SF1OG
Rosa Marga Dahl and Jacob Langemeyer from SF1OG presented their collection at the historic Umspannwerk in Berlin Reinickendorf. Inspired by the vibrancy of marketplaces, the repeated Berlin Contemporary winners invited their audience to celebrate craftsmanship, local products, and the moment of encounter with them. They showcased designs with marketplace references such as aprons integrated into pants and skirts, patchwork shirts made from antique kitchen linen, and plaid shopping bags on T-shirts, all to the live music of the rock band Golden Hours.
Looks featuring leggings, culottes, and layered tops represented the diverse everyday lives of people and were paired with mini backpacks and shopping bags, created in collaboration with Eastpak from recycled materials.
Golden Hours
“At SF1OG, we always build our collections from three material categories,” explains Jacob Langemeyer. “One-third new sustainable fabrics, one-third deadstock fabrics, and one-third antique recycled fabrics and textiles. For spring/summer, we sourced antique linen from the years 1800-1900 as well as a variety of old plaid men’s shirts that represent typical marketplace patterns. We enjoy playing with the merging of ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ silhouettes to offer a new perspective on ‘menswear.’”
He continues: “We deliberately put these terms in quotes because we believe that fashion should evolve towards a more inclusive approach, away from traditional labels. The collection included several marketplace-related details that allow garments to be transformed into bags. Further exciting texture contrasts, intricate knit pieces, and pockets integrated into various garments reinforced the lively and artistic spirit of the collection.”
The presentation of the SS25 collection was complemented by a live performance by the rock band Golden Hours. Their dark, tension-filled, and sometimes hypnotic rock ‘n’ roll sounds accompanied the models as they walked through the market aisles. The casting, curated by Casting Director Kyra Sophie Wilhelmseder, reflected the diversity and authenticity found in the bustling corridors of a market. The selection of models emphasized real, diverse characters and broke with the conventional norms of the fashion industry, showcasing a variety of body types, ages, and backgrounds.
“We enjoy blending ‘male’ and ‘female’ silhouettes to offer a new perspective on ‘menswear.’ We use quotes around these terms because we believe fashion should move toward a more inclusive approach – away from traditional labeling.”
Rosa Marga Dahl und Jacob Langemeyer, SF1OG
In addition to the artisanal looks of the collection, there were four exclusive backpack and bag models, made in collaboration with Eastpak from reused materials.
Credit: SF1OG, Boris Marberg
Kitschy Couture
Designer Abarna Kugathasan uses the fashion of her label Kitschy Couture to tell transcultural, very personal, and often socially critical stories—not without a stylistic wink here and there. Her debut show in February was surprisingly the most festive of Fashion Week. This season, the repeat Berlin Contemporary winner invited her guests to the Stadtbad Neukölln, where she celebrated a bride with her collection ‘Artificial Paradise’—a bride who, freshly married to herself, goes on a honeymoon and, amidst lotus blossoms and plastic palms, lingers on a giant swan in a Berlin pool, indulging in immigrant nostalgia.
In keeping with the setting, Abarna Kugathasan showcased deconstructed swimwear, lingerie-inspired dresses, bright harem pants, and kimonos made of lace and satin, accompanied by hand-sewn silk roses and dolphins on bags and made of rhinestones. The show concluded with a slim-tailored and mermaid skirt in bright turquoise—a celebration of the label’s positivity, inclusivity, and free spirit.
“We‘re sending greetings from our Artificial Paradise! After our bride got to marry herself at her splendidly sugary wedding, she is now heading off to her tropical honeymoon getaway. Newly married to herself, she has flown off and is enjoying an escape from reality. Drunk on love and immigrant nostalgia, her paradise lies in an artificial realm, where contrary cultures collided and fused into one.
Tropical heat, inflatable palm trees and foamy lotus flowers collaged into the sanctuary we long for. We were seeking shelter but transcended borders and artificially cured our homesickness. We built this fantasy because we couldn‘t bear to lose our homes. Come in and be swallowed by our immigrant nostalgia, indulge in collaged memories and gaze upon our sacred hybrid universe.”
Credit: Kitschy Couture, Boris Marberg
DZHUS
Less like a traditional fashion show and more like an art performance, Irina Dzhus’ presentation at the Kabbalah Center, set against a backdrop inspired by the Last Supper, was truly unique. Throughout the presentation of her collection “ANTICON,” the Berlin Contemporary winner was ever-present, reading texts written on the legs and arms of the models, dancing, and – in a manner characteristic of her and her brand – transforming her versatile and emotional designs live.
The Ukrainian designer transformed a look consisting of a white bandeau top and slim-cut trousers into a restructured halter dress in rainbow colors with paw appliqués. She also sculpted the brim of a floor-length coat into a halo-like face covering.
Every detail of your looks carries a profound message. What inspired you to create “ANTICON”?
The collection explores the “Utopia codes” created by humanity to achieve happiness, while also addressing sociocultural conformism and personal existential traumas. It delves into the correlation between the natural desire for self-discovery and the urge for homecoming. The collection also explores the essence of home, the spectrum of its meanings, and the determining factors, particularly from the perspective of migration and adaptation.
What stands out this season, from a fashion perspective?
We desaturate the rainbow and encode it in blank, quilted surfaces. Leaving the garments’ outer layer pure, we embellish pockets and lining with rhinestones and jewellery, commemorating my own experience of escaping the war through a tribute to the heartbreaking Holocaust stories. The labyrinth leitmotif is dedicated to the Sinai wanderers driven by a spirit of homecoming.
Multisegmented-star-shaped
Unexpectedly vibrant colors emerge in the rainbow gradient on the underside of the unisex looks. Why?
This ‘secret’ splash of pigments amidst the total white collection carries a life-asserting message, suggesting an insight as a route to home, joy, and therefore, fulfillment.
What are your favorite pieces?
While white sartorial trousers transform into an iridescent corset, questioning gender-focused tailoring, we incorporate wearability into homeware objects. A tablecloth set with serving appears to be a flat-cut cape, while the crockery functions as sartorial details. Finally, a multisegmented-star-shaped oversized necklace is rearranged into either an edgy hat or voluminous modular sleeves referring to the colour circle.
Did you work on a special collaboration this season?
As a brand with a Ukrainian soul, we consider it our duty to support our people with jobs in this challenging time. Thus, despite the label’s relocation to the EU since the beginning of the war, our collection was fully produced by Ukrainian craftswomen. The same priorities rule when it comes to collaborations, and most contributors of DZHUS’ collection have either have Ukrainian roots or work remotely from Kyiv.
Credit: DZHUS, Boris Marberg
Rebekka Ruétz
Rebekka Ruétz’s runway show took place in the Uber Eats Music Hall. The label stands for unconventional, extravagant creations and is known for an exciting mix of materials. With her sustainable slow fashion collections, the designer creates fashion for the modern Amazon and celebrates fashion contradictions.
rebekka ruétz takes up the imperative to make the fashion industry more sustainable and is committed to social responsibility and compliance with high quality and environmental standards.
Credit: Rebekka Ruétz, Andrew Thomas
Danny Reinke
Danny Reinke presented his SS25 collection at the Uber Eats Music Hall. The label loves craftsmanship and wants to preserve and promote it as a fashion label. “We produce all our garments by hand in Berlin – customized and on demand. Because our earth is precious. Our fashion is durable, high-quality and produced to the highest standards. Perfectionism – thought through down to the smallest detail.
“We pay attention to high ecological standards, the working conditions in the production of the fabrics and short shipping routes in order to make production as environmentally friendly as possible. The majority of our collections are one-offs and are only produced on demand – because our planet is precious.”
Danny Reinke
Marcel Ostertag
Designer Marcel Ostertag’s runway show took place in the Uber Eats Music Hall. Marcel Ostertag is a doer and personifies his own brand with his name. He gets inspired by the fast paced & pulsating streets of Berlin where he settled down with his headquarter in 2016.
Here he unifies his love for traditional influences and his modern interpretations of it. Marcel learned the main part of his fashion expertise at the well known Central St. Martins College in London and refined his knowledge with diverse international collaborations and fashion shows.
When establishing his own label back in 2006, Marcel finally realized his main vision of having a sustainable production, high quality materials and fair production conditions which he stands with his name for. High quality due to perfect controlling, this is what you get & immediately feel while having a piece of Marcel Ostertag in your hand.
Credit: Marcel Ostertag, Andrew Thomas
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