IRIEDAILY FALL/WINTER 2012 Living in the city in our modern days and age sometimes feels weird, doesn’t it? I’m more often then not outside the digital camp, but stepping away from that comfort zone almost makes me feel precarious and vulnerable still, if only for the first minutes; I like too many things at once and I want to share and communicate even though I feel that I don’t have anything to offer besides my confusion. I like when people walk in when others walk out, I like people that burn, people who desire, the mad ones, the peculiar and shy ones, those who know and those who like to know, bosses with the heart of a volunteer and people who allow me to explore their faces, places and headspaces. I want to compress everything into one glorious moment when strangers turn into friends and friends into family, believing there exists this tangible reflection to understand one’s personal desires within the universe at large. I too often find solace in the concept of home, and not often enough there is this voice to remind me that the world beyond my immediate vision is an almost radically new experience. These worlds are most likely just a stone’s throw from where I stand, and luckily my friends have the tendency to galvanize for the bettering of not only myself but those involved with my life. This French guy once said that freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better. So c’mon, join the team and step away from what you know. Discover that life still can be as open as the sky and as fluid as the elements, if you just re-adjust your point of view every once in a while. Being on the road - regardless of the means of conveyance - is first and foremost an emotional journey. The Irie gang rides again!
STAY DIFFERENT
So what did you do when you turned 18-years-old? For me it was closing the curtains on a hot summer day and watching four videos in a row (The Hitcher, The Evil Dead 2, Raising Arizona and a skin flick) while having too many beers with some close friends. What admittedly sounds like a rather sad affair actually felt as sophisticated as the stuff the kids of today are doing when they’re celebrating their majority age. Iriedaily on the other hand is planning a handful of premium events – some subtle, others fairly prominent – while simultaneously delivering their most elaborate collection to date. It really feels like one of these very rare occasions where the driving forces – that go by the name of Walter Molt, Daniel Luger and Jaybo in this particular case - behind a brand allow their garment to not simply change but actually grow with them. We talked with Daniel Luger and Walter Molt about the past, present and future of Berlin’s very own Iriedaily.
How hard is it not being cynical towards the industry after 18 years? Walt: Not hard at all, I believe. It’s important to break deadlocked configurations, remembering stuff like tolerance, humbleness, as form also luck, then it’s not difficult to avoid cynicism. The approach to define yourself new, open to communicate wether you face an eighteen-yearold or someone who’s in the business for 18 years. Staying curious. Daniel: It’s important for us to recognize that even after 18 years we are constantly open to discover new possibilites. During the first years we didn’t really understand what we’re dealing with, really... and at the time we realised it, it was almost too late because for the first time we were aware of what was going wrong. Since that particular turning point Iriedaily is in constant motion, it is a highly dynamic cosmos, so there is no time or space for cynicism. And because of that it is easy staying excited. Especially in the last 3-4 years, I rediscovered the love for what Iriedaily does and represents. And I’m not only talking about the garment itself, but about the presentation as well.
So the key could be to understand that it’s essential to question yourself time and again and then change or even re-define yourself if the result demands it. Walt: To define yourself new, to have the courage to put a piece of paper in front of you and fill it with new content. Cynicism is strongest during puberty when you’re between 12 and 15 years old. When you understand coherences and apprehend how hard it is to not get corrupted and swallowed by the system. The serenity and capability to see things from a different perspective returns a couple of years later... this is where we are at with Iriedaily right now. It’s exciting how fast things change, if you’re confident enough to change yourself. It’s almost like reliving your youth, back then, when you were enthusiastic about even the smallest things. If things are handled the right way then an antibureaucratic structure develops out of it, where you dare to just give certain things a shot. Daniel: There will always be restraints, that’s for sure... but equally there are liberties. It’s the balance of both components that is still doing it for me concerning Iriedaily. But you gotta aquire those liberties first, right? Daniel: Sure. But first of all you got to understand those liberties. At first you work night and day to accomplish your vision... later all it needs is to take a step back and see the people that build a team behind you and consequently make stuff a lot easier for yourself. But it’s a lot of work, to keep that freedom. Walt: Times changed as well. Nowadays the internet allows a sophistacated presentation without spending a lot of money. Not too long ago it was very different, and that could easily have seized both your flow and vision. Today you have the opportunity to spread your ideas with a small individual formation. Does this mean by implication, that you can not only obtain easy presence but that because of it you’re more vulnerable? Walt: You’re attackable but it’s not necessarily a negative thing. In the beginning in 1994 the structures and marketing mechanisms were different than today. Nowadays it’s not as simple to have commercial success with a new brand because everything became more exchangable. In the mid 90ies the market was more open, after 2K it became a hard fought market. Those who made it are a few brands that are established by now. Nevertheless it was harder to develop new products and to expand your range just because of the limits of communication. You couldn’t just send a pdf, you had to actually call people and send samples and sketches from A to B by mail... and that sure was a time killer, especially when you’re just beginning. But somehow we made it and today this plays to our benefit because you can use the binding and long lasting existence of the brand as a representation tool. It is an important point in our vita, an extra business card, if you know what I mean. Our advantage is that we started when the number of brands in this business was fairly small… now we actually double benefit because a) we have the knowledge and b) we know how to use it at the appropriate digital and analog interfaces. This eventually influences the mainstream because they see that you have to work with new strategies to survive. Small labels have the possibilty to “steal” a part of the market and thus force the big ones to rethink their strategy. These days the bigger companies use similar strategies as the smaller ones to reach a certain target group. Which means there is much more competition as in our beginnings in the mid 90s but that’s something I perceive as being rather stimulating and exciting components.
Back in the days each and everyone was checking out almost exclusively what was going on in the States, the whole DIY thing, Punk, skateboarding and the accompanying lifestyle. How difficult was it as a German brand from Berlin-Kreuzberg to make your way against this superiority? Daniel: I don’t think we were recognized as a brand from Berlin during the first years. People who bought our stuff thought we were just another brand from the States. There was an immense desire for everything that defined itself as a brand… unfortunately without questioning any form of authenticity. Wether it was a brand with substance or just another logo on fabric, nobody cared. That changed around the turn of the millenium. Many brands disappeared, others that already had a strong identity e.g. Element or Volcom established themselves ultimately. It was all about earning reputation again, for Iriedaily, too. Walt: Back then we didn’t talk about Berlin really, it was either about Germany in general or specifically Kreuzberg... the reputation for German streetwear was practically non-existent. Stores from London or Milano had no interest in German (street)fashion whatsoever. Daniel: And actually it was our own fault to only look towards America and desperately trying to be the European pendant to brands like Stüssy for example. It was a predictable fail... credibility was owned by others. Walt: Same with music. Bands like Bad Brains or Hüsker Dü were fantastic and created a worldwide buzz. Bands like Jingo De Lunch only did it on a local or national level. Self-awareness concerning your own culture in Europe only existed in France with their autonomous Hip-Hop culture and accompanying brands. That evolved in Germany years later. We defined ourselves via an extreme niche: Kreuzberg. Due to identification it worked superbly on a small scale. The problem was that you almost automatically imply: you suck.
Kreuzberg was like a kind of an exclusive club back then. Walt: Right. Unfortunately that lead to the result that people said: Actually Iriedaily is pretty cool, but way too Kreuzberg... just let them do their thing. Even in Berlin it led to the impression of exclusion although that was never intended by us. In consequence we started to communicate that Iriedaily isn’t just standing for a certain kind of Kreuzberg vibe but as a brand from Berlin. We are a part of it, part of a new face of Germany, rooted in Kreuzberg. The special kind of Berlin lifestyle organically grew over decades and finally it was acknowledged abroad. This changed perception from the outside and the growing self-esteem of the city was something Iriedaily benefited from as well, I guess. No beaches, no mountains, always broke, a pretty lousy club in the Bundesliga, yet a cool place to have fun and a place to accomplish something. Despite the changes in the city and the new international reputation, would you say the Iriedaily feeling is almost the same as in 1994? Walt: Of course, it grew with us. We came to Berlin to move into this gallic village, far away from the German niff, the roadhouses and cheesy three floor night clubs. Away from the image of the chubby meat bonanza German, and into a consciously choosen microcosm. For us it was about to be part of a counterculture. Listening to punkrock and printing t-shirts was good enough for us back then. But at a certain point, it can become limiting as well. We got older, more curious and finally we saw the world outside of this microcosm, and we obviously realized that there are cool places and nice people similar to Berlin almost everywhere. Daniel: A very natural process, I’d say… you get older, you have a family and your point of view changes. You get a different point of view of your surroundings, your hood. I also think the whole feeling changed in general over the years: the search for a kind of volunteery distinction, for a microcosm - which was typically for our generation doesn’t exist anymore... Walt: I agree with that. Our world was split between black and white. Independent or major, there was nothing in-between. The attitude of denial was much more celebrated, being a punk and shopping in a department store was almost impossible. Nowadays it’s like: you’ll have a Currywurst tomorrow, the day after tomorrow you’re a vegan, you go to a rave in the evening and the next day you’ll fly to London via a cheap airline.
I think it’s actually pretty brave to allow your brand to mature with you. Daniel: There was never any other way with Iriedaily, simply because there was never such thing as a master plan. Iriedaily always reflects what we lived or what we’re living right now. Walt: (laughs) We were way to dumb and naive to have a master plan. Daniel: We only did what we wanted to do and when it suddenly took off, there was no reason for a change. In 2000, when we had the first slump, we tried for the first time to consciously create an image and work with a plan. What we had created before admittedly was a bit inconclusive... we had to realize that contrary to our conceptless beginnings, it’s not that easy to create an image for a brand. Walt: We were at first against working with concepts because we feared to create something that’s not authentic. We had a simple formular: if you have to plan something, it’s almost instantly fake… or how Role once put it: Who advertises, is in desperate need of something. Daniel: (laughs) In the end it turned out that we didn’t have just one image but several, because every single one of us wanted to see his own identity and preferences reflected in the collection. Me and Role were into punk, Jaybo was into streetart and a lot more sophisticated than any of us, and Walt was in the unlucky position to put some sense into the whole thing.That almost broke our neck back then... trying to create an image without having a clear direction. We took a break eventually and as result we did not necessarily defined a lot of things new, but communicated them more elaborately. Luckily for us this necessary step was a successful one. Production has changed since, we took more risks. We grew up on a personal level as well as businesswise. Our direction is a good one and there’s no need to adjust the company, its structure and image to our private changes in the foreseeable future. You don´t see yourself as impeccable no more, the younger generation is way to clever. Walt: Let’s pick up the comparison from the beginning one more time: Iriedaily is this ADS kid, with four different fathers, which cultivated its very own life and at a certain point stopped taking the advice from his parents. After a difficult puberty it grew up and turned out to be an induvidual with a strong personality. Authenticity requires a certain age. Iriedaily grew with its city and now defines a certain urban lifestyle.
What I always found fascinating about Iriedaily is the homogeneity of the team. The most significant changes during those 18 years was the withdrawal of founding member Role as well as the fact that Jaybo is not communicated as the creative mastermind anymore even though he still pulls a lot of major strings. Other companies usually do something like that within a year. Daniel: The company prospers organically like a tree, you cannot just saw off a branch without facing the consequences. It’s a concept we purposely decided on. Maybe we were a bit slow here and there but I think it’s easier to put the pedal to the floor after you realized this than finding the break when you’re in full speed. In our fast-living and ever-changing times continuity is worth a lot. If you work together on a certain vision, and if you let things happen it takes a certain amount of pressure of everyone who works in another sector of the system. If you convey a certain planning and job guarantee everyone involved can work more creative and freely. You gotta give your staff the possibility to take a look from the outside, to reflect and question what they do. I believe this is more useful than changing the team every half year… which consequently will create even more pressure. Companies like Frontline or Cleptomanics whom we are friends with, are working with permanent staff and grown structures. The success and output of these brands just confirm this concept. I don’t believe in strained fluctuation and steady rejuvenation. This may sound a bit naive but I believe this will result in some sort of positive Karma, which then affects our audience in one way or another. Walt: Obviously things changed with the growing of our company. In the beginning we were just a handful of guys, now we’re around twenty people, sales reps not included. The mix of the younger ones with the older experienced ones is very important to me. The changes we made within the staff during the last years were essential… even though it wasn’t always necessarily fun to do so. We were lucky to grow slowly, controlled and steadily. Imagine your company would have skyrocket in a short time and all of a sudden you have a three figure staff. I don’t want to be the one to fire people just because one season didn’t run as smooth as expected. You got to give your employees the chance and freedom to advance on a preferably unbureaucratic way. Who still does the same job after a while couldn’t or didn’t want to use certain opportunities. And you know how it is: if things go well everybody is willing to change, but as soon as this isn’t the case any more, most people react inflexible and want the old configurations back. (laughs) But this is not football, so we’re not immediately chopping off the head of the coach. Daniel: Right, in this industry we are Werder Bremen to stay with the football allegory. Walt: Exactly. People get several chances. Nobody stands a new trick perfect at the first attempt. Daniel: That’s the reason our team got essentially younger, because we give the opportunity to integrate and question things. The new generation is definitely working to the brands favour a healthy antithesis to our punkrock egomania and crucial to stay in touch with the latest trends because the times we’ve been at every gig and went to or even threw the wildest parties ourselves are definitely over. What’s the vision for the next 18 years if you combine your wealth of experience with the enthusiasm of the new Iriedaily generation? Walt: Actually exactly the vision we just talked about. An organic growth of the company through a mature idea of urban fashion. If we are lucky, some day we will not only be the fathers but also the grandfathers of Iriedaily. If you’re older it’s easier again to be thrilled by certain things. Daniel: Exactly, and you’re generally more laid-back. No more panic attacks if things don’t go the way they should have. You can lean back and think visionary. It got nothing to do with getting bigger or force the international breakthrough, it’s thinking about possibilities to find realms and niches that haven’t had contact with Iriedaily yet. There’s a big difference between a product and a brand. You cannot just put your name on everything, because nowadays - and that’s actually a very positive trend - things need to have content and meaning.
STAY DIFFERENT