VERSUCHSKIND is an underground men's denim brand from Berlin, but with a French background: before launching the brand, its founders, Tanja Kim Kupke and Thomas Hintz, both received a classical education at ESMOD, one of the best international French fashion schools. As a result, they set to work fully conscious of what they were doing, giving their brand a very clear philosophy.
VERSUCHSKIND
- AuthorDARKROOM
- Date29.09.2018
What is the philosophy behind VERSUCHSKIND? It can be broken down easily into several points:
1) outstanding techniques for working with cloth, many of which have been developed personally by the design duo;
STRUCTURE & SCULPTURE
The designers-cum-founders themselves sum up the brand’s philosophy in two words: structure and sculpture. And they really do put a great deal of work into both. The pair are constantly exploring the possibilities of denim – in VERSUCHSKIND this fabric is gravel-washed, treated with various coatings, given a unique patina, combined with leather, and subjected to all manner of experiments with different types of finishing, largely carried out by hand. Both the founders were involved in textile research while at university, and appreciation of their work has won the designers the prestigious international Golden Needle award (the Aiguille d'or).
"CURIOUS CHILD"
As for the “sculpture” aspect, Kupke and Hintz have created a whole architecture of denim –something quite rare for the men's jeans sector. The brand's connection with the world of art and architecture is clear in everything they do. The VERSUCHSKIND logo itself is a prime example, being a famous work by the high-profile contemporary artist Matthias Hintz. It shows an abstract child's head, with an antenna “growing” from the top, symbolising his curiosity and openness to the world around him. The brand name too can be translated as “curious child”. According to the designers, we are constantly looking, like a child, for something new, looking at things with an unbiased eye. This is the worldview that VERSUCHSKIND embodies.
To appreciate the reverence with which Kupke and Hintz approach the jeans they produce, it is enough to know this: the buttons on VERSUCHSKIND garments are sewn on by hand, and are coated with real gold or silver. Made by hand, the fruit of wide-ranging experimentation and attention to detail – all this goes to make up this German brand.