Biesenthal / Berlin, January 22nd 2014. "GRACE meets MICHALSKY" - or the interplay of two in their respective markets leading and similar positioned brands became apparent for the approximately 1,500 invited guests in attendance in conclusion to the Berlin Fashion Week. Often referred to as the "the world's coolest e-bikes", GRACE bikes were part of an unforgettable show at the MICHALSKY StyleNite on January 17th at Berlin's Tempodrom. Fashion designer Michael Michalsky presented his current autumn/winter 2014 collections - and some of the models didn't walk, they biked onto and from the stage. On the world's first e-motorbike - the GRACE One.

"No compromises in design and technology" - this is the standard laid down for GRACE bikes by the company's Berlin-based managing director Michael Hecken. "Less mass, more style" is how well-known Berlin fashion designer Michael Michalsky characterises his current men's collection entitled ATELIER MICHALSKY. The two of them decided that this made for a good match - resulting in their collaboration to present the collection at the Berlin Fashion Week.

But high expectations of product quality are not the only thing Hecken and Michalsky have in common. Both are creative free spirits with a vision: Michalsky, born in the cycling town of Göttingen, studied fashion design in London and set up his own label MICHALSKY in 2006 - in Berlin, where Hecken, who originally comes from Bonn, established the GRACE brand in 2009 with a view to revolutionising transport in the urban jungle by introducing a whole new class of mobility. Hecken had previously lived in London for ten years. So in addition to their first names, the two also share a love of cosmopolitan city flair.

Indeed, the title of the first of two MICHALSKY StyleNites in 2014 was "City Love". StyleNites are not fashion shows in the conventional sense, as Michalsky explains, but "pop culture events where music, art and fashion come together" - the perfect setting for GRACE. Hecken is over the moon: "What a fantastic show! I particularly liked the way all the elements of the show blended to express what is often simply referred to as the 'spirit of the age'. Rather like the way a GRACE bike consists of carefully integrated components to form a single entity."

Of course the highlight of the show for Hecken was the appearance of the GRACE bikes: some of the male MICHALSKY models didn't enter the stage in the conventional way, but making use of a GRACE One, an e-bike model from the GRACE range which now consists of four in total. As Michalsky comments: "GRACE is nonconformist, urban and classy - a perfect match for MICHALSKY. Modern cities need bikes like these! So it wasn't hard for us to choose GRACE - like 'City Love', these bikes are a homage to the big cities of this world."

Incidentally, the GRACE brand already has extensive stage experience: Michael Hecken unveiled the very first GRACE model in November 2009 - but not at a bicycle trade show or a dealership round the corner: instead he opted for the Berlin art gallery Koal, where amazed spectators got to see a fully integrated e-bike for the first time ever - with the frame, motor and battery forming a single unit. By chance, November 12th 2009 was also Grace Kelly's 80th birthday: the style icon of the fifties and sixties was a source of inspiration for Hecken in reviving charm and charisma in modern vehicle design and a new ride feel.

Hecken points out that the two brands have much in common in terms of their aspirations and target groups: "Like MICHALSKY, GRACE is about lasting, high-quality creations. GRACE appeals to distinctive, creative individuals. People with high standards and a sense of style: people who like to be creative themselves and not just pander to the latest hype. So like Michalsky, we produce a small number of exclusive models which are technologically sophisticated and aesthetically appealing. Fashion and mobility are often not that far apart."

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