7 minute read
RARE
from ECOPOLITAN® - No6
by Ecopolitan®
A Sustainable Fashion Store In The Heart Of Berlin
RARE is a sustainable fashion store that opened in August 2024 in the vibrant Friedrichshain neighborhood of Berlin.
The store features four pioneering zero-waste brands—Tata Christiane, Therapy Recycle & Exorcise, Everydaypieces, and Fade Out Label— that specialize in upcycled fashion. These designers have come together to create a collective in an inclusive, multi-purpose space that offers more than just green clothing.
What sets RARE apart from other fashion stores is that the shop is run directly by the designers who create the garments, fostering a unique direct connection between creator and customer. Many visitors come not only to shop but also to exchange ideas with the creatives, draw new inspiration, and explore unusual material and design combinations.
In addition to purchasing locally-made, one-ofa-kind pieces (some repeatable, but still unique in their variation), customers can enjoy continuously restocked items made by hand in the designers' ateliers. These pieces are crafted from discarded fabrics and materials, given new life through innovative design and added aesthetic value.
Every week, RARE offers a selection of items at special discounted prices, giving everyone the chance to find a real bargain, no matter their budget. The store also offers repair services for items purchased there, and for those looking for something more personalized, customers can place custom orders for tailored or bespoke pieces. To further enhance inclusivity, RARE is also known for its collaborations with artists, musicians, and film productions. Some of the pieces are available for rent for large or smallscale productions, such as music videos or films.
Speaking of rentals, a new sustainable initiative introduced by the designers is the option for private customers to rent selected pieces also for only one day. This helps reduce overconsumption by preventing the accumulation of items that aren't truly needed, thus avoiding waste and unnecessary spending.
Another key feature of this small but precious sustainable fashion space is its numerous collaborations with students and schools from across Europe. These students are hosted at the store, where they are shown firsthand how the fashion industry can become more eco-friendly. (It's worth noting that the fashion industry is the second most polluting sector in the world, just behind oil.) Students learn about circular economy strategies, creative research, idea development, and everything that goes into the production of slow, handmade fashion.
At RARE, visitors also have the opportunity to participate in various workshops led by designers Elise and Julie. Topics range from crochet and creative recycling to patchwork techniques, catering to both beginners and more advanced participants depending on the theme.
Last but not least, RARE periodically hosts small exhibitions focusing on art, photography, and innovation, all related to sustainability and inclusivity. One of the latest exhibitions was "World Wide Waste," held during the International Zero Waste Day at the end of March. This immersive show, in collaboration with artist Xstina Sarli and Fade Out Label, showcased experiments with mushroom leather mixed with denim and offered visual experiences through augmented reality. The exhibition caught the attention of the Danish design school Textilskolen, which has since visited the store and proposed future collaborations.
RARE Berlin, Store and CollectiveWed-Fri 1-7pm Sat 12-7pm
Kopernikusstraße 21, Berlininstagram @rare_berlin
Xstina Sarli and FADE OUT Label for Rare shop
Why mushroom leather, and why mushroom leather combined with denim?
For the past three years, my research has been rooted in a hybrid practice, blending art, science, technology, and nature within the communitydriven, DIY, DIWO, DITO bio-hacker and morethan-human ethos of Toplab (DIY Biolab and transdisciplinary community in Berlin).Central to our exploration are polypore mushrooms, renowned for their remarkable capacity to serve as sustainable, future-oriented materials—from eco-friendly replacements for polystyrene packaging to innovative textiles like mushroom leather. www.top-ev.de/about/
My fascination with mushroom leather specifically emerged through my deeper interest in mycoremediation—using fungi to decompose waste, particularly textile waste. Denim published research stood out immediately as an impactful choice, given the profound environmental burden posed by fashion waste. Mushrooms not only have the potential to address this issue sustainably but also symbolize transformative solutions, literally breaking down waste into something new and valuable.
This vision directly linked to the work of Andy (Fade Out Label), whose commitment to zerowaste design and upcycling I deeply admired. I saw our collaboration as an opportunity to integrate sustainable materials into the artist’s practice itself, addressing sustainability not only in materials but also in the livelihood and practice of the artists involved.
Our concept became clear: take denim scraps too small for conventional reuse—scraps that a designer like Andy would struggle to integrate— and use them as a substrate for growing mushroom leather. The mycelium’s inherent binding properties allowed the random denim pieces to fuse naturally, eliminating the need for traditional sewing methods and truly embodying a zero-waste ethos.
Beyond sustainability, our collaboration aimed to shift societal perspectives regarding material durability and longevity. Mushroom leather garments inherently differ from mass-produced clothing—they have a unique character, a narrative woven into their textures. Responding to the common queries about durability, we emphasized these pieces as wearable art, inviting wearers into a different relationship with their garments, reflecting Fade Out Label’s ethos: “you are what you wear.”
To deepen the experience and underline this narrative, I developed an augmented reality application allowing users to scan the garment’s unique mycelium patterns. This digital layer revealed multimedia content about the production process, encouraging creativity, imagination, and a deeper connection to nature. The project thus becomes an active invitation for people to reimagine the intersection of art, sustainability, and technology.
The Role of RARE Berlin
Being welcome to the collective space at RARE Berlin was essential to this project. For me, the most meaningful part was working among other creators who are equally committed to sustainable materials. The collective’s ethos deeply resonated with the narrative we foster at
Toplab—a community of sustainable researchers, artists, scientists, and activists.
At RARE, unique aesthetics and ideas flowed freely, and the openness of the space allowed anyone to enter, interact, and engage. Everyone could afford something valuable: a positive, solution-driven perspective in a world overwhelmed by problems. It created a unique context where deep, meaningful conversations could arise from spontaneous encounters with a diverse and curious public. I’m deeply thankful to RARE for hosting this work and offering such an open platform.
Wearable Alchemy and the Virtual School
The World Wide Waste project, which we describe as “Wearable Alchemy,” is also part of an evolving online 3D platform—a virtual mycofabrication school. The aim is to make all this knowledge accessible, fostering an opensource, collaborative spirit that mirrors the broader vision behind “World Wide Waste.” https://newart.city/show/world-wide-waste-2025
This digital environment connects sustainable designers and artists globally, enabling them to share methods, stories, and materials. Through this, we’re not just designing garments—we’re designing networks of resilience and creativity. In how we dress, we also express how we address global challenges, and that’s something this collaboration has helped to clearly articulate.”
Xristina Sarli @xristinasarlixristinasarli.com
Danish School
Textilskolen, is a Danish design education where experimentation, sustainability, and material exploration are central to our practice. We offer two programs: Design & Maker for young aspiring designers and makers (ages 16–18), and the Akademilinjen, for students (ages 18–28) preparing for higher education in design, architecture, and related fields both nationally and internationally. Both programs emphasize hands-on learning, strong conceptual development, and responsible design thinking. Our Design and Maker program visited Fade Out Label and Rare Shop on their study tripto Berlin.
During this visit, the students gained valuable insights into circular fashion and creative reuse. They were particularly inspired by how textile scraps can be reimagined, how denim can be transformed into entirely new materials using mycelium, and how involving the consumer in the design process opens up new perspectives. One highlight was seeing how textile waste was combined with mycelium, demonstrating a powerful link between biology and design— collaborating with more-than-human actors and exploring the future of sustainable material innovation.
