Berlin Fashion Week: Focus on promotion and internationality

From July 2 to 5, fashion will once again be spread throughout Berlin and far beyond. The German capital is increasingly using its Fashion Week as a curated ecosystem of promotion, experimentation and international exchange, rather than simply showcasing a diversity of locations. This is evident in the inclusion of guests such as Buzigahill from Uganda, Orange Culture from Nigeria and the London-based label Lueder. They are part of this summer's programme alongside established Berlin names from GmbH to Esther Perbandt.

Kick-off for Berlin fashion week

Thursday's first shows include William Fan and Andrej Gronau, both winners of the Berlin Contemporary funding programme. In the evening, the tenth edition of Neo.Fashion will deliver a double bill. First, graduates from international fashion schools such as the University of Art and Design Linz, the FHNW Academy of Art and Design in Basel and the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design will present their final collections. This will be followed by the Berlin premiere of Fashion Art Toronto, Canada's leading platform for fashion and art. As part of the “Toronto to Berlin” collaboration, it will bring a selection of up-and-coming Canadian designers to the stage.

Also on Thursday, Berlin Curated will launch the second edition of its development programme for emerging talent. At the Feuerle Collection, 13 designers from all over Germany will present their collections to a professional audience. The programme is curated by Christiane Arp, former Vogue editor-in-chief and current chairwoman of the Fashion Council Germany, alongside Josepha Rodríguez and Sonja Hodzode. The format, funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, supports the talents for twelve months. New this season is a dedicated publication, the annual magazine Kura.

Berlin contemporary as common thread

Anyone looking for a recurring theme over these four days will find it in the Berlin Contemporary funding programme, which runs throughout the entire schedule. At the Internationale Congress Centrum Berlin (ICC Berlin), the Newest format brings together a quartet of its winners. Marke, Orange Culture, Unvain and Buzigahill will show their collections there throughout the day on Friday.

Other sponsored designers are spread across the remaining days. These include Laura Gerte; Milk of Lime; SF1OG; Clara Colette Miramon; Fruché; Selva Huygens; Barragán; and Haderlump Atelier Berlin, which will present its show in the historic salons of the Hotel Adlon Kempinski. The Intervention format by Berlin-based PR agency Reference Studios, which has brought Anonymous Club, Mowalola and David Koma to Berlin in past seasons, will once again feature Berlin Contemporary names on Sunday. There, GmbH, John Lawrence Sullivan, under the name “by Arashi Yanagawa”, and Dagger will share the stage with Martin Quad.

From pharmacy to skate hall

On Friday evening, Richert Beil will also open its first store on Muskauer Straße. Under the name Apotheke, founders Jale Richert and Michele Beil are hosting a happening with live model activations. The centrepiece is the “10 Commandments” campaign, where visitors can bid their own price on ten handmade one-of-a-kind pieces by the duo. The store will then open to the general public on Saturday. That same evening, a ship will dock at the other end of the city.

On board the MS Heimatland, moored at the Hošek Contemporary art gallery, “Ljubljana Fashion Week: On Board Berlin” will present a selection of contemporary Slovenian labels. These include Ghost Town, Lan Krebs and Nika Ravnik. The event is organised by the Slovenian Cultural Centre Berlin, the Centre for Creativity Ljubljana and the LJFW Institute.

Established city houses are also taking part. They are asserting themselves with their own formats, such as Marina Hoermanseder, who is presenting her collection along with an aftershow party, and Kilian Kerner, who is staging his “Burning Symphonie” show in the Skatehalle Berlin. In addition, the Berliner Salon, curated by Arp and Marcus Kurz, will present around 35 national and international designers and their work in the Orangerie Charlottenburg. On Saturday evening, Esther Perbandt will also be hosting her “Blackhearts” presentation at the Fotografiska art museum.

Running parallel to the professional programme from June 29 to July 5 is the public format Studio2Retail. This opens up the fashion week's pop-ups, stores and events to a wider audience. Winners of the accompanying concept competition include Ioannes, Richert Beil, Lou de Bètoly, Esther Perbandt, Plaid-à-Porter, Colrs, Maqu, as well as Milk of Lime and Vladimir Karaleev.

Berlin Fashion Week SS27 runs from Thursday, July 2, to Sunday, July 5, 2026. The official calendar lists more than 25 shows as well as numerous other presentations, graduate shows and side events throughout the city.