luxury in the original sense of the word, meaning the additional, not necessary, the only purpose of which is to make life more beautiful. He doesn’t want to present practical items but “treasures”. The actress Julia Malik, who loves Michael’s fashion, states that, nonetheless, his clothes are perfectly suited for everyday use: their glamour, she affirms, lies in being able “to really wear them”, not only for special occasions, but also in ordinary life.
For me it’s very important that the person that wears my clothes feels free and comfortable in it, and special, but not too obvious
For his SS17 collection the designer worked with gentle silhouettes and a summerly fresh color palette made of nuances like blush, violet and linden green. Designs come to life on models through an easy and spontaneously looking drapery work, without ever having been drawn on paper. It is this easiness and the liberty of individual interpretation that Michael wishes to hand out to the wearers of the collection he named Things we don’t need. His presentations are meant to be considered as an offer, not as a dictate.
Michael, born in Bavarian Trostberg, has studied at the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee, which is influenced by Bauhaus concepts. After having gained work experience at renowned designers like Kenzo and Givenchy, he returned to studying at the Parisian École Nationale Superieure des Arts Décoratifs.
He took up quarters as a designer in Berlin right from the beginning, and presented his first collection there at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week with what was called a “standout show” by famous fashion critic Suzy Menkes. Here, in his studio, just a short walk away from the river Spree, he finds the right environment for his fluent production process, characterized by seasons that build up on each other and form a unity.
In collaboration with Der Berliner Mode Salon
Special thanks to Michael Sontag
