Where the Cool Kids are

The fashion city of Düsseldorf impresses as a multi-dimensional fashion destination. The city's fashion flair goes far beyond the famous, infamous Königsallee and has more to offer than luxury brands such as Versace, Gucci and Chanel. Away from the well-known promenades, you can discover the authentic side of the city and its unique, surprisingly unpretentious charm. Here you will find a multitude of distinctive boutiques and designer stores offering a diverse selection for every taste. The true soul of the fashion city of Düsseldorf is revealed.

To understand the origins of Düsseldorf as a fashion city, it is worth taking a brief look at its history. After the Second World War, a new center of the fashion industry developed on the Rhine. An important milestone was the groundbreaking open-air fashion show on Königsallee in 1949 - an unprecedented event that attracted 15,000 visitors. In the same year, the Düsseldorf Women's Wear Interest Group, or Igedo for short, organized the world's first fashion trade fair. To this day, the Igedo organizes numerous fashion-related events and trade fairs. Since then, Düsseldorf has established itself as the central hub of the national and international fashion industry. Not least thanks to the more than 600 showrooms in which around 1,000 international brands present their collections, it acts as the epicenter of the retail trade all year round. As a result, it is not just fashion business that is done here, but the fashion professionals inevitably shape the cityscape with their sense of style and give the city a stylish soul with their individual understanding of fashion.

Away from the luxurious and commercial side of fashion, a young and lively Düsseldorf has been establishing itself for some time now, characterized by concept stores, art and gastronomy. This is particularly evident in districts such as Flingern, Unterbilk or Carlstadt, more precisely around Carlsplatz. Well-curated eyewear stores such as Viu and Ace & Tate dominate the scene, while Instagram-worthy cafés such as Cøffe create a cool atmosphere. Stores such as Kauf dich Glücklich, Selekteur, Copenhagen Studios and Beyond Studios set additional accents in Carlstadt.

Speaking of districts: what Oberkassel is to Old Düsseldorf, the district around Lorettostrasse is to the young village. Vibrant creativity and an unmistakable modernity radiate throughout the entire district, creating a charming contrast to the established fashion city of Düsseldorf. Jewelry designer Ariane Ernst, for example, is based here and the Live Lab Studios are also located in Loretto-Hood. Vintage stores such as Two Brothers (appointments by appointment only) and Anniething Vintage have also set up shop in Düsseldorf's trendy district. Pre-loved fashion has established itself as a sustainable alternative in Düsseldorf and can be found not only in Unterbilk, but in all parts of the city, such as Elementarteilchen in Flingern.

Düsseldorf influencer exports such as Patrica Wirschke, who enjoys a strong presence on Instagram with an impressive 400,000 followers, Lara Bußmann with around 250,000 subscribers and Kathrin Bommann, who also has a considerable fan base with 110,000 followers, not only embody international flair but also an unmistakable local color and act as digital ambassadors for modern Düsseldorf with their aesthetic feeds. By pointing a finger through their appealing visual worlds, they not only reveal trends, but also give their community insights into personal hotspot favorites in the city.

It is the extremely attractive complexity of fashion, art, culture and creativity that gives Düsseldorf its unique flair. In its own way and with a pinch of Rhenish cordiality, the city of Düsseldorf can easily keep up with other fashion capitals. Why? Because Parisian chic feels just as much at home on the Rhine as the unconventional London bohemia, the casual atmosphere of New York or the urban edge of Berlin. The organic understanding of fashion makes it possible to present an almost infinite range of styles in a comparatively small space. These styles can be found subtly between the lines, but are clearly perceptible as a clear message. And in this fusion, the city reveals the unique symbiosis of the most diverse fashion worlds that makes Düsseldorf not only a fashion destination, but also a fashionable philosophy of life.

Text: Cheryll Mühlen
Lead photo: Breuninger

Cheryll Mühlen is editor-in-chief of the fashion trade publications J'N'C and TM-Textilmitteilungen, incidentally the oldest fashion trade magazine in Germany. She shares with us her perspective on the fashion city of Düsseldorf and shows not only the many facets, but also the blurring boundaries between fashion and lifestyle.