This was BERLIN FASHION WEEK Spring / Summer 2022

Fashion fever in Berlin. The fashion and creative scene has presented itself to an enthusiastic audience more lively and diverse than ever before.

• Over 40 shows with specialist audience
• More than 20 talks and conferences with well-known participants
• Over 100 in-store events and installations across the city
• Business2Consumer success model: Extremely positive response to formats that are aimed directly at consumers
• Public and press delighted by electrifying atmosphere in the city
• Enormous online reach: More than 6 million impressions via the social media channels of the Berlin Fashion Week umbrella campaign alone

The fashion world is back where it belongs: on the catwalk. And not only that: Last week, Berlin Fashion Week showed the way for the future of the industry. The key issues of sustainability, cross-culture and the promotion of young talent ran as a red thread through the fashion shows, exhibitions and numerous conferences. The focus was also put on ways of implementing a circular economy in the textile industry and the awarding of successful fashion graduates.


INTERNATIONAL FASHION SCENE VISITED BERLIN

On the initiative of the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises and in cooperation with the Fashion Council Germany, representatives from well-known international stores such as Browns Fashion London, APOC Store London, The Feeting Room Lisbon and L'Exception Paris came to Berlin, as well as important fashion editors, e.g. from Vogue Italy, Vogue Greece, Dazed Magazine, Jing Daily, Fashion Network, textilzeitung Austria, Elle France and Fashion United. Among other events, the top-class guests visited the shows at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, the up-and-coming designers at Neo.Fashion., as well as the offsite presentations of Berlin fashion labels such as William Fan, Michael Sontag, Dawid Tomaszewski and Marcel Ostertag. The group exhibition Der Berliner Salon and the Reference Festival were also very popular. The events of STUDIO2RETAIL at Alhambra Berlin, the Fireside Chat of the Fashion Council Germany at Borchardt restaurant or the Odeeh Fashion Cocktail, to which the luxury concept store The Corner Berlin welcomed over 300 guests, also invited to networking and professional exchange.

Over 100,000 visitors followed the events of the fashion week on the website of the Berlin Fashion Week umbrella campaign alone. An additional 6 million impressions were achieved via the social media channels of the umbrella campaign. Together with all major events, Berlin Fashion Week is expected to have a media impact of well over 700 million impressions. The opening of many events to private consumers also increased public interest in Berlin Fashion Week.

Senator Ramona Pop looks at the past few days with satisfaction: “Berlin Fashion Week has shown that the many creative workers on site, despite all the challenges, continue to develop diverse concepts and great designs that allow us to look confidently into the future. Topics such as sustainability, digitization and cross-culture have a decisive influence on all formats and offer great potential for the fashion industry - we see Berlin as a stimulating creative metropolis, also on an international level. The fashion week and all actors together have made an important contribution to the further development of the scene and Berlin as a business location."

 

NETWORKING AND INTEGRATION OF THE BERLIN RETAIL

Together with Ramona Pop, Mayor and Senator for Economy, Energy and Public Enterprises, the Fashion Council Germany opened Berlin Fashion Week with the STUDIO2RETAIL Pop Up Shop. To kick-off fashion week, over 200 guests came to Alhambra Berlin to view the collections of 30 designers presented there. As part of the STUDIO2RETAIL initiative, which promoted the activation of the retail trade as part of Berlin Fashion Week, over 100 brands and stores in the city came up with event concepts on sustainable topics, which attracted a great deal of interest over the course of the week. At shop events by Esther Perbandt, Lebensbekleidung, Konk or Malaikaraiss, visitors got an insight into the creation of fashion collections or which materials are used for recycled fashion. The most convincing event ideas were supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises and the Fashion Council Germany with prize money totaling € 82,000.

On Wednesday, the Fashion Council Germany invited around 350 guests to the renowned Fireside Chat at Borchardt restaurant. High-ranking personalities from the fields of fashion, media, culture, politics and business were able to network here in a relaxed atmosphere and exchange ideas on current topics, including many international guests and the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller.
Scott Lipinski, Managing Director of the Fashion Council Germany, is firmly convinced of the success of the realignment: "Berlin has shown itself from its best side, creatively, innovatively and sustainably. For example, the numerous concepts submitted for the STUDIO2RETAIL initiative, which was jointly developed with the Senate Department for Economy, Energy and Public Enterprises, proof that Berlin has an incredible potential to take an important position."
For photos and further information please visit https://www.dropbox.com/transfer/AAAAAJwwhQuxDQxnT6OtOTPCCV6ITyb4ZZbKWxTgbTNQHlEgbYJhcYY 


SHOWS, EXHIBITIONS AND SHOWCASES

DER BERLINER SALON: 35 GERMAN DESIGNERS PRESENTED A STATEMENT FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Under the slogan “Committed to Responsibility”, Der Berliner Salon, with the support of the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, presented the collections of 35 German labels and manufacturers on September 6th. The designers, who stand for the highest demands on quality, design and a sustainable value chain, were:

Aeyde, Alexander von Bronewski, Anna Auras, Antonia Zander, Bergauer Handschuhe, Dawid Tomaszewski, Diehm Bespoke, Esther Perbandt, Golpira, Hannibal, Horizn Studios, Horror Vacui, Isabel Vollrath, Julia Leifert, Karen Jessen, Konrad, Lala Berlin, Lara Krude, Lutz Morris, LML Studio, Mykita, Odeeh, OFFT, PB0110, René Storck, Rianna + Nina, Sminfinity, Société Angelique, Studio 163, Stiebich & Rieth, Vickermann & Stoya, Vladimir Karaleev, Werkstatt:München, William Fan and Working Title Studios.
Photos of the event at https://mbfw.wetransfer.com/downloads/7f5817ad1f2cc50a85f725913fbeb18820210906190429/8720e0 (Credits: PR/Stefan Knauer/Getty Images for Nowadays) 


OVER 70 DESIGNERS AT MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK
 

Over 70 renowned fashion designers and up-and-coming young talents presented their collections for spring / summer 2022 as part of the MBFW in front of more than 1,500 spectators live on site in fashion shows, group exhibitions or showcases at Kraftwerk Berlin. National and international fashion fans also followed the Berlin shows via live stream. Designer dialogues, panel talks and digital films rounded off the three-day program.

To kick off the MBFW, Mercedes-Benz presented the London based label Florentina Leitner with a runway show on September 6th at 9:00 p.m. In addition, Mercedes-Benz showed the Airbag Concept Collection, created in cooperation with US designer Heron Preston, in an installation with the new, fully electric EQS at Kraftwerk Berlin.

The established design labels I’VR Isabel Vollrath, Fassbender, Kilian Kerner, LML Studio, Danny Reinke and Rebekka Ruétz also showed their collections for spring / summer 2022 within the power plant. Marc Cain rounded off the shows with ten digital fashion film contributions. At Neo.Fashion. Best Graduates ‘Show, the collections were presented by 13 design graduates from 13 German universities. The Neo.Fashion. Awards were then given to three winners in the categories Best Design, Best Sustainable Concept and Best Craftmanship.

Marcus Kurz, Managing Director Nowadays and Board Member Fashion Council Germany: “The physical implementation of the MBFW was an important sign of the cohesion of the German and international creative industries. Offering the talented designers the opportunity to present their collections to the guests was an important matter for us. Established formats such as Der Berliner Salon or the collaboration between MBFW and the Fashion Open Studio underline our claim to contemporary formats, which are very important to us as a platform."

Photos and further information via the MBFW newsroom at www.mbfw.berlin or via Instagram @mbfw.berlin 

Under the title FOS x MBFW, the Fashion Open Studio in close cooperation with Fashion Revolution Germany was an elementary part of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week for the second time. By opening their studios, selected designers gave a transparent insight into the design and manufacturing processes behind their collections. The work of 15 leading designers in the fields of circular economy, textile innovation and community were presented in a digital showcase and a physical installation. The program was rounded off by three panel talks with experts.

Orsola de Castro, Creative Director Fashion Open Studio & Co-Founder Fashion Revolution: “We were very happy to be in Berlin with our team for FOS x MBFW this season. The sunshine greeted us all after a difficult 18 months of the pandemic, and the excitement to resume life and be together was contagious. We are proud of the positivity and courage of our FOS designers. Giving them the opportunity to develop is our commitment and our passion. We would like to thank the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises for their support."

Imagery about Fashion Open Studio at https://we.tl/t-bFqbRZBSCB 

NEO.FASHION .: OVER 80 GRADUATES FROM 13 UNIVERSITIES SHOWED THEIR DESIGNS

For the fifth edition of Neo.Fashion., more than 80 graduates from 13 German universities presented themselves to the audience. Around 2,000 guests, fashion enthusiasts, but also many trade visitors came to see the nine graduate shows, the exhibition and the “Neo.Fashion. Awards" show. Around 10,000 fans of Neo.Fashion. also followed the shows via livestream, even in India.

Jens Zander, founder and organizer of Neo.Fashion.: “We are proud of the high number of participants in the universities and graduates and feel that our goals have been confirmed that Neo.Fashion. has become the platform and hub as well as the future network for the best graduates from fashion universities from all over Germany. With our project, we are pursuing a sustainability approach, both in terms of organization and implementation. The many on-site discussions, the exchange of experiences between the teachers and students, the atmosphere and the diverse shows motivate us to look positively into the coming year. We received a lot of good feedback from visitors and industry experts. We will therefore start planning for Neo.Fashion. 2022 soon. In particular I would like to thank for the financial support provided by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises."

Imagery and further infos at http://neofashion.de/presse/ 

PROMINENT NAMES AT ABOUT YOU FASHION WEEK

The About You Fashion Week shows ran until September 15 under the motto “Who Are You?”. Established brands such as Adidas, Esprit, Jack & Jones or Esprit presented their new collections in live shows for everyone. Leni Klum, who presented her capsule collection with About You at Kraftwerk Berlin on Sunday, was eagerly awaited. Model Lena Gercke presented her new LeGer collection. Marina Hoermanseder with her new collection Hoermanseder x About You and Guido Maria Kretschmer were new at About You Fashion Week. Lena Meyer Landrut followed on Wednesday with her “A lot less” collection, which was also created in cooperation with About You.

https://www.aboutyou-fashionweek.de 

 
  
FUTURE TALKS AND FASHION TECH

202030 - THE BERLIN FASHION SUMMIT

At the 202030 - The Berlin Fashion Summit, Magdalena Schaffrin and Max Gilgenmann from studio MM04 invited together with other partners to exchange ideas about future-oriented ecosystems. Selected experts from the disciplines of design, science, trade, management and software development took part in the pop-up think tank in preparation for the summit. Already in the run-up to fashion week, 50 participants from 15 countries met and worked together to develop new solutions for the industry, which were presented to the interested audience at the Public Summit. Speakers included Matthias Horx (Zukunftsinstitut Horx), Orsola de Castro (Fashion Revolution), Leon Reiner (Impact Hub Berlin) and Alexander Nolte (Stop! Micro Waste). The main topics of this issue were "Circular Systems - how to think and design positive impact?", "Local Ecosystems - how to organize and foster positive impact?" and "Valuation Systems - how to define quality and measure impact?". The three workshops resulted in a series of recommendations for action on how circularity can be implemented in the industry, a mapping of the Berlin fashion ecosystem and a matrix for a qualitative evaluation of fashion.

Magdalena Schaffrin: “We are very happy about the great interest and the lively exchange at 202030 - The Berlin Fashion Summit, the platform where people who are interested in the future and sustainability meet and where they exchanged ideas during Berlin Fashion Week for the second time. The high number of participants and the lively exchange in the chat exceeded our expectations and we are looking forward to the implementation of defined ideas."

Additional infos at https://www.202030summit.com/resources/ 
Highlights of the event: https://vimeo.com/studiomm04. 

The premiere of the A-GAIN GUIDE also took place during the 202030 - The Berlin Fashion Summit. The new portal with many addresses and contact points for the repair, recycling and upcycling of used clothing in Berlin was developed as part of the Berlin Re-Use Initiative and is financed by two Berlin Senate administrations (Environment and Economy). The A-GAIN GUIDE website already received over 4,000 hits within the first hour of its launch.

Julia Malik is a prominent advocate. The actress and author has long been wearing second-hand fashion herself: “It’s absolutely important to deal sustainably with fashion, which is unfortunately not always very easy. I often don't have time for extensive research. You need an infrastructure so that shopping, repairing and upcycling fashion is effortless. Only then it is fun. For me, giving fashion back into this cycle is just as much a part of it, it should definitely be uncomplicated. This blank space is finally being filled with the A-GAIN GUIDE, which offers a guide for the sustainable use of fashion."

https://a-gain.guide/de 

WEAR IT INNOVATION SUMMIT

The eighth edition of the Wear It Innovation Summit took place online for the first time from September 7-10, 2021. The conference was about fashion tech, digital health and wellness as well as IoT and blockchain. A total of 1090 participants from all over the world (mainly Europe and North America) had registered, including executives from the industry (e.g. Adidas, Volkswagen, Qualcomm), start-up owners, decision-makers and investors. 34 experts from different industries spoke to the public over the four days, including representatives from Qualcomm, Amorelie, Puma, Soundbrenner, MYOW and Re-FREAM. 
https://wearit-berlin.com

CROSS CULTURE, FASHION AND ART

BERLIN, BERLIN BY HIGHSNOBIETY

For the second edition of the hybrid format BERLIN, BERLIN, the media brand Highsnobiety, in collaboration with eight brands, ten artists and many other creatives, staged a pop-up space, an opening reception, a panel discussion, a collaboration with HÖR and a closing party with Innervision. Around 1,200 national and international guests took part in the innovative concepts live in Berlin, including representatives from Vogue, MCM, Fashion Network, Elle, Browns Fashion, Chateau Royal, 032c and Jing Daily. Digitally, Highsnobiety reaches several million readers every month.

Hendrik Jürgens, Director of Collaborations and Special Projects: “We were once again pleased about the great feedback on our concept BERLIN, BERLIN, which has developed into a community experience with roots in our hometown since the first issue in January. This second edition of the program sheds light on Berlin and its creative scene on a global level and lays the foundation for many more showcases. Community is key to highsnobiety. It was great creating experiences and bringing people together both in person and online."

https://www.highsnobiety.com/tag/berlinberlin/ 

REFERENCE FESTIVAL

The Reference Festival, which will take place until Sunday, September 19, in the futuristic Bierpinsel in Steglitz, has already attracted over 2,000 visitors. The third edition of the festival shows the performance and music program “Disappearing Berlin” in cooperation with the Schinkel Pavillion under the motto “Protopia”. The physical showcases and activations, e.g. by 032c, GmbH, Ottolinger, Phipps, Richert Beil, Rudi Gernreich and Wood Wood, explore the potential of a city in transition. With a focus on fashion, the aspects of creativity as a whole are illuminated in physical and virtual reality.

http://www.referencestudios.com/festival/ 


FASHION POSITIONS

At POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair, 17 Berlin designers showed their artistic reference points as well as a selection of current collection items as part of the FASHION POSITIONS format. In cooperation with the VBM - Verein Berliner Modedesigner, the designers staged their labels in context and in exchange with the presentations of the galleries. There were installations by Atelier Elle Pé, Julia Bajanova, Fiona Bennett, Blaucraut, Brachmann, Claudia Skoda, Cruba, Damur, Equipe Berlin, Esther Perbandt, Laura Gerte, Lou de Bètoly, Schmitd, Starstyling, Steinrohner, Uncommon Matters x Yolandé Gouws and Veronika Wildgruber x Mark Pillai.

Kristian Jarmuschek, CEO Positions Berlin: “On the one hand, I was delighted with the top-class field of participants at FASHION POSITIONS, and on the other, with the courage and creativity with which the designers created their presentations. Last but not least, they also set impulses for the exhibiting galleries."

https://fashionpositions.de 


PRIZES AND AWARDS

NEO.FASHION. AWARD

Following the “Best Graduates‘” show with the essence of the best fashion graduates from 13 universities in Germany, the Neo.Fashion. Awards were given to:

• Flora Taubner (Burg Giebichenstein Halle): Best Design
• Paul Kadjo (AMD Hamburg): Best Sustainable Concept
• Aylin Tomta (Hochschule Bielefeld): Best Craftmanship

https://neofashion.de/2021/09/13/das-war-die-best-graduates-show-award/ 


BERLIN, BERLIN PRIZE

For the BERLIN, BERLIN Prize by Highsnobiety, designers could apply with a selection of their previous designs and ideas. The jury, consisting of Errolson Hugh (founder acronym), designer Yolanda Zobel, Mumi Haiati (founder Reference Studios), Octavia Bürgel from 032c, Herbert Hofmann from Highsnobiety (Creative Director & Head of Buying) as well as Serhat Isik and Benjamin Alexander Huseby from GmbH awarded the prize to Kasia Kucharska.

The Berlin label founded by Kasia Kucharska, Wanda Wollinsky and Reiner Törner convinced the jury with its body-conscious latex designs. The focus of their work is on finding new technologies and techniques for traditional handicrafts. The latex pieces, for example, are directly inspired by the use of lace in the 17th and 18th centuries and are intended to bring this art to a modern level.

https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/kasia-kucharska-is-the-winner-of-the-berlin-berlin-prize/ 
 

WEAR IT INNOVATION SUMMIT INNOVATION AWARD

As the highlight of the four-day Wear It Innovation Summit, the innovation award was presented at the award show on September 9th. The most promising business models in the fields of fashion tech, digital health, wellness as well as IoT and blockchain were awarded in two categories: The Wear It Innovation Award went to the Dutch start-up company Oro Muscles. The “Runner Up” awards went to Articulate Labs from Dallas / Texas and the British start-up company Flow Bio.

Videos of the event via YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/Wearit-berlin/featured 


SUPPORT BY THE SENATE ADMINISTRATION FOR ECONOMY, ENERGY AND PUBLIC ENTERPRISES

The Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises has contributed well over 15 million Euros in additional support to the development of the local fashion industry since 2007. To mitigate the effects of the pandemic in the fashion sector, around 5 million Euros have been made available since 2020 alone, including 3.5 million Euros in 2021 for the realignment of Berlin Fashion Week. The funding is to be continued in the following years.

The following formats of Berlin Fashion Week in September 2021 were supported:

• Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
• Der Berliner Salon
• Fashion Open Studio / Fashion Revolution Initiative
• Studio2Retail Initiative with prize money for Offsite-Events
• 202030 - The Berlin Fashion Summit
• Berlin, Berlin - Campaign by Highsnobiety
• Reference Festival
• Fashion Positions
• Visiting Program for Berlin Fashion Week

In addition to the fundings for Berlin Fashion Week, the joint presentations for Paris Fashion Week as well as coaching services and workshops (digitalfashionfuture) are supported for the benefit of designers. The establishment of a permanent Berlin Fashion Hub on the topics of sustainability and digitization is also in preparation.
More information at www.fashion-week-berlin.com  https://projektzukunft.berlin.de/themen/modewirtschaft