Berlin Fashion Week finds its identity and celebrates contemporary fashion, cultural diversity and creative variety in front of historical backdrops
From July 10 to 13, 2023, Berlin Fashion Week will present a high-quality program of fashion shows, presentations and exhibitions as well as innovative event formats and conferences in the city’s iconic locations, thereby shaping the fashion industry of the future.
Berlin Fashion Week July 2023: an extraordinary momentum for Berlin
The Berlin Fashion Week reflects Berlin as a place of creativity, but also for business and exchange. The fashion industry has established itself as an important economic factor and job engine – in direct value creation and as an essential part of the creative economy. The creative ecosystem with its globally unique subcultures has an impact on all other industries. The Berlin Fashion Week sees itself as a movement for creativity, freedom and inclusion, based on the principle of creativity and cohesion. These values will move into the international spotlight from July 10th to 13th, 2023, when Berlin once again becomes the creative showcase of the world.
Berlin: subcultures, movements, trends
Like no other metropolis, Berlin stands for progressive (sub)cultural movements and trends. Fashion is part of it, just like art, design and the worldwide unique club and music scene. The developments here are rapid and mutually influence the city, the people and the economy. The Berlin Fashion Week depicts these transformations and cross-connections, focuses on relevant topics such as sustainability, inclusion and innovation as well as the promotion of talent and stimulates dialogue about them. The physical coming together of designers, press, buyers and creatives is essential for an industry that thrives on exchange, inspiration and visibility.
Forward-looking: promoting talent as part of Berlin Contemporary
Also this season, the Fashion Council Germany carried out the Berlin Contemporary concept competition on behalf of the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Business. From 77 applications, an expert jury selected a total of 18 concepts by Berlin and national designers, who will show their collections as part of Berlin Fashion Week. The established labels ODEEH, Esther Perbandt, RIANNA + NINA and William Fan as well as the up-and-coming designers Acceptance Letter Studio, Fassbender, Haderlump Atelier Berlin, LML Studio, Milk of Lime, Namilia, Olivia Ballard, Richert Beil and Sia Arnika will be there , SF1OG and the Ukrainian labels Bobkova, Litkovska, DZHUS and PODYH.
Franziska Giffey, Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, explains: “Berlin Fashion Week is our showcase for the up-and-coming Berlin fashion and textile industry. Fashion “Made in Berlin” is fresh, bold and forward-looking – and with almost 4,800 companies and 25,500 employees a growing economic factor. We want to consciously develop the Berlin Fashion Week into a stage for the creative craftsmanship of the most visionary designers from our city and around the world, thereby setting international trends. I am particularly pleased that we can show Ukrainian talents and their collections in Berlin again. For us and the organizers of the Berlin Fashion Week, this is a matter close to the heart and lived solidarity.
Old meets new: contemporary fashion against a historical backdrop
The Berlin Salon returns from Charlottenburg to the Kronprinzenpalais. The collective exhibition presents 44 talents from design and fashion in order to establish a new understanding of the artistic and creative demands of fashion, photography and design. In addition to the official kick-off event, the concept includes a multi-day program that is put together from various salon events in order to present a curated selection of the most relevant creative talents and brands in Germany.
In July, the showcase platform newEST is presenting fashion shows by selected Berlin Contemporary winners for the second time. It will be shown for the first time as part of an official partnership in the premises of the National Museums in Berlin. In addition to the Kronprinzenpalais, the fashion shows take place in various satellite locations, including the Old National Gallery and the James Simon Gallery. The collaboration highlights the special synergy of architecture, art and fashion in Berlin and offers a new look at the iconic urban cultural institutions in dialogue with the contemporary fashion industry.
The time is now: Together for the future
As early as January 2023, the designers Rebekka Ruetz, Danny Reinke, Marcel Ostertag and Kilian Kerner joined forces to join forces to create a new concept for the Fashion Week. Also in the July season, the four designers will show their current collections under the common roof W.E4.FASHION DAY in the Verti Music Hall.
The Studio2Retail project carries the special atmosphere of the Fashion Week throughout the city. Fashion shows, events and pop-ups take place across Berlin and stores offer special promotions and discounts. The initiative is being implemented by the Fashion Council Germany eV on behalf of the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Business. In an official competition this season, the expert jury chose the concepts submitted by Lou de Bètoly, Gate 194, Melagance for Christian Wijnants, Natascha von Hirschhausen and Platte Berlin.
This time, the Neo.Fashion format will take place in the Alte Münze. Here, graduates of German and Ukrainian universities are given the opportunity to present their collections and themselves to the industry and to draw attention to themselves.
After its premiere in January, the BeyondFashionBerlin trade fair will take place again in the Atelier Gardens and addresses brands and buyers for whom sustainability is not a trend but an attitude. Transparency is the focus here: Exhibiting labels are classified into 5 categories based on their sustainable actions.
PREMIUM and SEEK back at the Berlin station
Progress means doing things differently. With its trend and event platform, the Premium Group presents a new concept for a progressive community. Summer is about (re)connection, real emotions and new perspectives. The flagship formats PREMIUM and SEEK are getting louder, more provocative, more personal and more efficient. For the first time, the events will take place over just two days, on July 11th and 12th, at Station Berlin. The PREMIUM portfolio includes brands such as Silk Laundry, Shaft Jeans, Peuterey, Kennel Schmenger Schuhmanufaktur and Les Tricots de Lea. The SEEK portfolio includes brands such as Armedangels, Veja, Sandqvist, Helinox and Edwin.
This season, too, Ukrainian labels will be exhibiting in their own PREMIUM exhibition areas. The curators of the young community and retail space Platte Berlin are also occupying an area. Platte Berlin stands for fair fashion and an open exchange with local communities, especially the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community.
There will also be various networking opportunities and an extensive content program on the most important trends from the areas of fashion, business, sustainability, tech and beauty in the Berlin station. The sustainability conference 202030 Summit will be on-site on a smaller scale with relevant information, impulses and learnings about the future of the fashion industry.
In cooperation with PREMIUM, the Yoonaverse conference will also take place in July, which will deal with all facets of digital transformation within the fashion industry and will be streamed to the Berlin Metaverse. Here guests can find out relevant content from renowned speakers and receive concrete impulses for their business.
