Berlin, Baby!

By ALFONS KAISER (text), FREDERIKE HELWIG (photos)

Dress by Sacai / Acronym, T-shirt dress by Bernhard Willhelm, shoes by Jil Sander

February 27, 2023 · She is the best German model, has been there for 15 years and continues to be up to date: Toni Garrn, now a mother, wishes us luck with spring fashion from German designers.

T-shirt and choker by Lutz Huelle

During the pandemic, she realized, "I need a home in Europe." Now she is back, in London and in Berlin.

Shirt by A Kind of Guise, Top and shoes by GmbH, Pants by Odeeh Shirt by Stephan Schneider, Trousers by Richert Beil, Shoes by Aeyde

She always had to be fast because she had so little time. Maybe this also protected them from bad experiences.

Video: F.A.Z. / Kerri San Luis


Made in Germany

Meeting in a restaurant in Berlin, where everyone now goes. At twelve o'clock at noon, however, there are not many of them. She is already sitting in the semi-darkness of the bar, Norwegian sweater, jeans, look at her mobile phone. This is what any thirty-year-old with long blond hair could look like. But it really is Toni Garrn, the most important German model of the post-Claudia Schiffer generation, now for the first time and finally on the cover of the F.A.Z. magazine.

She's back. At the beginning of the corona pandemic, when she was still living in Manhattan, Toni Garrn realized: "I need a home in Europe." In hardly any other city has the pandemic been as devastating as in New York. Already in March 2020 there were thousands of confirmed cases, emergency hospitals were set up, the streets were empty, the mood was terrible. On May 1, 2020, she flew from Kennedy Airport to Germany. "I haven't been there since." She has rented out her New York apartment.

She did not come back alone. With her husband Alex Pettyfer, with whom she has been together for four years, she now lives in London and Berlin. The 32-year-old Briton was a model and now works mainly as an actor and producer. After years in Los Angeles, he also wanted to return to Europe. Of course, Berlin is more pleasant for her, "I feel at home everywhere anyway". As a true Briton, her husband has a hard time with the German. But in the restaurants in Berlin that consider themselves important, everyone speaks English anyway. When the waitress in the restaurant brings the miso soup, Toni Garrn automatically says: "Thank you very much!"

T-shirt by Richert Beil, pants by AZ Factory x Lutz Huelle, shoes by Aeyde shirt jacket by MCM, trousers by Jonathan Aurel Richter, gloves by AZ Factory x Lutz Huelle, shoes by Jil Sander

Toni, as everyone calls her, leads a very different life now than she did three years ago. As is the case with a young woman who talks fast, thinks fast and acts quickly, things went fast after returning from New York: On October 2, 2020, she married Alex Pettyfer in Hamburg, in July 2021 her daughter Luca was born, on July 7, 2022 she celebrated her 30th birthday. For others, such a round birthday is a reason to hide. She raised it big. Two weeks before their birthday, they had celebrated their wedding in Paros, so they just stayed in Greece. "I had to celebrate," she says. "Coming down during the pandemic and with pregnancy wasn't so easy for me." Many of her friends came, from New York, from Los Angeles, most of them for several days, she for four weeks.

Man, child, 30 years old – it suits them. Of course, the daughter is now the most important thing to her. "Ever since I was five years old, I wanted to be a mother," says Toni Garrn. "I had lists of my favorite names very early on. But even though I always wanted to have a boy, there were only girls' names on them because I thought they were much nicer." Her husband also had a list, and lo and behold: The name Luca was among the top ten for both. A strange coincidence, because the first names Toni and Alex are also gender-neutral. "If we have more children now," she says and laughs, "it would be weird if we didn't stick to unisex names."

Complete look by Jil Sander

Forced passivity does not suit this woman. "Being pregnant wasn't my thing. I even found the birth better than lying around like a whale for nine months," says Toni Garrn. "It was right during Corona. But it's always exhausting when you're working. In any case, the pregnancy was not so easy. You feel a bit sick all the time, everything becomes unbearable. At the first pregnancy you are probably too anxious." Out of fear, you pay attention to everything: "I drank decaffeinated coffee, but I was strict with sushi, with alcohol also: not a single glass during pregnancy! And I didn't smoke anyway. You only have to look at these pictures on the boxes, they are something of hardcore. None of this is possible. A child picks it up. Just the thought!"


Her daughter, now one and a half years old, grows into an international family. Even with Toni and her brother Niklas, who was two years older, the back and forth was part of everyday life. Her father worked at Exxon Mobil and was often transferred. When little Antonia was two years old, the family moved to London. When she was six years old, she went to Athens, the children attended the international school. When she was ten years old, they moved back to Hamburg. Her brother later also modeled. But now Niklas Garrn, who studied industrial engineering at the Technical University of Munich and once lived in New York, works for a start-up in Munich.

A SUMMER GIRL

Toni Garrn has been a model for more than half of her life. She was 13 years old when she experienced her summer fairy tale in 2006. With friends, she was at the fan festival on the Alster during the World Cup, for public viewing. Model agent Claudia Midolo saw her, spoke to her immediately and pressed the business card of her agency Modelwerk into her hand. The girl was surprised: "I was a little taller, but never insanely thin. I was also very childish and shy and never had anything to do with boys."

All this should change quickly. She was just 15 years old when she opened the Calvin Klein show in New York on September 11, 2007. "That was the breakthrough." Because she still went to school in Hamburg, she only ran at this one show, exclusively. When she drove to the airport afterwards, her New York booker called and said she was being booked for the worldwide Calvin Klein campaign. Because the agents were freaking out, she thought, "Wow! That must be something great." And it was.

Coat by Richert Beil, trousers by Gauchere Jacket by Gauchere, sweater and trousers by William Fan

Because now everyone wanted them. Since 2008, she has made up to 60 appearances on the catwalk during the show seasons. She spent her 16th birthday on July 7, 2008 with "Vogue" editor-in-chief Christiane Arp and Chanel chief designer Karl Lagerfeld on Rügen, "where I hung out on the chalk cliffs". She got along very well with the fashion designer. "You don't have a Chanel bag?" he once asked her. "What color do you want?" She got the 2.55 in black. "The best gift ever," she says. "A classic, I can always wear it when I have to go to Paris."

Hamburg connects: "We talked so fast! I come from Ohlstedt, he from Blankenese. For me, it was really great: it wasn't like these cool photographers. He was always polite, always relaxed." And yet everything went smoothly. "Come on, you've been waiting so long," he said in the studio during a shoot with Linda Evangelista. "We're starting now." She: "But Linda isn't there yet." He: "Well, if it comes so late! We'll start now, then she's just not in the picture." It wasn't. During a shoot, stylist Christiane Arp was quite surprised: "What, you're already shooting? You're not really dressed yet!" – "Yes, he's just started."

Even then, everything went fast for her. "I was always limited by the fact that I also graduated from high school." The agents would have said to the customers, "Well, she only has one minute." Sometimes she drove from Hamburg airport directly to the Gymnasium Ohlstedt. Despite everything, she passed her Abitur in 2010 with an average grade of 2.8. Since then, she has only been a model. So successful that she worked for the most important brands, that she ran as an "angel" for Victoria's Secret, that she got lucrative advertising contracts and now has more than 4.3 million followers on Instagram. "By the way, I don't have a formula for that," she says disarmingly honestly. "I don't really know how that happened."

"It helped me that I always did something different – I would advise any model to do that."

TONI GARRN

Of course, she benefits from it. Follower numbers are the currency for appearances and advertising contracts. "In the modeling industry, everything has changed because of social media," she says. "You can represent yourself. Through personal stories, social media also gets something personal, deep, individual. It is less important today how models look, so modeling has been redefined. But everything is criticized, everything, everything, everything." She ignores most of it, if only because she can hardly get away with it. She is expected to do everything right just because she is prominent. "It's just super easy to criticize people, that's a shame. I try to see only the positive. Because without Instagram, it would be harder for me to ask for donations for my foundation."

Her school program, the constant haste and, of course, her early successes made her more confident in a job in which many young women slip into despair. "I always knew: I never want to be the model who has to change a lot or lose a lot of weight because she depends on the jobs. It helped me that I always did something different – I would advise any model to do that."

UNIQUE INVITATIONS

Perhaps she never had to experience harassment because of her early self-confidence. "There were certainly comments, but I never let them get to me." Photographers sent messages like: "Come to my trailer after." Or: "Let's get dinner tonight." Or: "You can come by yourself to the test shooting." She never said yes. And do you sit down at the chef's table while eating after a shoot? "I always thought the girls were cooler. So I sat down with them. Why should I sit with the boss?" From time to time you get told by agents: "You got to play that game more." But she was bad at that. "I may have taken a topless picture that made me feel uncomfortable. But after that, I got dressed and left. It often felt strange, there were also unpleasant situations. But then I also said: 'I'd rather change in the bathroom.'" Many male models, she says, have it even harder. In any case, she felt well protected as a teenager: "When I was 15 or 16, I always had my booker or at least an intern with me on the train, or I had a car. They didn't let me go a block alone."

Complete look by Del Core

Over the years, the modeling jobs became more monotonous. "Waiting outside for the castings, even though everyone knew me, was boring at some point." And just posing, that's often not enough for her after all these years. A little more expression could already be. She would often like to call out to the people on set: "Let's make it a little more exciting!"


That's why she tried her hand as an actress: "I was bored, I can't sit still, I was single, I didn't have a child, I lived in L.A., and the modeling job always gives you freedom. So I took acting lessons. Such a lesson is also a bit like therapy: you look inside yourself." She took courses to get the South African accent in English, because in a film about Oscar Pistorius she played his partner Reeva Steenkamp. But she is under no illusions: "There are so many good actors who have no other passion or option. I got to know them in the courses." One realization: "I don't make acting my priority."

ON A POLITICAL MISSION

Besides, she really has enough to do now. Because she is serious about her voluntary work, especially the promotion of girls in Africa. There is a simple reason for this: "In retrospect, I know how much sovereignty, how much self-confidence comes from having enjoyed a certain education." No wonder she cares above all about equality. "Models or athletes with a few million followers should care about more than just their job," she says. Although there is often criticism, many then say: "They are just doing it for PR." But she doesn't care. "If only ten followers donate something or recycle more or are committed to nature conservation, then something has already been gained. Not everyone has to have their own foundation. Posting something is often enough."

"Models or athletes with a few million followers should care about more than just their job."

TONI GARRN

She is an ambassador for the aid organization Plan International, she has several sponsored children, and she is setting up the Toni Garrn Foundation (TGF), which has been an independent foundation since 2016. She has often travelled to West Africa, she knows the difficulties of the girls and women there, and she now knows how to help. "We don't get there and say, 'We're going to build a building now.' Rather, we ask, 'What do you really need?' We only support the positive approaches that are already there." So it may be that there is a school with buildings, teachers and a good director – but that the girls can not come to school because of lack of buses or accommodation.

Then they jump in. It has long-standing partners in Uganda, Ghana and Burundi. In Ethiopia, they are currently evaluating possible projects. There are enough setbacks: In Uganda, cases of Ebola have just reappeared, and the schools were partly closed.

Above all, girls and women are important to her. "If they can decide for themselves how many children they want to have, important first steps have been taken." Education is the key: "It is said that every year that a girl goes to school longer, she has ten percent more income." Women are more open to doing something for the community. "When you invest in a woman, you automatically invest in her family."

Toni Garrn is on an almost political mission. "The best way to combat the causes of flight is through education and training." She tells of two girls who are now studying and dream of working as teachers in their home village. When her foundation began supporting her with scholarships, the two were about the same age as she was when she started her career.

Photos: Frederike Helwig
Styling: Markus Ebner
Model: Toni Garrn (Mint Artist Management) Fashion Assistant: Alex Rottenmanner
Styling Assistant: Mia Mödlhammer, Zora Brunath
Photo Assistant: Santiago Perez, Raul Suciu
Hair and make-up: Patricia Heck (Nina Klein)

Thanks to Amy Gallagher (We Folk), Eva Würtenberger (Mint Artist Management), Jasper Gumz and Nowadays Gmbh

The labels

Who is behind GMBH? The label was founded in Berlin by designer Serhat Işık and photographer Benjamin Alexander Huseby. Influences from the techno scene and workwear can be seen. Now the two designers are also setting the tone at Trussardi in Milan. Otto Drögsler and Jörg Ehrlich have stood for a rare tailoring tradition with their label ODEEH since 2008.

Her studio in Giebelstadt near Würzburg is all about silhouettes, a wide range of materials and great prints in wild colors.

RICHERT BEIL was founded in 2014 by Jale Richert and Michele Beil in Berlin. The designers want to question the mechanisms of fashion – and do not subordinate themselves to any size or gender. Richert Beil should be simple for everyone.

With her label GAUCHERE, designer Marie-Christine Statz wants to underline individuality with clothing, including the art of waistlighting and the appreciation of materials. (More on this on page 38)

Since the eighties, the work of Heidemarie Jiline Sander with the brand JIL SANDER stands for the best fabrics in clear lines. The designer couple Lucie and Luke Meier also remain true to these codes – and make the brand a little more emotional.

He is still a student. After school, JONATHAN AUREL completed an internship in retail at Jil Sander, when he finally decided to go into fashion. In 2020 he began his studies at the UdK Berlin. He is particularly good at sewing patterns for trousers.

DANIEL DEL CORE is German with Italian roots. Most recently, he was Head of Red Carpet Dressing at Gucci. Since 2020 he runs his own small label in Milan. He makes clothes like forces of nature, with flounces reminiscent of long tentacles and sleeves that reach to the ground like branches, or he lets leather fold.

Luisa Dames founded AEYDE in 2015 to combine modern design and durable quality. The shoe and accessory brand is based in Berlin, produces in Italy and also sells at Bon Marché in Paris.

The most important German designer in Paris after the death of Karl Lagerfeld: LUTZ HUELLE. For AZ Factory he is allowed to bring his ladylike coolness into the brand founded by Alber Elbaz.

STEPHAN SCHNEIDER was born in Duisburg and founded his own fashion label in Antwerp in 1994. Clear and serious fashion with subtly set details.

Dirk Schönberger and MCM have made Berlin more international. In addition to leather goods, MCM now also offers clearly designed garments.

Michaela Sachenbacher and Errolson Hugh founded a design agency in Munich 20 years ago. At the same time, they made their technically sophisticated and sport-loving collection ACRONYM a success – in cooperation with Nike and Sacai, among others.

A KIND OF GUISE started as a small project to create timeless fashion. The brand of Yasar Ceviker and Susie Streich supplies good stores all over the world from Munich.

He now spends most of his time in California. BERNHARD WILLHELM from Ulm is one of the most talented German fashion designers – he designs a small collection for the Japanese region. Markus Ebner Ten years of F.A.Z.-Magazin How fashion flies to the pages Bespoke tailor Egon Brandstetter A material for the great stories