Just by chance I stumbled into the Yolo Boutique/Agency on Torstrasse right after they finished their spiffy renovations. I had already stood on the footpath transfixed while they were in the midst of building these. There’s something about store renovations that always captures my attention. Most likely because I have renovated two stores of my own and will be forever impressed by anyone who also succeeds at a bit of retail DIY.
Between them, they have some serious fashion connections, having worked for Wood Wood, Nike, Zalando and others, in multiple international locations. In deciding to take the leap and work for themselves, this fashion expertise is now applied to their stable of international menswear brands from the UK, Scandinavia, Australia, Italy, Far East Asia and Germany.
Yolo is a positive addition to the Berlin-Mitte shopping precinct, not just for its aesthetic appeal (the renovations look amazing), but also due to the impeccable selection of items available. If you want to check out what you might find before you make the trip, take a look at Grenson, A Kind of Guise, Porter, Franks, Velour and Pijama.
If you’re quick, you might catch the temporary Grenson sample room at Yolo, which is stocked with one-off samples by the Grenson designers for the next few weeks. If you want to nab a unique, designer pair of mens shoes, now is your chance!
Maria and Oryanne, the founders of Voodoo, have deliberately changed the location of the market since its inception in 2011, in order to steadily grow the audience by reaching a variety of visitors. Urban Spree is their third location and they seemed right at home.
The attraction of the market for punters is the carefully curated selection of designer, handmade, vintage and homewares with a sprinkling of curiosities to interest even the most avid market-goer. I took some friends with me who generally avoid markets and even they expressed their approval, each buying something within minutes of arriving. Maybe it was the pre-Christmas atmosphere, but it looked to be the makings of a successful day for stallholders as well.
The stallholders are hand-picked by Maria and Oryanne, who likened reviewing new applications to opening presents. They love to discover new talent and products and showcase these to the Berlin public. The pull of the market is far reaching, with designers traveling from abroad to participate. You can feel the collaborative spirit of the Voodoo community when you talk to stallholders and will hear many different accents in the process. It gives the market an added air of excitement and discovery.
Urban Spree reopened literally just in time to host Voodoo. The venue interior decoration is worth noting and I enjoyed the aesthetics of the building almost as much as I did checking out some of my favourite stalls. Mayflower Vintage was there (see our feature on their open house), with the usual outstanding selection of garments and accessories. I love the feather work of Mai Kawaii, who also stocks The Optimistic Store (feature story coming soon).
Other regulars I loved include EKOLOVESANIMAL, with their repurposed leather products, Jeonga Choi, the amazing milliner, Pastperfekt, the air plant specialist, and of course, Superficial (see more on them here). There’s really too many to mention and to select a few seems discriminatory given the calibre of those I have neglected to highlight. There's some images below of my product picks with links to the designers, just to be fair. There's also an extended album on our facebook page.
Last but not least, you can participate in workshops, get a tattoo or piercing, enjoy the DJ’s tunes, or treat yourself to something delicious for lunch.
Voodoo runs four times a year, once in each season, so you really do need to keep up with their facebook updates and mark the dates in your diary if you don’t want to miss out on being a stallholder or visitor. Something to look out for in the warmer months is an outdoor version of Voodoo. Hopefully the rain will stay away so Maria and Oryanne can finally make it happen!
