IS BERLIN THE NEW SUSTAINABLE FASHION HUB?
By: Hillary LeBlanc
Fashion Week has always been about innovation, pushing boundaries and changing the narrative of the fashion landscape. Over the years we have seen laws and parameters shape the way audiences experience fashion. Whether policing size and encouraging healthy model weights or increasing diversity in race, plus-sized or disabled models, Fashion Weeks have come a long way from what they used to be. In recent years, much excitement has been built up around Berlin Fashion Week as designs and street fashion coming from this location have been avant-garde, interesting and even exciting. A paramount shift in narrative for Berlin Fashion Week has been ensuring the sustainability of brands that participate.
The Fashion Council of Germany is responsible for the coordination of Berlin Fashion Week’s schedule. They have committed to Sustainability Requirements to promote sustainability measures in the fashion industry in the Nordic and German markets. This implementation is supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises and realised by the Fashion Council of Germany in cooperation with Studio MM04, pushing Berlin Fashion Week into becoming a transparent and responsible fashion platform. Brands participating in the fashion week answer 100 questions, regarding the sustainability requirements. The survey will be filled out by each brand.
This past season’s successful designers who showcased not only brought sustainability but also brought high level fashion. Berlin Fashion Week shares the works of 41 designers who all met the sustainability criteria.
rebekka ruétz is focused on progressive fashion, combining avant-garde silhouettes with a minimalist vocabulary, bold material contrasts and a precise sense of presentation. Her aesthetic is ‘minimalist meets expressive details’ with sustainability and quality as founding principles. The new collection is described as a journey toward a wild and free self. The colors of feature raven black, peat brown, soft gold and shimmering silver. The brand used organic cotton and organic denim for the foundation of the collection while also using coffee leather and vegan leather stands for responsibility and awareness.
Kasia Kucharska drives contemporary innovation through historical references. The brand is reinventing traditional craftsmanship while using technology-orientated manufacturing techniques They are pushing the boundaries of fashion using latex as a yarn-like material to create netting, layering over mesh and see-through materials to create a desired effect and even making latex handbags.
Kilian Kerner has been designing since 2003 and founded his label “Kilian Kerner” in summer 2004. Since 2021, the designer's label has been called “Kilian Kerner Berlin”. He has worked with celebrities such as Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, Rita Ora, Gwen Stefani, Halle Bailey, Kylie Minogue, Paris Hilton and more. His brand has a conscious approach to people and the environment, and a commitment to sustainable solutions. The recent show, with it’s grandiose hair, exaggerated shoulders and velvet materials is a 1970’s dream wardrobe.
Avant–garde brand Ottolinger is the brainchild of Swiss Designers Christa Boesch and Cosima Gadient which showed for the first time this past Berlin Fashion Week. The pair met at the Basel School of Design and launched the brand in 2015. Classic styles are manipulated, splashed with bleach, dipped in rubber, and reconstructed into unconventional forms to create nonconformist garments.
IOANNES, a brand founded in 2019 by Johannes Boehl fuses romance and grunge. Titled “Better Grow Thorns Than Thicker Skin,” IOANNES’ latest collection used mesh, fine Supima cotton, and vegetable-dyed ruffles mixed with sharp tailoring, raw hems, and outerwear. The colour featured soft neutrals like sand, beige, and pale blush pink with darker, moody hues like ganache brown and deep olive. The brand juxtaposes couture hand-me-downs and casual sportswear to craft their image of a woman moved by daily life through sustainable means.
The accountability for fully sustainable fashion weeks in certain parts of Europe begs the question if bigger events like New York Fashion Week or Paris Fashion Week will ever become fully sustainable. More fully sustainable off-site shows have been getting attention from media, influencers and fashion enthusiasts.
Flying Solo, a NYC store has been hosting fashion shows and community events for years. They often prioritize sustainable designers at their shows, which may indicate that Berlin Fashion Week may be be ahead of the curve.
Cover Image Source: Berlin Fashion Week