The protagonists of the shift- THEKEY.TO

by Deborah Miarkowska

Be part of the shift.

The Fashion Event THEKEY.TO announces the count down to the opening of the international event for green fashion, sustainable lifestyle and culture and will raise the curtain on January 20th.

BACKGROUND:

THEKEY.TO is the international event for green fashion, sustainable lifestyle and culture. Launched in July 2009 in Berlin, THEKEY.TO stands side by side with the other Berlin Fashion Week trade fairs and Bread&Butter.

Its main focus is to showcase sustainable and socially responsible international designers and to address this key aspect of contemporary culture thanks to an eclectic platform of workshops and conferences.

THEKEY.TO was conceived by an international team of interdisciplinary visionary professionals Frans Prins, Gereon Pilz van der Grinten and Rostislav Komitov. The event is organised in collaboration with Balestra Berlin and
THEKEY.TO is member of CreateBerlin.

Eco Chic Fashion Show

Across four days, over 50 of the most cutting edge labels in the international green scene will be on stage along side the unique exhibition, Eco Chic - Towards Sustainable Swedish Fashion realised by the Swedish Institute of Stockholm.

THEKEY.TO & Sustainable Fashion

For its second appointment with the fashion world, THEKEY.TO maintains its promise and shows a wide range of sophisticated sustainable brands from all over, among them Van Markoviec (The Netherlands/Poland), Knowledge Cotton Apparel (Denmark), Studio Jux (The Netherlands), Milch (Austria), Itsus (Canada), Banuq (Italy), Komodo and People Tree (UK). Furthermore the fair presents a strong selection of upcoming Berlin based brands, including Slowmo, Jovoo, Pamoyo, and Isabell de Hillerin.

Along side fashion, a variety of bags and shoes will also be exhibited. A high level of innovation in the research for new sustainable materials and experimental design are the essence of labels like Kontiki, Sakku and Snipe.

“We launched a provocation and they picked it up” says Frans Prins, founder of THEKEY.TO. “Be part of the Shift! This was how we invited the brands and many of them felt the call to action. It’s a real challenge to organize a sustainable event like this but there’s no future for “business as usual”. We’re shifting towards a greener economy, and what we invent today will be the guidelines for tomorrow.”

Perfectly in tune with this concept THEKEY.TO proudly hosts the Swedish Institute with the show Eco Chic - Towards Sustainable Swedish Fashion. The exhibition highlights a selection of leading edge Swedish designers who took an environmentally-friendly and ethical approach to their work, without renouncing to style.

“We absolutely wanted to exhibit in Berlin. THEKEY.TO embodies the perfect platform we were looking for, a platform where fashion, style and sustainability ideally blend”, says Anna Maria Bernitz, Head of Exhibitions at the Swedish Institute.

“Fashion is one of the world´s leading industries. It influences everybody. That´s why we are convinced that a new responsible approach in the entire fashion production chain can play a pivotal role to save the planet”, states Gereon Pilz van der Grinten, Founder of THEKEY.TO. “We feel honored to be in partnership with the Swedish Institute to collaboratively boost the development of sustainable fashion. We share the same vision: pioneering the SHIFT”.

THE PROTAGONISTS OF THE SHIFT:BRANDS:

5 Circles, Article 23, Banuq, Batata, Bleed Clothing, Bumbaumel, Cyclus, Dargeeling, Duckfeet, Elementum, Ethletic, Fairix, Göttin des Glücks, Hempage, Ideo, Indiafling, Isabell de Hillerin, Itsus, Jovoo, Ken Panda, Klebber, Know-Me, Knowledge Cotton Apparel, Komodo, Kontiki, Lilli Green, Milch, Pamoyo, Pants to Poverty, People Tree, Po Zu, Queen & Princess, Redesign, Sakku, Siroc, Slowmo, Snipe, Studio Jux, THTC, Toodot, Treches, Van Markoviec, Vontum

Eco Chic by Swedish Institute:

Anja Hynynen, Bergman’s, CamillA Norrback, Dem Collective, Johanna Hofring, Julian Red, Nudie, Pia Anjou, Reflective Circle, Righteous Fashion, Swedish Hasbeens, Zion