Theaterkunst Talk
Andreas Krings
Stylist Andreas Peter Krings dresses them all. Christian Friedel, Lena Urzendowsky, Valerie Pachner and this year’s Berlinale winner İlker Çatak – the stars walk the red carpets of the world in his styles.
In addition to fashion magazines such as “Die Dame”, “Interview Magazine” and “Vogue”, he was also responsible for cover shoots for 2Zeit Magazin” and “Financial Times – HTSI Magazine”. His clients include brands such as Mykita, Cartier and Chanel.
The stylist repeatedly draws on costume pieces from our collection for his stylings. Whether it’s a pair of unusual shoes, a special tie, an unusual scarf or historical jewellery. We talk to him about what makes his stylings so special and how he combines them with pieces from the collection.
Copyright: Andreas Krings (Portrait), Virgile Guinard (Christian Friedel), Ulrike Rindermann (Valerie Pachner), MYKITA (Max von Gumppenberg), Interview Magazine Shooting (Sharif Hamza)
Theaterkunst
Andreas Krings
How did you get into fashion and styling?
Basically, I’ve been passionate about fashion since I was a teenager. I used to always style my friends for nights out. Back then, it didn’t occur to me that you could actually do that for a living. So after school, I did something else for a while and studied sociology and political science. On the side, I worked at the casting agency ‘Nine Daughters And a Stereo’ in Cologne – now called ‘Tomorrow is Another Day’. We cast for designers such as Raf Simons and Hedi Slimane and booked models for shoots in magazines such as ‘Arena Homme+’ and Vogue. That’s how I learned about the profession of stylist and thought: I like that too.
Which stages of your career to date have had a particular impact on you?
Definitely my time at TIAD. Founder Eva Gödel sharpened my understanding of high fashion like no one else. Working with her, I learned how the fashion business works. But my time as an editor at Condé Nast also made me the stylist I am today. I remember Vogue shoots with Karl Lagerfeld and Peter Lindbergh. The preparations and time pressure were enormous. Developing a concept, fighting for looks you had in mind but which, of course, were on another shoot, keeping track of a record number of orders at all times. In any case, you learn to find solutions to problems in the shortest possible time that you never imagined could arise.
You often complement your styles with costume pieces from our collection. What is the idea behind this?
My inspiration for photo shoots is always influenced by films. When I’m looking for styling ideas for shoots, I often have a film character in mind and then develop that further. I take the same approach to red-carpet styling. It helps me to think in advance about exactly what makes a person unique. That’s why I always enjoy coming to Theaterkunst. In your archives, I find all these special pieces that already have a story and thus a personal touch. It is these details that I use to complete the looks.
What inspires you in your work? Do you also draw ideas for looks from our collection?
My iPhone memory is basically filled almost exclusively with photos of finds from you. My thumb gets tired from scrolling. The pieces pictured are just waiting for the right moment. The artfully laced Alaïa shoes, for example, or the red pearl-embroidered top that looks like a butterfly. Sometimes these pieces give me inspiration for a look, or they are that one detail that underlines my idea of a person.
Thank you very much for the interview, and see you next time at Fundus for more styling.
Thank you!
