Maria Koch’s c brand – officially known as “cReadytowear” – has been around since its inception in the late 20th century making progress. Regardless of one’s opinion of the clothes themselves, the collection is an interesting premise :c Originally a magazine, founded by Maria’s husband, Joerg Koch, in 2000 . Since then, it has grown into something bigger and more weighty – a media brand and a fashion brand that captures and disseminates the cutting edge of Berlin’s creative class (the German capital is c headquarters).
For spring, Koch launched a collection called “Nothing New” that revamped evening silhouettes, loosening them, widening them, and ultimately creating lighter-looking shape. You can see it in a low-waisted taffeta gown, dyed a simple black. (Her palette was decidedly and consciously limited.) On the sportswear side, an oversized black trench coat and mini cargo shorts (with an A-line skirt-like look) furthered that idea. Then, “Nothing New” shows that Koch didn’t and still doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel—she’s more about tweaking and perfecting in her own space.
The overall effect of the series is a little softer than previous outings. But softer doesn’t necessarily mean easier to wear—these are still pretty serious pieces. “People always talk about Berlin with words like ‘industrial’ or ‘Berghain’. Not only that,” says the designer. “It has beautiful gardens, stately homes. It also has a less drastic side.”
