I have a lot of affection for designer Ettina Barrios Negròn and her small label Thone Negron. She just moved to a new location in Berlin Linienstraße and simply the beauty of the shop is worth a visit. Ettina designs romantic shirts and dresses, she is wearing one of my favorites here. I recently bought this dress (perfect for summer and biking because of a second layered skirt) and the blouse she is wearing here. I had a long conversation with Ettina about her business and on how the clothes are made and I noticed that the detail and stitching on her clothes are excellent and in fact she pays a lot of attention to that.

I feel a bit guilty lately for shopping big known brands and not really Berlin designers, part of the reason is that the fabrication is often mediocre while the prices are often as high or higher than luxury pieces that I find in the online outlet shops for example. I am trying to watch my budget and to invest in either classic pieces or the occasional  ‘show stopper’ but I want my clothes to be special and last for a long time. I am also a victim to trends and to big names that you’ve read about on this blog. Just to say, that with many people who think like me it’s of course hard for a smaller label to grow.

I am writing all this because of course I think it’s nice to challenge certain patterns.

There is something very exciting about discovering smaller labels around you, to find pieces that are unique and that no one else will wear at the next Paris Fashionweek and maybe to know they are produced in a fair way.