"I'm keeping my feelers out"

This text was originally published in German and machine-translated into English.

TextilWirtschaft: How did you experience your debut in Milan?
Max Kobosil: Everything was new and super exciting for me. Because we decided against a show with an audience due to the Corona situation, a lot of things changed on short notice. The video production and art direction took a lot out of all of us. But in the end the team worked great, only this way we were able to spontaneously put everything together. In the end, we were all very proud of the result and had a lot of fun.

How did it come about? Was it always a goal to show there or did the opportunity simply arise?
I have always played with the idea of presenting my ideas in Milan or Paris, but I never thought it would happen so quickly. In the end Claudio Antonioli (Italian luxury retailer and for many years head of the New Guards Group with labels like Off-White, Palm Angels and Marcelo Burlon and now owner of the brand Ann Demeulemeester, editor's note) opened the door to the Milan runway for us.

How do you look at the fashion community as an artist with a strong musical background and roots in subculture/pop culture? What similarities do you see, what separates the disciplines?
For me, fashion and nightlife belong together. There are many connections between the communities. I can express myself creatively in music as well as in fashion. As a career changer, there are generally a lot of new things to discover and I always try to develop myself further. A big difference for me as a DJ are the working hours. Besides my nightly club gigs, the daytime job as creative director is a good change.

Authenticity is the buzzword par excellence. What does it mean to you?
Authenticity is very important to me. I grew up in Berlin Neukölln. The district has shaped and influenced me in many ways. That's why the 44 logo, which refers to the old postal code of Neukölln, will always be a part of me. All my experiences and my entire background flow into the music and fashion with.

How have you experienced the Corona time so far as an artist with the loss of many opportunities to perform?
I took advantage of the break and put a lot of work into the collections and music productions.

Is fashion a means of expression that works better, even if events etc. are limited?
There are several ways in fashion to present one's work despite limitations without it suffering. In our case, we were able to present the FW22 collection without an audience as a video production. As a DJ you can stream your sets, but techno is a medium of expression that works best in an unrestricted nightlife. It's about experiencing it live and connecting with each other.

Were there people in the fashion segment who supported and influenced you?
Claudio is my mentor who believes in my vision and supports me completely.

What are the favorite pieces - from your own collection, but also from other brands and designers?
The key element, what the whole idea of the collection is based on, is my graduation certificate. It's as a print on one of the t-shirts, which is also my favorite piece. Beyond that, I really like the puffer jacket with the t-shirt striped over it and the sneakers. The sneaker called Symbiont has various elements of shoes I wore when I was younger.

How do you describe the look of 44 Label Group?
With a lot of attention to detail, I like to experiment with opposites. The look can be described as elevated clubwear.

How do you actually consume fashion yourself?
I love fashion and keep my feelers out in different directions. Generally, I prefer to go to a store to experience fashion directly rather than store online.