In collaboration with The Internet Shop, a collection of fleece frottee sweaters has been designed and will be sold only once and for the duration of 40 days and 40 nights starting October 20th 2022.

The sweaters will be available in two colours with embroideries front and back, and are handcrafted in Hamburg, Germany. The title "The End is Near" points to social criticism and philosophy of contemporary society, two subjects fundamental to the identity and beliefs of the Hamburg-based studio GEBRUEDER. We called the managing and creative director, Daniel Belliero.

What was the starting point for the "The End is Near" collection?

It was an idea I had for a painting in 2019 that was not finished – its main focus was the difference between faith and knowledge in modern life. It depicted Jesus in a traditional way from the dark age, a full portrait with insignia, but driven to the absurd.

What do you mean by "the difference between faith and knowledge"?

Actually, it is not a difference. I believe - and the word believe is deliberately chosen - that religion and science are one and the same: the desire to satisfy our curiosity. They are not two poles at each end of the spectrum, but two different ways of generating answers, both driven by the natural human desire for understanding, for wanting to know when we grope in the dark.

© by Daniel Belliero

How do you search for answers in your creative practice?

I grew up in a very sheltered roman episcopal catholic Mainz to Italian parents. I was looked after by nuns in a kindergarten, and spirituality always played a big role in my childhood. There were festivities that meant you had to perform these absurd rituals. I consciously separated myself from it because I discovered that religion is not a satisfying answer for me. Because if you don't believe in it completely, you immediately get into contradictions and explanations, and then you can't fully dedicate yourself to something. This goes hand in hand with my journey to design. The first thing I did with a pencil were sketches, drawing cartoons to paper to have something after the movie. As religion has declined in me, design has consolidated. It became my passion – through graffiti in style, and finally to being my profession. Religion and Design, these are two things that were there from the beginning, so it is normal that it is reflected in my creative output, like this drop. We decided for 40 days runtime, limited in time. It is not a commercial act, and every participant in the project earns with it. It's more of an exclamation.

Portrait of Daniel Belliero © Dominik Odenkirchen