Dthe model is gone. It’s still Toni Garrn – that is: model – who has been organizing a flea market for charity for several years. But it is now only called “Super Flea Market” and no longer “Supermodel Flea Market” as in the years before. This weekend it will take place in the “Alhambra” on Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm.
The name change is for two reasons. Firstly, there’s a lot more going on than in the past, which is why Garrn says it’s “great”. Because even those who are not in the Alhambra for shopping will get something to see: DJs and exhibited art, and on Saturday there will also be panel talks. Secondly, the thirty-year-old, who raises money for the “Toni Garrn Foundation” by selling donated clothes, no longer only has clothes from herself and her supermodel friends (Gisele, Gigi, Bella, Naomi, as she calls them in the interview, and because only the first names are enough, you can guess what kind of celebs this is about), but even more on offer: from other friends and celebrities. Presenter Barbara Schöneberger sorted out clothes just like her colleague Joko Winterscheidt. “Not just models, everyone has cool closets,” says Garrn. In addition, you don’t have to send things halfway around the world, there are enough here too.
Sustainability is a topic at this year’s flea market, on Saturday there will be a talk on the topic of circular economy. A flea market is already a sustainable concept anyway, says Garrn. The awareness of limited resources is currently in vogue. Garn likes it. If designers are forced to pay attention to sustainability because otherwise they risk being criticized, that is a positive development.
Clothes rail instead of a rummage table
Although no new clothes were bought for the “Super Flea Market”, the mood on Thursday evening at the opening couldn’t be further from that of a classic flea market. Rather, it feels like you’re in an exclusive boutique: clothing is curated and sorted, highlights such as a donation from Naomi Campbell and a dress Garrn wore to her own wedding to British actor Alex Pettyfer are highlighted with spotlights. There will be a DJ set, appetizers and drinks. The prices are mixed – from low double-digit amounts to several hundred euros, everything is included.
Smartly presented: clothes at the Super Flea Market.
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Bild: Super Flea Market
Vintage has long been a keyword in fashion, it sounds more exclusive than “secondhand”, a term that makes many think of grab belts and a musty smell. Toni Garrn calls the items she sells “pre-loved”. This also suggests that you don’t buy leftovers here, but things with a story. Many items of clothing are named so that buyers can look forward to wearing a top from “Toni”. Those who value design and expensive materials may be persuaded not to always buy everything new.
And we don’t just do something for the environment: the proceeds from the flea market go directly and entirely to projects in Burundi, Ghana, Rwanda and Uganda, which Garrn finances with her foundation and visits regularly. A hostel is currently being built in Uganda where schoolgirls can live so that they don’t have to walk long distances to school every day. Furniture and ultrasound machines are missing from a health center in Ghana. Anyone who wants to support this can do so in Berlin until Sunday evening.
The “Super Flea Market” takes place in the Alhambra at Kurfürstendamm 68 and is open on the 16th and 17th from 12pm to 10pm and on the 18th from 12pm to 6pm.