The Designers Shaping Berlin’s Fashion Scene

Opening the week, hot girl Sia Arnika staged her Fall 2025 show, "Harbour Bitch," in a nondescript industrial space set against white foam and salty seaweed, evoking the fish auctions of her native Danish isle, Mors. The collection takes its name from an infamous local fish plant worker — "a little scary, sexy and unhinged" like a modern-day Carmen.

Girls with side-swept emo bangs stormed the runway in fisherman plaid bloomers and neoprene wetsuit hoodies. Arnika ingeniously layered fishnets over cotton jersey, creating a wet-look illusion. Elsewhere, dresses in electric hues were architecturally sculpted with boning, mimicking the shape of fishing lures. Footwear designer Philipp Kern crafted bulbous interpretations of the ubiquitous workwear clog, now equipped with sharply hooked heels.

The nautical inspiration clashed with Arnika's signature mix of subcultural codes and idiosyncratic American pop culture references, a result of her childhood spent glued to MTV. Arnika reimagined the plain polo in ways that were anything but conventional: spliced and draped into strapless mini dresses, stretched into knitted yoga pants, and layered with collaged graphics.

The show followed her impressive Spring 2025 collection, which marked a turning point. Whereas she previously leaned into deconstructed eveningwear, last year she pivoted toward a sexier take on workwear, and it paid off. She’s since gained significant traction, dressing Charli XCX, Rosalía and Christina Aguilera, while also designing KHY’s holiday capsule in collaboration with Kylie Jenner. Once, her biggest aspiration was to stage a show in Paris. Now, she’s proving that being a bigger fish in a smaller pond has its own rewards.

Similarly, Marie Lüder is carving out a deliberate presence at Berlin Fashion Week. The designer graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2018 and has been based in London ever since. Last year, she joined the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN incubator, securing a spot on the official London Fashion Week schedule. Yet, Berlin keeps pulling her back. “Compared to London’s speed, the energy here is healing,” she says. Her brand, LUEDER, is rooted in empowerment, merging medieval pageantry with streetwear to create what she calls “mental armor”: garments designed to strengthen and protect the wearer.

Staying true to the current zeitgeist, her Fall 2025 collection titled "The Shell," painted an angsty, layered portrait of isolation and defiance. She turned to Ludwig II — the Bavarian king whose obsessive pursuit of beauty and camp led to his downfall. Lüder was particularly fascinated by how fashionable women in the 1800s dressed to match their drawing rooms, blending into their surroundings as if using luxury itself as a form of refuge. She likened this to the restless angst of teenagers pacing the halls of their ancestral homes, suffocated under parental watch.

All this pent-up energy culminated in a pack of models channeling a primal, hooligan-esque presence — storming the runway in graphic tees emblazoned with an ironic "Men are so BACK" and "LUEDER," a pointed reclamation of her last name, often misspelled as "Luder" (German slang for “cow” or “bitch”). The show was a battle cry: a fusion of history, rebellion and the raw vulnerability of feeling trapped, whether in a gilded palace or a teenage bedroom.

One of the standout shows of the week was Lou de Bètoly. The French designer studied couture techniques in Paris, cutting her teeth in the ateliers of Jean Paul Gaultier. Life eventually led her to Berlin, where she’s making a name for herself by transforming vintage, deadstock and found materials into intricate couture numbers.

To call it upcycling wouldn’t do it justice. De Bètoly sets herself apart with an instinctive approach to sourcing and an exacting execution that strikes a poetic balance between featherlight delicacy and molten opulence. Her aesthetic leans toward the old-world decadence of 1930s Weimar: “a time of poetic surrealism — and when clothes were made to last.”

This season, she sent fluid eruptions of intricately hand-pleated silk, that were once nightgowns, down the runway, alongside antique lace with delicately decomposing edges, reborn as a series of bridal looks. Both were deft reimaginings of a bygone era.

Over the phone, De Bètoly describes the collection’s mood as “fucked-up bourgeois—everything’s a bit too short and a little distorted.” Berlin’s industrial edge and creative director Tim Heyduck’s underground leanings ground it firmly in the now. Reflective bike lights were worked into shimmering halter tops and skirts, while heavy-looking bustiers turned out to be constructed from metallic, fringed belts.

The collection’s commitment to artisanal craftsmanship stood out amidst the week’s broader penchant for rave-ready wear and city-slick tailoring. Artist and nightlife icon Ivana Vladislava summed it up best: “I have nothing but deep love and respect for Lou. She is one of those rare, sparkling pearls hidden in the grey shells of Berlin.”

Andrej Gronau seemed intent on healing each showgoer’s inner child. His collection tapped into the innate sense of wonder we have as children — when we’re instinctively drawn to bold colors and rich textures — before adulthood nudges us toward a uniform of sleek black, grey, beige or, for the especially daring, greige.

One of the strongest newcomers of the week, he staged his first-ever runway show at the landmark Bauhaus Kant-Garagen as part of Intervention. Against the bubbly percussion of a thumping, nursery rhyme-style track, he sent out a playful parade of pussy-bow knits, horned beanies, cropped tailoring and metallic foiled leather jackets with star-shaped cutouts.

His seasonal inspiration? Tchotchkes — those seemingly worthless trinkets we attach deep sentimental value. Who doesn’t have a drawer filled with holiday souvenirs, thrift market finds and inexplicably precious keepsakes they just can’t part with? Gronau challenges us to look beyond constructed value and rediscover our innate sense of wonder. The German-born Central Saint Martins graduate’s polished take on youthfulness has already earned him a niche but devoted following in South Korea and landed his work at SSENSE and H. Lorenzo in North America.

GmbH, a longtime fixture on the Paris runways, is deepening its roots at home by showing in Berlin. Their second hometown outing saw them return to their essence, delivering an emotional message of “finding solace in beauty” that left many guests, including Vogue’s Mark Holgate, in tears.

The show notes referenced Norwegian modernist poet Gunvor Hofmo, who lost her queer Jewish lover to the horrors of World War II. Thematically, the collection explored the existence of parallel worlds, with designers Serhat Işık and Benjamin Huseby asking: “How come we see the same things, and yet we do not perceive them the same?”

Familiar GmbH signatures were reinterpreted: sensuous off-shoulder coats, thigh-high vegan leather boots, workwear half-zips and fitted knits boldly declaring: “Refuse to trade with the enemy.” A collection of mourning, the palette was predominantly black, punctuated by shades of grey and oxblood red. Models walked the runway draped in gauze veils, rosaries in hand.

We’ve come to expect bold political statements from the duo, who prefaced their Fall 2024 show with a heartfelt call for peace in Gaza and cast pro-Palestine activists in their Spring 2025 runway show. In contrast, this collection took a quietly monumental approach. Reflecting on resilience in the face of adversity, they turned to their fathers — first-generation immigrants who upheld dignity, grace and elegance upon arriving in Germany by always looking their best. "It's about finding one’s own worth when society looks down on you."

Other homegrown names that made an impact included Richert Beil’s Jale Richert and Michele Beil, who staged their collection in a derelict bunker packed with an energetic crowd. Their theme? A fatigued society, embodied through the figure of the overburdened, underappreciated mother. Meanwhile, SF1OG explored indie sleaze, capturing everything from the classic rocker’s uniform (leather skinnies included) to the aughts-era ubiquity of shutter shades.

Without the presence of a slew of tentpole brands with lasting global influence, cynics might argue that Berlin Fashion Week risks fading into irrelevance as its most promising talents either bow out (it’s tough out there!) or eventually gravitate toward one of the big four fashion weeks. But let’s hope the city proves them wrong by tapping into its eclectic scene and continuing to attract and nurture designers drawn to its raw energy and promise of freedom.

There’s a well of untapped potential for the Fashion Council Germany’s efforts in supporting new talent. The city counts several interesting names that make for exciting potential additions to the Berlin Fashion Week schedule.

One example is Selva Huygens, the designer behind the futuristic yet ethereal "dress" that Lady Gaga wore to The Chromatica Ball tour movie premiere — a look intricately sculpted from car parts. Her brand champions sustainability and has a brutalist design language. Meanwhile, Madomorpho’s Emma Postma and Saga Peterson have created several viral shoe sensations, worn by the likes of Doja Cat, Lily McMenamy and Emma Chamberlain. Just three collections in, the brand has already built a striking visual universe, attracting star photographer Elizaveta Porodina to shoot their latest campaign. Imagine 032c staging one of their runway spectacles in their magazine’s HQ.

Anonymous Club’s Shayne Oliver set up shop in Berlin in 2023, making waves with bold shows and exhibitions. Though absent from this February’s Berlin Fashion Week schedule, his connection to the city feels natural, and many feel hopeful he’ll return this summer, joining Ottolinger (known for itts swampy, gorp-y sex appeal) who is set to stage a happening during the June calendar.

It’s no secret that fashion’s upper echelons are not immune to Berlin’s magnetic pull. Who could forget Bottega Veneta’s Salon 02 presentation in the hallowed halls of Berghain, or the uproar over its lockdown-era afterparty? Then there was Anthony Vaccarello’s razor-sharp Spring 2024 menswear collection, unveiled at the Neue Nationalgalerie. And, of course, Demna, whose raw deconstruction is heavily indebted to the city’s rebellious spirit. Hedi Slimane channelled Berlin’s electro scene during his early Dior Homme years, while Raf Simons, Yohji Yamamoto and Rick Owens have all drawn from its brooding atmosphere and expressive subcultures.

It’s precisely this creative potential that Mumi Haiati, founder of Reference Studios and host of Intervention, aims to harness. He teases the presence of an internationally renowned guest designer who will show Berlin through their lens coming June. ‘’It’s about building bridges and celebrating diversity,’’ he says.

As Berlin Fashion Week continues to evolve, its gravitational pull on the industry grows stronger. With a deep well of subcultural influence and a new wave of designers pushing boundaries, the city remains a fertile ground for fashion’s most compelling narratives.

Photos courtesy of the brands