Memories, protection and strength: The highlights of Berlin Fashion Week

This edition of Berlin Fashion Week was marked by a sense of unease, but also a great deal of hope. While the world is characterised by crises and uncertainty, designers were looking back to a different era for the autumn/winter 2025 season, indulging, at least for a moment, in a sense of carefree harmony. Meanwhile, other brands are processing their own experiences, initiating a process of self-healing through darker collections. Here is an overview of the highs and lows.

From the rails to the racetrack

Haderlump transported its guests to an S-Bahn depot in Berlin’s Schöneweide district, where a station was constructed between the trains. The label told the individual stories of travelers who encounter each other and share even just a moment together. The collection also took a journey back in time to the mid-20th century, when classic looks with hats and tailcoats shaped the cityscape. Asymmetrical cuts, layering, and pieces of varying lengths and widths created new silhouettes. Meanwhile, details like a whistle on a silver chain combined with a vest alluded to the character of a train conductor.

Inspired by the racetrack and fast cars, Colrs brought a touch of summer and Italian ease to Berlin. The designer brought the “effortless cool factor” of former Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli and the self-confidence of 1950s race car drivers like Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio to the runway. Details from car racing, such as the checkered flag and a car logo, met casual suits and sweaters draped loosely over the shoulders. The concept was rounded off by Italian lettering like “Ciao Bella” and references to various Italian cities.

Maternal protection

Marie Lueder immersed her guests in a mythical world that connected with modernity through design. The Hamburg-born designer combined the garments of medieval characters and mythical creatures with contemporary sportswear and workwear. In the current collection, ‘The Shell’, she further explored 21st-century archetypes, such as the hooligan or the decadent romantic, according to the show notes. Knight’s hoods and jester’s shoes with curved toes met mesh tops, jerseys, and workwear. 19th-century tapestries and ornate curtains were also part of Lueder’s work, integrated into both the set design and the collection. Werewolves seemed to have found a special place, evoked through faux fur and styling elements like long, curved fingernails and “blood-smeared” teeth.

Clara Colette Miramon welcomed guests to St. Thomas Church in the Kreuzberg district on Sunday. Her collection, ‘Maria hat geholfen’ (Mary Has Helped), focused on the Virgin Mary and the strength, devotion, and resilience of a mother. Miramon reinterpreted her as a “cool goth mom”, clad in black velvet dresses and faux fur, which met puffer jackets, corsets, and a breastplate. The designer incorporated details like ornamentation from the church facade into the necklines of dresses. The collection’s colour palette focused primarily on black, complemented by occasional accents like burgundy.

Richert Beil was another to focus on maternal care, or rather the emotional and physical exhaustion that comes with it. In the Fichtebunker, a historical landamrk which was intended to provide shelter for mothers and their children during World War II, fading children’s voices and then the shriek of a baby were heard. Accompanying this was a dark collection characterised by a lot of black, latex, and leather looks. Cocooning seemed to play an important role. The models were partly enveloped by the garments, their heads also encased in close-fitting hoods and elongated silhouettes – like a shirt buttoned over the hair. Various layers reinforced this idea.

GmbH, showing in its hometown for the second time after many shows in Paris, drew inspiration from its own past for Fall/Winter 2025. The design duo Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik delved into the memories of past shows and the archives to find ideas from a time when the world seemed less threatening and more stable than it does now, according to the show notes. Elements and looks that may have been less central in previous collections were given a new platform.

The designers sought solace in the works of Norwegian poet Gunvor Hofmo, which are marked by loss, isolation, and melancholy. Yet, grace and elegance were also part of the AW25 collection, with Huseby and Isik drawing inspiration from their fathers dressed in suits. The collection played with the silhouette of the suit, sometimes exposing the shoulders and complementing it with details like faux fur. Elsewhere, outerwear pieces like wide coats and sporty bomber jackets played a big role. The brand combined fitted pieces like slim suit trousers with wider outerwear, creating diverse silhouettes. Suits stood out under light tulle overlays, creating an exciting interplay of materials.

Joyful debut of Andrej Gronau

Andrej Gronau similarly indulged in memories for his Berlin debut. For AW25, he explored kitsch, which reminds him of home, the designer explained after the show. He interpreted his grandmother’s wall decorations, the tinsel from last Christmas, and treasures from flea markets in a colourful collection where a wide colour palette, patterns like stripes, stars, and flowers, and materials collided. The playful collection experimented with layers, volume, and details like a large bow adorning cardigans and sweaters.