Craft guide
ORBISCONCEPT STORES IN BERLIN6 stores · curated ORBIS register
Berlin / Online
The beloved hat-wearing Ampelmännchen of East German crossings, saved from post-reunification erasure and given his own Berlin shops. Prints, lamps, bags and toys carry the DDR's friendliest survivor.
Best for The East Berlin traffic-light man on everything good
Mitte (Hackescher Markt and others)
AMPELMANN turns Karl Peglau's East German pedestrian crossing figures into a gift and design business. Its first shop opened in 2001 in Hof 5 of Berlin's Hackesche Höfe, after Markus Heckhausen began making lamps from original traffic-light glass in 1996. This courtyard shop is distinct from the later Unter den Linden flagship.
Best for AMPELMANN products featuring Berlin’s pedestrian-light figures
AMPELMANN grew from the East German pedestrian crossing figures designed by Karl Peglau. Markus Heckhausen worked with Peglau to give those figures a life beyond the street, beginning with lamps made from original red and green traffic-light glass in 1996. The company followed in 1999, before its first shop opened in 2001 in Berlin's Hackesche Höfe.
That original shop is in Hof 5 at Rosenthaler Straße 40–41. It belongs to a different chapter of the business from the later flagship on Unter den Linden, so the two should not be treated as the same address. The courtyard setting also gives a specific destination to a name that appears at several Berlin shops.
The red and green figures provide the link between the original lamps and the wider gift business. For a souvenir, decide whether the appeal is the traffic-light design itself or an object you will use at home. The company's history explains that connection without turning a Berlin retail address into a claim that every product is manufactured in Germany.
Berlin / Online
Berlin collaborative brand born from the dance floor — deadstock materials from Milan, tight jerseys, PVC pants, and bulky leather jackets. Resistance through fashion.
Best for Club-born avant-garde fashion
Mitte / Online
PLATTE is a Berlin platform for the city’s next generation of fashion, combining a concept-and-event space with an education hub, photo studio and collaborative projects. Its store gives shelf space to local labels while the wider program connects emerging designers with audiences and industry.
Best for Berlin design, fashion, events and rotating local-designer retail
Mitte / Online
SOTO is a Berlin-Mitte menswear concept store on Torstraße, built around an international selection of clothing, footwear and accessories. Its edit sits between designer menswear and streetwear, with hard-to-find labels sourced from around the world.
Best for Multi-brand menswear and streetwear
Kreuzberg / Online
Voo Store is a Kreuzberg concept space that filters Berlin through local and international fashion, modern design and visual culture. The Oranienstraße complex also includes Voo Deli for natural wine and food, Voo Space for gallery collaborations and an archive project mixing past-season and vintage pieces.
Best for Multi-brand fashion, books and design objects
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