The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2022 - Issue 32

I t all started when Joerg Koch, originally from Wuppertal, Germany, moved to Berlin from New York in the mid-90s, not long after the Berlin Wall came down. “It was all construction sites,” he said, “so you imagined this great future would be pos- sible. For me that timing was instrumental. Berlin became a bohemian refuge, a city where the creative energy had al- ready been building for years.” 032c, founded by Joerg in 2000, started as a cultural maga- zine in Berlin covering fashion, art, politic and the new Gen Z trends. It was the magazine for a generation that felt no ob- ligation to the systems and structures put in place before its time. It sometimes operated as an agency, gallery, or fashion brand, intending to inform, provoke, and activate the imagi- nation of everyone that enters their universe. Freedom, research, and creativity are only a few concepts, but they are open for expansion and take pride in mani- festing the most fantasy-like creations into reality. Besides provocative journalism and the world’s best photoshoots by A-list photographers, the 032c magazine has slowly but steadily moved into the fashion arena and eventually created its ready-to-wear collections. Since then, it has become an influential force. The fashion side owes its success to Joerg’s wife, Maria, who started her career as a womenswear designer for Jil Sanders and consultant for Yeezy, alongside the magazine’s fashion director Marc Goehring. In January 2018, 032c launched its debut runway show, ‘What We Believe’, at Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence, featuring its twist on workwear with in- spiration from Black Mountain College. Later, in Novem- ber, the ‘Cosmic Workshop’ collection tapped into the ‘90s rave culture featuring harnesses and a Buffalo collaboration shown in London. They also showcased the exhibition at Da- vid Lynch’s Silencio club in Paris in January 2019. 032c’s ‘Guilty’ Fall-Winter 2022 collection is inspired by the work and materials of the maritime industry, guided by logis- tics and lust. It was photographed by Michael Baumann and styled by Rasmus Baun Bartram under the directorship of Maria Koch. ‘Guilty’ is a fatal fascination with the tacky part of town with its material protection for life’s seasicknesses, wreckages, and equipment for its biggest catches. It’s a luxury weather-proofing and water-resistant experience with ready- to-wear unisex garments. The collection considers the global networks of physical and metaphorical trade and the roles we all play within them. Hundreds of years back, maritime ports served a critical po- sition in every nation’s global economy, sometimes being the only way to survive or a way to conquer. 032c describes the maritime port as “a place of risk, powered by seen and un- seen forms of physical work.” Port cities are also promiscuous hubs for trade where self-in- dulgence is explored in its original glory, only witnessed by red-lit streets. Feeding our guilty pleasures as we return to sea hungry and wanted, deprived of connection and needing exchange of goods, food, influences and money. The ports are gateways to the unknown worlds, bringing containers that serve as a vessel for introducing us to new products and cultures. In comparison, both ports and garments invite new unexplored worlds into our lives, simultaneously inspiring, safeguarding and arousing those indulging in them. The latest collection confronts two opposites forces, technol- ogy and nature, to create a safe harbour by using tenacious tools and sound systems of signs and codes to construct a fabric of protection against harsh conditions – environmental and human. The traditional reflective bright yellow punches in on balaclavas, lifeguard-inspired hats, rubber outwear and knit sweaters. A shearling-collared bomber blasted with yel- low, while ‘hazard’ iconography represented industries’ hard labour. At the same time, lab graphics were heavily featured in prints on tops and gloves of various lengths and resilience in leather, cotton and nylon. Bold geometries crosscut with 032c logos on sheer black evening wear and skin-tight pearlescent bright cover arms and legs in iridescent oil-slick: post-industrial mermaid’s tales that warn, beckon, attract, and resist. On board above deck, a silken pink ruched blouse, light tops in metallic vis- cose in silver and purple; below desk, miniskirts and sets in strategically cut patchwork denim. Black leather contrasts with rippling, Medusa-like sheers caught in a woven gar- ter-inspired harness. Silver ‘piercing’ sets designed for cloth- ing and a rubberised leather captain’s cap transported us to libidinal harbours. https://032c.com bitefashion Giedre Jackyte discovers cultural magazine-turned-fashion brand 032c’s AW22 collection that takes inspiration from the marine industry. Images courtesy of 032c