Queer Eye Germany unleashes their new Fab 5
Netflix’s new series Queer Eye Germany debuted on the streaming service last week. Meet the new crew.
Following the format of the American original, five queer identified experts in beauty, fashion, nutrition, interior design and life coaching make over a person (nominated to them by a friend or family member) from the inside out. Undoubtedly, the American Queer Eye team is a tough act to follow, but their German counterparts are more than up for the challenge. Their passion, empathy and commitment to the well- being of their clients or “heroes”, as they are called, is a delight to see and, as ever, pulls on the heartstrings. Based off the pilot episode it is instantly clear why the show is garnering so much enthusiasm and praise. Let’s take a brief look at each of the new “Fab 5”.
David Jakobs- Beauty
David is a gender nonconforming make up artist and hair stylist with a personal style that is bursting at the seams. With a hairline shaved back into the scalp, face tattoos and a full set of nails you cannot help but bask in their larger-than-life glory. David’s fashion is something to behold as well and it’s not hard to visualize them on the catwalks of Paris. Their method of hair styling is to “listen” to the way the hair wants to go and to proceed accordingly.
Jan-Henrik Scheper-Stuke- Fashion
Fashion guru Jan-Henrik is the managing director of Auerbach Berlin, a men’s fashion accessory luxury brand. He has previously appeared in the docuseries “Village X”, where he was working to create a new assortment for Auerbach that incorporated traditional embroidery patterns of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority group located in the Lausitz. His personal style is formal and funky, filled with vibrant colors, prints, textures and signature bow ties. In the first episode he insists that every man looks good in a suit, but he clearly also recognizes the importance of functional casualwear for everyday life.
Aljosha Muttardi- Health & Nutrition
Aljosha is a doctor, so they really brought in the big guns here. How fantastic to have a medical professional on hand to deliver health and nutrition advice. In the debut episode he takes our hero Bjorn to a culinary institute where he teaches him a one pot pasta meal that is easily switched up with new ingredients to bring diversity and nutrition into his meal plan. Aljosha is also the cohost of the Youtube channel “Vegan ist Ungesund” (Vegan is Unhealthy).
Ayan Yuruk- Interior Design
It always seems like the interior design aspect of the makeover gets shortchanged on Queer Eye but this series tries to rectify that. In the pilot Bjorn meets with Ayan at a décor store and is given the challenge to decorate a space form the elements available. “Less is more” is the theme of the day and that principle is then used by Ayan for the home makeover. A lot of time is given to the transformed interiors, and it was good to see the client a bit more involved if not in the process, than in the thought that went behind it. Ayun is also the founder of SHOWZ, a Berlin based “holistic brand experience agency, combining independent creators, local ecosystems and storytelling with leading-edge technology”.
Leni Bolt- Work/ Life Coach
Leni Bolt is a work/ life coach and identifies as nonbinary, using the pronouns of she/ they. They are also host of the podcast “Grow and Flow”. Their work focuses on finding a work-life balance that is conducive to less stress, more flexibility and ample free time. Their goal in the pilot episode was to prepare Bjorn for an upcoming date. To help boost his confidence they curated a workshop in which the Fab 5 gave affirmative feedback to Bjorn which he needed to repeat that back to them confidently. It is during this exercise that the breakthrough moment happens, and it was beautiful to watch.
Fans have reacted quite favorably to the new Fab 5. Netflix has not yet announced a second season but with feedback like this it seems promising.
