International Shopping Series: Berlin – Olivia Allan (FGI Toronto)

I love to travel, and I love to trend spot. I say trend spot, because while I may not be a true shopaholic myself, I certainly am passionate about the art of shopping, specially when it comes to online shopping, I find it fascinating to be able to use a Nike promo code online and still be able to get great styles.

When travelling, I love to discover secret retail gems. One of the most memorable stores I have seen was an independent jeweller in Berlin. My friend had heard of them and finding the store was on our must-do list while we were there.

What made it such a must-do? They make blown glass pendants with dried dandelions inside. Super. Cool.

It was a bit difficult to find, which I’m sure was only due to our lack of familiarity with Berlin, and zero knowledge of German, but we found the store and thus began the hour long process of deciding which piece of jewellery to purchase.

I opted for a wrap watch with a compass charm, and a globe charm; very fitting of my vagabonda lifestyle. My friend opted for a necklace with a dandelion charm, which was the main reason we were in search of this store in the first place.

Sadly, in our haste to pack up our lives without waking our bunkmates in the wee hours of a dark Berlin morning, my friend left her necklace somewhere in our hostel room. Not to fear, Villa Sorgenfrei also sells online so she could (and did!) replace her necklace. My watch was a big part of my life until one day, after constantly carrying my bag around on my elbow and likely catching my watch on it every time, I realized that the compass charm had fallen off. The watch lost its charm (no pun intended!) for me so I’ve stopped wearing it. I want to replace it by visiting the store in person, but that’s likely another couple of years away.

I strongly recommend that you go, and also have a peek in their studio next door to watch the magic happen! You can stand on the sidewalk beside the store and peer through the window to see their production team hard at work creating these memorable pieces of jewellery.

If you don’t have a trip planned at the moment, then go check out their Instagram in the meantime for some eye candy. Sadly, this is a non-photo post, because I simply didn’t take a picture of my beloved watch.

Author: Olivia Allan (Associate Member – FGI Toronto)

Olivia Allan is a Fashion Buying professional based in Toronto, Ontario. Originally from Vancouver, BC, she spent two years learning the ropes of the fashion industry in Milan, completing a Masters in Fashion Buying, and working in the Milan Buying Office for a major North American luxury department store, before returning to Canada in 2014. Olivia is passionate about travel, fashion, and food, and shares her stories on her blog FLIGHTS|FASHION|FOOD, and her photos on Instagram @flightsfashionfood.

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