The anniversary week for ten years of “Shopping Queen” starts on Monday. Moderator Guido Maria Kretschmer looks back in an interview.
On January 30, 2012, the first “Shopping Queen” episode started on VOX. Ten years later, the format with fashion designer Guido Maria Kretschmer (56) is still one of the broadcaster’s most successful and popular shows. The format starts its big anniversary week on January 31st. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Guido Maria Kretschmer looks back on the past ten years and reveals under which motto he would like to go shopping himself – and which would be his personal nightmare.
When you started the format ten years ago, did you ever think it would be such a big hit?
Guido Maria Kretschmer: I don’t have that. It would also be the wrong way to say beforehand: “It’s going to be great. I’ll do this for the rest of my life.” Then it won’t work. It just fitted well and I was the right person for this format. The time was right to do something new on TV, to tell something different and also to talk about fashion differently. It was also the right time for a German designer to do something like this.
Before that, there was this fashion Olympus. It was all very condescending. I think I did a pretty good job of getting viewers to see that my intention is for the women on the show to do well. I gave them my little tips and told them what fashion can do. And that’s how I was able to spread fashion know-how.
What do you think makes “Shopping Queen” so successful? What is the show’s secret recipe?
Kretschmer: I often call my own fashion “democratic couture” and I think that’s exactly what we managed to do with “Shopping Queen”: to show the joy of fashion. What it does and how different it can be. That you don’t have to be rich, not particularly beautiful, not particularly slim and not particularly exciting to look good.
You can see in the show that different people with different requirements have a common goal: They try to make the best of themselves. It’s very important that sometimes they don’t get it right, because that’s the crux of life. This shows the viewers that the failure of this ideal can also be a pleasure if you do it carefully and lovingly.
What does “Shopping Queen” mean to you?
Kretschmer: I should actually have a crown tattooed for “Shopping Queen” because I really owe a lot to the show. (laughs) It’s just a show that’s closely related to me. A woman once said to me: “If you ever die, it will definitely be on the ‘Tagesschau’. Then it says: The man from ‘Shopping Queen’ is dead.” I had to laugh a lot because she’s probably right. That’s just the way it is when you do something exposed. Then it also depends on you. I think that’s very nice.
They also like to dish out a lot on the show. Has a candidate ever held that against you?
Kretschmer: In fact, never. Sometimes, however, they are quite astonished by the verdict. However, a mother once said to me: “What you said about my daughter was very nasty.” I then immediately made it clear that it wasn’t about the looks, it was about how she behaved. She was pretty cheeky with the sellers. But actually I don’t get anything negative back. I always try to do it with love. And if I find something horror, then you just notice it. That’s part of this show. If you apply to “Shopping Queen”, you have to reckon with the worst.
Was there a crazy incident that you will never forget?
Kretschmer: There were so many moments! Beautiful, as well as dramatic, but also sometimes really absurd. I can remember situations where I really thought: “Now you’re going to be holding me and Guido Cantz from ‘Do you understand fun?’ I think I ruined her career (laughs). A candidate bought from her. The designer advised and dressed her herself. I was so stunned. That was really the textile downfall! State of emergency!
And what emotional moments do you remember?
Kretschmer: There are at least as many touching moments as there are crazy ones. For example, I’ve received mail from cancer ward chiefs who wrote: “What would we have done in chemotherapy if we hadn’t always run ‘Shopping Queen’ on the side?”
Others have separated from their husbands because I talk so much about love on the show and they realized: That’s not it. There are children who have now graduated from high school, even though they always watched “Shopping Queen” when they did their homework – even if it was illegal. It’s wonderful to see that the show has made me a part of so many lives.
Assuming you were to take part in “Shopping Queen” yourself – what would be your absolute dream motto?
Kretschmer: I like to wear everything in black, so maybe “Black is beautiful”! But actually there are also many things that I would not be able to do well. I play the accompaniment for “Shopping Queen of the Year” once a year. Then I always have the money and pay myself and think to myself every time: “How do they manage that with 500 euros? How do they manage that in the time?” I always have problems with that and therefore have the greatest respect for the candidates. However, if I were to do it, I would definitely like to have a motto that makes you look slim (laughs).
Is there a motto that you would not like at all?
Kretschmer: Absolutely! My horror motto would be “all in white”. If I’m invited to a wedding and I see “White Wedding, please everyone come in white,” then I’m already out.
What do you wish for the next ten years “Shopping Queen”?
Kretschmer: I would wish that people stay smart and awake and see that fashion is not profane. But that it can be a good vehicle to be everything in life you want or could be and maybe should be. As long as people can dress freely and well, and wear whatever they want, then you live in a democracy. I wish that would work.