When people think of shopping in Berlin, they picture vintage stores in Kreuzberg or Neukölln, niche concept spaces, or weekend markets, rather than flagship luxury boutiques. International houses have long operated mono-brand outposts in the German creative capital, while Kadawe, Zalando, and Mytheresa dominate the multi-brand retail space. Yet, independent German brands have largely steered clear of bricks-and-mortar. Berlin has fewer wealthy residents than Munich or Düsseldorf, and many of its homegrown brands remain small, leaving founders fearful of the rising costs of operating a store.
But this cautiousness is beginning to fade. In November, premium gender-fluid brand Haderlump Atelier Berlin opened its first store in the bohemian neighborhood of Kreuzberg. Womenswear designer William Fan has renovated and reopened the boutique he’s operated for a decade in the city’s Mitte district (starting out as a student in its basement, before expanding to a full house that he’s operated since 2024). And fellow independent label Richert Beil is completing its Kreuzberg space, set to launch this spring.
Together, these Berliner labels signal a new commercial confidence in a city better known for experimentation than sales. Each brand has a distinct aesthetic and clientele, but they share a belief that Berlin’s growing class of arts and culture professionals — collectors, gallery owners, musicians, entrepreneurs — are ready for a more elevated, personal shopping experience. Rather than traditional boutiques, the founders are creating hybrid spaces that function as studios, event venues, and private client salons.
“Shopping in Berlin is not like shopping in New York or Paris,” says Julius Weissenborn, managing director of Haderlump, which he co-founded with designer Johann Ehrhardt in 2021. “There are great secondhand stores, but there’s an opportunity to elevate the experience.” Haderlump has grown quickly by producing almost everything at its Berlin atelier, avoiding the minimum order quantities that constrain many young labels (Haderlump produces around 20 pieces per day). The brand employs six people, and revenues have risen around 100% annually for the last three years, surpassing €500,000 in 2024. Bestsellers include a black hoodie secured with a metal screw instead of drawstrings for around €180, a wrinkled bomber jacket for just over €300, and a zip-up shirt for around €280.
The Haderlump store emerged almost by accident. “Our atelier was listed on Google Maps, and people would show up out of the blue,” Weissenborn recalls. “They’d find it cool, but sometimes we were on lunch break or in the middle of production.” The turning point came when Anita Tillmann, founder of trade show Premium, introduced the founders to entrepreneur Marc Sasserath, who invested as an angel and alerted them to a neighboring available space.
William Fan’s path was more deliberate. “When I started I thought, God, I’m such an ’80s kid opening a boutique, while everyone was going to Paris or New York or they were [stocked] at cool stores like Ssense,” he says. “But I had an instinct that wholesale would be very tough for an independent brand. I decided very early to focus on the customer.” The majority of Fan’s sales come through his Berlin store, where clients from the art world spend an average of €5,000 to €10,000 per visit. Ready-to-wear represents about 80% of turnover, supported by fine jewelry in 18-karat white gold and diamonds, leather goods, and ceramics. The company has 10 employees and reached record sales in 2025 (the brand declined to share that figure, but it was up 35% on the year prior), enabling the recent renovation.
.jpg)
Richert Beil, founded in 2014 by Jale Richert and Michele Beil, has taken a more conceptual route. Known for avant-garde collections and made-to-order tailoring, its founders see the soon-to-be space as a way to protect creativity from industry pressure (the brand declined to share annual revenue figures). “In fashion these days, you’re always stuck in systems, in scaling and performing,” says Beil. “So, we wanted to create a space where we could do all that, because you have to, but also which gives us room to do things differently.”
Designing for difference
Location has been crucial. Haderlump’s shop sits on Beusselstrasse, minutes from Checkpoint Charlie. Inside, rails of dark clothing flank the entrance, while a glass-walled room houses sewing machines where Ehrhardt often works. “It’s still separate, so we can keep up our workflows, but it’s a view into our process,” says Weissenborn. “People get excited and start conversations with us.”
Richert Beil’s space occupies a former pharmacy that operated for more than a century. The founders have spent a year renovating, and staged their latest runway show there. Instead of separating retail and production, they opted for an open-plan design organized by color, with manufacturing at the back. Hidden from customers, there’s also a small office and a kitchen in the space. The pair plan to host dinners, workshops, and previews to make the store feel like a salon. “We thought, why keep it separate? We want to mix work and life as a concept,” says Beil.
.jpg)
Fan’s boutique is located on Mitte’s gallery street and reflects his interest in interiors: chrome-plated steel furniture designed with Swiss manufacturer USM Haller, jade floors and wooden seating layered with textured glass. The proximity to galleries has been decisive. “Owners, artists and collectors shop with us,” he says. “They tell their friends, ‘You have to go to William — it’s 50 meters away.’”
Fan finds that foot traffic converts easily. In 2025, 60% of customers were new. “They walk in and say, ‘Who are you?’ I explain we’re a local independent brand and sometimes they spend €10,000 in 30 minutes,” he says. Clients now fly in from the Middle East, Asia and South America; he recalls visitors arriving by private jet from New York.
For some founders, retail has highlighted another opportunity: translating their aesthetic into interiors and private commissions, while opening up a new revenue stream in the process. Haderlump is creating the interiors of the 10th floor of The Core, a luxury residential tower due to open in 2027. Located on Berlin’s main shopping street on Friedrichstrasse, the project is likely to attract the same affluent creative clientele that the brand targets.
Human experiences
For all three labels, the store is as much a relationship tool as it is a sales channel. “It’s about meeting the people wearing your clothes,” says Beil. “You can see what we’re working on or book made-to-measure appointments.” To engage locals, the brand plans to collaborate with other brands and manufacturers on smaller items — such as kitchen tools, scissors, or makeup brushes inspired by the latex work in its collections. At Richert Beil’s FW26 show, guests received lace underwear hidden in an egg, signaling a push into smaller luxuries at more accessible price points.
.jpg)
Fan approaches service with a similar intimacy. Customers are offered drinks and often stay for hours while he styles full looks. “What you see on the floor is 10% of the collection. We have a huge warehouse downstairs,” he says. “I’m good at reading people; I scan them when they enter and know quickly what they’ll like. People are thirsty for a human touch.”
The designer rejects the idea that commerce dilutes creativity, but scaling that intimate atmosphere is the challenge. Fan tests demand for new markets through pop-ups in Munich and events in Milan, and can imagine opening future stores with client advisors who can build local relationships. “Online is convenient,” he says. “But if you only have online, it’s hard to match the vision with the end customer.”
Community is equally central for Haderlump. “Berlin is basically a village,” says Weissenborn, a third-generation Berliner. The brand is planning to host monthly events, such as screenings of its runway show, a vinyl release of the show soundtrack, and a celebration in June for an eyewear collaboration with local label Specs. The brand’s early success came from creating custom pieces for musicians, and private clients can now visit the store for a more elevated experience than the atelier. The Kreuzberg store has performed well so far, but there are challenges. Without dedicated retail staff, the founders juggle production and hospitality. “It’s like an aquarium — or a restaurant with an open kitchen,” the designer laughs. “If Johann keeps chatting, he’ll never finish the hoodie.” The studio at the back offers refuge once hires are made.
As the German retail scene remains concentrated by large platforms, these small, experience-led stores offer an alternative model that doubles as a community hub for creatives. “We want to have a creative hub,” says Weissenborn. “It’s not a secret that it’s a challenging time for retail right now, so I think it will help if we bring more of an experience to retail in Berlin.”
