An unexpected invitation to Berlin Fashion Week SS26
🇺🇦 Zelenskyy's stylist & designer, Kokrobitey Institute, & More
Donning all black, including my favourite Tom Ford glasses, we rushed into the next event after schlepping across the city.
Actually, I spent two days around Berlin like a ping-pong ball, migrating from event to event.
“We are with the press,” I said, as I pointed behind me to the two photographers with me; one Spanish cool-guy, and one unhinged Romanian chic. Perfect. Perfect for me at least.
“Ah, okay. You are on the guest list. Come in. Come in.”
“Has the show started?” I asked, walking in. We were already 30 min late.
“No, you are right on time.”
We hurried up the stairs of an unfinished construction site. Glossy images showed it would soon enough be an office building. The ground was coated in white gravel. To an unfamiliar eye, it all seemed inconsequential. But someone had chosen this kind of grand shack specifically for their curated vision.
As the dust coated my suede shoes, I giggled and smiled.
We entered the runway space. The photographers found ideal spots based on the architecture of the show. And I was seated next to the Fashion Council of Germany and Sven Marquardt.
But, what I was most excited about was the buzz in the air. This was guaranteed to be a great show.
And it was. The music was overlaid with poetry. Every line was translated to an international language, from Japanese, Spanish, Nigerian, and more. The runway was full of diverse models of all races and ages, but in a way that felt natural, and not forced.
The patchwork sewing, the ultimate bucket hat, innovative corsets, buttoned from the bottom up instead of top down, BUZIGAHILL: Return to Sender 11 left an impression on me.
I pushed my glasses further back as the hum of the music and the inspirational words of the poetry hit me. I cried from inspiration behind the darkness of my Tom Ford’s, and held my heart as I watched an artist creating in such a transformational way.
I love art, and sometimes I forget, for me, that also includes fashion.
VIKTORANISIMOV is a forward-thinking Ukrainian menswear brand founded by Viktor Anisimov in Kyiv in 1997.
Recently, the name has been heard in many European fashion circles. Notably, Anisimov designed the official uniforms for Ukraine’s 2024 Paralympic team.
And this year, in 2025, he crafted a formal wardrobe and styling for President Zelenskyy.
It is clear the link he draws between his heritage, purpose, and duty. The pieces are minimalistic but, at the same time, offer a refreshing sense of accessibility. Many of the pieces have an ethereal, flowy element to them, bringing lightness and levity to the entirely black collection.
Yes, black is indeed back with VIKTORANISIMOV. The silhouettes are flattering for all genders. The standard shape is based on square lines and defined shoulders, but there is excitement when he pairs many of his pieces with high socks and flip-flops.
Flip-flops have made a recent comeback in many SS26 runway shows, and it solidifies Viktor’s forward-thinking styling to bring this “shoe” to the Berlin Fashion Week runway.
The runway show was hosted at The Feuerle Collection, which is housed in a renovated WWII telecommunications bunker. Lately, the private art institution, founded in 2016 by collector Désiré Feuerle and Sara Puig, has collaborated with many artists and Berlin events, from Berlinale and now, Fashion Week. The space usually showcases a compelling dialogue between antique Asian art and contemporary works. To be hosted there is an incredible honour and gives a sense of prestige to the VIKTORANISIMOV show.
All in all, I would describe VIKTORANISIMOV SS26 as elegant comfort. It is exciting to see what he will do next.
IMPARI x Kokrobitey Institute has their experience tucked away in a factory setting in Gleisdreieck.
IMPARI is well known in Berlin with its flagship store adjacent to Berlin Soho House on Torstraße. If you recall, it was IMPARI who styled me for THE ART OF PURPOSE event in May.
Invited by the team for a pre-show interview, I was delighted to catch the energy of the dress rehearsal.
The designer and founder of Kokrobitey Institute, Renée C. Neblett, sat calmly with one knee up and a magnetic energy.
“What is your work about? What inspires you?” I asked her.
“The institute I run, the Kokrobitey Institute, looks at sustainability and traditional knowledge systems in a social and practical modern context.”
Her brand uses pre and post consumer textile waste, including glass to explore their potential for product development.
Delicate and unique designs, I was captivated by a set of jewelry made entirely from buttons. Interestingly enough, Neblett collaborates often with my alma mater, Brown & RISD.
Her fall collection, Nipa Dua, which means “human tree” in Ghanaese is a tribute to the land and earth which holds us.
Originally from America, and decades lived in Germany, Neblett’s dedication to Ghana began almost 30 years ago where she says she met a civilisation on the brink of falling into another world.
Today, she feels something similar. And her institute is surely one to be watched, preserved, understood, and celebrated.
Other brands not to miss:
ARREY.BERLIN is owned and run by Arrey Kono Enow for the past 19 years in Hackesche Höfe, Berlin. I met Arrey serendipitously this year as she bounced around a luxurious party, looking like luxury herself. She told me I should thank my parents for my beautiful energy. I felt grateful she reflected it back to me. She then invited me to her official SS26 and Fashion Council Germany event, a pre-launch of her book, which gives women the permission to just be themselves!
DAGGER, with stacked old tv screens, and pretty, angsty boys and girls. The atmosphere at DAGGER was electric. I dropped out of Dagger on printed tees and caps, the founder and designer was easy to recognise in the crowd because his brand is an authentic expression of himself.
Luke says:
“Our graphic tees are best sellers, but this season we focused on shorts. And the skateboard reels you see playing are actually real footage from my teenage years in the early 2000s.”
A “grassroots brand,” DAGGER left a fun and lasting impression.
Skateboard foundations, checkered print, silver accessories, camo pants, tattooed models, thrown towels, an ode to Nirvana — you feel like you’re a part of something.Human Touch puts ink on sewing machines during the sewing process to show the human touch on every piece of clothing. It is innovative design work that leaves a lasting impression.
