{"id":68595,"date":"2018-07-20T10:25:55","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T10:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=68595"},"modified":"2018-08-09T09:29:52","modified_gmt":"2018-08-09T09:29:52","slug":"berlin-fashion-week-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/berlin-fashion-week-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"Wird die Berlin Fashion Week endlich ein Erfolg oder ist das alles nur ein Instagram-Hype?"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[81,10897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fashion","category-opinion"],"acf":{"main_category":10897,"legacy":false,"subtitle":"This season's Berlin Fashion Week was the city\u2019s most vehement attempt yet to be taken seriously as a fashion capital. But did it pay off?","hero":{"video":false,"image":false,"header_color":"black","overlay_color":"","overlay_text_color":"black"},"teasers":{"video":false,"image":false,"width":"6","proportion":"default"},"related_articles":[68587],"next_article":[68587],"content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":false,"settings":{"fit_width":"10","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

For many years Berlin Fashion Week was so distinctly unfashionable and overtly commercial (in all the wrong ways) that any mention of the event still elicits an eye roll from a large number of the city\u2019s undeniably stylish populace. Launched in 2007 by IMG, BFW was recently subject to a facelift by the Fashion Council Germany (founded in 2015) in an effort to put the German capital on the international fashion map \u2014 a position that has, as yet, eluded it. Berlin Fashion Week\u2019s SS19 edition earlier this month, however, was different to past iterations: it felt like the city\u2019s most vehement attempt yet to be taken seriously, marking some milestones in the event\u2019s history, including the participation of a few seriously legit brands, as well as appearances by Wiz Khalifa and Virgil Abloh. But, what did all the bells, whistles and big names equate to for the designers showing, for the crowds attending and for the German fashion industry\u2019s reputation generally? And what signals did it give off in terms of where BFW wants to place itself on an already vastly overcrowded fashion schedule?<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most notable moments of BFW SS19 was the <\/span>return of Hugo Boss<\/span><\/a> \u2014 one of Germany\u2019s most commercially successful fashion brands \u2014 who quit BFW three years ago only to re-embrace it this season with open arms. Then, there was the securing of LVMH-nominated Antwerp brand BOTTER, who opened the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week programme equipped with <\/span>inflatable dolphins.<\/span><\/a> The about-turn in this year\u2019s BFW approach even convinced German Margiela protege Lutz Huelle to hold his first ever show on home soil \u2014 he normally presents in Paris but served lit-er-al looks from his last two seasons at a special show held in Berghain\u2019s hallowed halls. All of this aside, there was one vital ingredient missing from BFW\u2019s recipe for success, something that lies at the very heart of Berlin\u2019s inability to secure \u201cfashion capital\u201d status: the city\u2019s most innovative and established brands, from GmbH and Ottolinger to 032C, Nhu Duong and Dumitrascu, who choose, season after season, not to show here.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"instagram","code":"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bk5etCABlgJ\/","settings":{"width":"6"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

\u201cYou have to ask yourself, what is a fashion week for?\u201d GmbH\u2019s Serhat Isik tells SLEEK of BFW\u2019s obvious attempt to drum up hype this season. \u201cFor GmbH, it is to reach international buyers and press, most of whom are unable to come to Berlin in an already gruelling schedule.\u201d It\u2019s steadfast reasoning, and echoes the sentiments of Ottolinger\u2019s Cosima Gadient and Christa B\u00f6sch when quoted in <\/span>Business of Fashion<\/span><\/a> earlier this year. \u201cIt is very important for us to show our collections during Paris Fashion Week,\u201d they said, \u201cbecause the whole industry is present there these days, and some of those people might not come to Berlin.\u201d And, it seems those key players, so vital for that smidge of financial security that keeps struggling Berlin brands afloat, are still not making an appearance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, this Berlin Fashion Week appears to have been hellbent on attracting Berlin\u2019s younger fashion circuit of Instagram trendies and Highsnobiety sneakerheads, as Virgil Abloh\u2019s closing-party DJ set at 808 proves case-in-point. Meanwhile, Hugo Boss dropping an undoubtedly obscene wad of cash on Wiz Khalifa\u2019s fleeting performance (shy of 10 minutes, we\u2019re sure) was a sure-fire attempt to gain a glimmer of street-cred from the hype beasts they hoped would be flocking to buy their streetwear-inspired SS19 collection.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"instagram","code":"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bk46SwJBbU4\/","settings":{"width":"6"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

That\u2019s not to say that the 20-something fashion target is necessarily a bad thing, however, and there are still a string of impressive Berlin-based brands who seemed keen to show to this audience of future buyers, as well as their regular steadfast fans. \u201cIt is of great importance for me to offer my loyal German client base a show that abducts them into a new world,\u201d says German-Chinese designer William Fan, who regularly showcases his finely tailored garments at BFW as part of the \u201cBerliner Salon\u201d \u2014 a hand-picked curation of rising design talents by Vogue Germany editor-in-chief, Christiane Arp. Fan\u2019s collections are produced in Hong Kong, but he proudly stages his studio as well as his shows in the country where the vast majority of his clients reside. \u201cTo follow an anti-cyclical and local direction builds the foundation of the brand and being located here allows me to get to know my client\u2019s needs,\u201d he tells us. \u201cIt means I can understand them better and see things from their perspective, which is very inspiring.\u201d Fan does agree that having showrooms in other countries is beneficial commercially, but he is hopeful that by remaining in Berlin \u2014 in spite of the increasing global awareness surrounding his chic ready-to-wear offerings \u2014 that he will help bolster international interest in the city and its creative scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

Laos-born, Berlin-raised designer Hien Le, who is usually an esteemed mainstay of Berlin Fashion Week but didn\u2019t show this season for \u201cpersonal reasons\u201d, shares Fan\u2019s viewpoint. \u201cI\u2019ve been showing in a Paris showroom since forever,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause I think no matter where you are based, if you want to sell you have to have a showroom or do another fair somewhere besides your own city \u2014 especially if your city is Berlin. But, I am so happy and really thankful that we have a German fashion week; I think it is a good opportunity for us German designers and Berliners to show.\u201d As such, Le laments the fact that many of Germany\u2019s biggest designers don\u2019t present their collections here, or that many of those who did at one stage no longer do. \u201cIt\u2019s sad for the fashion scene in Berlin; I felt like there was something missing this season,\u201d he says, \u201ceven though it\u2019s great that Boss came back to their roots and that Lutz (Huelle), who has a big international reputation, also showed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"instagram","code":"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BlND3e3HqjE\/","settings":{"width":"6"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

Isik of GmbH disgrees. \u201cAny hype for BFW will not help designers in Berlin trying to build a business,\u201d he says. \u201cAntwerp does not do a fashion week, but has produced some of the world\u2019s most influential designers. Forget about a local fashion week, but support local talent, and help them reach an international audience abroad.\u201d It\u2019s certainly true that there are more direct and effective ways to help German designers to succeed than by attempting to conform to the traditional, and increasingly problematic, fashion week structure, but as J\u00f6rg Ehrlich and Otto Dr\u00f6gsler, the designers and founders of <\/span>Austrian-German <\/span>luxury <\/span>brand <\/span>ODEEH point out, BFW does have strengths it can play to. \u201cThe good thing we always forget about Berlin Fashion Week is that it\u2019s at the beginning of the season,\u201d the duo, who continue to present their collections during BFW, expands. \u201cParis, Milan, New York are pretty much at the end, and are still very much stuck in a general schedule that has changed dramatically. Retailers are spending their budgets earlier \u2014 in June and July \u2014 and this \u2018early approach\u2019 could theoretically make Berlin more relevant in terms of the basic decisions buyers have to make. Berlin should probably exploit this special advantage more significantly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lutz Huelle, speaking to SLEEK<\/a> before his Berghain show, appeared to share the same opinion \u2014 that, during this time of considerable upheaval to the fashion week structure, now is the time for Berlin to position itself according to its strengths. \u201cI think it\u2019s actually an amazing moment for Berlin right now \u2014 and also for fashion in general; everything is so open, anything seems possible. Berlin is such an amazing place \u2014 it just needs openness, enthusiasm and passion to succeed and the city has that in spades. So here we go!” BOTTER\u2019s Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh feel equally optimistic, telling SLEEK, \u201c<\/span>We love the <\/span>fact everybody is supporting each other and lifting the fashion week up. Being a small part of that makes us feel really honoured!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"instagram","code":"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BkzjUAuFBPh\/","settings":{"width":"6"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

Although this optimism might be a little premature, perhaps there is a case to be made for BFW capitalising on this sense of community and the unique spirit of the city. Berlin is a radical city \u2014 one that <\/span>promotes an alternative lifestyle and boasts dynamic artistic communities, and one that<\/span> prides itself on its everyday rebels and revolutionaries, not least in a fashion context. This is a city where it’s cooler to be dressed in eclectic second-hand finds than top-to-toe designer labels, and the German capital\u2019s fashion week should in some way reflect that. <\/span>Why should Berlin try to emulate long-established fixtures in Paris, Milan, New York and London, if it has never sought to emulate them in any other way? <\/span><\/p>\n

By dismissing the fashion <\/span>cognoscenti<\/span><\/i> and focussing on the fashion-forward public instead, BFW has the potential to subvert the traditional fashion week structure, and carve out a space for itself all of its own. <\/span>Although the absence of <\/span>buyers and international fashion press proves BFW a non-viable option for up-and-coming brands without the means (financial or time-wise) to invest in it solely, what the most recent edition showed is that there is room for an alternative model that demonstrates a more democratic approach to fashion. It\u2019s something that Germany already excels in \u2014 bearing the success of fashion e-commerce behemoth, Zalando, in mind, whose impressive, consumer-driven model has made it one of Europe\u2019s most profitable online retailers, and it seems BFW has taken a leaf from this book. By drumming up excitement for potential consumers, and stirring demand from the ground-up, rather than copycatting its prestigious counterparts, BFW is leaving any delusions of grandeur at the door, seizing its democratic potential and engineering a fashion week befitting of a city that has never played by the rules.<\/span><\/p>\n"}],"hero_title":""},"yoast_head":"\nIs Berlin Fashion Week finally going places or is it all just Instagram hype? Is Berlin Fashion Week finally going places or is it all just Instagram hype?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/berlin-fashion-week-opinion\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is Berlin Fashion Week finally going places or is it all just Instagram hype? 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