Düsseldorf

This weekend, Germany’s most famous fashion mile is readying itself for the holiday business. Yet even apart from the “Kö,” a new fashion scene has evolved in Düsseldorf.

It begins at Max Mara and actually already ends at the credit union: that “Kö feeling.” In the middle, the red carpet is rolled out near Steinstrasse. Schwarzkopf is sponsoring the Bambi Awards on 22 November. The pavement is covered with stickers with the silhouettes of German movie stars like Heiner Lauterbach and Veronica Ferres. Paris, New York, Düsseldorf – that’s how the capital of NRW likes to see itself. At three in the afternoon, the middle of the “Kö” is ready for Hollywood. Pedestrians holding their smartphones surge against the cord. A woman asks, “Who’s that smart-looking man?” In spite of helpless head shaking, the cameras point and shoot. Although everything is still under construction, there is no sign yet of security officers and VIP barriers. But, Heiner Lauterbach should be here any minute.

Others pass over the red carpet beforehand: a chic-looking man with a white velvet scarf round his neck and wet effect in his hair, then a homeless man in a wheelchair with a little dog on his lap. Both of them are photographed enthusiastically.

Like the red carpet, Düsseldorf’s exclusive shopping street is also ready for a test run. Nighttime shopping will ring in the Christmas business on 16 November. From 22 November until into the New Year, the “Kö” will shine. Countless light bulbs and the fake fir wreaths will then glow above the luxury street. During peak hours up to 5,550 passersby are expected to stroll along the luxury fashion mile. Goethestrasse in Frankfurt expects a mere 2,620 persons per hour. In Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, the frequencies are between 1,000 and 2,000 pedestrians. Düsseldorf is the Mecca of luxury shoppers and their prophets, the merchants, court for the best positions. The hype over the luxury location reached its peak in 2007. The rents rose by 20 percent within one year.


Nowadays things are moving a bit more slowly, but nonetheless surely upwards in spite of the weak economy. “The enthusiasm remains unbroken and there is plentiful excess demand for the right spaces, which also explains the rising rents,” explains Frank Emmerich, the senior director of the estate agent Cbre. Ten years ago a square metre on Düsseldorf’s luxury fashion mile cost 240 euros, while today it brings in up to 300 euros.

Cartier next-door to H&M

Still, some of the shops are in crisis mode alongside the holiday cheer. A sign stands in the window of number 92 with the words “Adieu KÖ.” Hans Münstermann, a private jeweller, is now selling his elegant trinkets at 30 percent discount: the black diamond ring costs 6,265 instead of 8,950 euros, luxurious cufflinks can be had for a mere 1,533 euros. Higher-income earners can get great deals here. Next-door as well, where the furrier Slupinski is housed, the window has hardly any Christmas decorations and a wide red banner announces a clearance sale. Mink coats with sable collars for 8,770 euros, a steal considering the regular price tag of 15,950 euros for the luxury piece. Others are discounted up to 70 percent.

The firm was founded in 1920 by Heinrich Slupinski. His magnificent coats have been on the “Kö” since 1935. During the Second World War the shop, then housed at number 61, was destroyed and had to be rebuilt. In 1986, the Slupinskis moved further south into number 92, a 600 square-metre shop. After 77 years on the “Kö,” the firm no longer plans to extend its lease. Managing director Peter Slupinski explains that the closure was necessary because the floor space is too large for today’s circumstances. It costs about 200 euros per square metre.

Nostalgia buffs (patriots) bemoan that the luxury fashion mile has lost much of its glory. Even the discounter Aldi has leased space on the exclusive street in house number 106. Next to Cartier, Saturn and H&M have opened their own branches. Yet, luxury still dominates. “A variety of prestigious brands are still looking for leases on the Kö,” says Emmerich. Bottega Veneta, Brunello Cucinelle, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior and Moncler plan to open shops on the “Kö.” The expert does not believe that Aldi leasing a storefront is part of a negative image change for the “Kö.” “Number 106 is not located in the high-quality section, it’s almost on Friedrichstrasse. That has nothing more to do with luxury shopping.”

This is the “anti-Kö”

Christina Koch shows me that Düsseldorf has more to offer than luxury shops. For two years she has owned a shop on Ackerstrasse, in the Düsseldorf district of Flingern. When asked to describe the “Kö look,” she counts off luxury brands: a Van Laack jumper, Dolce & Gabbana jeans, riding boots and Burberry scarf. A Louis Vuitton handbag dangling from the elbow. The glamour and holiday hype in the flagship shops on the “Kö” are a far cry from her second hand boutique called Elementarteilchen. She buys dresses, leather jackets, lacquer shoes, boots, skirts and accessories on commission from private individuals. Yet her shop has its very own charm.


The interior imitates an antique wardrobe. Between the crowded clothing racks, a cosy corner has been set up with snow-white leather armchairs. A basset hound occupies the elegant spot, raises his head lazily when a customer enters and then lets it drop again, bored. Not the slightest hint of shopping stress. It can be different at the weekend when the hip clientele from all parts of the city are drawn to Flingern. A t-shirt can be had for five euros, not much cheaper than at H&M, but certainly not anything like ready-made clothing from the rack. A Prada coat can be bought for just a fraction of the original price.

The city also advertises the quarter as its alternative shopping mile. Düsseldorf’s official website lists the district under “Fashion & Shopping” in the section entitled “Creative Districts.” This is the “anti-Kö.” The hype over the “traditional workers’ quarter in the Düsseldorf neighbourhood of nullzwo” is big, it’s said that the Tote Hosen wrote their first punk lyrics right here.

On its debut album of 1983 (Opel Gang), the band ironically presented the snobbism of its hometown “We are from a lovely town / Poverty is quite unknown / Every summer, every year / Düsseldorf meets on Ibiza.” The song Modestadt Düsseldorf sings of the clichés that Ms. Koch still maintains twenty years later. Punk and pomp still rub shoulders in Düsseldorf to this day.