It’s been a busy, busy weekend as temperatures in Berlin reached an all-time low at -10°C. Dredging through ice and snow, we still managed to attend some shows, speak with designers and see what new things are coming out of this burgeoning fashion week. Here are the standout moments that defined the season.
Apokalypsis: Ioannes at Louisensaele
The weekend kicked off strong with Ioannes’s internationally adored vision of the unapologetic LA girl. Widely announced as Johannes Cronau Boehl’s last runway show, at least in the traditional sense, it all had a bittersweet taste to it. Showing all that has characterized his label over the past six years, the womenswear designer sent out staple pieces but also incorporated a few new techniques.
Perfectly tailored powersuits, spiral dresses and tassel bags came alongside layered knit looks. While kept in the typically neutral color palette, there were some pops of soft pink, red, and yellow. Pulling from the archives, Cronau Boehl had pony- and mohair coats on the runway.
“They’re the only thing we took from the archives.”,
he explains, saying he never got the chance to properly show them during COVID.
Titled Apokalypsis, he refers to the original sense of the Greek word: unveiling. Reaching a revelation, rather than an end. He thinks especially about his creative practice and ways to scale Ioannes that reach beyond what the traditional industry system suggests. While he is self-referential, he also thinks of the 90s, his mother in Jil Sander suits and the Swiss actress Marthe Keller.
Saturday night at Château Royal in Central Berlin. Dinner and a Drink.
Unsurprisingly, the craziest party of Berlin Fashion Week came from the minds behind Ottolinger, partnering with Château Royal to bring a surreal hotel room bash to life. Washrooms became open bars. Ice-filled bathtubs became prosecco coolers. Drink in hand, guests floated through sitting rooms turned listening bars, bedrooms turned strip clubs, suites turned karaoke rooms, only to be caught in soon-to-be-forgotten, life-changing hallway conversations while wandering between experiences.
By the time the night was winding down, reasonable guests with exceptionally strong willpower had long left the premises. With the last liquor and prosecco bottles finished, bartenders started cleaning their stations and staff began closing off rooms. As make-shift girl groups started singing 2000s Beyoncé ballads, and incoherent mumblings were exchanged in the Château Royal hallways, we were falling hard for Ottolinger, who we believed, had just thrown the best bash in recent history.
Château Royal after dark: Ottolinger turned a hotel into the craziest party of Berlin Fashion Week.
Bedrooms turned strip clubs, just as Ottolinger's surreal hotel room bash promised.
Sitting rooms became listening bars, the crowd closing in on the music.
Drink in hand, guests floated from one Château Royal room to the next.
Shades on, indoors, horizontal: the kind of night only Ottolinger throws.
Straight from the bottle, long before the last liquor and prosecco ran dry.
Ice-filled bathtubs became prosecco coolers, and some guests stayed close to the source.
As the night wound down, only the most committed guests remained.
Arms up for what we believed was the best bash in recent history.
Friends caught between experiences, drinks still full, at Ottolinger x Château Royal.
Dancing through the surreal suites as Ottolinger's bash hit full swing.
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The Owl: MARKE at Die Macherei
Mario Keine’s MARKE AW 2026 collection is titled “The Owl”, after a quote from the preface of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right: “The Owl of Minerva takes flight only as the dusk begins to fall”. Keine explains: “Minerva represents the knowledge of the world, and isn’t taking flight until the end of day.” Always political in his work, he connects this to the steps he sees the world currently taking toward a repetition of those disastrous mistakes leading up to World War II.
“But I am never a fan of shoving those issues into the audiences’ faces — to make someone reflect you have to trigger them on an emotional level.”
Uniform elements referencing the emergence of classical menswear during the industrial revolution are contrasted with motifs of late Rococo decadence. Wool suits and coats are accessorized with tulle overlays, veils, and dried flowers. A sober and restrained colour palette of grey, black, and eggshell dominates, interrupted by subtle hints of merlot and petrol.
With “The Owl” Mario Keine has shown a collection that feels classic and yet fresh. Flattering proportions show his understanding of the body and the fabric draped upon it. His pieces feel self-assured amid the confusion and disruption of our day and age, a great collection this Berlin Fashion Week.
Grey wool, cut long: MARKE's 'The Owl' draws on the uniforms of classical menswear born in the industrial revolution.
Hooded and draped in grey, a softer take on Mario Keine's uniform references.
Keine's overcoat proportions show his understanding of the body and the fabric draped upon it.
Trailing sashes bring a note of late Rococo decadence to Keine's sober tailoring.
Gathered trousers lend softness to the season's grey restraint.
A uniform-like jacket over shorts: Keine plays with the codes of classical menswear.
Waistcoat and trouser, the bones of classical menswear that Keine sets against Rococo excess.
Eggshell and grey: the sober, restrained palette at the heart of 'The Owl'.
One of the subtle hints of merlot interrupting MARKE's grey, black and eggshell.
Ornate gold buttons: the Rococo decadence Keine contrasts with uniform restraint.
The gilded vest returns over a skirt, Rococo detail on a menswear base.
Petrol, the season's other accent, worked into a coat and cap with uniform precision.
A long, severe line in black, self-assured amid the confusion and disruption of our day and age.
A wrapped jacket and wide trouser in black: 'The Owl' feels classic and yet fresh.
A white boutonniere, one of the floral touches Keine uses to accessorise his tailoring.
Voluminous trousers loosen a disciplined grey blazer, the push and pull of 'The Owl'.
Hegel's Owl of Minerva takes flight only as dusk falls; here, in a sweeping cape-like jacket.
Pared back to black knit: Keine prefers to move the audience emotionally rather than shove issues in their faces.
A floor-length coat carries the warning at the core of 'The Owl': history repeating its most disastrous mistakes.
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SF1OG at SAVVY Contemporary
If one thing is clear, it is that SF1OG has Indie Sleaze down to a science. Their AW26 collection began with an exploration of hiding—and who we are when there is no one watching. The brand touches on themes we are familiar with in their work: the present zeitgeist, personal memory, teenage vulnerability and nostalgia.
Designer Rosa Marga Dahl brings together early 00s paparazzi imagery (think: Lindsay Lohan, Amy Winehouse, Adam Sandler) and Victorian Mourning dress, they make a statement on our most vulnerable emotions codified through the clothes we put on and carried out to the world.
Repurposing antique linens, cashmere, leather, silk, sequins, velvet and shearling, the SF1OG team brings back the angsty, grungy teenagers of the 2000s. In that same spirit, SF1OG will make selected items available exclusively on Vinted, so keep an eye out...
Paparazzi-ready: SF1OG channels early 00s off-duty shots, bag in hand.
Peacoat and pale denim, Indie Sleaze down to a science.
A plain tee and dark midi: teenage vulnerability, worn simply.
Leather meets a ruffled blouse, the angsty 2000s teenager SF1OG brings back.
Shearling and shredded denim: the grungy teen of the 2000s, revived with repurposed materials.
Plaid on pattern, filed under personal memory and nostalgia.
Suede and dark trousers, styled like an early 00s celebrity dodging the lens.
A shearling collar for the who-we-are-when-no-one's-watching mood of AW26.
Victorian mourning dress, filtered through Rosa Marga Dahl's Indie Sleaze lens.
Long coat, statement bag: think Lindsay Lohan caught by the paparazzi.
Floral appliqué softens the black, vulnerable emotions codified through clothes.
An open jacket and light jeans: the off-duty uniform of the early 00s tabloid era.
Fur vest, ruffles and a purple bag, a maximalist dose of 2000s nostalgia.
Red shoes punctuate earthy layers, the present zeitgeist cutting through the nostalgia.
Shearling worn over bare skin, Dahl's play on exposure and hiding.
The blue bag returns under a brown overcoat, a recurring accent in Dahl's AW26.
Scarf wrapped high, the look of someone who would rather not be seen.
Camel and chunky knit: SF1OG's nostalgia at its most comforting.
A white stole over black, where mourning dress meets red-carpet glamour.
Grey hoodie, purple bag: the tabloid street snap that informed Dahl's AW26, recreated.
Layered and buttoned up, a study in hiding, where SF1OG's AW26 began.
Blazer over patterned jeans, the early 00s high-low formula SF1OG knows by heart.
Fur trim and a dark skirt: Victorian mourning by way of the noughties.
Sequins catch the light, among the repurposed materials in SF1OG's 2000s revival.
Olive outerwear and a bag slung on, everyday Indie Sleaze from SF1OG.
A zip jacket over a crisp white shirt: teenage uniform, grown up.
Satin, fur and a train: SF1OG's glamour, part red carpet, part mourning.
Faded denim and navy; in the same spirit, selected SF1OG items will be available exclusively on Vinted.
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Montà Launch at Rosegarden
Tucked away off Potsdamer Straße, right across from Andreas Murkudis, you will find Rosegarden, a cultural space led by creative entity Frontrose. Last Friday, they presented their newest project: Montà. Initially launched at Paris Men’s in January, the new footwear label takes inspiration from its Alpine roots, reimagining it for the modern, urban customer.
Montà is derived from the Alpine Piedmontése dialect and refers to the the annual ascent of cattle across mountain pastures. It conjures up romantic images of thinkers and artists finding respite, humility and space for new thoughts in the mountains. Their debut campaign draws on exactly this feeling, showing vast flower fields, crystalline lakes and horizons reminiscent of post card pictures. The dreamlike images profess a deep reverence for the mountain range and its, often forgotten, vulnerability.
The Haferl, a utilitarian Bavarian shoe that has been a staple amongst farmers, hunters and craftsmen of the mountains, served as inspiration. Designed by Romain Kremer, the former Head Menswear designer at Mugler and Camper’s first ever Creative Director, Montà brings honesty and functionality to the luxury space.
Montà's debut campaign trades the city for vast flower fields, the label's Alpine roots made urban.
At Rosegarden, Frontrose's space off Potsdamer Straße, Montà projected its mountain reverie.
A table set for Montà's Berlin presentation, hosted by Frontrose at Rosegarden.
Thinkers and artists finding respite in the mountains: the romance behind the name Montà.
Campaign imagery on the Rosegarden walls, a dreamlike reverence for the Alps and their often forgotten vulnerability.
Romain Kremer's Montà, seen through a dreamlike lens on the campaign's mountain pastures, reverent of the range's often forgotten vulnerability.
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GmbH
Always political, GmbH’s AW ‘26 is named ‘Doppelgänger’. Similarly to MARKE, their collection carries the warning of humanity repeating its most fatal mistakes. Showing as part of Reference Studio’s Intervention at Kraftwerk, they transport us back to the Berlin club and music scene of the early 1980s.
Designers Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik wanted to remember the beginnings of its brand, closley connected to Berlin’s music and club culture. This, in turn, led them to the experimental music movement of the 80s, DAF, Einstürzende Neubauten and Blixa Bargeld in particular.
Leather, faux fur and puffers brings back the memory of a seperated Berlin, full of Punkers and other subcultures shaping the city’s social landscape. Leather vests, oversized popped collars and emphasized waists echo the 80s. Flowing dress trousers are tucked into biker boots for convenience, swanky silk suits are paired with faux fur collars to avoid any suspicion of conservatism.
GmbH's AW26 collection 'Doppelgänger' revisits the Berlin club and music scene of the early 1980s. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Designers Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik looked back to the brand's beginnings in Berlin's music and club culture. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Faux fur brings back the memory of a separated Berlin, full of punks and other subcultures. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Leather jackets echo the 80s in GmbH's 'Doppelgänger'. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
The experimental music movement of the 80s, DAF and Einstürzende Neubauten in particular, informs Huseby and Isik's AW26. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Faux fur and puffers recall the Punkers and other subcultures shaping a separated Berlin's social landscape. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Emphasized waists echo the 80s in GmbH's AW26 'Doppelgänger'. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Flowing dress trousers feature in GmbH's AW26, shown at Kraftwerk. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Puffers sit alongside leather and faux fur in GmbH's memory of a separated Berlin. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Oversized popped collars echo the 80s in GmbH's AW26 collection. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Like MARKE, GmbH's collection carries a warning of humanity repeating its most fatal mistakes. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
GmbH showed as part of Reference Studios' Intervention at Kraftwerk during Berlin Fashion Week. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
GmbH's faux fur recalls a separated Berlin full of Punkers. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Remembering their brand's beginnings led Huseby and Isik to Blixa Bargeld in particular. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Faux fur features in 'Doppelgänger', GmbH's Kraftwerk show for AW26. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Flowing dress trousers are tucked into grey slouch boots for convenience. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Brown slouchy boots feature as GmbH transports us back to early-80s Berlin. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Huseby and Isik's 'Doppelgänger' echoes the 80s, shown at Kraftwerk during Berlin Fashion Week. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Emphasized waists and flowing dress trousers echo the 80s in GmbH's AW26. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Always political, GmbH named its AW26 collection 'Doppelgänger'. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Faux fur collars on swanky silk suits avoid any suspicion of conservatism. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
GmbH channels the Berlin club and music scene of the early 1980s in its AW26 'Doppelgänger'. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Pointed knee-high boots feature in GmbH's memory of a separated Berlin. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Always political, GmbH named its AW '26 collection 'Doppelgänger', warning of humanity repeating its most fatal mistakes. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
In 'Doppelgänger', faux fur recalls Berlin's Punkers. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
A crisp black shirt and fine chain necklace top billowing ivory trousers splashed with bold black roses, the flowing dress trousers of GmbH's 80s-minded 'Doppelgänger'. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Oversized popped collars and emphasized waists echo the 80s throughout the GmbH collection. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Faux fur collars avoid any suspicion of conservatism in GmbH's AW26 suiting. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Huseby and Isik wanted to remember their brand's beginnings in Berlin's club culture. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Swanky silk suits are paired with faux fur collars in 'Doppelgänger'. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Silk suits feature in GmbH's AW26, shown as part of Reference Studios' Intervention. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
Leather, faux fur and puffers bring back the memory of a separated Berlin full of Punkers. Intervention V by Reference Studios, Kraftwerk Berlin.
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Laura Gerte
Showing in an abandoned department store, Laura Gerte’s AW26 collection is a departure from the dark but romantic version of femininity she presented last season. This time, we see Gerte take a more forceful approach.
Steering clear of clichés, she dresses archetypal villainesses in a combination of all deadstock wool, jersey, leather, satin, and mesh, the materialities of which clash and yet compliment each other. Accentuated through texture, drape, and closure, her designs form slim, elongated silhouettes disrupted by unexpected volumes and cut-outs.
Gerte’s designs dress feminity with an edge, yet do not ever feel derivative. Her storytelling within the collections has been consistent since her debut, her design language developing with every showcase, yet stays true to the essence of her label.
Cut-outs disrupt a slim, elongated line, Laura Gerte's more forceful take on femininity.
Studs add bite, the forceful approach that marks a departure from last season's romance.
A lacquered skirt against a printed tee, materialities that clash and yet complement.
Hooded and graphic: Gerte's villainess goes off duty.
One shoulder bared: asymmetry keeps Gerte's silhouette unpredictable.
A fringed hem lets texture lead, one of the ways Gerte accentuates her designs.
Corsetry meets a slim trouser, closure used as a design tool.
Embellishment on black, Gerte's design language developing with every showcase.
A glossy bustier gives way to a sheer hem, contrasting textures in a single line.
Halter and sheer skirt: dark femininity, sharpened for AW26.
Barely there: Gerte plays with transparency without ever feeling derivative.
A long sheer skirt elongates, a cropped top interrupts, and drape does the work.
Red hair, black drape: a villainess archetype, never a cliché.
A single cut-out disrupts the column, the season's recurring interruption.
Asymmetry and transparency: storytelling consistent since Gerte's debut, with a sharper edge.
Beading on a black gown, villainess glamour in an abandoned department store.
A lace-trimmed slip, a reminder of the dark romance Gerte is moving beyond.
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PLATTE NEXT GEN
Opening at PLATTE this past weekend was the NEXT GEN exhibit, curated by photographer Sven Marquardt. Introducing the six winners of the biannual competition, concept store PLATTE invited press and other interested parties into their space.
PLATTE’s NEXT GEN format is a competition to highlight emerging design talent in Berlin and give them press and commercial opportunities, like selling on the PLATTE sales floor. One winner will also customize the store’s window display.
Jurors come from across all disciplines within the industry, spanning fashion journalists, buyers designers and more. This season, Archived Dreams founder Héctor Quintanilla was also part of the jury, rating based across five categories of Creative Relevance, Craftsmanship, Sustainability, Diversity and Commercial Potential. Choosing from a wide preselection of Berlin-based emerging designers, the six winners were Studio Zeina, Amike Studio, haseman.n, Alena Ebba, Timo Kurz and jewelry designer Asterisk.
For the next few weeks you can find them at the PLATTE Store, go around and take a look if you can!
The NEXT GEN opening at PLATTE, the biannual competition spotlighting Berlin's emerging designers.
Curated by photographer Sven Marquardt, NEXT GEN set its scene among raw scaffolding.
Emerging talent, judged on Creative Relevance, Craftsmanship, Sustainability, Diversity and Commercial Potential.
NEXT GEN gives emerging Berlin designers press and the chance to sell on PLATTE's sales floor.
Press and the industry came through; this season's jurors spanned fashion journalists, buyers and designers.
Beyond the exhibit, one winner also gets to customise PLATTE's window display.
Studio Zeina, Amike Studio, haseman.n, Alena Ebba, Timo Kurz and Asterisk took this season's NEXT GEN honours.
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Sia Arnika
The Danish designer and her eponymous label present an AW26 collection that is all about leaving the corporate world fully behind, at least for the two days those of us, who are employed, get. The show took place in an abandoned office, printer still going as if someone had forgotten to turn it off in their rush to get to their after-work plans after a busy week.
Mixing office appropriate attire in with revealing necklines and micro shorts, Sia Arnika tells the story of a Friday afternoon. Exhaustion, but also excitement for what lies ahead. Faux fur tails are clipped onto leather boots, trailing from dress hems and laid around the neck.
”I like to have fun with my designs, I want to make people feel good without being unapologetic.”
Leaning into sustainable pratice as much as possible, the designer sourced from two different deadstock suppliers and incorporated Tenzel in her collection.
The designer duo behind Richert Beil, Jale Richert and Michele Beil, paired up with CHEHUB to bring us a surreal dinner experience. Serving up a vegan sushi roll, followed by puffed corn chips with tomato filling, a hydrochloride shot for the entree and a porcelain egg stuffed with lace granny panties for dessert, they aimed to question fashion as a system and their creative practice within it.
Models dressed in their newest collection served guests, with others slowly walking around the rooms purely to present the clothes. Latex dresses, wool coats and alternative suggestions on classic suiting carried their signature subversions of traditional, national silhouettes through material and cut.
Titled LANDEI, a German term for someone perceived as unsophisticated and naïve, this presentation reclaimed the term. While uncomfortable and at times comical, they were touching on a very real industry issue. Are the traditional modes of making and presenting fashion viable for the small independent creative businesses in Berlin, or is this way of mimicking the big houses destined to run creators into either burnout or bankruptcy?
A white bib on a long black gown: Richert Beil subverting traditional, national silhouettes.
Models walked the dining rooms purely to present the clothes at LANDEI.
Wool coat, long skirt: an alternative suggestion on classic suiting.
LANDEI, a German term for someone perceived as unsophisticated and naïve, reclaimed.
Between courses, Jale Richert and Michele Beil questioned fashion as a system.
Latex in brown: material doing the subverting, Richert Beil's signature.
Sheer and bare, for a dinner that was at times uncomfortable, at times comical.
A strapless dress for a presentation asking whether mimicking the big houses is viable.
Dessert was a porcelain egg stuffed with lace granny panties, the final course of Richert Beil's surreal Berlin Fashion Week dinner.
Models doubled as waiters, setting down the porcelain egg dessert.
A ruffled front on black: traditional dress codes twisted through material and cut.
With CHEHUB, Richert Beil turned a dinner into a presentation.
Sheer lace, an echo of the lace that turned up in dessert.
Tailoring past the tables: are traditional modes of presenting fashion viable for Berlin's independents?
Bib, shirt and shorts: classic suiting reconsidered, Richert Beil style.
Burnout or bankruptcy? The question hanging over the LANDEI dining room.
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