For its Bread&Butter Berlin Summer 2011 fashion show and party, international heavyweight Diesel asked flora&faunavisions to create a truly immersive show: For just one night, the flora&faunavisions team transformed part of the imposing Heeresbäckerei complex into the natural habitat of the modern Diesel woman.

As part of the resulting seamless 360-degree service and design, from concept to catering, make-up to model casting, flora&faunavisions conjured up an entire life and lifestyle for Diesel’s new fictional female figurehead: a self-confident, creative woman with an open mind, plenty of taste and a head of her own.

In order to convey this personal touch and remove the barrier between brand and audience, host and guests, our team converted the building’s first floor into a temporary apartment to reflect the look, life and love of the modern Diesel Woman and showcase some of the collection itself. The result: an inviting setting for a great night in with friends – and a welcome overture to the show itself. On arrival, the label’s guests would find themselves at a very special ‘house warming’ party with a personal, improvised feel. After being greeted by models and actresses clad in the latest Diesel Female collection, acting as hosts or additional party guests to make everyone feel truly welcome, the label’s illustrious invitees – including top model Alice Dellal, actress Alexandra Neldel or TV presenter Sarah Kuttner – were free to explore the space and look for clues of its elusive inhabitant.

As always, the devil – and delight – was in the detail. After all, it is no easy task to transform a bare factory floor into a fully-featured apartment with an authentic and leisurely feel: from kitchen to walk-in wardrobe as a natural showcase for the collection, from personal photo wall to creative office project, boutique furniture and collected trinkets – an entire life needed to be sourced and translated to the contents and layout of a covetable apartment for just one night. A smart mix of new and old, improvised chic and designer items, vintage finds, fleamarket trinkets, high art and even bespoke catering to complement the understated house party feel, the loft’s design also incorporated subtle reminders of the brand itself in the guise of wallpaper patterns, clothes etc. to convey the spirit of a ‘lived-in collection’. The result: cool loft living meets dreamy garden and laid-back bohemian chic with an individualistic twist.

From welcome drinks to the grand show downstairs, the warm-up party segued straight into two consecutive catwalk presentations in an entirely different setting. To underscore the shows’ stark, pared down layout, with nothing to distract from the looks on display, ffv constructed an outsized projection backdrop (8mx5m) as well as an extra-wide 30-metre runway, broken up by a row columns, for 20 models presenting a total of 40 sleek looks. Designed and devised as architectural objects in their own right, both structures transcended their function as mere fixtures to claim their own space and attention as three-dimensional sculptures. Towering over these proceedings: customised, human-sized neon letters boldly stating ‘I AM WHO I AM’ to tie in with the show’s modern motto and imaginary protagonist. Scattered across the windows of the fashion showroom, these letters served as an extra, extraordinary and dramatic illumination aid for the show’s grand finale.

To celebrate this bold look and spirit in style, the night continued with a leisurely party in a temporary enchanted garden replete with BBQ, charmingly mismatched patio furniture and plenty of delightful lighting. A party thrown by a singular host – the label’s new Diesel woman.