Estethica, the trade fair for ethical fashion, is making a comeback at Berlin Fashion Week, which started today. After an eight-year hiatus, the program has been revived in partnership with Fashion Revolution Germany, offering What Lies Ahead, a group exhibition of six designers from Berlin and four from Ukraine who challenge the status quo. There will also be a mentoring and business support program and a much-needed springboard for Ukraine’s most innovative up-and-coming talent.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be reviving the mythical Estethica in Berlin as part of Berlin Fashion Week. Estethica is very important to me, always has been, and Berlin is what I believe can be the future of the sustainable fashion industry. Combining the two will be a purposeful riot of substance and style; the birth of a program dedicated to vision and goodness. I would like to thank the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises and all our local partners, especially Fashion Revolution Germany, for this opportunity and for this incredible spirit of collaboration,” commented designer and Fashion Revolution co-founder Orsola de Castro in a statement.
All creations revolve around a focus on sustainable practice, supported by sustainable London fashion consultancy The Right Project, to accelerate designers’ ideas around circular economy and innovation.
“The two-day exhibition and talks will highlight the importance of collaboration and shared responsibility during difficult times and show how the fashion industry can use its power to effect positive change,” the statement continues.
The Estethica program at Berlin Fashion Week on September 22 also includes a live upcycling lab with Berliner Stadtmission and Haus der Materialisierung to celebrate the craftsmanship, dedication and uncompromising ethos of a new generation of designers , for which sustainability is fundamental.
The selected designers are Dennis Chuene, Don Aretino, Fade Out Label, Melissa Minca, Tanja Bombach and Vladimir Karaleev from Berlin and Gunia Project, Hempful, Ksenia Schnaider and Xomehko from Ukraine.
The Estethica was launched at London Fashion Week in 2006 to create a vibrant space for innovative, responsible fashion. She is considered a pioneer in terms of sustainable presentation and thinking.