'Manheimer is being largely produced in Italy' ---in one of the Chinese factories in Prato we've just read about?
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From my studies (as a former curator of costume), ready-to-wear finds its roots on the need for military uniforms during the American Civil War.
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Sounds gimmicky. To make money, nothing else.
If these brands were being raised by Jews as a way of reclaiming something loss, that would be one thing.
Using the Jewish tragedy to increase interest in a commercial product is both cynical and exploitative of historical atrocities.
It would be cynical and exploitative if done by Jews, by non-Jews, that much worse.
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@Richard B The tragedy was the eradication of this aspect of Jewish culture; to revive it is to make it known and relevant to future generations. Something lost is indeed being reclaimed.
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@Richard B Completely agree, it's how I felt when reading the article... of course we live in a malignant capitalistic world. Thanks for saying what needs to be read.
1
I read this article immediately after reading one about the latest act of vile antisemitism in a Jewish Cemetary in France.
Why is there such a dichotomy when it comes to antisemitic beliefs in Europe - even in the United States?
Is it getting worse, again?
How do you stop hate when it’s thousands of years in the making?
Even though they are trying to revive stolen and destroyed companies that were owned by Jewish families, it breaks my heart all over again to be reminded of a thriving Berlin until the 30’s.
Seeing swastikas destroying on the ancient headstones in France brings it full circle.
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Does anyone see what's wrong with this story? It's non-Jewish Germans appropriating Jewish assets yet again. There's no pride for the Jews here, it's Germans taking on these Jewish brands from pre WWII and extracting value out of them for their own needs. Witness that there are no owners/participants that are Jewish. This is shameful.
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@Marky Right on! Totally agree.
3
Really? Jews build a luxury empire and have it wiped out by the Nazis. Now Germans are “reviving” the brand? How many Jews are involved in that “revival”? If this isn’t cultural appropriation I don’t know what is.
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What exactly makes make someone an advertising "guru"? As told this is a story of exploitation of another cultures brutal history in order to make a dollar or in this case euro. If these alleged gurus were truly interested in telling the story they should start with a museum exhibit and not a commercial enterprise.
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Hugo Boss who supplied among other things SS uniforms is still a thriving business. Most people are unaware of this fact. Most of the Jewish designers who escaped started brands and labels elsewhere and or their descendants did. My question is, is Berlin still a capitol of fashion?
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No, its not if compared to Milan, Paris or even Antwerp. Berlin Fashion Week is only for bloggers or to some German influencers, not internationally relevant at all.
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The beautiful and super intelligent Hedy Lamar while spying for the Allies by marrying a wealthy and influential Nazi industrialist ,wore Mannheim clothing because they were classically chic, but I think in protest as well. She fled from her Nazi gentile husband providing intelligence to her adopted country the USA. Fashion is history...Fashion is protest
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@Elizabeth
Hedy Lamar lived in my building in Manhattan. Under the name H. Lee, she was as gorgeous in the late 70’s as she was in the 30’s and 40’s. And just as chic. And very nice.
I only wish I had known as much about her then as I do now.
I have wished for decades that I had invited her to my place for coffee. I was too shy to ask. Imagine how fascinating that would have been.
For every amazing, found chance in Manhattan, there is at least one lost.
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As a Jew...I would not buy any item manufactured in Germany. or set foot in that country. Perhaps...in another 100 years...I'll reconsider.
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@Roberto Hatred, no matter who it's from or to whom it is aimed, is wrong.
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@Deborah Thuman
As a Jew myself I don’t know if I share my distaste for Germany as much as Roberto, however, as a Jew and not a Catholic, I only learned yesterday from Nancy Pelosi that her religion does not allow hating others. I truly did not know that. So to Deborah, I will defend Roberto’s right to hate, indeed even if he does.
I don’t know that much about my own religion let alone another, but disallowing how one feels is nuts.
7
In the end the rebooted brands will sink or swim based on getting the merchandise mix right in a challenging market. Their legacy of victimhood will get press but not necessarily buyers. Offering sustainable fashion would help make these brands more guilt-free in today’s Germany. Did Coco Chanel’s rabid anti-semitism hurt the Chanel brand? No.
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@Mark Ginsburg
I’m sure you’re right. The brands will succeed or not having nothing at all to do with the subject of this article, however, in the age of disinformation we live in, people will say “did you know this is a German Jewish brand that has come back?” without the fact that the name was appropriated solely as an unused and available trademark having no relation to its origins.
So they will be Jewish again. Fake brands to go with fake news. How timely.
4
What a contrast to the dangerous upsurge in anti Semitic violence in Europe and the US. Thank you for this. I look forward to seeing the collection when it is released for sale.
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Jews have a rich history in just about every aspect of human endeavor. The more I learn about Jews, the more I like them.
It’s a good thing that the fashion brands are being brought back. It shows their strength and that the Nazis lost.
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Coming from a family of Jewish Berliners who were able to leave in 1941 (yes, in 1941), Berlin has held an important place in the memory and life in our family. As a second generation American, I returned in 2012 as a composer/performer and gave the first concert/cultural event in Berlin of my family (my grandfather had been a painter there before emigrating) since WWII. Today, some of my dearest friends are Berliners and I took citizenship (through restoration) in 2010 or so. Time passes and the important thing to do is make peace with it and continue the work we did in Berlin and to maintain the German Jewish culture — simply a part of German culture at the end of the day — in friendship and collaboration, as we see here.
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Check out Volker Kutscher‘s „Babylon Berlin“ series in both book and film on Netflix.
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Thank you for the heads up!
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