The circuit of fashion weeks throughout Europe is back. We just talked about Mercedes-Benz Prague Fashion Week and on Monday we highlighted the best collections of Budapest Central European Fashion Week, so now we're going to talk about one of the most interesting centres in terms of creativity and experimentation: Berlin. Specifically, Berlin Fashion Week is the great fashion event in which national and international designers, as well as important panels of experts in sustainability or debates about the future of the industry, meet twice a year. Last week we travelled to the German capital to get to know all the news first-hand. Now we are determined to share them with all of you.
We could start by talking about the fashion shows that we have attended during the 3 days that we have been in Berlin, the showrooms that we have visited or the social events that we have been lucky enough to share with our press colleagues. Of course, each one of the activities included in the program contributes something to the experience as a whole. But the big question and the first issue we should address is, what makes Berlin Fashion Week different from other fashion events in other European capitals? A question that requires leaving aside the most superficial side of the sector, trends and media booms, and delving into much more transcendental issues that promise to become agents of change in the fashion industry.
Its first distinctive feature? The strong commitment to sustainability. We already anticipated it when we spoke with Orsola de Castro, founder of Fashion Revolution, a few days ago. She has been one of the protagonists of Estethica, a platform that through very interesting talks, presentations and workshops has allowed us to reconnect with the values on which current fashion should be based. Nor can we forget our conversation with Magdalena Schaffrin a few days before Berlin Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2023 kicked off. The organiser of 202030 - The Berlin Fashion Summit has also been one of the essential profiles of this edition of the event, being the first time that it was held only physically.
But let's go one step further. Berlin is not the only European capital that is betting on environmental commitment as a necessary driver of urgent change in the sector. Its great strength lies in making fashion a multi-sensory experience with which to get to know the city, its culture, its music and its art, while you see the collections of its best designers first-hand. From shows in industrial warehouses to projects to promote Ukrainian fashion, set with dinners where networking with the rest of the industry agents or visits to ateliers to be able to witness live how the artisans' work is encouraged. And the designers, of course, whose work we now break down into what have been our favourite collections of this edition.
Its first distinctive feature? The strong commitment to sustainability. We already anticipated it when we spoke with Orsola de Castro, founder of Fashion Revolution, a few days ago. She has been one of the protagonists of Estethica, a platform that through very interesting talks, presentations and workshops has allowed us to reconnect with the values on which current fashion should be based. Nor can we forget our conversation with Magdalena Schaffrin a few days before Berlin Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2023 kicked off. The organiser of 202030 - The Berlin Fashion Summit has also been one of the essential profiles of this edition of the event, being the first time that it was held only physically.
But let's go one step further. Berlin is not the only European capital that is betting on environmental commitment as a necessary driver of urgent change in the sector. Its great strength lies in making fashion a multi-sensory experience with which to get to know the city, its culture, its music and its art, while you see the collections of its best designers first-hand. From shows in industrial warehouses to projects to promote Ukrainian fashion, set with dinners where networking with the rest of the industry agents or visits to ateliers to be able to witness live how the artisans' work is encouraged. And the designers, of course, whose work we now break down into what have been our favourite collections of this edition.
SF1OG
Let's start with the location chosen by SF1OG to present their new collection, Untitled: the FeuerleCollection, a telecommunications bunker dating back to World War II which was renovated by British architect John Pawson. An enclave that left no one indifferent once we entered its interior, in which the temperature decreased as we stood along the footbridge waiting for the show to begin. We had big expectations even before getting into this exciting space, being one of the most stimulating presentations. A mostly young audience, closely connected to the Berlin creative scene and dressed almost entirely in black, eagerly awaited the first model to hit the catwalk.
What's worth mentioning is the materials used, which were a smart choice as they blurred the genre completely. As well as the beauty of imperfections, which is what makes fashion a much more tolerant and plural space. And, of course, the spectacular casting of diverse models – who says that there is an age limit to wear a certain garment? A question answered by Creative Director Rosa M. Dahl, with the support of Converse and Sidestep
LML Studio
We headed to the LML Studio show in a hurry after the SF1OG presentation. We could not miss one of the most promising events of Berlin Fashion Week, after our last-minute invitations and being fortunate enough to attend due to the large influx of people and the great expectation generated. We can say that their new work did not disappoint. Nor did their (amazing) show full of which fashion, music and performance. Something rather unusual on European catwalks, unless we are talking about the big fashion brand groups or those brands with bigger budgets put into huge productions.
Their collection featured a miscellany of garments, silhouettes, and colours which were sometimes difficult to follow but did have a common thread. A well-constructed story thanks to the models' powerful attitude, the wonderful casting (what a good casting we have seen in Berlin!), and the narration structured in the form of chapters along the catwalk. The pace at which the models advanced varied, and the garments also transformed. Everything was unpredictable but at the same time exciting. And I am almost sure that all of us present needed at least half an hour after the show to assimilate and comment on what we all had just experienced.
William Fan
Nor could we miss the show of one of the best-known and most respected brands on the Berlin scene. Since it was established in 2015, the project in which Chinese and European influences meet through garments that break with all conventions have not stopped gaining followers. Their new collection, Eternity Spring/Summer 2023, was presented in the underground expanses of a forgotten Berlin tunnel. A perfect location for the presentation held at night, in an atmosphere that could very well remind you of a Parisian show of one of the well-known brands. A successful collection that precisely aims to celebrate nightlife, the moment of weightlessness, and the unfiltered yet posed sequences of evening encounters.
We recommend that you take a look at the entire collection, as it is undoubtedly one of the designer's most complete. It's full of reflective fabrics, velvets, impossible patterns in the form of shirts, and coats in iridescent shimmering sequins in shades of green and blue. We can assure you that William Fan's collection was one of the most effective on the catwalk. A special mention goes to the gift that he gave to the attendees, a hand fan to be able to take it wherever we go. These details show that attention has been paid to the smallest of elements and that leaving a loose end is not an option.
Bobkova
If just a few days ago we highlighted the role of Budapest Central European Fashion Week after having invited several Ukrainian brands to participate in its event, the same can be said about Berlin Fashion Week. Trying to raise awareness of the country's talent, as they are currently and so holding a fashion week is not a possibility, the German capital has also joined forces with Ukrainian Fashion Week so that the voices of its incredible talents are not silenced. Bobkova unveiled their Spring/Summer 2023 collection in one of the great presentations of this edition. A parade of garments inspired by minimalism, timelessness and design to create unique pieces in which patterns are truly outstanding.
Created in 2000, the brand has established itself as one of the smartest projects in Ukrainian fashion in its more than two decades of history. And after having seen their last show, we can perfectly understand the reason for their success. The Ukrainian model opened the show, to give way to a collection in which the premise of ‘less is more’ was true. Whites, blacks and neutral tones make up a very clean and delicate palette that was highly applauded by the audience.
Neo.Fashion.
Being the largest platform and stage for graduates and young designers in Germany, Neo.Fashion. held a show that we absolutely did not want to miss. A celebration of emerging talent which focuses on early-career creatives and promotes them by bridging fashion with art, music and subculture. Since they launched their platform more than 5 years ago, the event has been adapting to the new times and has allowed us to discover new names that will be the designers of tomorrow. And this edition of Neo.Fashion took place in the Reinbeckhallen, a location that allowed visuals to be projected while the collections were presented on the catwalk.
This platform also cooperated with Ukrainian Fashion Week and offered a platform for Ukrainian designers in its program, in addition to hosting a showroom where all attendees could learn more about the work of young talents. Special mention deserves the winners of the Neo.Fashion Awards in this edition: Best Design: Max Tautorus, HAW Hamburg; Best Sustainability Concept: Nanyi Li, Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle; and Best Innovation: Antonia Dannenberg, Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. These were the winners among the 15 shows featured over three days with over nine hundred looks.
