Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your brand and its vision?

I’m Ruben Nowak, founder and creative mind behind NOWRUBI, a Berlin-based unisex fashion label.

Before fashion, I spent 13 years as an officer in the German Air Force. That background shaped me in many ways. Discipline, precision, responsibility, but also the ability to perform under pressure. Fashion became my way of exploring the other side of that character. Intuition, emotion, imperfection and freedom.

NOWRUBI is about translating personal experiences into silhouettes. We work between ready-to-wear, craftsmanship and experimentation, with a strong focus on denim, textiles and German production.

What inspired your latest collection, and what story does it tell?

My latest collection, EPHEMERAL, is about fleeting moments and the memories we carry with us.The starting point was the idea of a core memory, something that may last only a few seconds, but stays with you for years. Childhood memories, certain smells, places, textures, people or feelings can suddenly transport you back in time.

EPHEMERAL isn't about recreating a specific childhood. It is about that strange moment when the past suddenly feels present again.

Emotional. Experimental. Unfiltered.

How would you describe the identity and DNA of your brand in three words?

What emotions or message do you hope people take away after seeing your collection?

For me, fashion becomes interesting when it stops being just about how something looks and starts triggering something inside you.

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What was the biggest creative challenge while designing this collection?

The biggest challenge was translating something invisible into something physical.

You can’t really design a memory. You can only interpret what it feels like.

How do you balance artistic expression with commercial appeal?

I don't really see them as opposites.

A runway piece can be extreme, but the emotion behind it should still be understandable. For NOWRUBI, the commercial product is not a compromise of the creative idea. It is its most wearable translation.

Berlin. It’s a city of contrasts. Brutalist architecture next to old buildings, underground culture next to luxury, people constantly reinventing themselves. That tension is very relevant to my label.

But my influences are also personal. My childhood, my time in the military, contemporary art and simply observing people.

Are there any particular cultural, architectural, or artistic influences behind your work?

What role do craftsmanship and material selection play in your design process?

Nowrubi is about denim and fabrics with a special twist. Especially with denim, I love the fact that it changes through time. It gets softer, develops marks and becomes uniquely yours.

Craftsmanship is what allows an idea to become tangible. I’m interested in techniques that show that something was actually made by people, rather than hiding every trace of the process.

What qualities do you look for when selecting models to present your designs?

It's about the energy and the first feeling, kind of. I trust my guts when it comes to personal decisions.

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How important is Fashion Week for an emerging or established designer today?

It's one of the most important dates! It's kind of everything for the brand. Absolutely pleasure if you are able to present your own designs during fashion week.

What do you think sets your brand apart from others in the industry?

My personal story is different. The combination of my background and the way I approach fashion is something no other brand can do. I mean, fashion is always about perspectives and I love to showcase my own perspective shaped by my memories and ideas how I see the future.

I am 35 years old. Married. Father of a son. Did my Air Force duties and training near Syria. Spent years apart from my family. Fashion is the biggest challenge so far. You really need to want this, otherwise stop even thinking about doing it.

What advice would you give to young designers who dream of launching their own fashion label?

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important - how does it influence your creative process?

For me personally, sustainability is something we talk too much about. Let's stop discussing and start fucking doing it. If you really want to be sustainable, we have lovely tools, productions and opportunities. But we are still having designers showcasing fits during fashion week made in china. Come one guys. Why don't we start talking about what's still fucked up?

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What can we expect from your brand over the next year?

I am surrounded by lovely people who help me getting the vision pretty clear. At that's what we worked on. Making clear what my label is about and that's what we are going to showcase next season during Berlin fashion week.

My day is shaped by routines which I learned during my time as German Air Force captain, being in charge of many people. Routines makes things easier and way more efficient. I bring my son to kindergarten, do my sports, take a shower, eat breakfast (each day the same: Oats, strawberries and whey) and start taking a look into my calendar which is structured into different topics for the day. My team arrives at 10am and then we work together on upcoming projects. Mostly I am on the phone, behind my iMac or sitting on my sewing machine all day.

How does a day in your life look like?

Finally, if your brand could be remembered for just one thing, what would you want that legacy to be?

Nowrubi helped customer's to bring their own HAPPY REBELL version out to life.