With all that’s going on lately, I’ve been taking time to reflect on some of my favorite collections of the past season. Ottolinger is one emerging Berlin-based fashion brand that I continually come back to. The label mixes the art of deconstruction with craftiness. Patched-together knits with raw unraveling ends, abstract homespun acid washes, and tie-dyes are all part of the label’s intrinsic DNA, but perhaps the most unique pieces from Ottolinger are the bags made out of silicone and ceramics.
I first noticed Ottolinger’s incredible bags at the Spring 2019 show in Paris, and I’ve wanted one ever since. But as it turns out, they’re not that easy to find. At first, I wasn’t quite sure what they were — props, pieces of art, or actual handbags. I wondered if they would be produced and sold or whether they were just a sample. But ’til this day, the bags have remained somewhat of a staple at Ottolinger shows, and if you search enough, you can find them online at the brand’s shop (they sell out quickly), as well as at niche retailers. Rendered in both silicone and ceramic on the runway, the bags that are actually sold online are, from what I’ve seen, silicone with hand-painted details.
According to co-designers Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient, the crafty inspiration goes back to their childhood, and is a typical element in the Ottolinger universe. “We both crafted a lot as kids, and we still love to work with our hands — making 3-D models from scratch is always the start for the collection,” says Gadient. “The crafty look is very intuitive, and we love to mix this with clean design.”
The Ottolinger bags originally began as a pottery project and continue to reemerge each season in new colorways, with new features. Ottolinger has also dabbled in other bag styles (think: little straw bags splashed with black silicone for this season), but the classic top-handle style is perhaps the most ingenious. Think of it this way: it’s like a living piece of art that could be used as a piece of home ornament just as well as an accessory.
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