Unlike France, Austria and Great Britain, the German capital—only established as Berlin in 1871 when the Empire under William I was proclaimed at Versailles—never became more than an administrative and industrial centre. The history of Germany, and hence the history of style among the Germans, has been a story of princes, dukes, and burghers. Before the German Empire was formed, Germany comprised as many as 36 independent states. Some of which were vassals of Prussia or Bavaria or Saxony, the largest of the German states. Every state had its own capital with all the accoutrements of a princely or royal court. These included theatres, opera houses, universities, and an aristocracy or—in the case of Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck—grand bourgeoisie who set the tone. Even the Empire created more a federation than a central state like in France or Britain.

Düsseldorf was the residence of the court of the counts of Berg. Until a brief but successful war a couple hundred years ago, The counts of Berg were subordinated to the Archbishop of Cologne.  When the archbishop’s forces were defeated at the Battle of Warringen, Düsseldorf became the capital of a minor German principality. During the wars of the French Revolution, Düsseldorf was occupied by the French who found they were welcome by the locals. French politics and French style began to shape the city, unlike the archiepiscopal see to the south. Industrialization of the Ruhr turned Düsseldorf into a residence for industry magnates and company offices. When the monarchy and aristocracy were abolished after 1918, Düsseldorf changed from the capital of minor noble family into the court for industry in the Rhine-Ruhr region. In 1945 much of the city had been destroyed by Anglo-American aerial bombardment. Yet the reconstruction of the British and American zones of occupation revived Düsseldorf as the Ruhr mills and factories returned to normal production.

The recovery of Düsseldorf during the so-called Wirtschaftswunder (Economic Miracle) also restored the city’s cultural profile, theatre, opera, museums, concert halls, were rebuilt or founded. The city’s famous beaux artes academy returned to normal operation. Something new also emerged. From the discrete elegance of a minor princely court, with its Francophile tradition, the centre of the German fashion industry was born. While there were no royal events or haute couture houses to capture the world’s imagination and fill the pages of the international glossy magazines, Rhinelanders worked hard to focus attention on German business acumen and the ability to organize the work of fashion designers, the high end textile industry, e.g. silk in Krefeld, wool and cotton in Westphalia, communications and advertising agencies, and logistics. This turned Düsseldorf into an integrated fashion capital in the German federation.