C R U B A is a Berlin based fashion brand. The mastermind behind it is Mira von der Osten (a.k.a Mira Becker). Once you meet Mira, you get the whole thing. Mira projects her great aura and serenity on her designs. Her work has layers and depth – it’s not that she got an idea and she draw it on a paper. The way she talks about her collections is almost scientific. We got the chance to talk with her about C R U B A, the sources of her inspiration and Berlin. There is not much to say here other than admitting that’s always refreshing to talk with reflected people who have a clear vision and know where they want to be. Read Mira’s interview below and see for yourselves!
How did C R U B A start?
We started in 2009 with our first collection and our own store in Berlin-Mitte. I had just moved here from the US and was excited to finally work on this long dreamt dream.
We cannot but ask you, what does “CRUBA” mean?
C R U B A stands for Creating a Resolution Using a Berlin Argument. It is a constant
starting point for the city we live in as a source of inspiration. Design today is not about designing the new piece, it is rather a service to the women. We are not confined to be minimalistic or extravagant or lush etc.. We can be both and our style is an immediate result of what surrounds us. It is more of a journey we are invited to join.
Your designing journey started in New York. What made you land in Berlin? What’s so
special about the German capital city?
Here in Berlin one can feel a Weltschmerz (translates into something like
world-weariness) – one of those great German words one cannot really translate. It describes a common longing or pain that is quite inspirational to me. Many claim that Berlin is the Brooklyn NY has lost. You have to be in tune with everything to be alert to the smallest detail that can get you going.
What inspires you? What’s the inspiration behind your latest collection?
Anything will get me started from a certain light creating a color palette or music with a rhythm, an exhibition in a gallery. Fabrics themselves often unleash flows of inspiration and creativity. Often we start with a color theme and choose fabrics to choose different surfaces. Since we have the luxury of having our sampling room here, we can
design early on three-dimensional. This means we might sample a garment 3-5 times, and at the end still throw it out. In this process, you start having a relationship with this particular design and you might pick it up at a later point in time. Our design process is an organic one. We build new designs with respect to already existing creations.
You design and produce everything around Berlin. How hard is it to stick with this commitment? Or is it that once you form your team everything runs smooth and with no problems?
Nothing ever runs without problems wherever one produces. We believe that supply chains that are tethered to the region foster trust, help build value-based communities and bring people closer to themselves and each other.
C R U B A is designed and sampled here in Berlin-Mitte and we produce locally within close proximity of Berlin (our radius is up to 200 km). Each collection and piece stand for themselves yet they also build upon one another. They can be worn from season to season as they are evolving. To consider from whom you purchase a garment is very relevant today. Every piece implies where and under which circumstances it was made. It has its own social and environmental impact. But more than that: buying locally is investing in your immediate community. Many of our customers deeply care for what kind of society they live in and thrive for and how they can be part of a local or regional community that also promotes healthy social relations. This is the journey we are excited to be part of here in Berlin.
You’re addressing to the modern woman. How would you describe her? How would
you describe the woman of 2015?
The C R U B A woman has humor and enjoys fashion. There is enough in our world to worry about – fashion should not be one of them. Our customer is confident, has little time, and wants to be dressed for all occasions effortless yet is open to the artistic sensibility in design. She is alert to details in the clothing and prides herself in creating a sustainable urban wardrobe.
What’s next for C R U B A? What should we expect from you in the near future?
After focusing the last years on setting up our local distribution. We have started selling internationally. This season we showed our collection in NY and Paris and are now super excited to sell C R U B A on three continents. And we are dreaming of collaborating with masters of other creative fields like musicians, architects or other artists.
Our motto is “Nothing But Hope And Passion”. What’s your motto?
Our motto really is C R U B A – to Create a Resolutions Using a Berlin Argument meaning to view the environment we live in as a source of inspiration and be wild and creative.
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Photos courtesy of C R U B A. You can find more about the brand here.