BFW | Berlin Fashion Week SS25: HIGHLIGHTS 2 / 7

GmbH

With their GmbH collection “Resistance Through Rituals,” Benjamin Alexander Huseby and Serhat Isik made their Berlin Contemporary debut on the terrace of Tempodrom as part of the Intervention Showcase by Reference Studio. Friends and models of the two designers showcased looks intended to symbolize strength and combat readiness. Tailored boxing-style jackets, patchwork tops, ultra-short shorts, asymmetrical dresses, and boots with extra wide shafts dominated the runway.

“Resistance Through Rituals” questions the resurgence of fascism and its societal impacts. Through its tailored and boxing-inspired designs, GmbH embodies the spirit of resistance and celebrates the heroes and heroines who dedicate their lives to the cause.

A highlight of the show was the collaboration with Axel Arigato, GmbH’s exclusive footwear partner. Together, they introduced a new sneaker collection in silver metallic, featuring elements of chainmail and armored metal. This reinterpretation of armor reflects GmbH’s ongoing exploration of resistance in their designs.

MARKE

Designer Mario Keine presented the collection of his label MARKE in collaboration with NEWEST and Museum & Location at the Kulturforum. The inspiration for “Zapfenstreich” came from the rural marksmen’s festivals with which the designer grew up in the Sauerland. Uniform jackets, trousers with pennants, and sashes represent his critique of traditions and groups that continue to exclude and discriminate against people today.

What inspired you for this collection?

Growing up in Sauerland and being an active member of a music club, I experienced many shooting festivals. At these events, members of the local shooting brotherhood shoot at a wooden bird, and the victor, along with their partner, is crowned and celebrated. These festivals, which often reject innovations under the guise of tradition, sparked a reflection on the exclusivity and lack of inclusivity in traditional customs.

What is particularly significant about this collection?

A distinctive feature is the blend of traditionally masculine forms with elements borrowed from queer culture. This combination is manifested in both the silhouette and through the use of materials and colors, critically engaging with conservative fashion norms.

What materials, colors, and silhouettes are central?

The collection challenges the status quo by reinterpreting typical elements of shooting festival attire and blending them with visual aspects of marginalized groups. Using vibrant plaids, jerseys and mélange fabrics in shades like turquoise-pink or black-red celebrates individuality. The materials are exclusively sourced from Italian overstock and deadstock fabrics, ensuring the collection’s sustainability.

playing with conventional and alternative approaches

The brand MARKE, acronymic for designer Mario Keine, was launched in 2021 and is driven by the mindset to understand the human spirit and personality as a free and dynamic construct. MARKE creates collections which give the character room to simultaneously explore differing shapes of aesthetic, celebrating hybridity, fluidity, and eclecticism as paramount roles.

In a rich canon of inspiration, drawn from the spheres of art and culture, influences of historic decades and folklore as well as future époches, the collections explore contexts of past and present by playing with conventional and alternative approaches. Historic and innovative manufacturing techniques are balancing out the possibilities in production of apparel, jewelry and accessories.

All apparel collections are sourced circular, exclusively produced in Germany and Poland.

Anonymous Club

Shayne Oliver concluded the first day of Berlin Fashion Week with his progressive “Anonymous Club Runway Show – Fantasia 2024: FREUDIAN GLITCH” at the packed Tempodrom. For the second time, the internationally acclaimed artist presented as part of the Intervention Showcase, captivating Berlin and an ultra-fashionable, young, international audience, including superstar Ye.

Oliver showcased deconstructed sportswear, jersey-inspired designs, flowing extra-wide layering silhouettes, and short egg-shaped looks with hoods and partial veiling—paired with ballerinas or boots. The arena-like staging contrasted gentle bird songs with intense, brutal sounds and, as always with Shayne Oliver, was more art performance than fashion show.

Idioms of art, performance & music

The innovation division of Shayne Oliver Group®, known as Anonymous Club, is the creative studio led by Shayne Oliver. Working in the idioms of art, performance, and music, fostering a space of unique and unparalleled expression. Anonymous Club serves as Oliver’s laboratory, a place where experimentation is encouraged, collaboration with fellow artists is fostered, and creative boundaries are transgressed.