What’s your Thing? #001
Details
Meet the people behind Berlin’s independent products, projects and businesses! For #001 — the first edition of What’s Your Thing? — we’re welcoming Irina Hefner (@irinahefner) artist, designer and founder of VENDE. A graduate of weißensee kunsthochschule berlin, Irina creates one-off garments and sculptural pieces that explore identity, sustainability and the value we place on the things we own. Through upcycling, unconventional materials and slow production, her work challenges the idea of clothing as something disposable.
Expect an evening of Show & Tell, followed by a live conversation about building an independent creative practice, audience questions and good company. Together we’ll explore the thinking behind Irina’s projects, the realities of making work outside the commercial system, and what it means to build a label slowly, intentionally and on your own terms.
Whether you’re building something yourself or simply curious about the people behind Berlin’s creative scene, What’s Your Thing? is an opportunity to hear the stories, ideas and obsessions that don’t usually make it onto Instagram. Stay afterwards for drinks, conversation and a browse through the Things showroom.
what is things?
Things was created to make space for creative encounters in person. Based at workish.berlin, a creative coworking space & maker lab in Neukölln, it’s a platform to discover the people, products and projects shaping Berlin’s independent creative scene.
Started by Lenny, Taylor and Ami, Things began as a marketplace for independent makers, a place to show, sell and celebrate small-run products, creative experiments and personal projects. As the community has grown, so has the idea. Alongside the evolving display, Things now hosts curated talks, meet-ups and creative experiences that bring people together through creativity, conversation and collaboration.
Like to make things? Apply here to submit your thing to the marketplace or speak at an upcoming event.
About the Host
Ami Jessica Runge is a Berlin-based creative generalist working across design, strategy and storytelling. Influenced by a background in Critical Design, she is interested in design not only as a tool for communication, but as a way of questioning systems, encouraging participation and creating meaningful experiences. She collaborates with cultural institutions, nonprofits and growing brands to create thoughtful, idea-led work that’s both playful and purposeful. Alongside client work, Ami enjoys creating small capsule collections and self-initiated creative experiments, an interest that naturally led to co-creating Things and, now, What’s Your Thing? #001: a conversation series celebrating the people behind Berlin’s independent products, projects and businesses.