Inviting guests to see how designers work in their ateliers is not a new concept in fashion shows. Many houses used to stage seamstresses and cutters in their show locations, bent over unfinished pieces of clothing, going about their work as if they were oblivious to the hustle and bustle around them. The difference for Odeeh, which deliberately decided against a traditional runway show this year, was that it felt somehow real. No disguised employees or sewing machines were to be seen. Only sketches, fabric panels, cuttings and drawings, which were spread across several rooms and set the right scene for the new collection. While Jörg Ehrlich and Otto Drögsler greeted their guests, clinked glasses and talked about the collection, a handful of models in the new looks could be found here and there, completely unimpressed by what was going on, as if they were extremely well-dressed clients.
Even though many of those present devoted their attention, drinks in hand, to the multitude of fabrics and sketches, it was worth seeking out a conversation with the two designers. For example, they talked about a fascinating material made of frayed polyester. This was recycled into a fabric and given its unique look using an elaborate technique by a weaver in Como, Italy. “This is a very special fabric. He was so happy to find someone who would buy it because he had been working on this technique for so long. It took less than two minutes for us to decide to order it in various colors,” said Ehrlich and Drögsler. The designers also discussed their approach to the volume of the new cocooning coats made of wool jersey: “It’s easy to make something with a slim, body-hugging cut. All you have to do is work precisely. The real challenge is to find the right amount of volume. When is something really oversized? When is much too much?”
If you were to list all the colors and prints that appear in this collection (or any of the 31 that have come before it), you could say that their fashion is a maximalist fever dream. But they themselves reject the label of being maximalists. Even the “beautiful chaos,” as they called the concept of their no-show presentation, was almost calming—a colorful book of fairy tales that invited you to linger and never seemed excessive in its entirety. Now the customers just have to decide which story they want to allow into their wardrobe.
There were transparent cords made of black silk georgette with peach-colored tulle; dresses—from daywear to cocktail to eveningwear – in psychedelic prints combined with feathered neck accessories; coats and jackets that draped the body generously with absolute precision or traced it with razor sharpness. Anything is possible at Odeeh, just don’t call it festive wear. “I wouldn t describe us as a label that specializes in cocktail wear,” said the designers. “Of course, we have pieces like that, but only because we want a woman to wear a sequined skirt, a ruffled top or any other fancy piece during the day. Our fashion belongs in the theater as much as it does in any office. We dress confident women, not wifeys. We don’t cater to the cliché of cocktail fashion with sexy draped taffeta.”
