Fashion Designer Irina Rohpeter – About Mode & Liebe Hamburg
Irina Rohpeter – a creative fashion designer who has settled in the north of Germany. She loves unusual shapes, which nevertheless offer a high wearing comfort. She lets her imagination run wild and likes to discover new cuts. I talked to her about her adopted home of Hamburg and her passion.
Credit: Markus Bak
Irina Rohpeter: Love drove her to Hamburg
FIV: Irina, you are a designer with Hamburg as your adopted home. Why did you move to Hamburg with your label?
I lived in the fashion capital Paris in 2006 and made the decision to start my own label there. To be honest, it was love that brought me to Hamburg.
FIV: As a fashion lover, what fascinates you about the beautiful city on the Elbe?
Hamburg has a high quality of life for me. In my self-employed work, I also appreciate the seriousness and honesty of the Hanseatic city. Last but not least, I am of course fascinated by the water – the Alster and the Elbe.
FIV: How did your label startup come about?
First and foremost was the desire to develop and sell her own collections as a fashion designer – useful paired with a great deal of passion, but also perseverance.
Credit: www.lenajuergensen.de
Irina about style & fashion must-haves
FIV: How can we imagine your style?
I have always been committed to difference, questioning the existing and – where possible – exciting new interpretations. My fashion also follows this claim. My designs playfully turn traditional formal thinking on its head, experimenting with line and cut with a wink. I love complex design and unusual details. Many of my models are variable and can be worn in many different ways.
FIV: What is most important to you in new fashion collections?
I like to look for shapes that deviate from the norm. What I find are solutions for which there are actually already some. And yet they speak a different language. The greatest challenge is to remain true to one’s style and yet develop new forms. In my collections, I make sure that there is variability in the garments and thus the possibility to interact with my fashion.
Credit: www.lenajuergensen.de
FIV: As an expert, how do you see the Hamburger’s style?
Although Hamburg is characterised by its different districts, there is a certain conformity when it comes to fashion. I would therefore like to see more courage for individuality and regionality. Have the courage and buy more Hamburg! But once “the Hamburg woman” has built up trust, she is a very courageous, loyal and unbelievably loyal customer, which I experience time and again with my customers.
FIV: What is a fashion must-have for you?
In general, I don’t like the term “must-have”. Fashion should first and foremost be fun – with which piece you achieve this is of course very individual. At this point I could of course recommend the “double collar shirt” by Irina Rohpeter, because you can wear it in so many different ways that you always reinvent yourself with it.
FIV: What is the designer competition like in Hamburg?
There are various fashion designers in Hamburg, but they work very differently. Some work internationally, others locally. This results in other systems with other requirements I appreciate this diversity very much and I don’t feel the colleagues as competition. Especially at the beginning of my self-employment, the open exchange with colleagues was very helpful for me.
FIV: Where do you present your fashion collections?
My collections are presented exclusively in my own showroom in Hamburg. This is an idea workshop, presentation place and meeting point at the same time. Here my designs are developed and current collections are presented and sold. Because I don’t just want to create fashion, but also to convey it in an inspiring and consultative way, I work with end customers and with shops via individual appointments.
FIV: Dear Irina, thank you very much for the interview!
More information about Irina Rohpeter: