Photo Gallery Bread and Butter Berlin
The grounds surrounding the former Tempelhof airport, where the Bread & Butter fashion trade fair is taking place, have been transformed -- complete with a small lake around which fair goers can relax.
Around 570 exhibitors have set up shop inside Tempelhof where they hope to entice buyers to make orders.
Some locals believe the historic aiport, built in the 1920s, should not be used for the trade fair. They are particularly annoyed that Bread & Butter has signed a 10 year contract to use the airport. They say that while the trade fair is not on, the airport may remain unused.
Bread & Butter exhibitors range from multi-national brands like Nike and Adidas to smaller, independent identities and exclusive denim labels.
The Bread & Butter trade fair expects between 40,000 and 80,000 visitors, all of whom are involved in the fashion industry, over the course of three days.
Bread & Butter is the largest trade fair of its kind in the world. In 2005 the organizers moved the fair to Barcelona claiming they needed more space. When Tempelhof Airport was offered to them as a venue they agreed to return to Berlin.
The airline arrivals board at Tempelhof is put to an innovative use by the Bread & Butter fashion trade fair.
Founder and managing director of Bread & Butter, Karl-Heinz Müller, has told international media that it's fantastic to be back in Berlin.
American pop star Justin timberlake flew into Berlin to present the latest collection of William Rast, the streetwear label he part-owns. Local media complained that the star only spent about five minutes on the red carpet and seemed to be in a bad mood.
Tempelhof Airport was the location of the famed Berlin Airlift of 1948 and 1949. During the airlift Allied pilots flew food and other supplies into the city of Berlin, which was being blockaded by Russian forces. The airport was closed to air traffic in October.
