You can feel it when you hit the pavement in Berlin during fashion week. It’s not just the smell of strong espresso wafting out of cafés in Mitte, or the low thump of techno sneaking through the cracks of a Kreuzberg gallery window — it’s the people. They don’t just look cool. They are cool. And they dress like it. Berlin Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026 made one thing very clear: this city isn’t playing catch-up with Paris or Milan. It’s building something entirely different. Something raw, honest, and resonant. Cover image: courtesy of corresponding brands, Berlin Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026
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BERLIN FASHION WEEK SPRING/SUMMER 2026
Let’s start with street style—in Berlin, the best-dressed guests weren’t borrowing head-to-toe looks from PR pulls or orchestrating peacock moments for photographers. What they did instead? Dressing with intention – an art lost in other major fashion cities (or at least, has become less relevant). Think of secondhand ravewear, frayed vintage denim, sculptural accessories made by friends, tailoring with a twist, and shoes that have lived. Everything felt intensely personal – and so refreshing.
That mindset is echoed in the lineup Berlin Fashion Week continues to curate. Thanks to strong direction from Fashion Council Germany and Berlin Contemporary — the designer platform initiated by former Vogue Germany editor-in-chief Christiane Arp — BFW has emerged as a launchpad for authentic creative voices, and Berlin Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026 was no exception.
Also, read: FASHION WEEK SCHEDULE 2025: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE RUNWAY
DESIGNERS TO HAVE ON YOUR RADAR
Berlin’s next-gen designers brought fresh, intelligent, emotionally resonant work — no gimmicks. BFW’s designers felt a little more grown-up, ready to take over the industry.
First and foremost, check out the work of Milk of Lime. Known for its spiritual, nature-driven design language, Milk of Lime presented a soft-spoken yet powerful collection. Think hand-dyed fabrics, whisper-thin layers, and silhouettes that moved like smoke. Mario Keine’s Marke delivered cerebral tailoring for the emotionally complicated. Cropped puffed shorts, asymmetrical shirting, and technical knits made for soft armor—part brutalism, part dream, and always rooted in the designer’s heritage. Balletshofer (one to watch!) pushed gender-fluid tailoring into playful, future-focused territory, while Lueder zeroed in on utilitarian silhouettes with a philosophical bent.
Furthermore, IOANNES had a breakout moment. The designer presented diaphanous trench coats, transparent dresses, subtle straps, and fluid tailoring that felt sensual and sacred. It was soft power made wearable.
ESTABLISHED NAMES
Of course, Berlin’s fashion DNA wouldn’t be complete without its veteran provocateurs. GMBH, always politically sharp and spiritually loaded, delivered a visceral, militant-glam collection. Midway through the show, everything stopped for a full minute of silence in honor of those lost in Gaza. It was the kind of moment that reminds you why fashion matters.
Ottolinger, all about controlled chaos, sent out blazers deconstructed just enough to function still, like businesswear after the rave. They’ve matured without mellowing, and that’s a tricky balance to strike. Meanwhile, Sia Arnika continued to make the case for Berlin as the sexiest city in Europe, in her own cool, sculptural, high-neck-meets-high-slit way. And SF10G, a rising star in the Berlin underground, delivered a rave-futurist collection that felt simultaneously intimate and industrial—a 10/10.
THE NEXT LONDON?
Everyone keeps asking, especially since Vogue UK’s editorial earlier this year. And yes, Berlin Fashion Week is gaining international traction, funding, and sharper editorial attention. But let’s be honest: it’s not trying to be Paris or London. It’s not about front rows packed with pop stars or a million euros in production value. It’s about independent vision and designers who genuinely live their aesthetics, creating a more sustainable fashion industry, while fueling it creatively. You come here not to be seen but to create, question, and test. And increasingly, it’s where designers start over, shedding the pressure of traditional fashion cycles to build something more sustainable, honest, and human – and, if you ask us, that’s exactly what fashion should be about these days.
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