26.01.11

Berlin Fashion Week AW 11 Highlights

A.F Vandevorst AW11.

Augustin Teboul AW11.

Maria Francesca Pepe AW11.

Image above: Happy Shop.

Image below: Michael Sontag.

Berlin Fashion Week AW 11 Highlights

Prolific from our last visit to Berlin Fashion Week, we set off to find the latest emerging creativity and newness. Among the growing Fashion Week's outside the big capitals, it seems Berlin is finding its niche fit with small underground labels that took centre stage this season. Projekt Galerie, a growing showcase for prominent emerging designers (including our very own Asger Juel Larsen who blogged from the showroom),  took over a building in the Mitte district and staged installations including a string-filled window display by Maria Francesca Pepe, with stud encrusted mannequins embodying the distinct austerity of one of our favourite growing London labels.

Nevertheless, the aim was to find Berlin’s unique offering and so I made my way to Soho House to witness the impending début of Augustin Teboul which subverted the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ fairytale in a sinister yet opulent musical-chairs performance. The speakeasy ambience was fitting for the jet black crochet dresses, mirrored by the towering baroque hair concoctions, whilst beads, lace and leather patch-worked panels mediated the collection's balance of decadence and austerity.

Other highlights included Butterfly Soulfire and Don’t Shoot the Messengers previewing their AW 11 collections in their recently opened gallery-style boutiques, staying true to their monochrome ethos. I, on the other hand was able to fulfil my finally conquered colour breakthrough at the opening of Happy Shop - a must-see concept store inspired by a jewellery box with moveable racks and mannequins suspended from above. And they stock everything from Reality Studio to Meadham Kirchhoff's very fitting current collection, for a theatrical colour explosion end result. Nevertheless, knowing my colour boundaries, I’ll more likely be emulating something from Michael Sontag’s new collection of oversized tailoring, with hints of amber on chunky-knit waistbands and lime green on spaghetti strap slip dresses.

On the main schedule A.F. Vandevorst made their second line debut in Berlin with their Joseph Beuys influenced ‘A.Friend’ collection of streamlined layers of black, blood-red and washed peach-treated jerseys in unpolished, signature Vandevorst draping.

Elsewhere, showrooms such as Collect, where I got to witness Julian Zigerli’s technically accomplished work (expect a lengthy post on him soon) , and Edged where I got to meet abstract Antwerp graduate Michael Kampe, previously featured on F156 straight after his graduate collection, were a testament to the experimental yet convincing young Berlin labels that were carving out an uncompromisingly youthful vision – one slowly growing to rival London’s.

Images by Modesta Dziautaite

Posted by Modesta Dziautaite

Tags: Berlin Fashion Week AW 11 Highlights