Berlin Fashion Week: Collections rooted in the zeitgeist

Brands like Ottolinger and David Koma injected new momentum into Berlin Fashion Week for the spring/summer 2026 season. With 36 shows, the programme may be shorter than that of other fashion capitals, yet it offers something unique. Here, designers work closely with the spirit of the times (the famous German Zeitgeist), often addressing important and current themes in their collections.

While some designers made clear, literal statements on the catwalk, introspection, the questioning of gender roles and inspirations from the past dominated the spring/summer 2026 collections. Here's a report.

Introverted romanticism

In previous seasons, Berlin-based brand Richert Beil often radically addressed unsettling current affairs. For spring/summer 2026, the collection and theme are softer. The founders took advantage of their move to a new studio to focus on their immediate environment, under the title "Milieuschutz" (environmental protection). They approached the term as a metaphor to reflect on the protection of “values, methods and ideas”. These are lost in the speed and superficiality of today’s fashion system.

Richert Beil’s collection attempts to preserve poetry by remaining both romantic and precise. Tailoring returns as a central element with traditional cuts, uniforms and classic suiting elements. These are often accompanied by floral patterns. Silk trousers and handmade lace blouses create a sense of intimacy. Faced with the fragility of our times, it seems important to refocus on one’s personal values. The final look perfectly illustrates the concept. The sound of rain that accompanied the show faded. An older model entered the humid room wearing a long black latex coat-dress. Its heaviness was mitigated by dark flowers on the sleeve and side. In these uncertain times, protection is necessary, but so is poetry to maintain hope.

The quest for romanticism is also introspective in other brands. A chorus of bells on a black lace-up top opened the Milk of Lime show. This was followed by other detail-rich looks with poetic nuances. Finally, a T-shirt with the phrase: “I demand Poetry” appeared. In troubled times, the desire for poetry can be a statement. Romanticism is also an important theme in Marke’s spring/summer 2026 collection. It explores the forbidden love stories of queer teenagers. Marke took a lighter and brighter note with designer Mario. The silhouettes soften, and flowers migrate to the sleeves of jackets. They are no longer hidden in secret sweet nothings – small rolls of paper that completed the styling of the first looks.

Role play

The play with menswear codes did not stop at Marke. David Koma presented his brand’s menswear collection in Berlin for the first time. He also played with the identities and images of modern masculinity. The collection’s title, “I love David”, refers not only to himself, but also to cultural icon and footballer David Beckham. It also refers to the classical sculpture of David by Italian artist Michelangelo – and their styles. Slightly faded low-rise jeans from the 2000s, David souvenir aprons and a pinstripe suit covered in sequins invite a conversation about the image of man between idol and individual.

Berlin-based brand GmbH also explored menswear codes in a subtle way – from cape shirts to cropped T-shirts and delicate pink cotton shorts. Designer Marie Lüder played with roles in her collection. She revisited classic fairytale and legend characters in the context of a modern metropolis. The heroine may be the single mother, and the princess is a satire of masculinity, explained Lueder’s collection notes.

Female identities were also questioned. Clara Miramon dedicated her collection to often invisible caregivers. She combined 1960s nurses’ uniforms and orthopaedic design with gathered fabrics and laced corsets. Laura Gerte delved into the complexity of feminine experiences with tight-fitting fishnet, torn jersey and draped T-shirts.

Back to childhood

After a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of Gaza and in the face of genocide, GmbH presented a deeply personal collection. Designers Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik drew on their childhood memories for it. “We tried to embody play and joy while facing despair,” the duo wrote in their show booklet for “Imitation of Life”.

The show’s title is explained by Huseby and Isik’s feeling of being like sleepwalkers or ghosts in the face of the world’s cruelty. In these times of “moral collapse”, they no longer feel connected to reality. The designs are intended for all aspects of life, real or not. They drew elements of costumes for the circumcision feast from their childhood – such as scarves or the Turkish expression “Mashallah”. This term is used to express gratitude for something beautiful or a positive event. It is also used to ward off evil. GmbH inscribed the formula on the hem of cropped T-shirts. Some adults cling to their childhood memories as a form of escape. This observation was part of the inspiration for Sia Arnika’s spring/summer 2026 collection. The result is clothes that are too tight and too suggestive in places where they shouldn’t be. It is as if they were made from memories and not logic. For spring/summer 2026, SFO1G also looks inwards, seeking to capture the collective nostalgia of the teenage years.

Digital knights

Lueder presented their collection in a digital medieval legend universe. Knights battle a metallic dragon-monster. A bard’s song opened the show. Pixie bonnets and streetwear armour are an integral part of this twist-filled world. So are protective hoods and talismanic belt buckles. The catwalk thus interweaves history, imagination and performance.

Medieval chivalry and the digital world are also the inspiration for Iden. The brand presented its designs as an installation during Berlin Fashion Week.

FashionUnited attended Berlin Fashion Week at the invitation of the Fashion Council Germany.

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