The Berlin Fashion Week once again became a stage for fashion that goes far beyond clothing. Across runways, performances and immersive installations, designers explored identity, memory, craftsmanship and sustainability through deeply personal narratives and innovative formats. From handcrafted textiles rooted in cultural heritage and circular design approaches to AI-driven performances and poetic couture, these presentations captured the creative diversity that defines Berlin’s fashion landscape. Discover some of the standout moments from the latest edition of Berlin Fashion Week.
FRUCHÉ
With its Berlin Fashion Week debut, Fruché celebrates individuality and showcases the rich diversity of Nigerian craftsmanship. With the ‘KLEG’ collection – named after a Nigerian slang term for bow legs, which is also used as a generalised synonym for perceived dysfunctionality – the slow fashion label challenges societal notions of perfection. Designer Frank Aghuno translates this concept into asymmetrical silhouettes that reflect the natural irregularities of the human body.
The central element is gingham, which evokes Nigerian school uniforms and a time when a sense of belonging depended less on outward appearance. The gingham pattern features in dresses, blouses and skirts and is complemented by hand-woven Aso Oke, intricate beadwork, hand-painted fabrics and a wooden-carved corset, all of which were created in collaboration with local craftspeople. Read more…
MALAIKARAISS
Following a brief hiatus, MALAIKARAISS celebrated its 15th anniversary at Berlin Fashion Week with the “Playground Love” collection – a tribute to youthful carefreeness and the brand’s own love of fashion. The focus was on the fascination with imperfection, which is transformed into beauty, as well as the creative ambition to reinvent oneself within a familiar framework.
The result is a collection that is playful in style, consistent in its colour palette and precise in its craftsmanship and choice of materials. A trip to Japan last spring shaped the jewellery designs, which translate historical motifs into handcrafted sterling silver and statement pearl jewellery. Sustainability is evident as a way of life: the collection is 99 per cent closed-loop manufactured, using, amongst other things, the brand’s own recycled materials in collaboration with textile artist Karlotta Bott. Read more…
ESTHER PERBANDT
Berlin-based fashion designer Esther Perbandt invites you to a live presentation of her new digital capsule collection at Fotografiska Berlin. The evening will feature BLACKHEARTS, an AI-generated short film created by the designer herself, brought into physical reality through a live performance by four dancers and selected pieces from the new collection. The performance will be accompanied by a live composition by renowned composer and musician Sven Helbig. Read more…
DAGGER
Dagger opened the Intervention series with his show, which is taking place at the Kronprinzenpalais this season. The Spring/Summer 2027 collection was both a nod to and a further development of the previous season. Thematically, the label remained true to its roots: the main motif was the sleepy coastal town in Ireland, the home of designer Luke Raine, as well as his youthful characters who draw inspiration from the wilderness.
Now, everything revolved around ‘firsts’: the first job, the first drink, the first cigarette, the first kiss and the first heartbreak. The collection told the story of late-night beach parties and the ensuing early-morning ‘walk of shame’, which here symbolised freedom rather than shame. The characters, it seemed, were confronted with the reality of growing up, which was also reflected in the looks, most clearly evident in the sashes bearing the phrases ‘Miss Understood 2027’ or ‘Miss Spent Youth 2027’. Read more…
“MUSEUM” + EBAY ARCHETYPES, curated by Shayne Oliver
From 4 to 5 July, P100 presents “MUSEUM” + EBAY ARCHETYPES, a project curated by Shayne Oliver, at the Schinkel Pavillon. The installation transforms Oliver’s personal archive into an immersive spatial installation that brings together archived garments and deadstock materials to explore fashion, memory and the cycle of life.
Spread across two floors, one level showcases “MUSEUM”, Oliver’s ongoing project within his collaborative practice. The other level is dedicated to “EBAY ARCHETYPES”, a new, evolving archive by Reference Studios featuring rotating curators, whose works are continued online.
PLAID-À-PORTER
With UNSEASONAL, Plaid-à-Porter presents a format that blends a runway show with a spatial installation: a couture collection created entirely from curated vintage textiles. The show explores the dissolution of traditional fashion seasons – as an artistic response to climate change and overproduction.
Interweaving music and performance, UNSEASONAL brings a complete reinterpretation of Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ to the stage, in which virtuoso violin passages meet spoken poetry. Read more…
MARIE LOUISE MÜLLER
The garden as a place of refuge: For her show debut at Berlin Fashion Week, Marie-Louise Müller presents “Escapist Garden,” a collection deeply rooted in childhood memories. Around 20 looks were created over roughly 2,500 hours of pure handwork – embroidery, crochet, and upcycling using exclusively natural fibers.
The color palette draws every shade directly from nature: from beige and cream to the green of grass and treetops to floral tones in pink and raspberry red. Four highlight pieces – including a dress adorned with 70,000 glass beads inspired by a weeping willow – transform the garden of childhood into wearable poetry. Read more…
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