2023-11-01 17:20:58
The next edition of Berlin Fashion Week is coming up in a few months: new collections will be presented in the capital from February 5th to 8th, 2024. Financing your own show is not easy, especially for small brands. But this year too, the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Business is supporting the designers As part of the BFM concept competition under the arms.
The competition was organized by the Fashion Council Germany, a lobby group for the German fashion industry. A total of 24 labels have now been selected and awarded prize money of 25,000 euros. The decision-making process took several weeks; 89 applications had to be checked, viewed and evaluated. In addition, six concepts for public store events are also being funded with 5,000 euros each – so the total money provided by the Senate for the coming season amounts to just under 500,000 euros.
The applicants were examined by a jury of experts
Two expert juries were entrusted with this task, consisting of experts from the press, social media and sustainability and economic development. In addition to a formal application, the designers had to submit an ecological and social sustainability strategy within their own company. The chances of realizing the preliminary show or event concept were also presented to the juries and had an influence on the final evaluation.
Further evaluation criteria included design performance, marketability, media effectiveness and the innovation factor. Previous collections were also examined by the expert jury. The aim of the competition is to strengthen the international relevance of Berlin as a fashion location and to offer design talent a stage before the fashion week begins.
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“Once again we can show that Berlin Fashion Week is a true hotbed of talent. With its around 5,000 companies and 25,000 employees, Berlin is the most important location for fashion and the creative industries in Germany,” emphasized Michael Biel, State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Energy and Enterprises, after the award ceremony.
According to the Fashion Council, in the “Berlin Contemporary” category for classic fashion shows, the jury attached great importance to particularly innovative and creative collections. In addition, the presentation concept should fit Berlin as a fashion location and reflect the complexity of society. Ultimately, the jury awarded 18 winners in this category. Including four Ukrainian brands: Bobkova, Dzhus, Glück Clothes and PLNGNS. In this category, all winners receive prize money of 25,000 euros.
Key topics: sustainability, inclusion, education and community
Five other fashion designers were awarded prize money of 5,000 euros each in the “Studio2Retail” category for event concepts that also include a public audience. In addition, the Berliner Sparkasse already provided additional prize money, so that a total of six concepts were awarded. In this category, the jury (including the Berliner Zeitung’s head of fashion & style) focused their evaluation on a comprehensive fashion concept of the brands, which is intended to give those interested in fashion access to the fashion week even outside of the fashion week. The key topics of sustainability, inclusion, education and community should be placed in the foreground.
In addition to already established brands such as Namilia, Lou de Bètoly, Richert Beil and William Fan, some newcomers and smaller labels also received awards. Three of them will make their debut at Berlin Fashion Week this season – Glück Clothes, Kitschy Couture and Lueder. The jury is said to have been particularly impressed by their professional visual appearance, their strong recognition value and the high quality of the clothing.
The chairwoman of the Fashion Council Germany and former editor-in-chief of German Vogue, Christiane Arp, said after the award ceremony: “I was very happy about the many great and innovative concepts for the Berlin Contemporary competition. It wasn’t easy to make a decision, but this year’s selection of designers makes me confident that Berlin and Germany as a fashion location will increasingly generate international attention and therefore become more relevant.”
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