The story of the Marie coat begins in Lima, Peru in 2005, during my time as a student. It was the beginning of the winter season. I was walking around the biggest clothing and textile market called Gamarra. You can find everything there: traditional Peruvian fabrics like alpaca wool, but also copied designer brands, clothes and all kinds of accessories.
A place full of energy, colors, sounds - LIFE.
I remember during this time I was always looking for some statement pieces for my personal work and was attracted to strong patterns: large flowers, stripes, organic and geometric shapes. I wanted to create items that revealed the body, shared a state of mind and, not least, caught people's attention.
I ended up in one of these huge stores near the neighborhood where they made cotton and wool fabrics. As a student, I couldn't afford expensive fabrics, so I was constantly on the lookout for scraps. It was quite a challenge for me to try to create something new with old fabrics. Sometimes it was a success, sometimes not, but it became a habit for me to go there.
One day I saw this plaid fabric, placed in a high place where it wasn't so easy to reach. And for some reason, I always bought a few others. I always had it in the back of my mind because I knew I would use it at some point.
In 2017, I decided to leave the eccentric Berlin lifestyle behind for a few weeks to visit my family in Perú. I went back to that store in Gamarra and saw the plaid in the same place as before, as if time had stopped. Then I realized that it had been waiting for me all these years. I decided to buy it to create Marie's coat.
This coat has a classic, straight shape that reveals the contours of the body. The detail appears in the neck area: an asymmetrical collar. The pattern and bright color make it interesting, original and unique.
