The fashion industry descends on the German capital this week, as designers show their autumn/winter collections for 2017/2018 at Berlin Fashion Week. Retailers will be seeking out the latest trends.
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All dressed up: a look at Berlin Fashion Week
The fashion industry descends on Berlin this week, as designers show their autumn/winter collections.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M. Skolim
German designers in the spotlight
While Berlin Fashion Week has become a semi-annual tradition, it's not yet on par with the Big Four. "Vogue" Germany's editor-in-chief Christiane Arp is OK with that, saying she'd like to focus on promoting the talented designers Germany has at home. This week's schedule reflects that, with a majority of labels showing in Berlin coming from around the country.
Image: Picture-Alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
New venues
After spending several seasons in the shadow of the Brandenburg Gate, the runway events on the official Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week schedule have moved. The autumn/winter 2017 collection showings are now held in Berlin's bustling Mitte neighborhood at the empty department store, Kaufhaus Jandorf. It's the former home of the GDR's "Haus der Mode," which has recently been reopened for events.
Among the big-name designers on the official Berlin Fashion Week schedule is Holy Ghost, a label launched in 2010. Started by two friends with Yugoslav roots, Sedina Halilovic and Jelena Hofmann, the label is based in Munich but shows in Berlin twice yearly, including here at the AW2017 shows taking place in Kaufhaus Jandorf. Holy Ghosts sells their upmarket womenswear in 12 countries.
Image: Reuters/H. Hanschke
Lena Hoschek
Inspired in her designs by the shape of the dirndl, traditional womenswear in Germany, designer Lena Hoschek appeared to be flouting the all-black aesthetic that's become something of a trademark in Berlin with a bubblegum, balloon-filled show on Tuesday.
Image: Picture-Alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
Dare to bare: womenswear
Designers, like many artists in Europe, may be feeling creative pangs due to the unstable political climate, but that isn't showing up in their work. Here, Hoschek appears to be counteracting the doom and gloom with a springy gown that looks a bit bare for the autumn/winter weather.
Image: Picture-Alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
Beautiful in burgundy
Danny Reinke's show at the me Collectors Room also veered away from the signature black-and-white, featuring styles in maroon, burgundy and pale pink. Reinke, a lecturer at the Fahmoda Academy for Fashion and Design in Hannover, is the recipient of the 2011 Golden Charlie innovation prize in the category "Gala and Festive Fashion" and the 2014 European Fashion Award.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S. Stache
'Fun-feminine twist'
This fondness for color also showed up in the Malaikaraiss show at the Berliner Mode Salon on Tuesday. Berlin-based designer Malaika Raissis is behind the label which, according to the Berlin Fashion Week website, offers "sophisticated yet casual women's wear with a fun-feminine twist."
Image: Picture-alliance/dpa/M. Skolimowska
Return to norms
With her monochromatic styling, Esther Perbandt presented a return to the much-loved all-black look at her show at the Volksbühne on Tuesday evening. Perbandt, who was born and raised in Berlin, has also lived in Moscow and Paris, where she completed a master's degree in fashion and textile design and did postgraduate work at the Institut Francais de la Mode.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/S. Stache
Ready to move
The Sportalm runway show on Wednesday was a high-energy affair, with models showing off the latest sporting fashions. The Tyrol company, which focuses on traditional costumes, activewear and ski outfits, is based in Kitzbühel, Austria, and led by creative director Ulli Ehrlich.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M. Skolim
On or off the slopes
Sportalm took the week's autumn/winter theme to heart. The show at the Kaufhaus Jandorf showcased the latest in ski apparel, perfect for hitting the slopes or simply strutting down the streets of Berlin (ski goggles optional).
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M. Skolim
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One of Germany's biggest fashion events of the year, Berlin Fashion Week, kicked off on Monday. Opening with the "Zeit" magazine conference at the Kronprinzenpalais on Monday, the week will see shows by local and international designers held at various locations around the city.
The official Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week schedule begins on Tuesday, with an opening show by German womenswear designer Dorothee Schumacher and other renowned designers like Anne Sofie Madsen of Denmark and locals Marcel Ostertag and Hien Le.
This year, organizers are trying something new by bringing the runway looks directly to the consumer, opening the doors of the Kaufhaus Jandorf and me Collectors Room to the public.
Also on this year's schedule are two trade fairs with their own runways. Sustainable fashion is on the agenda at the Green and Ethical Showroom. The Berliner Mode Salon, an initiative by "Vogue" magazine dedicated to presenting German fashion, is likewise planning a number of events, including the presentation of a new collection by newcomer Antonia Goy.