Moving Forward – This was Berlin Fashion Week S/S 2026
Berlin Fashion Week was as international as never before. From June 30 to July 3, 2025 around 30.000 guests visited 36 shows at iconic places such as Palais am Funkturm, the decommissioned Flughafen Tempelhof, the legendary KitKat-Club and Schloss Charlottenburg to discover the highlights of the Spring/Summer 2026 collections.
A look at this season’s shows reveals once again that fashion is always a reflection of social developments and personal stories. Themes such as identity, transformation and responsibility characterised numerous collections – sometimes subtle, sometimes loud, sometimes radically rethought. The guiding theme of ‘The responsible movement of freedom, inclusion and creativity’ was interpreted and further developed individually.
Credit: FCG BFW Opening Dinner, Christiane Arp and Franziska Giffey by Jeremy Moeller
Franziska Giffey, Mayor and Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises:
„Freedom, diversity and creativity are at the core of our brand and among the defining values of our city – and they’re also the recipe for the success of Berlin Fashion Week. With established formats like ‘Berlin Contemporary,’ we’ve been actively supporting exceptional emerging talents for more than two years – talents who stand out with innovative and sustainable approaches, whether in their products, company culture, or presentation. This season, by opening up the format internationally, we’ve taken it to the next level: transforming Germany’s capital into a stage for the most promising talents from around the world, and at the same time reinforcing Berlin’s role as a leading platform for the fashion of the future.”
THE SHOWS
Berlin Fashion Week impressed with a compelling mix of established brands and emerging talent – including the 19 winners of the BERLIN CONTEMPORARY concept competition, supported by the Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises with €25,000 in funding each. For the first time, the competition was also open to international labels – a move that not only brought more diversity to the runway schedule, but also further established BFW as a global platform. As in previous seasons, the NEWEST showcase format from creative agency Nowadays ensured that many of the shows ran smoothly. Reference Studios presented the 4th edition of INTERVENTION with an ambitious international programme.
For more details on the shows, see here.
Credit: BUZIGAHILL, Edward Buchanan by Ines Bahr
THE PRESENTATIONS
The established group exhibition DER BERLINER SALON kicked off Berlin Fashion Week on Monday at noon. Held in the galleries of the Museum of Photography and the Helmut Newton Foundation, 52 talented emerging designers presented their looks – embedded within the museum’s current exhibition.
The newly launched presentation format RAUM.Berlin, initiated by the Fashion Council Germany and powered by eBay, took place in the iconic Kranzler X on Ku’damm. Over three days, a total of nine designers showcased their collections to both industry professionals and the public.
Christiane Arp, Chairwoman and Founding Member, Fashion Council Germany:
“Berlin Fashion Week is the stage for emerging talents. The various funding formats not only enhance the content diversity of the fashion week but also send a strong message about the sustainable support of young design talent.”
Credit: Der Berliner Salon, Paula Kunkel, by Rene Lohse, Courtesy Helmut Newton Foundation
Credit: LUEDER, @susiebubble, by Jeremy Moeller
THE GUESTS
With even more prominent guests and leading experts from the global fashion industry, Berlin Fashion Week once again underlined its growing international relevance. Among them were: Mark Holgate, Fashion Features Director Vogue US; Alexis Hoopes, Vice President Fashion eBay; Stavros Karelis, Founder and Buying Director Machine-A; Wilow Diallo, Financial Times HTSI; Jan-Michael Quammie, Elle USA, Grace Banks, Forbes, Sara Sozzani Maino, Fondazione Sozzani as well as Chloe King, Director of Fashion & Lifestyle at Saks Fifth Avenue & Neiman Marcus. Sara Sozzani Maino, Creative Director Fondazione Sozzani, Edward Buchanan, Design Consultant & Milano Fashion Director at Perfect, Top model Toni Garrn and and Nigerian-London-based designer Mowalola Ogunlesi also came to Berlin. Journalists from international media outlets such as Forbes, Fucking Young!, GQ, and Hypebeast reported live from the runway.
In addition, global content creators and key opinion leaders came to Berlin, including: Albert Ayal (@albertayal), Bloody Osiris (@bloodyosiris), Blake Abbie (@blakeabbie), Declan Chan (@declanchan), Diane Pernet (@asvof), Hanan Besovic (@ideservecouture), Izzy Spears (@iizzyspearss), Edem Dossou (@edemdl), Fai Khadra (@faikhadra), Kim Petras (@kimpetras), Kim Russell (@thekimbino), Kozue Akimoto (@akimoto_kozue), Michael Smith (@_smithstagram), Sita Abellan (@sitabellan), Stefano Pilati, Susanna Lau (@susiebubble) – all of whom played a key role in amplifying Berlin Fashion Week’s global visibility.
