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FASHION

Berlin underground inspires beauty pageant

The grime and grit of Berlin’s U-Bahn metro may not seem very glamorous. But this month a dozen designer-model teams will take inspiration from their favourite underground stations for the city's first fashion show in beauty pageant form. Who will become Miss U-Bahn 2010?

Berlin underground inspires beauty pageant
Model: MASHYA Photo: Copyright Mirabelle Jones

Like a traditional pageant, the August 14 show will be divided into four segments: evening wear, swimsuit competition, talent performance and a question and answer session, sole organiser Mirabelle Jones told The Local.

“The pageant part is tongue-in-cheek, but the fashion is not,” the 26-year-old American said. “These are serious designers who are all well-established in Berlin and very unique, from costume designers to couture.”

The goal for contestant duos is to bring their chosen station to life, using details such as the appearance, materials, history and neighbourhood folk to inform their ideas.

Miss Zoologischer Garten’s getup, designed by artist Paradox Paul, will have live animals incorporated into the gown. Miss Warschauer Straße’s dress will be made of broken glass from Beck’s beer bottles. Miss Schlesisches Tor’s designs will be modelled by a drag queen.

Meanwhile each performer’s talents will be station-related, including live graffiti, opera and burlesque dancing.

“It’s about getting the public involved,” Jones said. “The models are performance artists and not just static people. And it’s a celebration of the city.”

Jones, a poet and performance artist hailing from San Francisco, has spent the last two years in Berlin, a city she says is “vibrant and supportive of giving artists space” to grow.

The Miss U-Bahn pageant is the first show with her newly founded production company and “mind hive” 3-2-1,000, which focuses on what she calls “future content.”

“I became frustrated that fashion, music, and style continues to harp on retro-isms,” she said, explaining that the subway pageant will be a Berlin first.

The idea came about through a different set of frustrations that followed a fruitless seven-hour visit to the Ausländerbehörde, or foreigners’ authority, where she left without a residence permit and with instructions to return again later.

Riding the U7 line home, Jones observed the many-coloured underground stations through her tears.

“And then I got to Richard Wagner Platz,” she said. “It’s hideous, but almost alive with pink, butter yellow and black tiles, and then pictures from ye olden days – it’s supposed to represents Wagner’s operas.”

Jones was so inspired by the garish sight that she spent the rest of the day riding U-Bahn lines, taking in the views of stations across the city.

Each Berlin U-Bahn station is different, she found, initially planning to photograph them for an exhibition, but ultimately deciding to invite designers and performers to breathe life into each stop with fashion instead.

Jones is not only organising the entire event, but participating herself as part of the design team for Miss Richard Wagner Platz, her original inspiration.

A spoken word artist Paula Varjack will emcee the event at Spreewaldplatz, after which the judges panel, comprising Berlin fashion industry professionals, will award the winner a crown and sceptre, in addition to a cash prize.

“It’s very Berlin,” she said explaining that many of the participants may not be German-born, but have been living in the city for a long time. “The idea is that we are all Berliners, we love the city and have a relationship with it.”

MISS UBAHN

August 14, 5 pm

Spreewaldplatz 8

After party at Kleine Reise

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STUDYING IN GERMANY

What’s it like to study abroad in Berlin?

Picking the right city to study abroad in Germany can be a tricky decision, and there are numerous factors to consider. Freya Jones shares her experience of doing a year abroad in the capital and explains why Berlin could also be the right choice for you.

What's it like to study abroad in Berlin?

Five months after moving to Berlin for my year abroad (a compulsory part of my German degree from the UK) the German capital is certainly a destination I’d recommend. 

Although it’s less “traditionally German” than many other corners of the country, and simultaneously more comparable to the blanket big city experience worldwide, Berlin’s unique history and culture make it a great place to explore – and unsurprisingly very popular with international students. 

Like all capitals, it has its pros and cons, so here’s what stood out to me during my experience so far.

Arrival

You’ve probably heard horror stories about the Berlin housing market, and from experience I can say they’re largely true. Finding an apartment here before moving to the city is notoriously difficult, and more expensive than in other parts of Germany. 

What you should bear in mind, however, is that unlike other German cities, Berlin doesn’t impose fines if you’re unable to secure a registration appointment within two weeks of arrival (three months if you already have a visa). This makes searching for a good WG, Studentenwerk, or other rental far easier post-arrival if your first stop is a homestay or somewhere else temporary. 

Blocks of rental flats in Berlin.

Blocks of rental flats in Berlin. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Monika Skolimowska

Despite a recent wave of strikes and construction work, transport links in Berlin are still very strong. If you’re enrolled as a student during your year abroad, you’ll be entitled to a discounted pass for city transport, including a number of tram, bus and train options that run all the way to the city’s outskirts and even into Brandenburg (Zone C).

What’s more, direct trains from Berlin’s BER Airport make it more accessible than more remote locations in Germany when you arrive equipped with a year’s worth of luggage.

English

My German tutors in the UK were slightly concerned when I chose Berlin, because they didn’t think I’d have much opportunity to practise my German. Looking back, this worry wasn’t without cause, and if your primary goal is German language improvement, it may be worth considering somewhere more rural or less international. 

Unlike small towns I’ve visited elsewhere in Germany, where many people speak little to no English, it’s everywhere in Berlin. Because the international population is so large, new friends from any country are likely to speak it by default.

However, this can obviously be mitigated by signing up for German-only university classes, as I’ve done as an exchange student at Humboldt University, or finding a German language job. And on the flip side, if you’re here to study a discipline other than German, the ubiquity of English in Berlin has you covered.

READ ALSO: The top German cities for international students in 2024

Cultural Experiences

Unsurprisingly, Berlin offers no end of unique cultural experiences. For new arrivals, there’s plenty to fill your time with, and I’d really recommend “playing the tourist” for a couple of weeks while you settle in. 

Bucket-list locations include the National Gallery and museums on Museuminsel, the Berlin Wall memorial, the Brandenburg Gate, and the site of the Berlin airlift at Tempelhof. And beyond this, there’s never a shortage of things to do – walks around Tiergarten and the customary Sunday flea markets (Flohmarkt am Mauerpark being the most famous) are popular with visitors and locals alike.

A skateboarder performs tricks on Tempelhofer Feld

A skateboarder performs tricks on a former runway at Berlin’s Tempelhofer Feld, a popular meeting place in Berlin-Neukölln. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

Something I’ve also really enjoyed after being here for a while is noticing the small details which differentiate the former East and West Berlin sectors, such as different traffic lights and types of transport. While much of the architecture is admittedly stark, grey and not as pretty as other parts of Germany, the way in which present-day Berlin is a visible product of its recent history makes it a fascinating place to live.

READ ALSO: How do I get a student visa for Germany and what does it let me do?

Pros & Cons

Any culture shock inevitably comes with both positives and negatives, and these are a few which particularly struck me after moving to Berlin from the UK. 

Cons: many shops refuse to take card payment and only accept cash; all shops and supermarkets close on Sundays; there’s no guarantee of being let into a club or bar on a night out, and the traffic lights genuinely seem to conspire against drivers and pedestrians alike. (Also, the weather in winter really will destroy your soul, and this is a Brit talking…)

Pros: the quality of food is much better here than in the UK, and cheaper; the cost of alcohol is much lower; public transport is cheaper and more efficient than in London; work-life balance and mental wellbeing are taken very seriously; and finally, there’s a far less visible “class system” than in the UK, possibly due to the greater access and affordability of German universities.  (This is really nice, especially if you’re coming from a UK university where socio-economic prejudice is very common.)

READ ALSO: How to stay in Germany after graduating from a German university

Overall, Berlin has been a vibrant place to spend my exchange semester. Not only has it given me insights into the most significant shifts in recent German history, but it also offers the archetypal experience of living in a bustling, multicultural city. So while it’s distinctly different to anywhere else in Germany you might be considering, the variety of things to see and do in Berlin will keep you engaged for your full year abroad.

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