From 10 to 12 September, the Leopolda Station of Florence will host DaTE, the industry event for the most cutting edge eyewear companies. These will include Kreuzbergkinder: let’s discover its history and soul, in this article.
The origins
Kreuzbergkinder was founded in Berlin, in the district of Friedrichshain-kreuzberg. The Kreuzberg district, in the former West Berlin region south of the centre, was one of the bordering areas with the wall at the time. In the 80s, Kreuzberg became a centre of Berlin counter-culture, a popular haunt for the punk movement and young artists from all over the world, with a strong community of Turkish immigrants. Kreuzbergkinder literally means ‘kids of Kreuzberg’, as the young and creative talents of the district often called themselves. The homonymous brand of glasses was launched in 2017 with the creative involvement of this social force. Today, the showroom is located in the adjacent and up-and-coming district of Friedrichschain, driven by the popularity of Kreuzberg.
The creative talent
The collection is created and designed with love by talented Ioana Serbanescu, resident for some years now in Berlin and inspired by the vibrant energy of the city. One of the founders of the brand and house photographer is Gili Shani, known for his photos of famous fetish nightclub KitKat (inspired by the homonymous Burlesque club of the musical Cabaret). His black and white works wonderfully express the daring rebellious, poetic and sensual soul of Kreuzbergkinder. In the various Kreuzbergkinder collections, a strong fusion of 70’s/80s cyber noir style can be found, with enchanting frames that hypnotise the onlooker.
