Born and raised in a rural part of Germany, designer Mario Keine has long been an active member of an orchestra as a child and young adult. This has exposed him early on to a culture of local customs just as the ‚Schützenfest‘ (eng: shooting festival).
For definition‚ Schützenfest‘ is a festival at which the members of the local shooting fraternities shoot on a wooden bird hung up on a pole. The person who knocks down the bird is crowned king, their partner queen and then paraded through the village, followed by a court and marching bands, ending in days of celebration and drinking.
While folk customs and such associations claim to strengthen the feeling of collective thinking and community, reality looks different. Under the guise of tradition exclusion and stagnation happen. Marginalized groups are not part of the table, are mocked or laughed at and even in 2024 many shooting associations vote unanimously against admission of women. Argument: ‘It has always been like this, then it can also stay like this.’
1920s vs 2020s
With a quick view on the similarities between the 1920s and 2020s such reactionary mindsets are nothing less than alarming. What is the use of celebrating community thinking when, in reality, it’s nothing but being exluding? What is the worth of traditions if they are not constantly reflected upon in light of the zeit- geist and world affairs? What will be the motivation for the future if society is not willing to move forward?
This MARKE collection offers an alternative concept to the status quo. Silhouettes and details of typical ‚Schützen‘ costumes are picked up and newly contextualized with elements of marginalized groups. The aesthetic development of said costumes is told with its historic references of the Middle Ages, victorian menswear up to military uniforms. These elements come thwarted by stylistics of queer culture and symbols of late medieval/ early renaissance clothing, shining a light on a period menswear featuring elements of Mi-Parti, leggings and overly decorated elements (Zaddelclothing).
These contrasts are achieved through silhouettes, but especially highlighted with the use of colour and material. A cornucopia of patterns and shades in the spectrum from black-and-white Pepita to pink-tur- quoise check make an appeal to the celebration of individuality and individualism. Stay up to date on the latest in fashion, arts, beauty, and lifestyle by following FAB L’Style Magazine.
Just as all previous seasons this MARKE collection is 100% sourced from Italian overstock and deadstock materials, developed in Cologne and produced exclusively on-demand in Germany and Poland.
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