Maria Koch’s 032c label—officially titled 032cReadytowear—has been making inroads since its inception in the late 2010s. The line is an interesting premise, regardless of what one thinks of the clothing itself: 032c started as a magazine that was founded in 2000 by Maria’s husband, Joerg Koch. Since then, it has evolved into something bigger and weightier—a media and a fashion brand in parallel, capturing and disseminating a leading edge of Berlin’s creative class (the German capital is 032c’s home base).
For spring, with a collection named Nothing New, Koch tampered with evening silhouettes and loosened them, widened them to create something that looked airier in the end. You could see it on a full low-waisted taffeta skirt, dyed in simple black. (Her palette was notably and consciously restricted.) On the sportswear side, an outsized black trench and mini-cargo shorts, which had a kind of A-line skirt-like finish, furthered this thinking. Nothing New, then, suggested that Koch wasn’t and isn’t looking to reinvent a wheel—she’s more about adjusting and refining within her space.
The overall effect of the collection was a bit softer than prior outings. But softer doesn’t necessarily mean easier going—these were still pretty serious clothes. “Berlin is always talked about with words like ‘industrial’ or ‘Berghain.’ It’s not all that,” said the designer. “It has beautiful gardens, stately homes. There’s a less intense side of it.”
