44 Label Group

“I wanted to create a wardrobe for club kids in a doomed future,” was how techno producer Max Kobosil described his fall collection for 44 Label Group, heavy on dark, industrial-tinged streetwear adorned with fake corporate logos and wry statements like “Rave New World” and “Blame Society.”

An earnest, yet ebullient type, Kobosil is aware of our dark times and uses irony to foster self-awareness — and clothes that look cool when you're grooving at

140 beats a minute. There are also cool blanket-style coats, meaty bombers, down vests, tracksuits and thick varsity jackets to keep one warm in the queue.

The native of Berlin's gritty Neukölln borough has made his fashion brand autobiographical, and superfans can hunt for Easter eggs in some of the T-shirt graphics: his first tag, record-label stickers and those distinctive Berlin ATMs everyone visits before partying.

By now his label's distinctive font — numbers and letters looking as if they've been tacked with strips of electric tape — has become immediately recognizable and coveted. Kobosil marveled that he's counted at least 350 people who have the 44 logo tattooed on their bodies.

Since Italian retailer and entrepreneur Claudio Antonioli stepped in as his backer in 2021, the brand has expanded its product range, this season extending to a collaboration with UDG, a maker of luggage for professional DJs.

“When I was 16, I was saving money to be able to get one of their bags,” Kobosil confessed, agog that he's now got his own label on their gear.

In lieu of a fashion show, Kobosil organized a rave and shot a moody look book featuring top models Vittoria Ceretti and Mona Tougaard alongside the photographer Sven Marquardt, whose pierced face will be familiar to regulars at Berghain. 44 Label Group