Der Berlin Mode Salon at the KaDeWe store

On the occasion of the Berlin Fashion Week, at the end of January, at the KaDeWe store a special corner was created displaying some creative work by fashion artists Made in Berlin. I recently visited this small shop - at the 2nd floor of the store - getting to know interesting creations. A project in collaboration with Vogue, the Salon was opened until the beginning of January.

To be honest, many of the names displayed on the transparent walls of the salon were completely new for me. The works were covering a big variety of styles, from casual to high-end elegance. For instance, if looking for a smart and glamorous office style, many of the items displayed by the Berlin and Paris trained designer Antonia Goy were the stylish answer to the cubicle challenges.

William Fan is more playful and street-fashion oriented. His pieces are ageless and bring the summer and youthful enthusiasm into your closet. 

Rianna+Nina are a different breed of fashion artists. Labeling their work 'exotic' is an under statement. The colourful silks are combined to create unique outfits inviting you to a journey around the world in full senses.

The normal match for those outfits are the postcards-like bags: small, elegant, an increasing the wanderlust.

For classical women, looking for a stable and staple look, Nobi Talai offers interesting combinations in pastel clearn colours. Beauty resides in the simplicity of the cuts and the little details, like the ribbons on the side of a blouse.

Spread between the dresses, some pieces of jewelry were also presented. Malaika Raiss, for instance, displays discrete pieces that are adding that needed personal touch of elegance to the general outfit.

Although it displays only a small share of the general fashion design world of Berlin, this year edition of Der Berlin Mode Salon was a good opportunity to get to know interesting works of fashion that will pop up for sure over and over again in my fashion and style Berlin radar.

Experiencing with sachlav

My kosher Instagram feed was flowing lately with pictures and videos and recommendations about how to prepare an easy and tasty sachlav, the thick-milk based drink specific for Israel and the Middle East. It is the equivalent of the hot chocolate for Europe, with an interesting history available here. After getting hungry after so many readings and pictures, I have my own experience, adapting this very easy - as usual - and efficient recipe from Joy of Kosher. 

During a week, I tried various variants and alternatives.

The initial recipe recommends 3 cups - I tried with glasses of coconut milk, which inevitably means that the drink will maintain the unique taste of the coconut. If you use the normal milk, the other ingredients are melting together amazingly and it tastes even better. Probably you can also try other variants of ´milk` such as almond or soy, but I don't know for sure how does it matches in terms of taste.

For the sweet part, I used honey - the worst choice, as well as brown sugar - which is good, instead of the white. I also used a special variant of vanilla sugar - Bourbon sugar, which gives an elegant taste.
The initial recipe recommends rose water, but it is also possible to use orange water, but as for now, I kept this one, simply because I love rose water.
It is very easy to make and especially when using coconut milk, it stays warm for a long time. I always decorated my glass with pistachio. My variant was neutral, but if it is a bit salty, the contrast between too much sweetness - a feature specific to many Middle Eastern sweets, which I really love and cherish - and the pint of salt creates a pleasant effect.
The preparation time is of maximum 20 minutes.
This recipe serves two middle-size glasses of sachlav.

Ingredients:
3 glasses of coconut - or normal - milk
1 tablespoon sugar - both white and brown sugar are fine
1 teaspoon vanilla essence - or vanilla sugar or Bourbon vanilla sugar
2 tablespoon corn starch
1 pinch of sea salt
It is very important that you mix very well the ingredients. Sometimes, the canned coconut milk can be half-water, half 'milk', so before you add all the other ingredients, you should mix well in order to have a compact paste.

It is also important to mix well when you add the cornstarch to mix well with all the other ingredients. 

The mix should be heated at 150C until it starts to boil. I let it to boil for maximum 5-6 seconds and after I took it out and poured into glasses while warm. 

Serve it either warm or later on, as a cold thick pudding.

Bon Appetit!

Skin care review: Bebe young care with green tea

Finding the right face cream for the long winters here is not an easy job. I have a normal skin and therefore I am not very pretentious, but on the other hand, it is quite challenging to pick up an otherwise easy product that should do a good protection job. Some expensive choices can do it right, but not always. I also like to not switch too much the skin care products, keeping up for a long time with products that offer the adequate protection.

Completely by accident, a couple of months ago I decided to try the Bebe Young Care cream with green tea. It is aimed for mixed skin, which is exactly the stage my skin is: overall normal, but not that 100% young and shining. Especially for the winter, it is better that you use this mix as the skin is over exposed to long periods of cold - while outside - followed by longer periods of warm - when indoors.

The cream was offered together with make up removal wet napkins, the kind of removal which I am using regularly for almost a year. The price at Rossmann Drugstore in Berlin was under 5 EUR.

I am using the cream twice the day: in the morning, before using the make-up and in the evening, before going to sleep. The skin is becoming in a very short time matte and it has a different, more pleasant texture by touching. It has a pleasant smell and during the whole period of time I didn't experience any allergic reactions. The 50 ml. small glass can reach for at least three months. 

It serves as a good basis for make-up.

Besides various minerals, it contains a significant amount of green tea, an ingredients which has many valuable advantages for the skin and skin care in general. For instance, it has known antioxidant effects with anti-aging consequences, it protects against acne and pollution. Therefore, every major beauty brand includes lately green tea among the mix of ingredients.

Overall, the bebe young care with green tea is recommended for normal and mix skins. It is efficient and offers the right protection for the skin of a modern woman always under the attack of stress and busy life. Strongly recommended.

My lessons learned at the Grüne Woche Festival, Berlin January 2017

Yesterday another edition of the Berlin Grüne Woche - Green Week - dedicated to share food traditions and good practices from all over the world ended. I regularly visit this event and I am always impressed by the diversity of products as well as the interesting healthy options offered. 

As a regular visitor to such events, I wanted this time to be a bit selective and stop only in those places with a certain appeal to me. For instance, the Netherlands that created interesting garden and natural corners bringing a corner of spring in the middle of the cold city of Berlin. The green patches resting and growing around metal structures sent the message that nature brings a touch to nobility to anything, particularly anonymous urban - even abandoned - remains. As usual, The Grüne Woche also had a section dedicated to garden furniture and flowers seeds, but haven't noticed anything out of ordinary.

Drinks from all over the world were represented, from the fashionable craft beers - many of them Made in Berlin - to traditional vodkas - including some Bavarian ones - wines - one full section only for them - or natural smoothies. 

Berlin doesn't have too many Portuguese pastry stores - compared to Hamburg where finding the right pasteis de nata is a hard choice to make. At the fair, the lovers of such delicacies were offered the chance to taste one or two or...how many you felt like to have. As for me, I decided to try some goat cheese puff pastry from Malta, which was extraordinary - except that it was too oily for my taste. The prices were moderate and very often the visitors were attracted with samples of foods - especially cheese. 

As in the case of the Travel Fair that will take place at the end of February in Berlin, Grüne Woche is also an opportunity to discover other cultures and traditions. Each year, a country is the guest star of the fair, this year this honor being awarded to Hungary.

Morocco offered besides various argan oil products, also a musical moment. Bavaria also enchanted the visitors sampling a beer and a bretzel in improvised beer gardens regular concerts featuring traditional songs and costumes. Sometimes, you need to discover more about the cultures in the country you are living in. 

Talking about what I have to learn about Germany, I should start, maybe with some of the potatoes sorts. Or the breads. Or the cheese, many of them made in the same Bavaria aforementioned. Or...anyway, after each fair I attend, I have a long to-do-list to deal with, becoming longer and longer each year, especially when it comes to Germany. 

For the little visitors, in big number on Sunday, the fair offered a corner of nature, with animals - from cats to donkeys big cows or horses. Especially for children growing up in the city, without too much connections to the countryside, this exhibition offered an image - and the specific smells too - of what does it mean to work and live in a natural environment.

In conclusion, although this year I was very selective in visiting the various sections of the Grüne Woche, I had the chance to try a couple of new things and get some inspiration for coming posts. Plus, some interesting offers for weekends and summer and spring vacations. Looking forward to the next year!

Review of the Ethical Fashion Week, Berlin January 2017

Every first half of January, at the same time with Berlin Fashion Week, a special gathering of designers is taking place in the German capital city: Ethical Fashion Show. This event, organised this time at Postbahnhof, in the Eastern part of the city, reunites fashion designers and creative whose works are aimed at offering besides the usual beauty and innovative features, a sample of responsibility in an industry quite self-consuming and targeting success over everything.

It was my second time there - the first time was two years ago - and I was very impressed by the quality of the companies present and the social projects presented by some of them. Here is a short outline of my experience, with the promise to cover extensively some of the brands in some later posts.

Liisa Soolep is a knitwear company from Estonia, offering Nordic fashion for both men and women. A project that benefited of funds from the European Union, it uses light wool yarn made in Estonia, with special knitted patterns which go well for any occasion - from a backpacking trip to an elegant business meeting. The choice, as usual, is a matter of personality. The light pastel colours - I particularly love the pink ones - are another feature of elegance of this brand.

Werner is a German family company more than 100 years old. Adaptation to the new economic and environmental conditions and economic challenges is a main condition of survival. For the 2017 autumn collection, the company presents beautiful shoes made of 'leather' made of olives. The shoes not only look good and elegant, but also have a smooth velvet touch. 

The creation of popular jeans involves many ingredients that can be harmful for the environment. The new generation of designers are creating materials and dying substances keeping in line with the traditional jeans while obtaining environmental friendly results. One of the companies presented at the fair that I've found pretty interesting was Feuervogl, one of the many eco denim brands quite in fashion in Germany those days. 

The children products are a very sensitive issue. It is important not only that are comfy and good looking, but equally made of natural ingredients and colours. Sometimes it is a difficult task to keep the eco- and ethical standards high, because the final costs will be higher and there products can have a limited life-span - the children clothes require more washing and the risk of exposure to various substances which might harm the material is higher. However, there were some interesting and quality products in this domain too. 

For travelers - as me - Ethno-tek brought to the Ethnical Fashion Week some colourful and interesting bags and accessories. The products are hand-woven in various villages around the world - Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. Each line of work uses traditional patterns and techniques. In each case, the product is supporting social local projects. The results are very beautiful yet practical for the busy traveler. 

We are rarely aware of the materials included in the production of the things we wear. Shoes, for instance. Some people do and share their knowledge. El Naturalista produces high quality vegan and chrome free shoes. I loved not only their design, but also the variety of colours and the comfortable look.

The eco-friendly fashion entered also the world of glasses. Antonio Verde created a family business producing reading or sunglasses made of ecological products. Another aspect of the company is that it guarantees that its employers, many of them in third world countries, are offered decent working conditions - including health insurance - and children labor is not allowed. 

For 20 years, NIX encourages the feminine look by offering comfortable and urban women clothes. Many of their clothes have an air of the 1920s, and are well fit to the long winter time in Germany and Berlin. The brand is using recycled materials and highly certified products in general. Although the predominant colours of the latest collection are a bit too somber for my colourful choices, there were some skirts and coats that can easily suit a variety of tastes. 

One of the reasons I love to attend such events is for the opportunity of meeting interesting creative people from all over the world that would otherwise impossible to know about. Take for instance, this young company from Guatemala - Ukua Lov Baby - represented by its CEO and founder Daniel Guillen Cornet which launched a line of children clothes made exclusively of ecological ingredients, using among others the dyeing techniques from this country. Although most of the companies presented at the fair were from Germany, designers from Spain, Italy, Austria, Slovakia or Belgium were also present, creating quite a nice world and Europe map of responsible fashion brands.

My favorite products were those created by Feldman Wolf. The women clothes presented are, each and every one of them real works of art, with paintings or pictures printed on ecological silk or other elegant materials. The vivid colours and the lines of design are an example that responsible fashion can be also awesomely elegant. 

Men are becoming in the last years more and more interested in wearing colourful clothes with rich motives and prints. Wish those birds from the bio-cotton hoodie presented by Dedicated Brand were available in smaller sizes. Another company that presented bio-cotton products that caught my attention was C.Pauli, also from Germany.

Last and not least, on the way out of the fair, my attention - and camera - was caught by a brand from the Basque country - Skunkfunk. Besides their big and comfy bags, the elegant prints of the purses were a real catch. If you go on their website, you can find also some very attractive women wear items, that can make your summer bright and colourful too. 

I am really glad I made it to the fair this year. I got a lot of inspiration and ideas for coming posts. I hope in the next weeks to feature more responsible fashion brands, sharing the love for elegance and quality.

Understanding 'Brands with a conscience'

We are living in a world overwhelmed by brands and the appeals to consumerism. The more the better. However, a new movement is developing aimed at promoting responsible consumer behavior and healthy investment. A couple of weeks ago, I've read a very interesting book introducing Brands with a conscience. It introduces famous brands - such as Adidas or Dr. Hauschka or H&M - which decided that success must be based on an ethical set of values. The authors, Sandra Horlings and Nicholas Ind, made me the honor of an interview about the topic of their book and the challenges faced by brands in the next decade. Here are the answers of my questions - sent and answered via email.
Brands With A Conscience is available to purchase from Kogan Page RRP for £19.99. Get 20% off by using discount code BMKBB20 at the checkout.

What is the biggest challenge for big brands in the next decade? 

The overall challenge for brands in general is to stay relevant. At this moment in time a major societal challenge in society (and thus for brands) is the trend of sharing information that is not necessarily ‘true’: not ‘true’ in the sense that the rational measurements and comparisons don’t apply any more. And the way facts are presented has become rather subjective. Which feeds distrust and insecurity. Brands have a way of framing ideas and facts in an emotional way, which gives them the opportunity to reach and activate large groups of people. And Brands with a Conscience take this responsibility serious. These brands are aware of their role and impact in the world and live up to this responsibility in a positive, solutions based way. 

What future do small and new brands have in the current marketing context? 

Larger brands may have been more experienced in following the signs of the time. However, the same principles apply for large, small and new brands. We believe brands that are built inside-out; that have clarity of purpose and live that through in strong principles, are best fit to stay relevant. At Medinge, we look at brands from a broad perspective; as a means of interacting with all stakeholders in a marketing context as well as a societal (employment, good neighbourship) and financial context. 

What do they need to do in order to answer the sophisticated needs of their current and potential customers? 

Brands with a Conscience follow their own principles and actively share their ideas with stakeholders. Since they are actively aware of their role and impact, they are also open and receptive to the ideas of others. They listen, respond to suggestions made by specific stakeholders and also promote a way of living that they believe can make better the world better. 

Will 'brands with a conscience' become a trend? Why and how can the examples you mention in the book be emulated, without a significant financial loss? 

Since 2004 when we started to recognise Brands with a Conscience, it has been our belief that brands that engage with consumers and other stakeholders in a conscientious way can be a force for good. In the book the majority of cases show that there is financial gain in acting in a conscientious way. And there are multiple surveys available that are mentioned that show the Brands with a Conscience can be, and are, financially succesful. In our view it is not a trend, although there is a growing interest in a more responsible way of doing business - that may be explained by the growing evidence that business originating in the post industrial era comes at a cost for both planet and people. 

How can brands keep their social relevance in time of financial crisis and turmoil? 

Being principles driven, acting human and humane, including all stakeholders: constantly interacting with people in and around the brand to educate and cultivate conscious leaders and followers. 

What are, in your opinion, the most successful 'brands with conscience' in the European market, and why? 

We’d prefer to define successful here as adding to the betterment of society. In our book we have made a selection of leading Brands with a Conscience originating in a diverse range of businesses: such as chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely, Dr Hauschka, Cosentino, adidas, French concept store Merci and Handelsbanken. There are more brands with a Conscience. They come from all over the world. All these are brands with a massive transformative purpose and strong leaders, that live clear, actionable principles. 

My first kokosh cake

Kokosh cake is a queen of the Jewish cakes, but in some parts of the world - like in Berlin - impossible to find in bakeries. Because a queen...Anyway, the advantage of such a situation is that I can be so hungry for a piece of kokosh that I can try to make it my own. But the last week, I was in one of those craving days, when I was missing a lot of heimishe food and as one of my many decisions for the next months is to try at least every week something new, I took the tremendous decision to make my own kokosh. 

The Kokosh cake is made of two parts: the filling and the dough, with their specific ingredients. There are many of them, especially a lot of sugar - cheat week, here I am. 

For the filling, you need the following ingredients:

- 1/2 cup cocoa

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/2 cup powder sugar

- 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar

- 1 tablespoon cinnamon

- 2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Mix well all the ingredients until you have a compact mix. As I will discover later, the cinnamon is not necessarily. But until it melts, imagine a kitchen wrapped in the sweet smell of sugar and the aromas of cinnamon. This process takes less than 10 minutes, but you need to do it calmly, step by step, in order to mix well all the many sugarly ingredients.

Leave the filling mixture to rest and proceed to the next step: the dough. You can start warming the oven at 250C. Take a big tray and cover it with a kitchen parchment.
For the dough you need:
- 1 tablespoon of dry yeast
- 4 cups of flour
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 150 gr. butter
- 3 tablespoon canola oil
In a saucepan, melt the butter - it can be done in around 10 minutes. If the cake is not supposed to be tasted by kids, you can add some drops of rum or Baccardi. It will actually help to balance the excess of sugar.
Dissolve the yeast in a glass with 1/4 warm water. Wait until it starts to bubble.

Add all the other ingredients, and mix them well.

Knit the dough as often as possible, until you have a compact dough. Some recipes recommend to add some orange juice as well, as it may help the dough to keep being fresh for a longer time - although it may not be necessarily as this cake will be eaten and disappear as fast as the storm wind. For knitting the dough, you may need another two cups of flour. After it is ready, leave the dough to rest for around 10 minutes. You can also put the dough in a ziploc bag and keep it refrigerated it over night and use it the next day. 

The amount of the dough - and filling - is enough for two separate batches of kokosh. I personally preferred the thicker dough with consistent filling. The kokosh experts say that the thinner the dough the better so...follow the ancestral knowledge, always. Therefore: roll the each piece of dough as thin as possible, eventually trying to keep a rectangle shape. Thus, the both ends will have the same size as the middle. In my case, it worked the opposite, but, hey, it was my first ever kokosh!

Time to add the filling. For a better spread, before spreading it, paint the dough with some canola oil.

You are almost done! Time to roll the dough - for me, this was my scary moment, as I was almost sure that somehow everything will broke into small pieces of dough. Would be wise if you prevent the dough to get glued on the table by adding some extra flour before you start rolling. You can also spread an egg yolk - challah style (btw, if you use enough dough, you can also make a bracha and separate challah before starting to prepare it) -  on the outside. Some add some warm water to thicken the consistency of the yolk.

The preparation time for the dough is around 45 minutes.

Before I put in the oven, I left the kokosh cake in the making a bit outside, to rest for around 10 minutes. With the oven warm at 250, it is about time to start the baking. Let it in the oven for around 20-40 minutes. Check every 10 minutes if necessary, to be sure that it will be not too burned out. 

While the dough is in the oven, get ready for the last part of the cooking process - and the less creative one: cleaning. Warning: there is a lot of cleaning and washing to be done thereafter, particularly because using cocoa and other sticky ingredients. 

Time for some tasting! The cake is done and all you need is to having a bit and try to be a good food critic. In my case, I noticed that the cinnamon can be unnecessary as it brings a bit of sourness without any particular good addition to the overall taste. I also realized that the next time I would love to bake it less. Maybe will add the orange juice, at it gives more freshness to the dough.

The two kokosh rolls serve around 20-25 pieces. 

To drink with a cup of mint tea - no, you don't need any more sugar to that - or a coffee or a glass of warm milk.

Bon Appetit!