Berlin Fashion Week S/S 2019

The summer edition of the Berlin Fashion Week was more multifaceted than ever. Apart from the nine long-established trade fairs, two show platforms and three conferences, the representatives of the Fashion Week presented new partnerships, a strong commitment for Berlin and the German fashion industry, and a community cohesion bringing about synergies that give colour and strength to the German fashion location. 

To mark the beginning of the Berlin Fashion Week, the <link https://www.fashion-council-germany.org/ - - "Opens external link in new window">Fashion Council Germany</link> invited the participants to a fireside chat. Fashion experts, designers and business representatives came together to exchange with each other about the potentials and challenges of the Berlin and German fashion industry and to establish networks.

Come and Collaborate 
Right on the first evening, they presented how a successful cooperation could look like: The luxury brand <link https://www.laurel.de/>Laurèl</link> from Munich has teamed up with the progressive Berlin label <link http://www.steinrohner.com/>Steinrohner</link>, creating five looks for their Capsule Collection “Laurèl x Steinrohner”. They will be available for sale in the Laurèl stores from autumn 2018. It is not surprising that well-established brands focus on Berlin as a “place to be”; after all the city and its creative people stand for a unique style.

_{@Axel Jansen für Fashion Council German}

To celebrate the 90^th birthday of Mickey Mouse, the Walt Disney Company was flirting with the idea of including exactly this trademark of the Berlin creative scene, entering into a cooperation with designers from Berlin and Germany. The birthday collection was presented as part of the Berliner Salon. <link https://riannaandnina.com/>Rianna + Nina</link> and <link http://www.williamfan.com/>William Fan</link> from Berlin as well as <link https://www.strenesse.com/de/>Strenesse</link> and <link https://odeeh.com/?lang=de>Odeeh</link> from southern Germany have been inspired by one of the probably most famous mouse in the world, with each of them designing a look that will be available for sale from autumn 2018. It is likely that these outfits will become the fashionistas’ new favourite pieces.

_{@Berliner Mode Salon}

The <link https://derberlinersalon.com/>Berliner Salon</link> is one of the flagships of the Berlin Fashion Week. This season, it showed collections created by Berlin designers in the group exhibition supported by the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises /Project Future on the one hand, and on the other in the Vogue Salon a selection of young brands that we have to keep a close eye on. Since 2016, the Berliner Salon has cooperated with Swarovski. This year, the labels <link http://www.claudiabertini.com/>Claudia Bertini</link>, Julia Seemann, <link https://horror-vacui.com/>Horror Vacui</link> and <link https://www.workingtitlestudios.com/>Working Title</link> presented handmade looks refined by  Swarovski crystals in the Vogue Salon.

Trends and innovations are emerging in Berlin; the city is a hub for talents and professionals. This fact, as it was heard again and again at the Berlin Fashion Week, has led further fashion companies to move their creative departments to Berlin. The office spaces have already been rented. The industry is growing at the location.

Fashion community with an international appeal
Those who love fashion, live it – in particular in Berlin: Magazines such as <link https://032c.com/>032c,</link> <link https://www.highsnobiety.com/>Highsnobiety</link> and <link http://dandydiary.de/>Dandy Diary</link> do this in a passionate fashion, and they reflect Berlin’s fashion movement in their online magazines. They regard fashion not only as an accessory, but for them it is also the expression of their individual lifestyle, just like music and art. They have succeeded in creating themselves as a brand and in filling an entire community around them with enthusiasm.

So, on the occasion of the Berlin Fashion Week, the contemporary culture magazine 032c invited to the street market at Soho House Berlin. The whole 032c family came – from stylists and photographers to artists and musicians such as Tricky and Alex Bueskytter. The legendary Fashion Week opening party of the Berlin men’s fashion blog Dandy Diary attracted many international celebrities. One of the most well-known street style photographers, Yvan Rodic (<link http://www.facehunter.org/>The Facehunter</link>) was dancing all night long together with bloggers, journalists, trade fair organizers and models one night before the start of the Fashion Week, before taking photos of the Berlin fashion community the next day.

The lifestyle magazine for sneakers, streetwear and art, Highsnobiety, received support in order to fill the community with enthusiasm about the Berlin Fashion Week, with the creative director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear division, Virgil Abloh, performing as a DJ as part of the Fashion Week closing party. The Berlin fashion communities have their very own honest way of living their passion. In doing so, they do not only combine art, music and fashion, but also a professional attitude and creativity and send out a strong international appeal.

When fashion becomes a mouthpiece
Fashion changes in line with social and political challenges and is therefore constantly changing, just like all other industries. The topic of change was also addressed by the ZEITmagazin x Vogue conference within the framework of the Berliner Salon. In his opening speech to the conference, Tillmann Prüfer, Style Director of ZEITmagazin, emphasised that one should not fear change, it rather helps us to set a direction and spread messages on the new media and communication channels. The designer duo Serhat Isik and Benjamin Alexander Huseby of <link http://gmbhgmbh.eu/>Berliner Labels GmbH</link> agreed that, “Fashion can be a platform for a political mission”. They further stressed that there is scope for the fashion industry to hear such an appeal – times are getting politically inspired. Some Berlin designers used their fashion shows on the catwalk to communicate political messages. <link https://www.instagram.com/rushemybotter/?hl=en>Botter</link> illustrated the topic of polluted oceans through plastic waste on the very first day of the Fashion Week by having the models walking on the catwalk wearing fishing nets and inflatable rubber fish as accessories. With his new collection, <link https://ivanman.org/>IVANMAN</link> ironized the consumer behaviour by printing words like “sports jacket” or “trousers” on the garments in large fonts and adding possessive pronouns like “mine”, “yours” and “his”.

_{@Getty Images für MBFW und KOWA BERLIN, Looks links: Botter Spring/Summer 2019, Looks rechts: IVANMAN}

The two conferences held at Kraftwerk Berlin were less about the status quo rather than about the future and innovation topics. At the <link http://www.fashiontech.berlin/>#FASHIONTECH Berlin</link>, representatives of large international companies such as <link https://www.alibaba.com/?src=sem_ggl&cmpgn=678190955&adgrp=34276573373&fditm=&tgt=kwd-14739453&locintrst=&locphyscl=9061132&mtchtyp=e&ntwrk=g&device=c&dvcmdl=&creative=148007444336&plcmnt=&plcmntcat=&p1=&p2=&aceid=&position=1t1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi>Alibaba</link>, <link https://www.mytheresa.com/de-de/>Mytheresa</link> and <link https://www.aboutyou.de/>About You</link> spoke about the developments in the field of online trade and the importance of individual offers for customers, which need to provide a special shopping experience for the users. To achieve this, it is essential to be able to analyse anonymised customer data in order to learn more about the customers and make them tailor-made offerings.

Other topics were highlighted as trends in online trading, including customisation or shoppable videos (appealing and engaging product videos with added value for the customer) that respond better to customer needs. At the<link https://fashionsustain.messefrankfurt.com/berlin/en.html> FashionSustain</link>, experts discussed future developments in the fashion industry with a focus on sustainability. Company representatives like Bandana Tewari, editor of Vogue India, emphasized among other things the importance of sustainable production. In an editorial published in the Indian edition of Vogue, Tewari aimed at highlighting brands and their cooperation with local trades. Furthermore, new sustainable solutions along the supply chain were presented. LiteHide, for example, is a <link http://litehide.com/ _blank>p</link>rocess, that not only fully eliminates the excessive use of salt in transportation of animal hides, but also minimises the use of water and pollution caused by transportation.

_{@Premium Group} 

Over five days and on all platforms, the participants were presenting trends and talents, discussing innovations and supporting the exchange between old and new economy in various formats. On the last day of the Fashion Week, another success was celebrated: the Federal Chancellery invited representatives of the German fashion industry in order to meet Dorothee Bär, Parliamentary State Secretary for Digital Affairs, and Chancellor Angela Merkel. “I have a lot of respect for the economic performance and significance of your business”, said <link https://www.handelsblatt.com/themen/angela-merkel>Angela Merkel</link> to the acclamation of the representatives of the fashion industry on Friday afternoon. Dorothee Bär, Parliamentary State Secretary for Digital Affairs emphasized, “For the fashion industry, it is essential to transgress borders. So, who would be better suited to seize the opportunity of digital revolution? I see today’s event as a first step to a dialogue in order to promote fashion designed/made in Germany in the digital age. The fact that the Chancellor appeared in person demonstrates the importance of the fashion industry for our country.”

_{@Fashion Council Germany}

The summer edition of the Berlin Fashion Week showed an open-minded, cooperative and innovative attitude and presented a strong fashion community with international charisma, which will be further expanded in the future. 

Further information:

All news on Berlin Fashion Week: 
<link https://fashion-week-berlin.com/>

fashion-week-berlin.com

Important information on Berlin Fashion Week and Berlin's fashion industry (as of June 2018):
<link https://projektzukunft.berlin.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/Kreativwirtschaft/BerlinerMode_infograph_09072018.pdf - - "Opens internal link in current window">Visual Article (PDF)</link>

Further information on the fashion location Berlin: 
https://projektzukunft.berlin.de/themen/modewirtschaft/