Fashion Fruit
words Svetlomir Tsvetanov
visuals Daniel Lathwesen and Bastian Kempf
A heavy summer on the coast of somewhere far away, a gruesome murder mystery tone is in the air, and the perpetual retro images are some of the ingredients that have gone into the making of this fashion fusion. The setting of this small motion gem portrays a smart revisit with a vintage feeling of showpieces from designers and creatives of the Berlin and Global stage from their current collections. Fashion Fruit is a lust for summer in the year of a global pandemic and restricted connections. Unlike the 2 meter distance set in our daily lives as part of the new norm, the film by the Director and Stylist Daniel Lathwesen and DOP Bastian Kempf delivers a strong sense of community in such disconnected times. More importantly, it shows great new trends from talent, such as Stine Goya, Keest, ErsteRutsche Jewellery, Vertere, On Vacation, Marcel Ostertag, Odeeh and Femme.
Screenshot from Fashion Fruit
Dan, could you please walk me through the inspiration and production of the film? How did you come up with the concept and the team that is behind this little creation?
I read an article in the newspaper about a new restaurant in town whose interior look, feel and colours were inspired by David Hockney’s “The Big Splash”. I do come from a parents house who ran an architecture office for many years, and I love the paintings of Hockney and his application of colours. So I decided to arrange a visit to this special location and fell in love with it immediately. Inspired by the surroundings, I started searching for the designers and collections that might fit the feeling at the location. I do work as an art director for a film and photo agency mainly, so I talked with some artists from our pool I wanted to work with on this project, trying to get the right combination of creative people. First of all, our director of photography Bastian Kempf, who really helped me push this project forward and who had a great understanding of my vision.
What are you aiming to show and tell through the film? Is there a critical message that this piece should deliver to the audience?
This is a good question. Actually, I wanted to experiment with the location and the moods that possibly could be created by staging models inside it. I really spent a lot of time researching the right samples and designs for the styling. Somehow I had this figure of roller girl from Boogie Nights in mind and wanted to go from there to create a mix of disco and early 80s feeling in a modern interpretation. During the planning of the production Bastian and I decided to film with different techniques like an old DV - Camera and digitize the footage instead of using digital filters in the post-production. In retrospect, this was the right decision to create the desired mood of the film.
How did you make the decision to bring all the creatives and brands together? What was the turning point?
Most important to me, finding samples in a colour palette that complete the existing ones in the location. The research took some time. Going through look books, visiting showrooms and websites. In the end, I mixed new collections from S/S 2020 with older vintage designs from the early 80s and 90s, which i found in a fashion fundus in Berlin. Some of my friends run their own fashion business like Erste Rutsche Jewellery, Keest Berlin or On Vacation and Vertere Berlin. Bring in their designs and giving their work a platform is important to me, of course.
Screenshot from Fashion Fruit
Do any of these creatives have anything in common or is the difference that makes them work so well together?
What brings everyone together is a great passion and faith in the idea of creativity and creating. The individuals involved are part of the film and photo agency Offenblende. A creative full production agency based in Berlin and Cologne. After I sent out my first mood board to the team, they start sharing their thoughts with me, and I had a strong exchange with everybody during production and post-production. Sandra – our MUA Artist – had concrete visions about the 80s look of hair and makeup she wanted to bring in together with Laure, her assistant. Our Director of Photography proposed possible camera techniques to me and found beautiful settings to support this fashion story. During post-production, our VFX supervisor and title designer Richard round off the look. I love these creative processes, as you find the difference in everybody's interpretation and understanding of the story, which completes and forms the result in the end.
What are some of the challenges that have occurred with the production of this work? How did you handle them as a team?
Most of all, we did not have a budget. It was a great challenge to find ways to realize the film with almost no budget. Starting from the location to techniques, postproduction, etc.
“I am lucky to have found people whose intention is not only about money but in creating new things independently.”
Why do you think the video format conveys better the concept you had in mind than still photography?
During my studies at the academy of fine arts, I really fell in love with photography and its possibilities. I love watching pictures from a past time, which document human history. Freezing moments and preserve them is a great achievement. But in particular, for fashion, it is important to see how the fabric works with movements and lightning. The film has more options to transport the idea the designer might have when choosing material and creating. I do believe it is always a better instrument for presenting fashion than photography.
Fashion Fruit was created by the following team:
Production:
DOP, Editor: Bastian Kempf, Director & Styling: Daniel Lathwesen, Production: Offenblende - Agency for Film & Photo, VFX Supervisor: Richard Tintenot, Makeup Artist: Sandra Flöther and Makeup Assistant: Laure Tinette
Designers:
Stine Goya, Keest, ErsteRutsche Jewellery, Vertere, On Vacation, Marcel Ostertag, Odeeh and Fomme
Models:
David Mendez and Fabian Wäldele @ Splendide Models, Paulus Goerden and Jenny Lam @ Modelwerk, Maren Marzak @ URBN Models, Fausto Sylvester @ VIVA Models, Rubi Sill @ FAZE Models, Jenny Lam and Cecilia Rayen Peschel @ HER Management