Satellite Voices

Munich

Susanne Bommer Does The East End

August 29

The brilliant Bauhaus-inspired fashion designer lands in London's Hoxton Square for the summer

• Text by Christine Bierhals

German designer Susanne Bommer has brought her innovative (and usually unavaiable in the UK) collection to London, showcased in the former studio of Alexander McQueen. She presents selected pieces until the end of the month and speaks with Satellite Voices about her hometown of Munich and how it inspires her work.

Satellite Voices: What was the first thing you ever made?
Susanne Bommer: At first I drew a lot. Then I started to make dolls. I found a way to form their faces and colored them, made their haircut out of horse hair or feathers. I shaped their body, sewed clothes for them and gave them away as presents.

SV: How do you describe your style?
Susanne Bommer: My style is a mixture between clear and reduced shapes influenced by Bauhaus and the lightness and delicateness of a butterfly. It is feminine at first sight. But I am searching for deconstruction without being absolute or superficial. Mostly monocrome pieces find their strength in individual combinations. Unusual color combinations find their shape and expression in selected structures. Susanne Bommer is a strong and openminded concept, a development. 

SV: Why do you create your collections here in Munich, rather than say, Paris or London?
Susanne Bommer: Munich is a wonderful city to concentrate on work. It is a nice place to raise children. It is calm and has very good structures. As I am travelling a lot, that is very important for me. Honored by a fashion award for my first collection, I just started building up my studio and opened my store. But I love big cities and that's why we just opened a Susanne Bommer pop-up store in London. People are so open minded and interested there. It is a wonderful experience to showcase my idea of fashion in Hoxton Square.

SV: Where do you live and what inspires you about that area of town?
Susanne Bommer: I live in the center of Munich where we have a great view over the whole city. This view opens my mind to realize my ideas. It gives me strength and inspires me a lot.

SV: Were you born in Munich?
Susanne Bommer: I was. I grew up outside of Munich in a Bauhaus bungalow. My surroundings were full of design and I thought the whole world would be like that place in which my parents raised me. Now I know how exceptional this circumstance was and how it influenced my life.

SV: What does Munich mean to you?
Susanne Bommer: All my heart is here.

Susanne Bommer Pop-Up store
51 Hoxton Square
Gallery Daniel Blau
London N1 6PB

Opening hours: Mon – Sat 12 - 19h, Sun 12 - 17h