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Studio2Retail: Open Minds & Open Doors
"The Berlin Fashion Week stands out internationally for its strong focus on sustainability, inclusivity, and creative freedom." This statement by Marvin Mario, Content Creator, Stylist, and jury member of the Studio2Retail concept competition, encapsulates Berlin's unique openness. Inclusivity is embraced here like nowhere else. As the organizers of Fashion Week aspire to embody these values, it is essential to open and make the event accessible to fashion enthusiasts beyond the industry.
The B2C initiative Studio2Retail facilitates this and serves as crucial support for retailers, collectives, and designers in Germany. Ateliers, pop-ups, stores, and other creative spaces open their doors during Berlin Fashion Week, offering visitors not only behind-the-scenes glimpses of the fashion industry, panel discussions, and collections but also special offers and events. Studio2Retail brings the distinctive vibe of BFW to the streets, courtyards, and spaces of the city through creative people, events, and ideas.
The Competition and the Winners 2024
Within the Studio2Retail competition, seasonal event concepts targeting end consumers are recognized. The most convincing participants receive financial support of €5,000 each. In addition to the five prizes from the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, a sixth prize is provided by the Berliner Sparkasse.
Focus: Sustainability, Craftsmanship, Virtuality
From live upcycling to sewing performances, parties, panel discussions, shows, and workshops: Berlin's young creative communities unmistakably emphasize sustainability, craftsmanship, and virtuality. They represent an inclusive mindset, shaping their businesses gender-neutral and barrier-free. Protagonists, primarily from Gen Z, Y, and the queer community, aim to develop strategies that intertwine fashion, consumption, and fun with sustainability.
PLATTE
PLATTE encompasses Club Night, Concept Store, Event Space, Classroom & Continuing Education, Photo Studio, and Event Management. PLATTE is quintessentially Berlin – free from conventions and constantly evolving. Experimental. Diverse. Edgy. Direct. Loud and full of life, it serves as a megaphone and network for the communities shaping the city's cultural character, making Berlin what it is. PLATTE is the hub for Berlin's creative side, advocating for fair fashion and open dialogue with local communities, particularly the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community. Here, fashion is showcased not to exclude but to include. PLATTE strives to serve as a catalyst and accelerator, forging connections with both Berliners and tourists.
Human Touch
The essence is in the name: Today and for the foreseeable future, the making of every piece of clothing worldwide will involve sewing by human hands. With the technique of paint-sewing, Human Touch makes this visible directly on the garment. Each item shows a unique print, created by the handling during the sewing process. The resulting dynamic patterns appear on minimalist, clear silhouettes making the Human Touch designs artful pieces of tailoring. The textile paint is fixed to the fiber to allow for regular wear and care. All Human Touch items are manufactured in-house in Berlin. Alongside the collection, Human Touch further appears as live sewing performances.
Katharina Dubbick
Katharina Dubbick is a brand that honors the tradition of craftsmanship through a fresh perspective on knitwear. The studio seeks to revitalize appreciation for craft while simultaneously presenting new perceptions of knitwear, making it both traditional and modern in its outlook. The brand specializes in fine-gauge knitwear that prioritizes quality and timelessness, offering a versatile collection that is comfortable and elegant at the same time. Furthermore, the studio demonstrates a strong dedication to sustainability by sourcing yarns from ethical Italian suppliers, and its production process, which focuses on fully fashioned knitwear, is a zero-waste model.
Rebirth Studios
Rebirth Studios is a purpose driven company, on the mission to minimize textile waste through creative and innovative circular upcycling solutions. The founders aim to inspire their customers to rethink their current consumer behavior and offer companies in every industry an easy entry point to make their textile supply and management more sustainable. With Rebirth Studios the label, they challenge the socially entrenched image of ecofashion and instead promote a modern look. Rebirth Studios is a place of experimentation and innovation, always with the goal of sharing our experience gained over the years in fair manufacturing techniques, scaling processes and European manufacturing partner management with like-minded individuals and companies alike–to collectively change the textile industry for the better.
SBLMTN Studio
SBLMTN Studio, a web3-native co-creation lab, connects physical with digital fashion and aims to foster collaboration between a core team of designers and the community to reduce waste and build a sustainable future for fashion. The lab launches during Berlin Fashion Week in February 2024.
Natascha von Hirschhausen X LoopLook
As a B2C online marketplace, LoopLook connects users directly with all kinds of classic and creative reuse textile service providers within a city’s ecosystem. Consumers can explore and book local repair, alteration and modern upcycling solutions directly. The startup pre-launched in Berlin-Kreuzberg in September 2023. Natascha von Hirschhausen stands for pioneering sustainability in the field of sustainable luxury fashion with a strong focus on zero-waste solutions.
The Studio2Retail Jury
Dries Vriesacker (Enfnts Terribles / Creative Director), Herbert Hofmann (Highsnobiety / Creative & Buying Director), Johanna Dramé (Senate Department for Economics, Energy, and Public Enterprises), Manuel Almeida Vergara (Berliner Zeitung / Head of Fashion & Style), Marvin Mario (Content Creator & Stylist), and Scott Lipinski (Fashion Council Germany / CEO).
