About BFW

© Esther Perbandt SS24 / (c) Ferry Mohr

Berlin Fashion Week: The responsible movement of freedom, inclusion, and creativity.

Berlin stands for progressive (sub)cultural movements and trends that unite fashion, art, design as well as the club and music scene like no other metropolis. Berlin Fashion Week reflects these cross-connections and focuses on relevant topics such as sustainability, inclusion, innovation and talent promotion.

Founded in 2007, Berlin Fashion Week takes place twice a year and has established itself as a strong economic driver and constant source of inspiration. Each season, the BFW calendar represents the bold narrative of Berlin fashion and attracts an international, renowned audience consisting of press, buyers, industry experts and creatives with a mix of runway shows, presentations and interactive side events.

Berlin Fashion Week offers designers and organisers a platform and is characterised by the diversity and individuality of its independent supporters. Since its foundation, the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises has been actively involved and supports a variety of different formats of Berlin Fashion Week. Special attention is paid to the promotion of up-and-coming talent.

"The up-and-coming talents at Berlin Fashion Week embody an impressive level of innovation paired with outstanding craftsmanship. The fashion industry is an important factor for Berlin's creative spirit and economic strength. Designers find a dynamic and internationally recognised creative location here. We support their artistic development and offer them a stage so that their businesses can flourish and establish themselves in the long term. These young visionaries help to consolidate Berlin as a powerhouse of talent that stands for sustainable fashion in particular. Sustainability is our trademark. Here in Berlin, a bold fashion future is being created that has global appeal."

State Secretary Michael Biel, Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises

Berlin Fashion Week sees itself as a movement for creativity, sustainability and innovation and acts as a stage for self-realisation, freedom and inclusion. 

In its basic understanding, Berlin Fashion Week functions as a platform on which designers can freely develop not only their creative works, but also their individual convictions. This freedom extends beyond fashion and also includes personal aspects such as sexual orientation, religion and political views. A guiding principle is openness to all - regardless of background, belief or point of view. The values at the centre of this are freedom, tolerance and a firm "no" to any form of discrimination. Berlin Fashion Week therefore not only focuses on aesthetic innovation, but also on an inclusive space that celebrates and actively promotes diversity.

Berlin Fashion Week attaches great importance to acting responsibly and has already introduced various criteria and instruments to ensure that this is done transparently and by all those involved. Sustainability is a fundamental element of the concept competitions "Berlin Contemporary" and "Studio2Retail", and greenwashing checks have also been carried out regularly in recent seasons. These checks have shown that many of the presenting labels and organised events in Berlin already act responsibly and integrate sustainability as a central element of their work. The initiators and co-organisers are striving to act as sustainably as possible as quickly as possible. A concrete programme to achieve and measurably implement this goal is currently being developed and is expected to be implemented by 2025.

Berlin Fashion Week is sponsored by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises (SenWEB). Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH realises the location marketing on its behalf. The Fashion Council Germany (FCG), in cooperation with the agencies Press Factory GmbH (communication and media relations) and Uhura Digital (digital and SoMe marketing) - who are responsible for the overall coordination and organisation - are currently commissioned by Berlin Partner and responsible for the implementation.

In addition to individually organised shows, events, conferences and trade fairs, SenWEB also supports other formats and platforms. These form the cornerstone of Berlin Fashion Week, which is complemented by other events from Berlin's international creative scene and summarised in the official BFW calendar. SenWEB's financial support is always focussed on promoting talent and young talent. 

Berlin Fashion Week also co-operates with other partners. You can find an overview of BFW partners HERE (link to partner page). If you are interested in a partnership, please contact bfw@fashion-council-germany.org.

Berlin Fashion Week Concept Competition:

The competition initiated on behalf of SenWEB and the FCG consists of two categories: The talent promotion BERLIN CONTEMPORARY and the B2C concept STUDIO2RETAIL. The aim of both initiatives is to strengthen Berlin's international relevance as a fashion centre and to offer design talent and their collections a stage. 

BERLIN CONTEMPORARY: Powerhouse of Talents

The creative heart of the BFW programme is the BERLIN CONTEMPORARY competition, which selected for February season 18 established and up-and-coming labels that are convincing in terms of style, craftsmanship and concept with international commercial potential. They each received a prize money of €25,000 for the fashion shows. The jury, consisting of seven internationally experienced experts from the press, social media, sustainability and business development, evaluated the labels and their concepts based on design performance, marketability, media impact and the innovation factor. In addition to the prize money, the winners also received support in the areas of communication and show design as well as valuable network connections and sales and PR contacts.

The BERLIN CONTEMPORARY winners for Berlin Fashion Week in February 2024 were: Avenir, Dennis Chuene, Kitschy Couture, Lou de Bètoly, Lueder, Malaikaraiss, Marke, Namilia, Olivia Ballard, Rianna + Nina, Richert Beil, SF1OG, Sia Arnika and William Fan from Germany as well as the Ukrainian labels Bobkova, DZHUS, Glück Clothes and PLNGNS.

STUDIO2RETAIL: BFW for all fashion enthusiasts 

STUDIO2RETAIL is the B2C initiative of Berlin Fashion Week, which has set itself the goal of making fashion accessible to everyone. The STUDIO2RETAIL competition supports stationary retail, events and other designers from Germany in Berlin and thus brings the special vibe of BFW to the streets of the city - and this can best be understood when you meet the creative talents and designers who shape it. The competition will therefore recognise event concepts aimed at end consumers that focus on their key themes of sustainability, inclusion, education and community. The five most convincing received each a grant of €5,000 for the February season. Thanks to STUDIO2RETAIL, anyone can become part of Berlin Fashion Week, regardless of whether they work in the fashion industry - or are simply passionate about fashion. Access is provided by a network of studios, pop-ups and stores that open their doors during Berlin Fashion Week and offer specials, as well as an event calendar that lists all events that even fashion enthusiasts without a professional background can take part in. This also includes the concepts honoured in the competition. Further information can be found at studio2retail.berlin.

INTERVENTION
‘Intervention' is the new format developed and curated by the Berlin & Milan-based Communications Agency Reference Studios under the direction of Founder and CEO Mumi Haiati. Its mission is to create a novel platform for both national and international designers, seamlessly integrated into the official calendar of Berlin Fashion Week.

The essence of 'Intervention' unfolds through a meticulously curated series of runway shows and presentations, hosted within the confines of a former department store situated at the heart of Berlin-Neukölln – a genuine jewel within the city's post-modernist architectural landscape.

Embarking on the inauguration of Berlin Fashion Week on February 5th, the day showcased a new format, characterized by an intersection of innovative installations, retail-centric pop-ups, captivating showcases, and more. These elements breathed new life into the floors of the iconic space, creatined an immersive experience for attendees. Among the featured designers in the 'Intervention' lineup was the Shayne Oliver Group (Anonymous Club), back2back (Yolanda Zobel & Marcelo Alcaide) and Gerrit Jacob.

The ground floor underwent a metamorphosis, transformed into Shayne Oliver's 'MALL OF ANONYMOUS,' an art-centric pop-up concept that not only served as a spatial showcase for Anonymous Club but also introduced an array of additional brands and an eagerly anticipated iconic collective.

In essence, 'Intervention' epitomized a harmonious blend of international acclaim and the dynamic fashion landscape of Berlin, enveloped within the artistic cosmos of Reference Studios. Esteemed designers and emerging talents find themselves thrust into this curated context, forming an integral part of the official Berlin Fashion Week, in which global influence converges with the effervescent spirit of Berlin's creative scene.


NEWEST

NEWEST is a platform that supports designers in organising sophisticated, high-quality fashion shows and installations. The aim is to provide young, less experienced and financially limited designers in particular with all the necessary resources to stage their collections in the best possible way and generate content that meets international standards. This includes finding and preparing the location, an experienced production team, all the technology and a professional backstage infrastructure. This offer was primarily used by BERLIN CONTEMPORARY designers, but is also open to other labels who would like to apply for this opportunity. To the portfolio of NEWEST Shows.


Der Berlin Salon

The Berliner Salon is a group exhibition that showcases the best of German fashion and design in order to establish a new and confident understanding of the artistic and creative quality from Germany. The focus is on the claim that the selected creatives promote the sustainable development and production of their work. This claim is decisive for the participation of the design talents in the group exhibition, which is curated by Christiane Arp and organised by the nowadays agency. Impressions of the Berlin Salon.


Neo.Fashion

Neo.Fashion is a platform that enables young fashion designers to enter the professional fashion industry. Its core competences are the graduate shows from the majority of German fashion colleges and universities. The highlight is the Best Graduate Show, where the best collection from each university is presented and awards are presented in the following categories: Best Design, Best Sustainability Concept, Best Innovation. The jury is put together in cooperation with the FCG and consists of high-calibre experts from the fashion industry. 

The graduate format is complemented by curated shows by aspiring designers (newly founded companies), showrooms and guest contributions from international universities. 

Neo.Fashion always takes place during the summer edition of Berlin Fashion Week. All information can be found in the BFW calendar.


202030 Summit

202030 is Germany's most progressive platform for interdisciplinary discourse and networking between avant-garde creatives, pragmatic researchers and intelligent industry stakeholders. The aim of the conference is to bridge the gap between sustainable innovations and the fashion industry's need for pragmatic transformation guidelines. To this end, alliances for new value chains are forged and trends are set for a sustainable, regenerative future in the fashion sector. The 202030 Summit takes place every summer - in February 2024, the organisers will host a "pop-up format" of the conference. 


W.E4 Fashion

Berlin promotes solidarity and collaboration - and therefore also the joint project W.E4 Fashion. In January 2023, the four designers Rebekka Ruetz, Danny Reinke, Marcel Ostertag and Kilian Kerner joined forces to present a new concept for Berlin Fashion Week. Since then, they have shared the location and communication, complementing each other efficiently and forming a lighthouse example of collaboration in the creative scene. All information on past collections can be found in the Media Hub.

Berlin Fashion Week provides the framework for various runway shows, presentations and other events at different locations in the city.

Participants are responsible for organising their own events. The FCG and the BFW team are available to provide support. The initiatives are presented under "Other formats".

In order to register a fashion show or event in the official Berlin Fashion Week calendar, it is necessary to fill out a registration form during the registration phase. This form will be published on the BFW website (link). After the application has been checked, the acceptance or rejection will be sent by e-mail. If accepted, the fashion show, event or format will be included in the official Berlin Fashion Week calendar, published on the website and communicated via the Berlin Fashion Week channels. Even if registration for the BFW calendar is successful, the realisation of the event is the sole responsibility of the participants.

All registration information will be shared on the website, in the newsletter and on Instagram @berlinfashionwe.