Berlin Fashion Week has done it again. Its latest edition, held from July 10 to 13, has once again put the German capital on the international fashion map, which is already well-known worldwide for its talented generation of designers who are unafraid of experimenting and making fashion a tool for conveying messages.
Consolidating two of its main strengths, the incredible locations where the presentations take place and the real diverse castings, the event continues to gain strength year after year, bringing together a very interesting creative community as we told you a few days ago in this article along with street style photos by Mateo Navarro.
Held in a strategic location in the centre of Europe and proving to continue to renew itself each season, Berlin Fashion Week advances by leaps and bounds in its fight to gain a foothold on the global fashion scene. Championing creative freedom, inclusion and creativity, this platform represents the fashion that really interests us, far from trends and very close to claims, discourse and the search for new formulas with which to continue surprising the audience. And its latest Spring/Summer 2024 edition has been a resounding success.
Berlin Fashion Week is not just a showcase platform for young and established designers, but a multi-sensory experience that allows us to know in detail how the most outstanding creative minds think, immersing ourselves in their perception of design and being part of the messages they send to the world through their collections. This event also allows us to explore the corners of this great city thanks to the incredible selection of locations, ranging from historic buildings in the heart of Berlin to venues with futuristic aesthetics, factories or outdoor gardens.
Regarding the works presented by the participating brands in this latest edition of Berlin Fashion Week, which continues to support Ukrainian designers by inviting them to join its official programme, it is difficult to single out just a few of them because the bar has been set high. Very well-resolved collections applauded by critics and the general audience, each one with its own identity, which have transported us to different creative universes achieving great coherence.
We must not overlook the collection presented by the brand led by the Ukrainian designer Kristina Bobkova, Bobkova, who has collaborated with artist Polina Moroz to present a collection closely connected to nature that seeks to reconnect with the essence. A strong role in this work is played by the mallow, a flower that offers protection and is linked to her homeland. There was one more brand that stood out on the first day, Melisa Minca, who presented her In Recovery collection. Loaded with a strong social claim and presented in a unique outdoor location, her collection was one of the best exponents of the power of upcycling and diversity. Moving forward in the calendar, we find Odeeh, who presented again as part of Berlin Contemporary.
If there’s a brand that never fails to disappoint it’s Litkovska, which has again taken part in Berlin Fashion Week. Her amazing garments are very connected with design, the study of the human silhouette, and experimentation with shapes without losing touch with reality. Her pieces can be worn on a day-to-day basis and her fanbase keeps growing all over the world. Betting on a very different aesthetic and with one of the most diverse castings we've seen is Richert Beil. His new collection, Father, Our, challenges social, cultural and political systems that favour men and perpetuate gender-based oppression.
William Fan plays in another league. His new Ceremony collection, one of the most extensive and complete of this edition, is a demonstration of a perfectly resolved exercise. The Berlin-based label established in 2015 has become a great business project not losing an iota of its essence, built on contemporaneity and an open design language. Special mention should be made of his amazing use of colour, presenting a chromatic palette that is measured to the millimetre. And let’s not ignore one of the best works of the edition, the one presented by Sia Arnika. The more than twenty looks that make up her S/S24 collection were an ode to experimentation with fabrics and textures with which she explores the meaning of memory through traditional and modern textiles.
During these days we were also able to see first-hand the latest Acceptance Letter’s collection, Kiss and Fly 2.0, inspired by the diverse and stimulating places that airports are. The outfits that we choose when travelling and their coexistence in a common location, the one in which the boarding gates intermingle with conveyor belts and check-in desks, generate a peculiar atmosphere that is not easy to describe with words. Irina Dzhus, the Ukrainian designer behind Dzhus, once again proved to be one of the best ambassadors of experimentation and multifunctional pattern-making with her collection, which refers to the transition phase of today's non-binary designers.
Now it’s time to deepen into our two favourite collections of this Berlin Fashion Week season: SF1OG and Namilia. The brand led by Rosa Marga Dahl, SF1OG, continues to build a recognisable identity in the fast-paced and oversaturated fashion scene. Their new collection, 21: 16-3-1, takes inspiration from personal memories and an unyielding passion for the equestrian world, elegantly weaving delicate references drawn from the annals of history, in a perfect show accompanied by a live performance by German-Armenian composer, Meredi, which helps it position as one of the most interesting projects in Berlin fashion.
We cannot forget the latest Namilia fashion show. The presentation with which they unveiled their extensive Spring/Summer 2024 collection, In Loving Memory of My Sugar Daddy, was highly celebrated by all the attendees, who clapped and cheered from start to finish. Wearing replicas of the iconic Hermès' Birkin bags as skirts, dresses and tops, the models, of all ages and sizes, demonstrated a spectacular attitude on the catwalk. Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl are some of the finest representatives of creative freedom in Berlin fashion, and their presentations are experiences that give us hope in this industry.
The countdown to the next edition of Berlin Fashion Week has begun and will take place from February 4 to 7, 2024. We’ll continue reporting!
Acceptance Letter
Bobkova
Dzhus
Litkovska
Melisa Minca
Melisa Minca
Odeeh
Richert Beil
SF1OG
Sia Arnika
William Fan