Here we go again, straight off the back of our recently wrapped Universal People “On The Map” Birmingham project, we head over to our friends in Berlin, Germany, for the next instalment. Over the next few weeks we will be spotlighting Universal Works customers from this great city, introduced to us by none other than Lyon Roque, store co-owner of Truffelschwein and our Universal Works Berlin partnership store.
“On the Map” is our take on a city guide of sorts; it’s a way of us sharing stories from our international community kingpins by spotlighting the people living, working and doing good things in the vicinity of our stores and stockists. As we like to say; it’s all about Good People and Good Places.
We sat down with Lyon to pick his brains and get the background story on how Trueffelschwein came to be; “We first opened in 2007. Trueffelschwein is all about clothing choices based on the right balance of aesthetics and quality. We opened as an alternative to the commercial and often hype-driven menswear choices in Berlin. We offer confident, cool, comfortable, modern, contemporary clothing. This was, and is our mission.”
Despite having spent years working in the fashion industry, that’s not always been the case for Lyon; “I was an actor and singer before I decided to stay put in one place. I’ve always been passionate about clothing, so plunging headfirst into menswear was a natural alternative for me. Now the shop floor is my stage.”
When asked for his thoughts on the Berlin fashion scene he smiles and adds, “I think the typical Berliner would always gravitate towards the understated; black, anthracite, navy pieces that they can mix and match before they’re fully awake in the mornings. It’s changing though. Berlin men are no longer afraid to look like they actually put some thought into how they look!”
Lyon is someone who’s known for his unmatched energy and enthusiasm (our customer services team get regular complimentary emails tell them as much), he continues “I love helping people find their look, seeing their confidence to shine the minute they put on the right pieces, how their posture changes and their perception of themselves becomes more positive.”
Watch this space for more from UW On the Map, Berlin Edition.
