fig.: Wolfgang Olzinger in front of a mirror with a frame made of wild wood from the forest in the BR-Fashion Concept store. Wolfgang has found the mirror in Paris. In the new store it serves the customers at the 'Outdoor' section a quasi-authentic surrounding to check if the Geospirit jacket with the True Religion jeans is looking good in practice. I like the way he is measuring himself in the mirror and captured the moment with the camera of my mobile.

BR-FASHION
fall 2009

Vienna Insight by publisher Karin Sawetz, Sept 2009

He's got the look

Every city has these guys; they are the ones who travel around to find new fashion. In Vienna, Wolfgang Olzinger is one of them. He started with one shop. After more than ten years he is the store 'curator' of 4 shops.

About curating a store

On 15 September 2009, the Viennese shop chain BR-Fashion invited to the opening cocktail at the new store in the Rauhensteingasse in the center of the city.

I was in a hurry and a little bit late after working the whole day through. So I took my scooter to reach the opening party before it closes. The Rauhensteingasse is a small street running parallel to the Kärntner Strasse, one of the oldest and most noble streets in town. The lane is a one-way-street or a no through road; who cares? It had changed too often. So I go through with my scooter; a very practical vehicle! I found directly in front of the store a - legal - parking place.

The new BR-Fashion Concept store is impressing; a wide space in white with touches of metallic-gold-brown.

It's the fourth store of Wolfgang Olzinger and the CEOs Nikolaus Brennecke and Ronald Rauchenschwandtner. Wolfgang Olzinger is the creative mind behind the fashion operations of the team. He has the 'golden hand' when it comes to selecting new emerging labels such as Schumacher and Nikola Fechter or pieces from collections of wellknown brands like Valentino and Givenchy.

Francesco Costa's New York runway collection for Calvin Klein welcomes you by entering the shop; this is a very exclusive and unique option for fans of Calvin Klein.

Soon the first known faces directed my interest to small talking exercises right through to the center of the store passing by French Connection, Juicy Couture, home accessories by Karim Rashid... straight to the photographer Juergen Hammerschmid. Small talking with him is great; without asking he knew what I am searching for: "Wolfgang is there". I followed the photographer's hand and started an interview about collecting the pieces to learn more about Wolfgang's work.

Wolfgang Olzinger selects after the criteria quality of design and reasonable prices from white blouses over jeans, cocktail-dresses to sportive jackets everything a woman needs in her wardrobe. "A white blouse or shirt is not a thrilling piece, but we all need it. The simplest pieces are often hard to find." He shows me one blouse in satin jersey in metallic-beige. "It looks very elegant, is comfortable, easy to clean and has a reasonable price. It is important for us to offer pieces the clients are searching for."

We are walking to another clothes rack where a nude colored cocktail dress with black tulle by Nikola Fechter hangs beneath a camel colored cashmere-cape from FTC Cashmere. "Why have you mixed the labels?" Wolfgang explains that such styling tipps make it easier for the customer to choose pieces that fit together.

He leads me to the 'Outdoor' section with fashion from Geospirit, True Religion etc and an extraordinary mirror which he has found in Paris. "Are you traveling a lot?" Wolfgang told me that he travels for the store collections every season to Germany and Italy to find things that are looking good. I like the way he is measuring himself in the mirror and captured the moment with the camera of my mobile - before the phone rings. My next date is waiting in front of the door! No chance to bring him into a woman's store.


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Karin Sawetz is journalist, media researcher and fashion scientist (Mag. Dr. phil.). > sawetz.com

fig.: Inside the BR-Fashion Concept store in Vienna, Rauhensteingasse Nr. 7 www.br-fashion.com. The store opened on 8 August 2009; the cocktail party followed on 15 Sept 2009. Photo: (C) Juergen Hammerschmid