Happy Shop
If you believe that fashion is supposed to make you happy, this is your shop: the owners of Happy Shop have devoted their concept to colour and fun, presenting a range of exaggerated and witty clothing from designers ranging from Bernhard Wilhelm and Kitsuné to Castelbajac. Located on busy Torstrasse in an eye-catching one-storey pavillion building by architects Fingerle&Woeste, the shop's design is inspired by a jewellery box and is constructed for endless variation: the racks can be lifted up to the ceiling. The interior reflects the style of the clothes: bright and multicoloured, making you smile as soon as you enter.
Torstrasse 67, +49 1577 847 3620, happyshop.com. Open Mon-Sat 11am-8pm
Lunettes
As a child, she used to play opticians with her sister, but it was just six years ago that the idea of opening a vintage glasses store became a reality for Uta Geyer. She began by buying stock from opticians' clearance sales and 1950s' furnishings, and opened her first tiny Lunettes shop in Prenzlauer Berg. This charming gem sells many varieties of unworn glasses and sunglasses, as well as vintage cases. Since finding the ideal glasses for your face takes more than a few minutes, allow yourself some time to peruse the stock. Geyer has since opened a second store with high-class frames by companies such as Oliver Goldsmith, and designed her own collection.
Torstrasse 172, Marienburger Strasse 11, +49 30 4373 9465, lunettes-brillenagentur.de. Open Mon-Sat noon-6pm
Darklands
Darklands currently offers its selection of avant garde menswear in the arty area around Heidestrasse, north of Berlin's main station. The shop moves every 15 months or so to a new location in a new area so that it's not too easily accessible for those shoppers who like to be at the height of fashion. The interior of their third installment (Darklands 3.0) is not for the lighthearted: it has life-sized dolls hanging from the ceiling in what used to be non-descript, rough warehouse. Unsurprisingly, the preferred shade of their garments is dark, and their list of designers includes brands such as Damir Doma and Carol Christian Poell.
Heidestrasse 50, +49 162 230 3818, darklandsberlin.com. Open Mon-Sat noon-7pm
Wood Wood
It would be hard to leave Wood Wood out of this guide since it has shaped the Berlin street-fashion scene from early on – the south-expansion of the Copenhagen streetwear brand helped develop the look of Mitte (usually easy to wear, oversized garments made from jersey). Their shop not only sells their collection, but designers such as Henrik Vibskov, Peter Jensen and Eley Kishimoto, collectors' toys like Bearbrick, Uslu Airlines makeup and Comme des Garçons perfume. It's located just off the main street for fashion, Münzstrasse, and is marked on the outside with Wood Wood's signature white flag with a black cross.
Rochstrasse 4, +49 30 2804 7877, woodwood.dk. Open Mon-Sat noon-8pm
Chelsea Farmer's Club
Entering Chelsea Farmer's Club in Charlottenburg is like leaping in time and space to a 1960s country house in Britain: their clothes are perfect for your next fox-hunting outing and the co*cktail reception afterwards. After being disappointed by the range of classic clothing available locally, the owners founded the club a few years ago to produce some fine, well-made jackets. Today, the store sells their line and others, as well as small fashion accessories, such as tiny crocheted flower pins. And don't forget – there's a bar in the back, where you can celebrate your latest fashion acquisition.
Schlüterstrasse 50, +49 30 8872 7474, chelseafarmersclub.de. Open Mon-Sat 11-6pm
Konk
The priority for Ettina Berríos-Negrón, the owner of Konk, has always been to support Berlin-based designers and fashion talents. As a designer herself, she opened her small store about eight years ago at a time when no one thought of Berlin as a fashion-capital – she started out selling her own line and added more established labels over time, developing a conceptual approach. Konk is located next to Auguststrasse, in a former gallery space that was remodelled by her and designer Rainer Spehl. Since the opening, her own collection has been put on hold while she features oustanding brands, including c.neeon, Anntiann and Reality Studio.
Kleine Hamburgerstrasse 15, +49 30 2809 7839, konk-berlin.de. Open Mon-Sat noon-6pm
A.D. Deertz
Wibke Deertz has a very likeable approach to fashion – her clothes are for men who like to be dressed well, but don't want to make too big a fuss about it. She says she designs for her friends, using fine fabrics and simple elegance to develop a collection that fits easily with the creative, intellectual crowd of Berlin Mitte. That might be why she chose Torstrasse, the epitome of Mitte, for her shop A.D. Deertz, where she sells not only her own line but items from equally laid-back brands such as Henrik Vibskov and Sandqvist.
Torstrasse 106, +49 30 9120 6630, addeertz.com. Open Mon-Sat noon-8pm
Andreas Murkudis
Many people held their breath for a moment when Andreas Murkudis moved out of Berlin's much-hyped Mitte district into an old printers' building in Tiergarten – his concept store was one of the reasons for the rise of Mitte so what will be left now that he's gone? He exchanged his small backyard location off Münzstrasse for spacious and bright halls in Potsdamer Strasse, where his neighbours include some of Berlin's most prestigious galeries. The excellent selection of clothes and accessories includes Dries van Noten, porcelain by Nymphenburg, his brother Kostas Murkudis' collection, and Mykita glasses.
Potsdamer Strasse 83c, (no telephone number available) andreasmurkudis.com. Open Mon-Sat noon-8pm
Soto
Streetwear has always been a big topic in Berlin and several high quality streetwear shops opened recently. Soto is surely one of the most interesting. Located in a classic Berlin retail store from the 19th century, the interior is rough and minimal, focusing attention on the clothes. The selection is based on an easy-to-wear concept offering, for example, the chic garments of Adam Kimmel.
Torstrasse 72, +49 30 2576 2070, sotostore.com/index.html. Open Mon-Sat noon-8pm
Departmentstore Quartier 206
Located in one of Berlin's most elegant new buildings, the Departmentstore Quartier 206 is the best place for a high class shopping experience. The building lies on the famous Friedrichstraße, just off Gendarmenmarkt, which has been called the most beautiful plaza of Europe, and it was designed by Pei, Cobb, Freed & Partners, who opted for an art deco flair of glass and black and white marble. The Departmentstore takes up the first floor and its selection reflects the taste of its owner Anna Maria Jagdfeld, who created her personal dream shop, uniting brands from all over the world (ranging from Burberry Prorsum to Versace) with accessories, books and jewellery.
Friedrichstrasse 71, +49 30-2094 6800, departmentstore-quartier206.com. Open Mon-Sat 11am-8pm
