Young designers from South Africa open Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin

The automobile manufacturer, which has been supporting the fashion world internationally for 25 years, will open Berlin Fashion Week, Autumn/Winter season 2020/2021 on Monday, 13 January with a group presentation of several design newcomers from South Africa. This group show is part of the Group's own "Mercedes-Benz Fashion Talents" programme, which has been helping up-and-coming designers to build an international career since 2009. The four designers who will together present their collections on the catwalk in the Kraftwerk are Clive Rundle, Floyd Avenue, Viviers Studio and Rich Mnisi. "Ten years ago, at the start of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Talents programme, we invited the Black Coffee label from South Africa to a fashion show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin," says Bettina Haussmann, Head of Branded Entertainment at Mercedes-Benz Cars. Some of the most promising fashion talents who translate their culture and traditional craftsmanship into modern collections come from Africa. With the group show of four South African designers in Berlin in January 2020, we are therefore going back to our origins again.”

The Kraftwerk offers space to involve the public

Although the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin fashion shows are still aimed at a B2B audience of press representatives, buyers, influencers and fashion experts, the public also benefits from the new location. It offers plenty of space - not only for a 45-metre catwalk, but also for public presentation areas. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin has already in past seasons begun to be more open to consumers and has embarked on a path with public presentations and live streams which the automotive group intends to continue in 2020.

25 years of commitment to the fashion world

The Stuttgart-based automotive group Mercedes-Benz has been committed to the interna­tional fashion industry for 24 years. What began in 1995 with the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia in Melbourne and Sydney has to date grown on more than 80 platforms in more than 40 countries through which Mercedes-Benz promotes and supports young designers. Mercedes-Benz has been committed to Germany as an important fashion loca­tion since the first Fashion Week 13 years ago.