Natisa Exocé Kasongo
photographed by Sven Marquardt
September 4, 2023
Collaborations
11 +1: Club Couture
Sven Marquardt is a photographer and prolific figure based in Berlin. For almost 20 years, he manned the doors of the city’s most notorious nightclubs. And with that, gained a skill in scouting diverse individuals from the scene. To capture this, we partnered up with him on a photographic portrait series and exhibition titled “11 +1”. He cast 12 unique personalities; we created 12 unique denim outfits.
3 Questions with Sven Marquardt
What can you tell us about Berlin club culture?
"Club culture started at the fall of the wall, which suddenly combined two systems in anarchy. Everybody did something with the locations that were empty. That's how the culture was created, in a time of searching for a new zeitgeist. And I was there then. Celebrating, dancing, laughing, crying, doing everything in excess. That was the beginning of the 90's. From 1993 until today. But club culture means inspiration to me. Truly. Absolutely. When I'm at the club, I work with youth culture who inspire my work, which otherwise have nothing to do with my generation."
Can you explain the idea behind 11 +1?
"This project was a homage to club culture. We casted 12 models and talked about 11 +1. There's always this annoying guest list, you know the classic, 'we have a spot plus 1'. That's how it came about, it was a nice touch. And, I love portraits and the mix with fashion. Even when I photograph musicians, I think about the style and implement it in such a way that someone is who they want to be. To capture these individuals was really something special."
What drew you to this cast?
"Diversity. Community. Always being a riot. We collaborated with these people who represented that. It's about being yourself. They stand for a present time. I stand for a long time. The new generation brings the zeitgeist now."
"Club culture started at the fall of the wall, which suddenly combined two systems in anarchy. Everybody did something with the locations that were empty. That's how the culture was created, in a time of searching for a new zeitgeist. And I was there then. Celebrating, dancing, laughing, crying, doing everything in excess. That was the beginning of the 90's. From 1993 until today. But club culture means inspiration to me. Truly. Absolutely. When I'm at the club, I work with youth culture who inspire my work, which otherwise have nothing to do with my generation."
Can you explain the idea behind 11 +1?
"This project was a homage to club culture. We casted 12 models and talked about 11 +1. There's always this annoying guest list, you know the classic, 'we have a spot plus 1'. That's how it came about, it was a nice touch. And, I love portraits and the mix with fashion. Even when I photograph musicians, I think about the style and implement it in such a way that someone is who they want to be. To capture these individuals was really something special."
What drew you to this cast?
"Diversity. Community. Always being a riot. We collaborated with these people who represented that. It's about being yourself. They stand for a present time. I stand for a long time. The new generation brings the zeitgeist now."
The zeitgeist of our time
Eva Che Private chef
Hella Schneider Creative
Vladyslav Tian Musician
Clara Cuvé DJ
Dominik Heinrich Model
Samja Zad Artist
Bastian Fährmann Model, Singer
Leski Olsén Model
Alexandra Johansson
Makeup Artist, Actress, Bookkeeper
The exhibition: 11 +1 Club Couture
A visual exploration of the intersection between fashion, art and Berlin club culture.
Sven Marquardt cast 11 +1 talents with a range of personalities and styles with one common denominator: a mutual love for the freedom found within the underground nightlife. And, the style that comes with it. Our belief in the limitlessness of denim motivated our latest capsule collection. Taking inspiration from the 12 clubbers' outfits, we transformed them into one-of-a-kind denim couture pieces. The capsule is exclusively available as handmade limited editions at Voo Store Berlin.
The exhibition will be during Berlin Art Week from 14th - 16th of September 2023 at VOO Space, Oranienstraße 24, Berlin. Open daily from 11AM till 7PM.
Sven Marquardt cast 11 +1 talents with a range of personalities and styles with one common denominator: a mutual love for the freedom found within the underground nightlife. And, the style that comes with it. Our belief in the limitlessness of denim motivated our latest capsule collection. Taking inspiration from the 12 clubbers' outfits, we transformed them into one-of-a-kind denim couture pieces. The capsule is exclusively available as handmade limited editions at Voo Store Berlin.
The exhibition will be during Berlin Art Week from 14th - 16th of September 2023 at VOO Space, Oranienstraße 24, Berlin. Open daily from 11AM till 7PM.