In the Colosseum space Theater in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg, the 202030 fashion summit debated regenerative textiles, biodiversity and involved Ukrainian designers. Christiane Arp intervenes
Berlin Fashion Week 202030, the event
In a city that still feels the weight of its history, innovation invades urban places through the designers’ action. Berlin Fashion Week took place from September fifth to tenth, presenting the collections of talents and brands in the fields of fashion, accessories and jewelry. What is clear from this week is the desire and need to foster a dialogue between emerging talents in the field. From the workers behind the scenes, to the press and the makers.
Highlighting this mission of Berlin Fashion Week is Christiane Arp, Chairwoman of Fashion Council Germany, which has proposed the Rising Voices Award among its key events. This is one of the initiatives aimed at promoting the emerging German fashion scene and supporting it on a financial level as well.
«Sustainability in design, materials and production is common sense for a new generation of fashion and accessories designers», comments Arp regarding the designers selected for this initiative. Alongside this project is also Fashion x Craft, dedicated to graduates to provide them with concrete materials for the development of their own designs. The main goal is to enable talents to discover new ways of ideating fashion, with a focus on natural resources and handicraft techniques.
Esther Perbandt revealed her Dream Machine collection inside her store
Among the ways to discover the fashion brands, the event features visits inside design studios. This allows not only to observe the collections up close, but also to be able to converse with the creative directors of the labels. From emerging to established brands, designers unveil their worlds to the public.
Esther Perbandt reveals her Dream Machine collection inside her store that has housed the atelier in the back for several years. The same boutique where she began her career and which continues to be the main touchpoint of her total black universe with the customer.
The studio of Richert Beil, founded in 2014 by Jale Richert and Michele Beil
Further away from the chaos of downtown is the studio of Richert Beil, founded in 2014 by Jale Richert and Michele Beil. Proposing inclusive fashion, capable of subverting stereotypes and the idea of gender-related garments is the brand’s main goal.
Among the newly emerged labels, founded in 2019 in Paris by Johannes Boehl and then transplanted to Berlin, is Ioannes. In an all-white studio that functions as a canvas to focus on the collection, the brand proposes its idea of contemporary femininity. Engaging an ongoing dialogue with today’s reality, the clothes feature sensual and comfortable silhouettes.
The shows at Berlin Fashion Week included Dawid Tomaszewski, SF1OG and William Fan
Ever-present in this fashion week are the shows, including Dawid Tomaszewski, SF1OG and William Fan. With the Intimate Realm collection, for his thirteenth participation in Berlin Fashion Week, Dawid Tomaszewski reveals: «Every collection is a dream project, inside every collection, I hide a gentle secret and intimate inspiration that frames all I want to say».
The prints and shapes, symbolic of women’s contemporary desire, stand out against the Berlin skyline seen from Schloßplatz. The presentation of the Untitled collection, on the other hand, represents a moment of deep connection with reality for SF1OG. Central to the creation of the collection is the shared value of the work of Rosa M. Dahl and her father in his atelier, that shared this moment of sculptures’ design conception.
Time spent on the selection of materials, including from old objects, along with craft and concept, continue to be the cornerstones on which this collection is founded. Meanwhile in a tunnel accessed from a Berlin subway station, William Fan presents his Eternity collection. The inspiration for this collection goes from the newfound possibility of going-out-in-the-nights to the reworking of cut-out dictates and athletic influences.
The collaboration between Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and Ukrainian Fashion Week
In the panorama of shows is the collaboration drawn up between Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and Ukrainian Fashion Week. Among the initiatives promoted by the Ukrainian entity in the conception of an International Season SS23, some brands also took part in Berlin Fashion Week.
The first to show is Bobkova, by designer Kristina Bobkova. Proposing the idea of a confident female figure, the designer reworks casual clothing through the technique of Japanese MasterCut.
LOOK into the future competition
Following each brand in the production phase of the runway, the Ukrainian Fashion Week organization highlights the fact of giving Ukrainian designers a voice. These occasions are a way to celebrate the tradition of the fashion industry by exporting it to other countries, given the impossibility of organizing an event in Ukraine. The tradition of Ukrainian Fashion Week dates back twenty-five years.
On the other side among the shows proposed as part of the Neo.Fashion, an event dedicated to the promotion of young talents, there are six Ukrainian brands that share a collective runway. The winners and participants of the LOOK into the future competition, held by the Ukrainian Fashion Week, presented their collection through a unique platform.
Berlin 202030 Fashion summit focusing on commitment
A part of Berlin Fashion Week, and now in its fourth edition, is 202030 – The Berlin Fashion Summit took place in the Colosseum space Theater in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg. This year’s focus on Fashion for Positive Impact: Regenerative Transformation features more than fifty speakers.
A mix of an exhibition with selected projects related to the theme and a series of talks on specific topics. Among the issues addressed is the interdependence between humans and the planet. «Under the subject of regenerative transformation the summit’s participants explore how fashion can build bridges between the biosphere, technosphere, and metasphere».
During the dedicated days issues are approached with the implementation of concrete responses through the testimonies of active projects in the field. Specific topics debated include regenerative textiles and restoring biodiversity, but also digitization and the virtual side of fashion. Central to the ideas proposed is the creation of sustainable economies capable of promoting healthy ecosystems to be developed in their entirety.
Fashion Council Germany
It was founded in 2015 in Berlin under the industry experts’ request and advice. It has since then promoted the national fashion designers and brand succeeding in supporting the emerging realities. In addition to promotion and networking, FCG focuses its action on Education, Sustainability and Fashion Technology.
