Text: Viola B. Hderlein-Hadjam
Translation and summary: Paul Embleton

BBB Power Station      Photo: Bread & Butter Berlin

Launched only 4 years ago, the Berlin Fashion Week now receives so many visitors that, if you didn’t know better, you’d think it was a long-established stop on the international fashion circuit. But despite a history of avant-garde glamour, which climaxed in the glittering fashion metropolis of the 1920s, Berlin hasn’t had the credentials of a first-class fashion destination. Thus, though being home to an extremely vibrant non-commercial scene, an independent Fashion Trade Show simply wasn’t seen as viable until as recently as the end of the nineties.

At that time, Berlin’s fashion scene, thriving on the abundance of empty semi-derelict buildings which were home to a vibrant and creative sub-culture, was much more about impromptu shows held against some grandiose architectural backdrop than it was about taking ‘orders’.Still throughout the nineties Berlin had been attracting fashion scouts and designers from around the world, while at the same time increasing numbers of fashion labels were putting down roots in the city. Hence, the impetus for a home-grown platform. Previously, German designers who’d set their sights on international acclaim were forced to show their collections abroad, or like Bernhard Willhelm (Antwerp) or Kostas Murkudis (London), to set up labels elsewhere.

BBB 2006 G-Star-Show

The first professional fashion agency to put a diverse array of promising young Berlin-based designers on its books was Girault-Totem. The initial idea was to provide Paris and Antwerp based designers, Bernhard Willhelm and Ralf Simons amongst others, with a platform well away from the established fashion centres and, at the same time, to exhibit collections from selected Berlin-based designers. Shortly afterwards the agency dissolved, but the foundations for the Berlin Fashion Week had been laid.

And "Bread and Butter", the first trade show to brave the city, soon built on them, attracting additional shows to the city in its wake. Unfortunately last month, December 2006, brought the announcement that "Bread and Butter" was to drop Berlin in favour of a single location, Barcelona. Still the December mood soon lifted on news that a new type of show, to held in a disused power station, was to take place on the 26-27th of January. The show, operating under the banner of ‘This is not a trade show’, is to provide a platform for sport, urban and denim wear from some 30 established labels.

What is more, "Premium", which like "Bread and Butter" came to the city back in 2002, and takes place in a tunnel under Potsdamer Platz in downtown Berlin, is expanding – "Bread and Butter’s" departure having allowed it to double its floor space and to acquire a host of new labels.

Held on the 26th to 28th of Jan, the trade show will take place in two locations – "The Station" at Gleisdreieck and Hangar 2 at Berlin’s Tempelhof airport – and feature some 700 labels and brands. The focus of selected brands featured on additional floor space will be ‘Red Carpet Look’, ‘Star styling’ and ‘Northern Chic’, a showcase of Scandinavian labels.

Hangar 2     Collage: Premium

Numerous fringe events will also be taking place throughout the city. With the legendary "Café Moskau", for instance, providing the venue for "Ideal", an avant-garde showroom featuring a fashion show and art exhibition. Long since the favoured destinations of fashion pundits and buyers, these smaller events are not to be missed.

You’ll find a full list of events and venues in the navigation bar.

walk-of-fashion
bbbkraftwerk
breadandbutter
premiumexhibitions
ideal-berlin
spirit-of-fashion
showrespect
markandfriends
modeagentur-klauser
berlinerklamotten
apartmentberlin

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January 2007