Andreas Murkudis
Author: Anothertravelguide.com0 COMMENTS

Andreas Murkudis belongs among the pioneers of Berlin concept store scene; his empire of shops, until recently located in a Munzstrasse yard of the central borough of Mitte, had long since earned the status of a cult address. Years ago, Murkudis was the first who started to sell Martin Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto and similar brands, becoming one of the cornerstones of the new Mitte style trends. Following the fall the Berlin Wall, the abandoned and unrenovated buildings of the Mitte borough became a platform for a diversity of creative initiatives: first came the artists; the tourists followed, flashbulbs ablaze, snapping scenes of the new Berlin like there was no tomorrow. Finally - and regretfully - arrived the real estate companies, shamelessly milking the popularity of the district and using high rent prices to drive away quite a few of the cultural institutions which had made Mitte so popular in the first place. The little stores of avant-garde brands were gradually replaced by the big players of American Apparel-style fashion for the masses.
Recently the exodus was joined by Andreas Murkudis who moved his retail empire to new premises in Potsdamer Strasse, almost next-door to some famous art galleries, the likes of Blain/Southern and Arndt. The neighbourhood is, as yet, uncharted territory in the niche of fashion and design stores; however, no-one will be particularly surprised to see that Murkudis with his grand new space dedicated to lifestyle and current fashion trends, now housed in a converted printing-house, have followers. The white industrial space, brutally minimalist, yet permeated by chic crude luxury (designed by architects Pierre Jorge Gonzalez and Judith Haase), has now been transformed into a sort of shop inside a shop, featuring the essence of the current avant-garde fashion and design.
Potsdamer Strasse 77 - 87
10785 Berlin
www.andreasmurkudis.com
11/2011