Human Empire Shop

Human Empire began in 2003 as a graphic design studio in Hamburg, founded by Malte Kaune, Wiebke Schultz and Jan Kruse. Three years later, in 2006, the trio opened a retail shop in the Schanzenviertel (Sternschanze) district, at Schulterblatt 132, turning their studio's own output — screen-printed posters and prints — into one of the earliest concept stores in the city. The shop's core has stayed close to that origin: art prints and posters designed in-house, alongside stationery such as cards, notebooks, magazines and gift wrap, plus a selection of Scandinavian-influenced home accessories and clothing chosen for a pared-back, minimalist aesthetic. The business still operates from the same Schulterblatt address in the Schanzenviertel, a neighborhood known for independent shops and street art, and continues to run alongside the original design studio, which produces work for outside clients as well as the shop's own printed goods. The shop and studio remain linked in name and ownership, with the retail side functioning as a direct outlet for Human Empire's own design output rather than a multi-brand boutique.