Sometimes, the world is small, extremely small. At the risk of straying too far afield, let me provide some background on the story behind this fabulous launch event in Hamburg last week.
Best friends since over 30 years: Dr. Annette Christoph with me.
I went to a girls’ school. My school years were fantastic. We were five girls who have all stayed close friends since then. One became my maid of honor, the other one the godmother of my daughter and so on. We all work in different fields, I am the only one in fashion. Therefore I was amazed when my friend Dr. Annette Christoph invited me to Hamburg for the launch event of Sioux x Til Schweiger. Her partner in life, Lewin Berner, bought Sioux in 2010 with other private investors after it had gone through interim difficulties. If you are born in Germany, you will be familiar with this Swabian company with a long-standing tradition that is specialized in footwear. Now, for the first time, the brand is taking with German actor Til Schweiger a celebrity ambassador on board.
With Lewin Berner at the event.
Besides acting, Til is also a filmmaker. In the end of 2018, he celebrated the premiere of the 13th film directed by himself and the first with an American actor as a lead. In the remake of the German movie «Honig im Kopf» (2014) «Head full of Honey» Nick Nolte starrs alongside Matt Dillon and Emily Mortimer. It is a moving story about a man suffering from Alzheimer’s who embarks on a final road trip with his granddaughter. Unfortunately, the US version was not as successful as the German one.
Til Schweiger is a funny guy!
This year, Til has discovered another talent of him that lies in his DNA. His great-grandfather was a shoemaker all his life and now Til himself enters a long-term partnership with the cult shoe label and will design in close cooperation with the creative team of Sioux his own shoe collections.
In September 2014, Til had already founded Barefoot Living. The idea arose when friends and fans asked him where the interior design of the film sets in his iconic German movies, such as «Keinohrhasen» or «Zweiohrküken» (if you haven’t seen them, please do… so funny), was from. The answer was easy as Til Schweiger also lives privately in these designs. Today, Barefoot Living offers furniture and home accessories as well as cashmere sweaters, and some cosmetics.
Hamptons feeling at Barefood Deli
Later, Til expanded this lifestyle concept by opening Barefood Deli in Hamburg, the restaurant where the launch event with Sioux took place and even an hotel, the Barefoot Hotel Timmendorfer Strand.
Sioux x Til Schweiger launch event last week.
Til Schweiger: «By partnering with Sioux, I’m expanding my Barefoot Living concept, which closes a gap for me, because shoes have been missing so far. I have always wished for footwear that is casual, stylish and comfortable in one. I had already been familiar with Sioux’s iconic model, the so-called «Grashopper» from my childhood days, but recently I have rediscovered the company for me. It was crucial for me to have a partner with a lot of know-how by my side, who perfectly implements my feel-good concept and shares my own values.»
The result of this cooperation are three relaxed styles. Including a newly interpreted «Grasshopper» in Til’s carefully selected leathers with natural crepe sole, a casual leather sneaker in a slightly destroyed look and a really comfortable biker boot. The latter also comes with a natural crepe sole, an unusual combination, that plays a central role in this capsule collection and is one of Til’s favorites.
Gladiator to Governator: Ralf Moeller told Til that he sent Arnold Schwarzenegger a photo of the biker boots and that he would love to have a pair as well.
To celebrate this fantastic collaboration, Til had invited some of his celebrity friends who all came to his restaurant to toast on their talented buddy. Please enjoy some of the best impressions of the evening below. It was a fun night and I ran into lots of familiar faces.
Ralf got already his hands on the biker boot, which seems to become a celebrity’s must-have.
During his welcome speech, Til mentioned what he truly liked about Sioux was the work environment, as you cannot feel any hierarchy, only passion for the craftsmanship.
Lewin Berner, managing partner of Sioux and a true passionate Swabian entrepreneur who is literally on fire for his company, had every reason to be happy that night. His goal of bringing Sioux back to its old strength just got a huge step closer. The collection will be available as a limited edition online and at the selected stores from now. Only 333 pairs of each model will be produced.
And the next step? Starting this month, the dream team is working with Til’s daughter Luna Schweiger on a women’s collection… She will also become the face of the campaign. Stay tuned!
LoL, Sandra
German actor Fahri Yardim and Til Schweiger’s partner in the German TV crime series «Tatort».
Entrepreneur and founder of Air Berlin Joachim Hunold with Lewin Berner.
With German photographer Stephan Glathe, who shot the campaign for Sioux x Til Schweiger, Lewin Berner, Dr. Annette Christoph and Uta Zilly-Linke.
German TV host Johannes B. Kerner
Photos: Courtesy of Sioux and © Sandra Bauknecht
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