44 LABEL GROUP is not an ordinary luxury brand. Max Kobosil’s multi-faceted creative store focuses on clothing, of course, but he’s quick to dismiss any idea that 44 is simply a product made to accompany his successful career as a DJ or disposable clothing designed purely with the trend in mind. in mind.
Instead, 44 LABEL GROUP presents a new kind of luxury. One that’s designed for the cool kids who frequent Kobosil’s sweaty Berghain raves and sprawl around Berlin the morning after.
His clothes should be easy to wear, comfortable, convertible, versatile. The kind of thing you can toss for a coffee run or slide into a steamy club. But Kobosil’s vision goes beyond t-shirts and sweatpants: it makes plush leather puffer jackets designed for peacocking on city streets and rugged sweatpants that can handle impulsive mountain hikes. .
“It wasn’t your typical run-of-the-mill merchandise that’s printed on generic shirts,” Kobosil told Highsnobiety last year.
“I went to many suppliers before I found the quality I liked and wanted to wear myself. This process actually never ended, and for every drop I strove to improve and to change things in terms of form and quality.”
Claudio Antonioli, founder of the eponymous Italian luxury retailer, stepped in to help Kobosil with production, leaving the DJ and designer to focus on creating his first quality post-club couture.
To get the 44 LABEL GROUP Fall/Winter 2022 collection lookbook off to a good start. Kobosil has created a bespoke playlist for Highsnobiety, filled with hand-picked tracks guaranteed to get your body moving.
Of course, we had to catch up with Kobosil to talk about the tunes, his practice, and the new line.
Highsnobiety: Can you tell us about your choices for the playlist?
Max Kobosil: These are all tracks from my music label called R LABEL GROUP. I wanted to present an overview of our musical repertoire.
As a DJ, how do you combine your musical practices and fashion?
It’s a different workflow. Lots of discipline and structured work helps me stay focused. In fashion, I collect ideas over a longer period of time. In the end, it takes a lot more time to put them on paper and combine them into a collection than to finish a piece, for example.
Do you think there is something particularly “Berlin” about your work?
I’m from Berlin and authenticity is very important to me. The 44 logo, which refers to the old postcode of Berlin-Neukölln and represents the whole brand, will always be a part of me. All my experiences and background contribute to my music and fashion work.
How different would 44 have been if you grew up in, say, the London or New York club scene?
44 has a strong Berlin experience, so it’s hard to fully transfer to other cities. Of course, there would certainly be similarities, but with a different vibe. That’s why I always find collaborations interesting, because you can combine different characteristics.
Which garments best define the 44 design philosophy?
T-shirts are our masterpieces, which perfectly represent our origins. At the time, I started out with merchandise t-shirts for my music label. It all came out of that.
One of my favorite pieces, for example, is the combination of the t-shirt and the puffer jacket, which you can see in the lookbook.
One thing you can’t see in the lookbook, however, is a hidden element of the Berlin Reversible Tee. There is a West Berlin print on the outside and if you reverse it you can see an East Berlin print on the inside.
Paclite Ripstop Jacket
stone island
Off Dye Tee
stone island
Fleece Crewneck Sweater
stone island
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