RARE MATTER — Art Exhibition

Is Fashion Art? Six Berlin-based designers reveal their artistic practices beyond wearable fashion.
Berlin, November 2026 — Where does fashion end and art begin? On Friday, November 13, 2026, RARE STORE & COLLECTIVE presents RARE MATTER – Art Exhibition, a group exhibition bringing together six designers from the Berlin-based creative collective RARE F-hain.

Stepping beyond their fashion labels, the participating designers reveal the artists, creative processes and individual perspectives behind their brands through a selection of artworks, objects and experimental material practices.

At the heart of the exhibition lies a question that continues to challenge the boundaries of creative expression: “IS FASHION ART?”

Fashion is more than what we wear. Behind every label is a creative mind whose artistic vision often extends far beyond clothing.

RARE MATTER brings these often unseen dimensions into focus, transforming the collective’s store in Berlin-Friedrichshain into a space for artistic exploration and exchange.

From printmaking, photography and intricate papercutting to textile installations, sculptural forms and experimental compositions, the exhibition brings together six distinct artistic approaches.

Through their work, the participating artists explore materiality, identity, memory, transformation and the possibilities of reusing existing resources. Together, they challenge conventional distinctions between art, fashion, craft and design.

Six designers. Six artistic perspectives.

Julie Bourgeois — Tata Christiane

In Crochet Research. Upcycling Is a Palimpsest, Julie Bourgeois explores crochet and upcycling as processes of rewriting and transformation. Existing textiles, traditional techniques and discarded fragments are dismantled and reassembled into unexpected volumes and sculptural forms. Her work approaches materials as carriers of memory, allowing different histories to coexist within a single creation.

Andrea Bonfini — FADE OUT Label

Andrea Bonfini presents a selection of earlier artistic works exploring different printing techniques and materials. These include photographic printing and photo transfers on gauze fabric, alongside large-scale copperplate etchings on paper. Combining traditional intaglio methods such as soft-ground etching, drypoint and etching, his work investigates the expressive possibilities of image-making and material experimentation.

Elise Rolot — Everyday Pieces

In From Here to There, Elise Rolot explores the transformation of discarded household textiles into new forms. Working with curtains, bedsheets and other familiar fabrics, she presents a textile installation examining the journey from domestic material to wearable garment. Her practice invites viewers to reconsider the potential of what already exists and the shifting meanings of everyday objects.

Kai Gerhardt — K∆IGERH∆RDT

Kai Gerhardt’s artistic practice operates at the intersection of fashion, textile design and art. Through experimental material processes, traditional craftsmanship and the reuse of existing resources, they develop textile structures that move between surface, body and space. Guided by LET THE FUTURE BE HUMAN, their work challenges established categories, identities and social norms, opening new perspectives on materiality and creative expression.

Meri Luján — CHAIN CULT

Meri Luján presents a selection of early hand-cut papercut artworks, created entirely by hand using a scalpel. Featuring an insectarium, band logos and calligraphic compositions, these intricate works reveal the foundations of an artistic practice that later evolved from fragile paper and cardboard into long-lasting stainless steel. The selection reflects on the contrast between impermanence and durability.

Angie Aguirre — THERAPY Recycle and Exorcise / Fabric Actions

In Matter of Disobedience, Angie Aguirre presents new works created specifically for the exhibition. Street-found fabrics are transformed into abstract compositions on rescued wood and reused canvases.

Rooted in her activist design practice and experiences between Argentina and Europe, her work confronts the contrast between material scarcity and overabundance. Part art, part protest, these compositions question overproduction, waste, privilege and the symbolic values embedded in fashion, challenging conventional ideas of consumption, identity and worth.

Beyond the labels

For one evening, RARE STORE & COLLECTIVE becomes a meeting point for art, fashion and individuality.

The opening on November 13 invites visitors to discover the artworks, meet all six participating designers in person and engage with the creative minds behind the labels.

Music and drinks will accompany the evening, creating an informal setting for artistic exchange and unexpected connections.

Not just fashion. Not just art. A rare matter of perspective.

Event details

RARE MATTER — Art Exhibition

Opening / Vernissage: Friday, November 13, 2026
Time: 5:00–10:00 PM
Location: RARE STORE & COLLECTIVE
Kopernikusstraße 21, 10245 Berlin-Friedrichshain, Germany

Free admission
Music, drinks and all participating artists present.

About RARE STORE & COLLECTIVE

RARE STORE & COLLECTIVE is an independent creative space in Berlin-Friedrichshain bringing together fashion, design and artistic exchange.

Home to the designers of the RARE F-hain collective, the store provides a shared platform for individual creative practices, experimental approaches and interdisciplinary encounters.

With RARE MATTER, the collective turns the spotlight toward the artistic identities and practices behind its fashion labels.

Press information

Images of the exhibition and participating artists‘ works are attached.

For further information, interviews and press imagery:

RARE STORE & COLLECTIVE
Kopernikusstraße 21, 10245 Berlin, Germany

Participating artists:
Kai Gerhardt — @kaigerhardt_official
Meri Luján — @chain.cult
Angie Aguirre — @therapy_berlin / @fabric_actions
Andrea Bonfini — @fadeoutlabel
Julie Bourgeois — @tatachristiane
Elise Rolot — @everydaypieces