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Thanks to its unique mixture of old-world charm and eclectic creativity, Berlin is a shopper’s paradise. The city becomes a veritable fashion capital during the exquisite fashion shows and events of the biannual Berlin Fashion Week, and trade events like Bread & Butter regularly encourage local and international designers to highlight their work in showrooms and boutiques here. From extravagant designer shopping malls and high-end fashion boutiques to artisan handcraft producers, antique markets, and vintage stores, Berlin has something for everyone.
The city’s history plays an important part in its geography. Because Berlin was divided by the Berlin Wall for so many years, there is no pedestrian zone or single city center like in many other European cities. Instead Berlin has many different areas to explore and pockets of retailers are spread throughout its neighborhoods.
The city’s most glamorous shopping can be done near Mitte’s Friedrichstrasse and in the West Berlin promenade Kurfürstendamm, known as the Shopping Mile and home to the luxurious Kaufhaus des Westens department store, as well as many designer and big name international brands. But the charming side streets around Mitte’s Torstrasse and Hackescher Markt have become a much more popular destination for shopping in the city, with chic designers opening up ateliers and concept shops.
For the fashionable bohemian set, designer labels have less appeal here than elsewhere. You’ll see many of the young and trendy favoring high-end street wear paired with vintage items that appear to have cost not much more than a Brötchen (bread roll). The eastern neighborhoods of Kreuzberg and Neukölln are home to a growing number of vintage and secondhand shops, and the city has a wonderful collection of flea markets that operate year-round. You’ll see modern influences of Berlin’s Bauhaus architecture movement in many of shops, incorporated into the store displays or as part of the home decor items. Near West Berlin’s charming Savignyplatz, the Stilwerk interior design center and surrounding design and home stores on Kantstrasse have become the design hub for the city. For shoppers looking for more price-conscious home furnishings, Neukölln offers several vintage furniture shops featuring Danish and Scandinavian home decor.
Berlin designer Andreea Vrajitoru creates experimental clothes and shoes with a casual vibe, supplemented by fashion from indie labels including Italian-based La Haine Inside Us and Latvian designer Keta Gutmane. There is also a branch in the Berlin Bikini mall.
Inside the former Taggespiegel newspaper office space, you’ll find this cool concept store featuring handpicked men's, women's, and children's clothing, including designs by brother Kostas Murkudis, Dries van Noten, and Christian Haas, as well as accessories and contemporary housewares. There's a second store with regularly rotating products set up like an apartment ( Potsdamer Str. 77).
Baerck artfully displays its mix of European and Berlin men's and women's wear on wheeled structures, allowing them to be rearranged in the store whenever necessary. Along with designers like Henrik Vibskov and Hope, you’ll find accessories including jewelry, handbags, scarves, and hats.
The sleek, industrial flagship store of the Berlin-based luxury streetwear fashion mag carries of-the-moment clothing, accessories, perfumes, and housewares from both their own brand and the likes of Acne Studios and Dries Van Noten.
Since 2003, this Mitte hot spot has nurtured Berlin independent designers who are as visionary in their aesthetics as they are in their production mode: most items are handmade and sustainably sourced. Look for local favorite Anntian for women's dresses, and elegant necklaces by Naoko Ogawa.
This charming concept store offers a large selection of locally designed clothing and accessories, all sustainable and inclusive, along with events including upcycling workshops and poetry readings.
This "super boutique" in a former locksmith's workshop is a Berlin favorite for women’s and men’s separates, shoes, accessories, and outerwear, often from rare collections around the world. It's also home to Voo Deli, for when you need a shopping pick-me-up.
Inside a beautiful old building in the heart of Mitte's Hackescher Markt shopping district, 14 oz. sells high-end denim (Denham the Jeanmaker, PRPS, Edwin), along with sneakers, accessories, knitwear, and outerwear for both women and men.
This tiny shop on Torstrasse is the flagship menswear outlet for designer Wibke Deertz, who uses fabrics and inspirations from her travels around the world to create a collection of handmade, limited-edition pieces, including pants, shirts, jackets, and accessories.
This well-edited store stocks the latest and hippest in men’s fashion, including shoes and bags.
The sleek, minimalist flagship store of German designer Jil Sander carries the newest collections from this iconic, understated brand, including fashions for men.
With an odd assortment of retro furnishings, this ice-cream café and waffle shop takes over the entire corner of a Prenzlauer Berg sidewalk, especially on sunny days. Head to the second story and you’ll find a shop that captures young Berliner style, with vintage pieces, bold prints, and skinny fits, as well as shoes and jewelry. There's a second outpost on Kastanienallee as well as one in Mitte, plus an outlet shop in Wedding.
SOTO is the name of the hip, fashion-forward area of Mitte, south of Torstrasse, filled with charming side streets and numerous fashion boutiques. So, it's appropriate that it's also the name of this boutique where you’ll find a mix of timeless and trendsetting menswear including brands like Norse Projects and Acne Studios grooming products, and accessories ranging from cameras to lanyards.
In the heart of the stunning Gendarmenmarkt, this luxury concept store sells a contemporary collection of new and vintage clothing from high-end designers like Balenciaga and Chloé, as well as cosmetics, home furnishings, and art books. There's also a second store in the west near Kurfürstendamm.
