July 3, 2025, a day that was all about the growth of the fashion with many university shows, found his emotional climax in the Best Graduate Show with a solemn neo.fashion. Award Award, in the Atrium Tower on Potsdamer Platz.
If the award show is imminent, it is noticeable. It is a mixture of excitement and anticipation that crackles. In the backstage, the models are dressed and the final preparations are made until it finally starts. Moderator Hadnet Tesfai opens the show and skilfully guides our audience through the evening, repeatedly combining the creative voices with the audience: inside. And many have gathered: national and international industry guests, media representatives: inside, university representatives: inside, friends, family, sponsors, supporters and industry members from the textile and fashion industry. Everyone wants to see the best of the best: the 16 most outstanding graduates show their theses inside of 12 German universities.
Multi -stage selection process and five categories on the pulse of the time
To be a best graduate at Neo.Fashion. The students have to prove themselves several times. First of all, the graduates apply: internally at their universities, some of whom create their own juries for the selection. The universities then send their best young designers: inside and also nominate a smaller selection for the next round towards Award. The top-class experts: Innen jury of the Neo.Fashion. Then, by a pre -selection, defines one nominated representative: in each university, which must prove itself personally in a next step. The nominees in Elevator-Pitches provide insights into inspiration, development processes and concepts behind the collections.
This is far from a two-eye principle, Neo.Fashion. consciously sets different perspectives. Anyone who has managed to successfully oppose that concentrated professional competence is so often one of the very best of the best from all over Germany. For this year’s Best Graduate Award Show of the Neo.Fashion. have 16 talents against a high three -digit number of Germany -wide graduates: on the inside to present their work on the runway and to win in the different categories in the last step.
As part of the Best Graduate Award show, the Neo.Fashion. Awards in the categories best design, best craftsmanship, best sustainability concept, best global design and for the first time awarded best digital fashion design. With the introduction of the fifth category, supplemented by a curated digital fashion exhibition, is the Neo.Fashion. at the pulse of time and takes into account the digital transformation of the industry.
This requires an expert: inside. For the evaluation procedure of these categories already described, there are two separate experts: interior juries, each of which evaluates digital and analogous areas-so the students benefit twice from expertise and visibility.
Digital jury:
Anja Demuth (Clo), Kerry Murphy (The Fabricant | CEO & founder), Verena Brune (Zalando Juxtamode), Laura Buechner (Promptlab | Stoodio.ai), Keke Opata (3D Akademie Stuttgart), Franziska Englberger (NEO.FAHION. Head of Digital fashion)
Analog jury:
Claudine Duvivier (Founder and Ceo, Tandem), Mauro Grimaldi (Strategic Advisor to the CEO, Richemont F&A Dept.), Anastasios Voulgaris (Creative Director, Burda), Sebastian Warschow (Chief Communications Officer, Haebmau AG), Stéphane Moun (CMO & Brand Strategist, Juxtamode)
A unique moment: nominated on the catwalk
After the work in the Best Graduate Show was presented live on screens and the runway, and the audience was able to convince themselves of the great quality and creativity, the time had come. All nominated stood on the catwalk.
Digital nominated:
Sara Makalic (HTW Berlin) | Pia Ulrich (HTW Berlin) | Flora Schwöppe (AMD Hamburg)
Physically nominated:
Antonia Dannenberg (Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences) | Melanie Parzenczewski (HTW Berlin) | Alwine Yu (FH Bielefeld) | Lisa Bassot (HS Reutlingen) | Lea Wallkötter (Haw Hamburg) | Azura Barber (Macromedia) | Jilian Stein (Macromedia) | Lennart Bohle (HS Pforzheim) | Jon Liesenfeld (AMD) | Gongxu Sun (HFK Bremen) | Laurin Schuler (KH Weißensee) | Wiebke Lendewig (KH Giebichenstein Halle) | Sanam Neda Khesraw (Hannover University of Applied Sciences)
The winners: inside and their award -winning work
The award ceremony began with the honor of the best digital fashion design, a price that was made possible in connection with a digital exhibition by CLO. There was a Clo3D license to win, and a Fabricant Ai Tool license, both for one year.
- Best digital fashion design: Flora Schwöppe (AMD Hamburg) with “cheerful”
Praises the jury for its technically sophisticated and conceptually appropriate integration of digital tools, “cheerfully” researches the contrast between childlike lightness and adult responsibility through the combination of physical and digital fashion.
But also for the remaining four categories, the respective laudators have found the winner: words on the inside. For example, Juror Mauro Grimaldi emphasized the incredible hard work and effort of the winner of the Best Craftsmanship Melanie Parzewski (HTW Berlin) category, which invested incredible 8 months in the manufacture by hand in just one of her clothes.
All winners: Inside the main categories, Pfaff’s professional sewing machines can look forward to, as well as individual mentoring and coaching packages in Neo.Fashion. Network to pave the way to success.
- Best design: Wiebke Lendewig (Giebichenstein Castle Kunsthochschule Halle)
- Best Sustainability Concept: Azura Barber (Macromedia University of Applied Sciences)
- Best Global Concept: Jon Liesenfeld (AMD Academy Mode & Design)
- Best Craftsmanship: Melanie Parzenczewski (HTW Berlin)
The Jury Category Spontaneously created the Jury category due to the extraordinary quality of the submitted work in order to honor holistic thinking and foresight in the collections, especially that of Jon Liesenfeld.
Special prices, the enthusiastic and surprised
But with this surprise it shouldn’t stay: the Neo.Fashion. Award show was rich at other highlights. The main sponsor Potsdamer Platz gave this special price, which includes a comprehensive package of mentoring, access to locations, professional shooting and branding in the network, as well as prize money of € 500.
- Special price Potsdamer Platz: Laurin Schuler (Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee)
And when you thought it couldn’t get better, there was another big surprise: announced by a video message, Lennart Bohle won an exclusive trip to Australia – to the German Week in Brisbane to present his collection in front of an international audience. Another milestone for an international network for the benefit of the graduation.
- Special price Brisbane German Week Showcase: Lennart Bohle (Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences)
An unforgettable conclusion – an evening that remains
The award show ended with applause, tears, conversations and hugs – directly on the catwalk. A picture of the proximity and celebration that made this evening unforgettable and shows how Neo.Fashion. connected. A moment of joy when we would also like to have the great sponsors of Berlin participated.
We thank everyone for their impressive work, our juries for their time and expertise and our moderator Hadnet Tesfai for their authentic and emphatic accompaniment by the evening, the audience. As well as all supporters: inside and partners, the same vision of neo.fashion. Share: to give young talents a stage and to shape the future of fashion.