There are no shops here, only boutiques.
Concept mall, a curious term to define a ** shopping center ** different from the rest. It is conceived as if it were an art gallery and as if each boutique (that is not a store) was curated by an expert in the field, just as it happens in large exhibitions. Few branches of the ubiquitous Spanish or Scandinavian clothing franchises can be found inside. The only one is that of the adjoining hotel that is part of the overall experience of this shopping center.
The design hotel chain ** 25hours ** arrives in Berlin for the first time with one of its most successful proposals. The place also serves to revitalize the western area of the capital , close to the Zoo station, where the renowned C/O photographic museum will soon arrive, banished from the city center months ago and which celebrates its long-awaited reopening on October 30.
Its name is due to its curvaceous forms
And no, the name Bikini is not a hipster idea. The building, a forgotten jewel of the city and an example of modernity in post-war architecture, is called Bikini House since it was built there in the mid-fifties. In fact refers to its curvaceous forms . Cafeterias that make you not want to get up even if your cup of coffee ran out a long time ago and a terrace with views of the zoo accompany the different pop-up stores and other new shops located in the Bikini Berlin Boxes , What are they Affordable rental microspaces for young entrepreneurs.
Because supporting new designers is one of Bikini Berlin's mottos and, when you least expect it, you run into tilda swinton peeking through the shelves on one of her many personal visits -her husband is German and she is addicted to the capital- or her professional stops at Fashion Week or the city's film festival. At the moment they already have their own fashion fair, Supernova , closely related to new technologies.
An unforgettable shopping afternoon
Actually its location is excellent, a few steps from the hyper-commercial and at the same time hyper-luxurious avenue of Kurfürstendamm . It is only separated from the great avenue to the west by the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche church, known as the “chopped tooth” as it was partially demolished after World War II. It is a good time to visit this part of the charlottenburg neighborhood, taking advantage of the fact that the famous church shines again before the staff after spending almost four years covered with scaffolding due to exhaustive sanitation work.
A shopping center conceived as an art gallery
It should not be forgotten that not far from that square, as early as 2011, a Spanish hotel paved the way for the rebirth of this area as a high-profile entertainment venue. **Das Stue**, the first five stars of Spanish origin in the city , occupies the old Danish embassy and takes advantage of its diplomatic and classic exterior architecture to play inside with the design of Patricia Urquiola. Das Stue also houses the restaurant Cinco, by chef Paco Pérez , refuge of the true non-traditional Spanish gastronomy in the German city and Michelin star in just one year. All this on one of the sides of the zoo, in the Drakestrasse and right in front of the Spanish embassy.
Overlooking the zoo.