Last week Aether’s crack sales team returned from a successful trip to Europe. While most brands choose to launch through the undisputed mecca of fashion, Milan, we decided to take a different route and made Berlin our first stop. A new generation of youths have turned Berlin into a cultural hotbed of new tech, design, music, and film. In recent years the city has emerged as one of Europe’s premier destinations for fresh talent and innovative new ideas.  Sounds like just the type of place we want to be.

Aether joined the BPMW produced trade show Capsule, which hosted 65 brands from all over the world. We found ourselves in good company too, with our friends from Riviera Club and Mark McNairy setup nearby.  We spent two busy days meeting with new stores, like Magazin and Stilrad, members of the European press, and industry insiders.

Out in the streets, we got the full experience of a northern European winter: perpetual rain and grey. As we darted back and forth between the showroom and our favorite Schnitzel joint, we noticed that despite being sharply dress, the locals were strangely lacking in waterproof gear. For a city with so much foul weather, it seemed odd that so many people were still making due with traditional wool overcoats.  Instead of being dismayed, we took this as a form of encouragement. Berlin isn’t just where we want to be, but from the looks of things, it is where we need to be.