Don’t know how you did it, Allan Balletshofer, but you read my mind. While waiting for his present to begin in the Martin Gropius Bau museum’s ebony colored beauty, I glanced down at the Balletshofer’s display notes and observed that “an adult adapts to its particular rules and conventions. Moving through the industrial environment, a new acquaintance emerges from area to road, vehicle to metro.” Record- wise, the only thing I didn’t manage to achieve was taking the bus, but then, the last few weeks here in Berlin for the flower 2025 shows have been a speed training in immersing myself in the city—and the city’s clothing scene. And as to what’s become familiar, it’s that the area is capable of providing all sorts of great surprises.
One of them, in my opinion, was Balletshofer. He has produced exactly two collections thus far, making him a little less of an unknown quantity. ( Well, to me at least. ) Quickly it became apparent, however, that he has a very unique perspective. Appear 1 set the tone: sleek black tailoring in the shape of a boxy cut collarless jacket, worn with direct cut trousers which contrive to do that obscure thing—somehow be nice, but vintage, and vice versa, and succeed. Are you noticing a color palette change as his designs walk at a fast pace, as did a dark shirt with electric blue panel inserted into its arms, which was later echoed on the look’s trousers and finally a black? —neoprene jean jacket with, yes, matching jeans.
Much of Balletshofer’s collection was focused on twisting and subverting all those tropes of classic menswear—suits, shirting, even ties, which here added a touch of formality, and a bit of an American Psycho vibe tbh, when worn with an oversized black flannel shirt- jacket (technically, I guess, this makes it a shacket, but I’m adding that to my list of verboten fashion words ) and wide trousers—fusing traditional and athletic/technical fabrics. Balletshofer was reportedly inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Ichi-go ichi-e, which is apparently about capturing the unrepeatable nature of a moment. Those same show notes also mention this.
In other words, the present lives on in the moment while also preserving the past, which is a pretty good way to sum up how he fuses the reality of today with the memory of his predecessor. With the Timberland collaboration, Batetshofer literally grounded his approach by adding a leather toe cap in black or electric blue to the classic boat shoe, without downplaying the integrity of the boot. As the last look exited, my seatmate turned to me and said, ‘I’d wear all of that.’ Although I’m not sure if I could do the same, he was spot on in terms of a collection that had a ton of desirable clothing.