Berlin Fashion Week: Newcomer Marlon Ferry balances dark couture and technology

Marlon Ferry is set to make his official runway debut during Berlin Fashion Week today.

However, Fashion Week in the German capital is not new territory for the designer of the eponymous label, as he already showed his first creations there during the graduate show Neo.Fashion. Fashion United spoke to the 26-year-old in advance about his inspiration, influences and his craft.

Ferry has lived in Berlin since 2019 and also has his studio there. He is originally from southern Germany, where he completed his bachelor and master degrees in fashion design at Reutlingen University. Due to the pandemic, he completed his studies partly remotely from the capital, where he has been able to build up his network in recent years.

After his bachelor's degree, he moved to Amsterdam for an internship at Iris van Herpen. It was at the Dutch fashion house that he really immersed himself in the world of couture and learnt the craft, explained the young designer. However, he was also inspired by Van Herpen's experiments with digital fashion and combined these two components for himself during his master programme.

From student to young designer

He was able to present his creations at the Neo.Fashion show, where students from various universities show their collections during Berlin Fashion Week, and thus gain his first catwalk experience. After graduating last August, he then built up his own label step by step. The first milestone was his first own studio, which Ferry rented just a few weeks after completing his Master's degree and could just about afford together with his flat.

It was already clear to him at this point that he would concentrate fully on his own brand. As he currently receives no funding for his work, he uses his savings to keep himself and the brand going. This is not easy, especially when it comes to major investments such as his first own fashion show. He does not yet know what the next few months will bring for him.

Ferry researches the digital transformation

He explores everyday life and social developments in his collections.

Technological changes and the relationship between humans and technology play a significant role. His new collection, which Ferry will present in Berlin next Thursday, builds on his previous work but will be complemented by new dimensions – new materials and techniques.

Conceptually, the collections are also interconnected. While he highlighted the positive developments of digitalisation with artificial intelligence during his Master's studies, he now examines the darker side of the coin. Additionally, topics such as ongoing wars subconsciously influence him, becoming part of his creations.

Experimental couture studio

This evening in Berlin, he will present around eleven looks under the title 'Artifacts of uncertain Transformation'. Elements such as 3D printed sculptures and pleated fabrics will be used. He also likes to work with jersey and other stretch fabrics that "beautifully envelop" the human body and can be used for different characters.

The type of person that ends up in his designs doesn't matter to the designer, as he is more interested in the cover-up itself. In terms of colour, Ferry focuses particularly on black, but there will also be individual chrome colour accents. This creates a gloomy, almost apocalyptic mood.

Marlon Ferry also offers some of his previous creations in his own online shop, where he stocks small quantities of accessories such as sunglasses and necklaces. He produces larger and more elaborate pieces to order. In addition to his own online shop, the brand is already available with individual pieces at the Berlin vintage and designer store 'Home full of Clothes' and the Parisian concept store WAB.

For his futuristic, couture-orientated designs, he recently launched a new segment on his website that allows stylists to borrow his existing pieces for shoots, while customers can also purchase customised designs. One of his first customers was US DJ Matteo Milleri - aka Anyma - who wore one of the designer's creations on stage during a performance in Seoul. A project like this takes Ferry between two and three weeks, with him working more than twelve hours a day.

Marlon Ferry will present his new collection on Today, July 4 2024 at 7 pm CEST as part of Berlin Fashion Week.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.DE. Translation and edit from German into English by Veerle Versteeg.