008 editorial
Everything's New, Nothing's Different
From the very beginning the "style in progress" described our agenda in many respects. At the very least it expresses our understanding of how the magazine must continue to move forward. The broadening of our content was a welcome opportunity for our Art Director Elisabeth Prock-Huber to explore new visual horizons. For us this process is not a "relaunch"; it is "style in progress". And for a brief moment in time, we are completely satisfied. Cover Photo: Julian Hentzler
113 style in progress
Welcome to these lines. May we just borrow the introductory words used by Markus HĂśhn, Managing Partner at Lodenfrey? "We didn't seek to renovate because the old concept was no longer successful but because we wanted to take the next step. And that has been, I believe, very successful", he says in the style in progress Longview (from Page 082). style in progress has also undergone a renovation. From this issue onwards, the content, editorial department and staff of our magazine will be fused with its big sister - or small brother if you prefer - x-ray. Not because the old concept was no longer successful but because we simply want to take the next step. And because dividing content no longer reflects the reality of the market. So, from now on you will reading style in progress for all the information, background and sophistication from both worlds that, in reality, is only one. The style in progress world and the x-ray world. Or even: The Premium World (Ten-Year Underground Anniversary, from Page 158) and the Bread & Butter World (People expect Visions from Us, from Page 148). That a divide runs between the two worlds is just an anachronism nowadays. In Isabel Faiss and Nicoletta Schapers tradeshow discussion (Why Do Brands Need Tradeshows, from Page 136) it becomes abundantly clear - fashion today is a successful combination of both worlds. The new mix provides plenty of interesting reading material: In this vein, Odessa Legemah had the opportunity of talking with denim-hunter Brit Eaton (Indiana Jones Would Pale, from Page 162). And in his efforts to reach the precious denim, he even climbs abandoned mines. And there he finds the stuff that has turned into a cult object in many of the stores presented by style in progress - especially in the new 14 oz. (Homage to Berlin, from Page 196). With this bold confession of faith towards the speciality retail sector and its uncompromising sophistication, we are opening up a whole series of portraits on those shops that make our hearts beat faster. Brave, uncompromising ideas in Constance, Stuttgart, New York, Berlin, Hamburg, Bozen,
Vienna, Munich and Zurich. More than a sign of life from an industry that thinks its in crisis. Sonja Ragaller illuminates just how important and right it is when companies invest in satisfied employees, in other words, in people, especially today (A Life for the Company, from Page 100). And companies such as RenĂŠ Lezard show just how much others like to invest in companies like these (Investment in Growth, from Page 134), and whose SME loan was sold out in a very short space of time. Others can also score points with healthy growth: Whether it's the one-man company Valentino de Luca (Laugh and the World Laughs With You, from Page 122), proud SMEs such as Harald Heldmann (Fashion Can Only Move Forward, from Page 120) or impassioned captains of industry like Luca Caprai (A Clover Leaf for Every Desire, from Page 126). Those who haven't found their position in the market don't need to sit up and beg. But not all boundaries are so clearly placed: Nicoletta Schapers background report shows that the aquarium often turns into a shark's tank in the online world (Online Anarchy, from Page 106). But "old hands" like Mario Eimuth the founder of Stylebop knows: "Territorial Protection Is Not Possible on the Internet." (from Page 112). And so, we wish you no protection, no rules and no boundaries instead to have the freedom to see fashion for what it is again: A great business opportunity, a beautiful one at that! Enjoy the read, Your style in progress team