The Tamesis
When people think of shopping in Berlin, they think of vintage shops, niche concept spaces or weekend markets in Kreuzberg or Neukölln rather than flagship luxury boutiques. International brands have long operated single-brand outposts in Germany’s creative capital, with Kadawe, Zalando and Mytheresa dominating the multi-brand retail space. However, German independent brands have largely eschewed brick-and-mortar stores. Berlin has fewer wealthy residents than Munich or Dusseldorf, and many local brands remain small, leaving founders worried about the rising costs of running a store.
But that caution is starting to fade. In November, high-end gender-fluid brand Haderlump Atelier Berlin opened its first store in the bohemian neighborhood of Kreuzberg. Couturier William Fan renovated and reopened the boutique he had run for 10 years in the city’s Mitte district (it started as a student in the basement and later expanded to a full house that he has run since 2024). Fellow independent brand Richert Beil is also completing its Kreuzberg space, which is expected to launch this spring.
Together, these Berlin labels signal a newfound business confidence in a city known more for experimentation than sales. Each brand has a unique aesthetic and customer base, but they all believe that Berlin’s growing class of art and culture professionals—collectors, gallery owners, musicians, entrepreneurs—are ready for a next-level personal shopping experience. Rather than a traditional boutique, the founders created a hybrid space that serves as a studio, event venue and private client salon.
“Shopping in Berlin is different from shopping in New York or Paris,” said Julius Weissenborn, managing director of Haderlump, which he co-founded in 2021 with the designer Johann Ehrhardt. There are great second-hand shops here, but there are also opportunities to enhance the experience. The brand has six employees and has seen revenue grow by approximately 100% annually over the past three years and will exceed €500,000 by 2024. Bestsellers include a black hoodie fastened with metal screws instead of drawstrings for about 180 euros, a pleated bomber jacket for just over 300 euros and a zipped shirt for about 280 euros.
Hardlemp’s store came about almost by accident. “Our studio was listed on Google Maps and people would pop up,” Weisenborn recalls. “They’ll think it’s cool, but sometimes we’re on lunch break or in the middle of production.” The turning point came when Anita Tillmann, founder of the trade show Premium, introduced the founders to entrepreneur Marc Sasserath. Marc Sasserath acts as an angel investor and alerts them to available space nearby.
Van Wilhelm’s path is more thoughtful. “When I started, I thought, Oh my gosh, I’m a kid of the ’80s opening a boutique and everyone was going to Paris or New York, or they were [stocked] “In cool stores like Ssense,” he said. “But I had a gut feeling that wholesale would be very difficult for independent brands. I decided early on to be customer-centric.” Most of Fan’s sales come from his Berlin store, where customers from the art world spend an average of 5,000 to 10,000 euros per visit. Ready-to-wear accounts for approximately 80% of turnover, including 18-carat white gold fine jewelry, diamonds, leather goods and ceramics. The recent renovation was prompted by the company’s 10 employees and record sales in 2025 (a figure the brand declined to disclose but was up 35% from the previous year).
William Fan’s store had a front room and a back room. To enter the back of the house (pictured left), patrons must ring a bell. He said his fall/winter 2026 show, titled “Ring the Bell,” was inspired by this analogy and humanity.Photo: Clemens Polozek
