Nazi Style: Fascist Fashions in Berlin February 13, 2008

Welcome to the new world of highbrow fascist fashion, the pret-a-porter for the Third Reich.

Tønsberg, a fashion boutique on the tony strip of Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße in Berlin, recently became home to Thor Steinar, a brand of clothing identified with neo-Nazis and far-right fascists in Germany.

Describing its store’s inventory as “urban street wear”, Tønsberg has now become embroiled in a huge controversy which has already seen its landlord searching for ways to evict his unwanted tenant, says Gridskipper.com:

Tönsberg, which defines its inventory as “urban street wear,” moved into Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 18, an emblematic number for Adolf Hitler’s initials (1=A, 8=H). The store also carries clothing by the brand Thor Steinar, a well-known label worn by followers of the rechtsextremismus (extreme right)….

Nearby stores have publicized their opposition to Tönsberg’s uninvited presence by hanging information about Tor Steinar in English or painting “Kauft nichts bei Nazis” (buy nothing from Nazis) on their windows, in an effort to educate the tourists that frequent this part of town and keep unsuspecting consumers away from the store’s cash registers.

On the day of Tönsberg’s opening, according to The Economist, 60 people gathered to protest this apparent invasion of neo-Nazism in Berlin’s Mitte, in what was actually a timid display compared to the reaction in Leipzig, where riots broke out back in October when the same store opened a branch there…

In Berlin, Tönsberg has already seen one of its windows broken, but the widespread publicity surrounding the store has been doing a different type of damage. It is technically illegal in Germany to accuse someone of being a Nazi without actual evidence, and Tor Steinar occupies a veritable gray area…


The scene in Leipzig. (Courtesy: German TV)

The landlord of Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 18, who refused to have his name printed in the Berliner Zeitung for fear of right-extremist reaction, has decided to evict Tönsberg.

If only it was that simple.

The three-year lease signed by the store, which promoted itself to the landlord as an “urban street wear” chain with 160 employees nationwide, has no clauses that allow for premature termination — the same issue faced by the landlord of the Leipzig branch.

Although the landlord claims he will pursue legal intervention in order to force Tönsberg out of his house, it’s unclear if such attempts will be successful.

Thor Steinar’s thoroughly unimpressive catalog is viewable here.

This, I feel, is something the area business owners need to rally together and seriously address. Perhaps local business owners would serve themselves well by linking up and sharing resources with local anti-Nazi activists. Because the bottom line is, they’re losing money — who wants to shop while on vacation next to Nazis? — and a fascist presence in an area brings down everything in its vicinity.

No business district should provide a forum and meeting place for these racists. Perhaps German law needs to change to incorporate Thor Steinar’s new logo into the category of forbidden designs — together with swastikas and SS insignia. Until there is an outcry, the clothes will still be on the shelves, and the skinheads boneheads will keep coming out to shop there, disturbing everyone in their wake.