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Jeden Monat nähern sich unsere Kolumnisten, die Berliner Filmemacher Dominik und Benjamin Reding, dem jeweiligen Heftthema
auf ihre ganz eigene Art und Weise. Geboren wurden die Zwillinge am 3. Ja nuar 1969 in Dortmund. Während Dominik Architektur
in Aachen und Film in Hamburg studierte, absolvierte Benjamin ein Schauspielstudium in Stuttgart. 1997 begann die Arbeit an ihrem
ersten gemeinsamen Kinofilm „Oi! Warning“. Seitdem arbeiten sie für Fernseh- und Kinofilmprojekte zusammen.

Each month our columnists, Berlin-based filmmakers Dominik and Benjamin Reding, approach the respective issue-specific theme
in their very personal way. The twins were born on January 3, 1969 in Dortmund. Whilst Dominik studied architecture in Aachen
and film in Hamburg, Benjamin graduated in acting studies in Stuttgart. They started working on their first joint motion picture “Oi!
Warning“ in 1997. Since then they have tightly collaborated for TV and cinema film projects.

I t all started with two images. An inner image and a photograph, taken during a evening dress made of steel and Sekurit glass on the catwalks. “Respect, man!” The
Afro-American’s snow-white teeth flashed in his mahogany-coloured face. I had dres-
holiday and developed afterwards. A gift from my aunt who travelled with me. My
brother looked at the photo – for quite some time. Then he groaned. “But I’m already sed for the annual ritual of the German Film Awards in what one wears on such oc-
15...” He looked at the photo again, shook his head, “... and I look like I’m 12!” He casions, a jacket, black trousers and a black shirt. But my brother wore the G.U.K.
cleared his throat, put the photo aside. He was right. The boy in the picture, with the look. And he was noticed. Immediately. The Afro-American raised his fist to his heart
neat pageboy hairstyle, the cheeks red from the Danish sun and the baby-blue plush and extended it appreciatively to my brother in a farewell salute. It was a conscious
jumper really did look like a kid, and not like the bloke he actually was. “I’ll have decision, two years earlier, shortly after his own milestone birthday. Benjamin was
to change that,” he said and walked off. Determined. He returned wearing peg-top invited to a band party, with lots of young people. For a test, he put on a punk T-
pants, white and yellow sneakers and a mint-green sweatshirt with batwing sleeves shirt that had been lying in the wardrobe for some time. He was startled. It looked
and a round neck with an embroidered fantasy label, “Chaos,” in a zigzag 80s font. old, or even worse: oldish. “Forever Punk.” Atrocious. But what could a young look
A real eye-catcher, we thought it clothes was from London, because the New Wave for a 50-year-old look like? Life experience and cosmopolitanism have to be reflec-
bands wore such sweatshirts in their videos, but it actually came from Moscow. ted. Otherwise, it simply looks ridiculous. Clothes don’t make you “young”, but the
Well, not the clothes, they were made in Turkey, but the idea. Even from an artist ar- signals you sense in the clothes, and even more so in the person wearing them: the
chitect (as we will see, this is a rare exception), Vladimir Tatlin. And indeed, outside joy of playing, the spirit of discovery, the courage to try something new, to experi-
a disco he was now no longer asked for his ID. The other picture was a personal, pri- ment. My brother looked for inspiration on the internet, but “influencers” are too
vate one, an impression: burnt in unchangeably, like the etched lines on an etching much about brands and promotion, and that wasn’t what he was looking for. He
plate. A corpulent man with a half-bald head and a only made a find with people of colour, with their
turtleneck jumper, voluminous, horn-rimmed glas- fast-paced, creative, casual and often self-mocking
ses and a viscose shirt stretched over his potbelly, way of dressing. Looks that, at their core, are about
celebrating his 50th birthday with much fanfare and the very “dignity” that is so often denied, so often
sweat on his forehead: our father. “I’ll never be like taken away from them in the US and around the
that!” said my brother the next morning. It’s hard to world. This is what his new style should be about,
keep to that. First of all, you have to turn 50 your- surprising and absolutely up to date, but retaining the
self: at first it seems unimaginable, then much too dignity of age for those who wear it. And, because fa-
far away, and then, suddenly, it happens. And you shion is a game, it should not cost too much. Expen-
must not become too chubby. It’s quite simple: you sive things depress. I often see him sitting at his desk
just don’t eat much anymore. And you shouldn’t now, late at night, sewing. Individualising his clothes,
wear clothes that seem too grown-up, too serious, removing brand labels, and, every now and then, ta-
too sincere. That’s difficult because it’s subjective. king off little things that are too “youthful”. Not every-
And you should keep the spirit of a child. That is the thing works anymore, it’s a weighing up, testing, even
hardest thing. Clothes! First home, second skin. Wild discarding. My brother told me that his new look
theories circulate as to why people wear them at all. should be clothes for “Grown-up Kids” (G.U.K.).
As protection against rain, cold, heat, snow. But the Foto: Benjamin Reding Grown-up kids. And that’s what he wants to be,
question may at least be asked, why mice don’t grown up, with the work, the impression, the experi-
wrap themselves in autumn leaves and dogs in their ence of many years, but like a child with the joy of
owners’ old coats when the rain once again turns them into dripping monsters? discovery, the desire to play, even overcoming his own fears. (To not exaggerate the
Would Homo Sapiens become extinct if he ran around naked? Priest preach that arc of suspense with the G.U.K. look: It looks like the style in the column photo, for
people wear clothes because of “natural shame,” as protection against the gaze of example, when my brother took the new underground line 5 to the Museumsinsel
others, as a kind of textile chastity belt. Anthropologist say, clothes are a protection station at the beginning of July.) He now frequently has encounters like the one with
necessary to survive, like house walls walking along with you, against all the incle- the Afro-American. He is looked at, photographed, marvelled at, sometimes criti-
mency of nature. But if that were the case, wouldn’t all houses look like garages and cally, but often appreciatively, often by people of colour who recognise themselves
all clothes like flour sacks? No, clothing, that first home directly on our skin, is the in his style, feel the respect for their culture. A fashion scout from an internet retailer
most direct expression of creativity, of creation, of design. And yes, also of desire and approached him about becoming an “influencer,” with various social accounts, star
play, that is, of the centre that makes up our humanity. And this has been the case of the internet scene, the 50-year-old “Grown-up Kid”, with millions of clicks...,
at least since the variously patterned skins of Ötzi’s 5000-year-old winter coat. Only 100,000 likes..., the first imitators in Tokyo; Dubai, Chongqing, cover pages, his own
the architects, who otherwise design so much, from the mocha cup to the Chinese collection, money, fame, flash and… STOP! My brother’s look is a game, and it
metropolis of millions, avoid the art of clothing and even more so its perfection: fa- should remain a game. A few days ago, while rearranging all my clothes, something
shion. No Kulka tights, no Zaha Hadid scarves, Herzog shirts and De Meuron coats fell into my hands, a machine-knitted jumper, round neck, batwing sleeves, mint-
in the summer sale, no checked pants by O.M. Ungers, no small cross-striped cock- green, the label still on the inside of the collar: “Chaos”. Ben put it on, the seams
tail dress by Ettore Sottsass, no Tadao Ando nightgown, no Gehry sneakers, no “Van- frayed, the fabric porous, the sleeves worn out, but it still fit! And, taking a look out
derrohe” (pronouncing the name in English makes it sound like a fashion designer) of the window here in Berlin, it’s back in fashion.

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