Six fairs, 140 events in 4 days – one can’t see everything. I would like to have seen the show of the newcomer duo PerretSchaad – they are reputedly the new discovery of the Fashion Week, the Eco-Catwalk as well as the panel discussion on “Fashion Blogs – Hype or Future”. 

Peoples enthusiasm has waned. While the first day was near hysterical, by the final day the excitement has subsided considerably. The fairs have closed leaving three shows in my calendar.

First stop was the Frida Weyer show. The garments are, typically for young designers, as exchangeable as their PR blurb: “feminine eveningwear and cocktail dresses that lend elegance and glamour.” Naturally, many of these designers have a network of friends off whom they can live relatively comfortably. But that isn’t enough to gain national or even international attention and acclaim.

The following event was hotly anticipated. As in publishing, the book following a bestseller is the hardest to write. Michael Sontag set out to underscore his reputation as the shooting star of last season. As in the summer, he was allocated the location sponsored by the event organisers IMG and the Berlin Senate Department. The hair was done by André Märtens and makeup by Boris Entrup.

An answer to the call for beauty and dignity

Sontag did not disappoint – he is not a one-hit wonder. His trousers and dress-backs were lauded. I am deeply moved by his sensitive yet powerful signature. He answers the omnipresent broken, washed out and careless in present day fashion with elegance. The elegance is an answer to the call for beauty, dignity and old values. Sontag does not, like others, bow to the security of guaranteed sales, tradition and hot heritage. He offers a silent but powerful break, a generational change. Of course it is easier to trust the message of a Miuccia Prada. But does that make a fashion statement any more relevant? 

Sontag is very pleased. After seeing some of the first pictures he said: “It turned out the way I imagined.

The statement has become more defined and varied.”

A more sportive statement was made by Christopher Shannon from London and Joel Horwitz displayed a new elegance for the pop-dandy.

I skip a further show to reflect on Berlin Fashion Week. Authentic, individual labels are a great strength of Berlin Fashion Week. These include contemporary brands as on display at Seek, the presentation of young designers from Berlin at Premium in cooperation with Berlinomat, the show of c.neeon or the new runway HBC Couture: Designer Scouts. The segment curated by B&B-head Karl-Heinz Müller “L.O.C.K. – Labels of Common Kin” also deserves a special mention. The authentic styles are the great strength and the future of Berlin in the fashion world. 

The importance of the main fairs such as Bread&Butter and Premium are apparent in attracting the fashion industry. It solidifies the breakthrough Berlin has sought as a fashion capital. Buyers and exhibitors rank the Fashion Week as one of the most important dates in the calendar.

Interestingly, national media such as Der Spiegel were more sceptical of the event than international media such as CBS News. While in Germany the point of reference is Paris and comparisons are attempted, the two cannot be compared. Berlin has other strengths – the future of fashion is here. Companies and labels can present themselves more modern than they would dare to in Paris or Milan because the expectations are different. “You can’t find an event of this quality in New York or Tokio,” says B&B head Karl-Heinz Müller. 

Mainstream media too often concentrate on the events at the Bebelplatz. This results in a misrepresentation of fashion as a by-product of the entertainment industry, replete with stars and red carpets. As a result, our understanding of fashion lacks depth.

A big topic of discussion for me was the portrayal of the Fashion Week in the media. The main problem is that there are hardly voices that speak out openly and objectively.

According to most sources the Berlin Fashion Week was a great success. Visitors numbers were up and event organisers IMG made their first profit. The only disaster was the jeanswear Fair JAM – hardly any visitors resulting in appalled exhibitors.

Looking ahead, this summer Bread&Butter have announced the are expanding into sports- and kidswear and will host a “Boarding House” for young, creative labels. The motto “Bread & Butter – Premier League” is representative of the growing self-confidence of the event. See you there?

Published/Released

Young Germany, 23 Januara, 2010, with the heading “All good things come to an end“.