***Fichu is the French term for a triangular or square scarf, folded diagonally into a triangle, traditionally worn to cover a woman’s neck and décolletage.
Berlin – Biel, a heritage shaped by history
In the autumn of 2018, a director friend of mine, who was working at Bühnen Bern at the time, generously allowed me to stay in her apartment in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. During this period, I was searching for suitable textiles for a theatre production. Although there were good sources in Switzerland as well, I followed my intuition and travelled north to Germany in search of inspiration.
Along with the apartment keys, my friend mentioned a book lying on her kitchen table. Inside were notes on remarkable places throughout the city — fabric shops, unique boutiques and extraordinary textile treasures waiting to be discovered.
The door was locked, but a phone number at the entrance led directly to Oleg. He answered immediately and opened the shop in person. What I discovered inside was extraordinary: textile treasures from around the world, stored closely together and stacked to the ceiling. Natural fibres of a quality rarely found today — cotton, silk, wool, linen and lace. All original pieces dating from 1920 to 1980, unique and no longer easily found elsewhere.
Oleg was a defining figure in the neighbourhood. His shop had existed since 1929, founded by his mother and continued by him over decades. Those who approached him and his collection with respect were rewarded with an incomparable selection — those who did not were firmly asked to leave.
I spent three days in his shop. We spoke about fabrics, their origins and craftsmanship, but also about life itself. Then, quite unexpectedly, he asked me a question that took me by surprise: whether I could imagine taking over his shop one day.
Back in Switzerland, we stayed in touch by phone and letters for more than three years. Then I received a message from his nephew: Oleg had passed away. It had been his explicit wish that I take over his collection and continue FICHU. With that, I was entrusted with a unique and fascinating task — and a great responsibility.
Together with family and friends, I organised the transport of the entire collection — several tonnes of fabric — to Switzerland: first to Muttenz, later to Biel / Bienne. Since then, FICHU has opened its doors every Saturday — and is now also available online.
In the press
At Fichu, textiles from the 1930s are stacked high. Shop owner Oleg Ilyapour believes that only vintage fabrics can truly flatter people.
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In his shop “Fichú”, you will find what film and theatre costume designers across Europe are searching for – yet rarely discover in such a concentrated form: original fabrics from virtually all eras and fashion movements of the late 19th and 20th centuries – excluding synthetic fibres.
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The guardian of fabrics
He despises sneaker wearers and people who say “clothes” when they mean “garments.” In Berlin, Oleg Ilyapour presides over a small realm of rare, wonderful fabrics full of stories.
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Rut Sigurdardottir recommends: THE VINTAGE FABRIC SHOP FICHU
Fichu is a shop specialising in vintage fabrics, offering yardage from the 1920s to the 1960s. Open for over 85 years, it is not only the last of its kind in Berlin, but almost in all of Europe.
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The finest yarns are stacked up to the ceiling in the narrow Fichu shop on Akazienstrasse in Berlin.
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The tiny shop is stacked up to the ceiling with around 6,000 rolls and bolts of fabric. Since Oleg Ilyapour’s mother — who did not want to deal in the synthetic fibres that were becoming popular at the time — last purchased new stock in 1971, the newest fabrics in the shop are over 40 years old.
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He was often seen sitting on the steps of his shop in Schöneberg — a man in loose, often white clothing, with a voluminous beard that covered half his face. Beside him stood an ornate tea glass, and in the open doorway perhaps a turquoise sleeveless terry dress with a pop-art floral pattern would sway gently.
Oleg Ilyapour, the owner of the fabric shop Fichu, had time — he radiated calm. When you saw him sitting there, it felt as if a warm desert breeze drifted through Akazienstrasse.
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By Elfie Hartmann. “Oleg has passed away. He died on May 6, 2021, from sepsis. Before that, three friends took care of him, as much as he allowed. He was not insured and lived — and ended — his life proudly, wildly, sensually, gently, thoughtfully and knowingly, freely and entirely as he was — simply: OLEG.”
Three small hand-drawn hearts are added.
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