… Such as the social fashion luxury label 1C1Y (one-childone-year), through the sale of which the art initiative of ARTHELPS is actively supported and children who live in the hotspot areas of this world are given creative education, hope and life perspectives. Or Marlene Poley’s handmade products: The Kitzbühel native creates bags, dice and backgammon games from the finest leather. Each piece is lovingly embroidered with hand stitches, making it unique. The lampshade for the floor lamp “Halberd” is sewn by hand by Tom Kühne from hundred-year-old kimonos and placed on a walnut stick. In this way, wonderful stories continue to be written. The denims of the brand Dawn come from Saigon in Vietnam. They are sustainably produced in its own, multi-certified factory – Dawn is responsible for a fair and well-paid working environment. And ZAAZ Design, who make caftans by hand from surplus designer fabrics in Berlin and create special unique pieces through individual dyeing processes. While browsing through the store, you can come across unexpected treasures and get into conversation with Ruth Gombert, the initiator and owner of SOIS BLESSED. There is something to tell about every product, each has its own origin. This leads to interesting conversations and new friendships. Also among the customers who like to meet in the store’s daybar.
Here in the heart of Munich, in the immediate vicinity of the new Hotel Rosewood Munich and the Bayerischer Hof and in the vicinity of small but fine retailers, SOIS BLESSED has created a unique urban oasis in recent years. A place of encounter and inspiration, where people can spontaneously come together and connect. Especially in the age of digitalization, such places are important because they offer the opportunity to discover new perspectives, promote personal exchange and create unforgettable memories. With a lot of hospitality and love for the extraordinary: Here, in the concept store SOIS BLESSED, people with different backgrounds, interests, wishes and questions meet – just like in a family. So the people who come are not just customers, but welcome guests and friends.
It’s about more than just appearance. True beauty shines from within. “Whether you’re a newcomer, a start-up or a fine manufacturer – it’s the heartbeat that counts for us,” explains Ruth Gombert. “Creativity comes in many forms – and colours. With great passion, we curate brands and products that have convinced us in terms of quality and design and that cannot be found anywhere else in this production. They speak a common language: the joy of discovering new things, being open and expressing inner values.” Just like a lovingly tied bouquet of flowers that says: “I’m thinking of you”. Or the time out together on the terrace in the courtyard of SOIS BLESSED with delicious coffee and homemade cake – “it’s the currency of the heart that counts!”
In addition to the classic collections, she attaches great importance to sustainability, craftsmanship, regionality and charity, among other things. Freshly upholstered or restored vintage furniture, floor lamps made of centuries-old kimonos or jewellery made of old gold stand for sustainability as a new form of luxury. One-of-a-kind pieces from manufactories show how the trace of the hand makes objects unique, for example in handmade furniture, wall hangings, handbags, dice and backgammon games, hand-painted silk dresses or embroidered cushion covers. Above all, Gombert also relies on brands that, true to the motto “Giving is more blessed than receiving”, actively support others, such as the pillows from Patternhouse, the production of which significantly improves the rehabilitation of mentally ill people. And last but not least, brands from the greater Munich area such as Marlene Poley, Formagenda, Bärbel Dornier, Mykke Hofmann, Ploom or Paul Products. As a result, guests of SOIS BLESSED will find hand-picked one-of-a-kind pieces here – true favourites that are available exactly once and thus receive their inestimable value. Pieces that you choose consciously, own for a lifetime and like to use again and again.
Ruth Gombert worked in the fashion industry for 20 years before launching SOIS BLESSED. She was mainly active on the sales side, took on responsibility for stores and thus “went through the most beautiful school for everything I am allowed to live today”, as she says. What drives her is, among other things, the view of the people who come to the store – a multi-layered, very international audience between the ages of about 30 and 70: How do they live, what moves them, what do they want? She wants to show and offer them beautiful, truly extraordinary things. Just like a place where they can arrive and are always welcome – no matter what handbag on their arm or with what questions they have in mind. “There are things that you just can’t pay for with money,” Gombert said. “In a time full of trials and tribulations, SOIS BLESSED is also intended to be an anchor: a space where you can recharge your batteries, enjoy peace and quiet and have good conversations.”
Ruth Gombert finds the products that can be bought at SOIS BLESSED on trips, international trade fairs, through personal contacts or through recommendations. Again and again someone says, “Ruth, I saw something there that would suit you.” Designers and brands often approach her personally. All the more reason for a loving selection to be needed, she had to learn to say no in order to stay true to the core and maintain the clarity of the concept. During the order phase, she is often asked by the agencies: “Show me your brand portfolio!”. But she says: “I wish that our brands were not known at best. I just want to show exactly what is unique that doesn’t already exist everywhere.” And so you shouldn’t look at the label your customers are wearing, but the pieces should express their individual personality.
Tips from Ruth Gombert:
Stancsics Chocolate.Shop
Prannerstraße 5, 80333 Munich
www.stancsics.deMetropol Art Space
Georgenstraße 42, 80799 Munich
www.metropolkunstraum.deRestaurant KOMU
Hackenstraße 4, 80331 Munich
www.komu-restaurant.deMarais Soir
Schwanthalerstraße 131, 80339 Munich
www.marais-soir.deComedy at the Bayerischer Hof
Promenadeplatz 6, 80333 Munich
www.komoedie-muenchen.deSchumann’s Bar am Hofgarten
Odeonsplatz 6-7
80539 Munich
www.schumanns.deNighttime Studio-High Quality Bedding
Prannerstraße 1, 80333 Munich
www.nachtstudio.comP5 Embossing and Printing Manufactory
Prannerstraße 5, 80333 Munich
www.p5pdm.deDUGGAN Kitchen + Furnishings
Maximiliansplatz 17, 80333 Munich
www.duggan.deMeertz Worldoftime
Prannerstraße 13, 80333 Munich
www.worldoftime.deRosewood Munich
Kardinal-Faulhaber-Straße 1,
80333 Munich
www.rosewoodhotels.com/de/munichHotel Bayerischer Hof
Promenadeplatz 2-6, 80333 Munich
www.bayerischerhof.de
