FREITAG — SUSTAINABLE BAGS TO BORROW, SWAP AND HANG ON YOUR SHOULDERS

Need a backpack for your next trip, a hip bag for a gig or a spacious shoulder bag for the everyday essentials (keys, laptop, charger, book…)? You’ll find the right gear at Freitag Rent, a pop-up bag rental service from Freitag Rent, and you won’t even have to buy it. You can borrow one of more than 200 unique bags for €9 a month and swap it when your taste, style or situation calls for a change. The Zurich brand behind the idea, Freitag, has been around since 1993 when it began as a project to recycle discarded truck tarpaulins. Since then, the company has been at the forefront of conserving resources and energy, from using rainwater to wash the truck tarpaulins to the compostable F-abric clothing, the Circ-Case mobile phone case and the Mono[PA6] backpack, all of which are made according to circular principles. Now the brand has teamed up with Berlin fashion service provider Pool for a flexible sharing model that blends sustainability and style. You get the bag you want, when you want it, while keeping within budget. It’s a concept we’ll gladly carry home…

Text: Alison Musch / Photos: Christina Raue

Freitag Rent, Torstr.67, 10785 Berlin–Mitte; map
17.05–17.08.2023 Mon–Sat 11–19h. You can find more info here.

@freitaglab

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Cafes

SFERA — ROOMY CAFE FOR VEGAN BRUNCHES, WEEKDAY LUNCHES AND QUIET COWORKING WITH COFFEE

Upon entering Sfera, a bright, inviting cafe greets you. It’s hard to know where to look first. The wooden counter? The honeycomb floor tiles? The wall ornaments? The royal blue chairs? One thing is clear: this is a space you’ll want to stay a while in. It’s only when you go up to order that you realize that there’s even more: through a small corridor, two other rooms open up. More sober in design, they’re no less impressive, with a wall of wine offering a toast to the cafe’s Altbau flair. Owner Jana moved to Berlin in 2017 and worked in a few brunch places (she was head chef at Allan’s Breakfast Club) before she decided to open her own shop on Böhmischer Platz in Neukölln in April 2023. She has developed a purely vegan menu for Sfera, which is housed – funnily enough – in a former butcher’s shop, whose old mosaic wall remains today. The eat-in menu changes depending on the season but there are always sandwiches to go. My highlights from the current offerings: toasted brioche with fruit, vegan crème fraîche and basil, and the French toast with almond crème, cherries, sage and crumble. Don’t forget the savory dishes, such as the potato salad with smoked tofu and the oyster mushroom ceviche.

Natural wines from Vinofactum and 8greenbottles are available, as is coffee from Passenger. The bread is supplied by one of our all-time favorites, Gorilla Bakery. Incidentally: you might know Sfera from Herrlich Dining. The latter’s founders, Fee and Hannah, are old friends of Jana’s and have catered events in her space (there are plans for pop-ups, kitchen takeovers by chef friends and other get-togethers). Whether it’s a boozy brunch or a weekday lunch, a Sunday gathering or a quiet coworking sesh, this roomy cafe fits the bill on all counts.

Text: Robyn Steffen / Photos: Luna Schaffron

Sfera, Schudomastr.44, 12055 Berlin–Neukölln; map
Mon, Thu & Fri 10–16h, Sat & Sun 10–17h

@sfera.berlin

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Cafes, Shops

GENIAL JAPANESE SHOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE UCKERMARK — YOKO & ANNA’S KOMBINI KIOSK

Come to the gate of Großen Garten at the weekend and you will find Anna and Yoko manning the Kombini Kiosk. They spend their time brewing fresh coffee behind the wooden counter they built themselves and sitting in the sun with friends. You’ll be greeted with a hearty “Irashaimase”(welcome!). Twin sisters Anna and Yoko were born to German-Japanese parents and grew up in Berlin. When they talk about their childhood, they recall memories of the summer holidays they spent with their grandmother in Japan: the food, the hand stitched pyjamas and the time spent in the garden. It’s a childhood that led Anna to become textile designer and Yoko a florist and gardener. The Kiosk was started as a way to share the pair’s love of everyday Japanese objects. “We sell what we love” is the motto and, we must say: we love it too. There’s the porcelain chopstick holders in all different shapes from gyozas and radishes to edamame beans. Or the colorful Koinobiris – traditional carp flags that flutter enthusiastically even in a light breeze. In addition to those items (which, by the way, make excellent souvenirs or gifts), there are drinks and snacks as you’d expect from a kiosk: coffee, cake and Japanese specialities like homemade onigiris, yuzu lemonades and sake. The twins plan to offer workshops to share their expertise and interests, including regional, seasonal flower arranging, making “Uchiwa” (Japanese paper fans), painting and sake tastings. We can’t wait for that, and until then we’ll be sampling the hospitality, nice conversations and fun objects at the Kombini Kiosk. Oh, and if you do make the journey we highly recommend a visit to Parg for lunch and/or dinner.

Text & Photos: Robyn Steffen

Kombini Kiosk at Grossen Garten, Dorfmitte 11, 17268 Gerswalde; map
Sat 13–18h, Sun 12–18h

@kombini.kiosk

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Events

THREE’S A PARTY: SEEK X CEE CEE X POOL — PRE-FASHION WEEK DRINKS AT THE CEE CEE CAFE

Hide & Seek? Nope – quite the opposite! Next Monday (10.07.2023) you won’t want to hide yourself away because we’re inviting you to a special warm-up event at the Cee Cee Cafe. Yes: it’s fashion week once again and we want to celebrate it. The Seek and Premium Exhibitions fashion fairs are starting on Tuesday, with shows and performances by fashion designers and labels already starting on Monday. So pick out the most stylish outfit in your wardrobe (or at least the coolest shirt in your clothes pile), bring your BFFs and trusted fashionistas and come say hi. Together with the Seek team and the folks behind local fashion service Pool, we’re serving you a stylish combination of good-looking drinks, distinctive sounds by Animal Deluxe and the natural power of the sun. With this fashion-forward trinity, you’ll have the inspiration you need for the rest of the fashion week. And lest anyone get hungry (or, even worse, hangry), there are crispy tacos from Munchies and summery ramen bowls from Ramen Bonez. So look no further: we’ll Cee Cee you at the pool bar.

Text: Nina Trippel / Photos: Sophie Doering

Cee Cee Cafe, Besselstr.13, 10969 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Mon 10.07.2023 18–22h

@ceecee.cafe
@seek.tradeshow
@pool.berlin

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Guests, Culture

BOOBS IN THE ARTS: A SUMMER GROUP SHOW BY DITTRICH & SCHLECHTRIEM — RECOMMENDED BY BASTIAN GEHBAUER

When heterosexual guys write about breasts and recommend exhibitions showcasing artistic works about them, you should probably look the other way. Regardless of the personal appeal this topic holds for your author, there’s a show that serves as an exception opening tomorrow at Dittrich & Schlechtriem called Boobs in the Arts (inspired by the Instagram account of the same name curated by Natanja von Stosch). We are dealing with something that goes beyond mere erotic interests and holds relevance in the realm of art – truly remarkable art created by expressive and intelligent artists like Hannah Hallermann, Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili, or Katarina Janečková Walshe*. They have joined forces with exceptionally talented curators Juliet Kothe and Natanja von Stosch to give breasts the attention they deserve – in a sensual, artistic, historical and political context. In addition to the desired enlightenment, there is another goal in mind: cash, cash, cash. Juliet Kothe and Natanja von Stosch need funds to bring their long-planned and extensively researched publication of the same title to fruition. The catalog will offer an overview of historical and contemporary representations of the female breast, exploring the various perspectives and modes of representation since the early 20th century. It is about time such a publication exists, and we eagerly anticipate its completion. Come, see, and support by making a purchase!

*Artists include: Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili, Jagoda Bednarsky, Kasia Fudakowski, Isabelle Graeff, Hannah Hallermann, Nadira Husain, Verena Issel, Katarina Janečková Walshe, Monty Richthofen, Nadine Schemmann, Jenna Sutela, Young-Jun Tak, Slavs and Tatars and Anna Virnich.

Text: Bastian Gehbauer / Photos: Jens Ziehe & Hans Georg Gaul / Credit: Laura Catania,; Katarina Janecková Walshe; Jagoda Bednarsky; DITTRICH & SCHLECHTRIEM

Bastian Gehbauer is a Berlin-based photographer whose focuses include spaces, their history and their emotional quality. His biggest exhibition to date will open at HOTO Berlin at the end of August. Among other things, it deals with the subject of oft-forgotten German-Jewish architecture.

Dittrich & Schlechtriem, Linienstr.23, 10178 Berlin–Mitte; map
Boobs in the Arts – Fe:male Bodies in Pictorial History 07.07–29.07.2023. Opening Fri 07.07. 18–20h

@boobsinthearts
@dittrichschlechtriem

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FREITAG — SUSTAINABLE BAGS TO BORROW, SWAP AND HANG ON YOUR SHOULDERS

SFERA — ROOMY CAFE FOR VEGAN BRUNCHES, WEEKDAY LUNCHES AND QUIET COWORKING WITH COFFEE

GENIAL JAPANESE SHOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE UCKERMARK — YOKO & ANNA’S KOMBINI KIOSK

THREE’S A PARTY: SEEK X CEE CEE X POOL — PRE-FASHION WEEK DRINKS AT THE CEE CEE CAFE

BOOBS IN THE ARTS: A SUMMER GROUP SHOW BY DITTRICH & SCHLECHTRIEM — RECOMMENDED BY BASTIAN GEHBAUER