5 highlights from Berlin Fashion Week SS27 Men's For German fashion, grunge is so back

In its own time, without fanfare or media gimmicks, Berlin fashion has pulled off what many thought impossible: building a Fashion Week as significant as those in Milan, Paris, and New York. It did so at a strategic moment, capitalizing on consumers' luxury fatigue and betting everything on a new wave of emerging local brands ready to shake the foundations of contemporary design. Berlin Fashion Week SS27 Men's was so exciting that, now the event is over, it's a little difficult to capture all the most interesting collections in a brief roundup.

Here, then, is a selection of 5 highlights from Berlin Fashion Week SS27 Men's.

1. Clara Colette Miramon 

The designer's name conjures up a bygone style and a composed femininity, but don't be fooled into thinking Clara Colette Miramon's designs are all bows and floral pinafores. Atmosphere, memory, and transformation inspired the designer's SS27 collection, as she continues her long-running exploration of femininity with an approach that is as scientific as it is unsettling. Miramon has completely deconstructed the archetypes of the women's wardrobe from decades past, introducing asymmetries and cut-outs into silk robes and capri pants. The corset of a pink dress accentuates the pubis rather than the hips, while another look made in PVC features pressed flower petals barely covering the nipples and navel.    

2. Barragán 

Once again, Barragán pushed the political accelerator in a show steeped in satire. Victor Barragán returned to exploring Mexican culture in collaboration with friends, family members, and fellow independent designers to tell the story of the many faces that make up a national identity. Presented at the Mexican Embassy in Berlin, Barragán's maximalist designs stood in stark contrast to the diplomatic setting of the venue, with nods — through the invitation (a fake passport) and the suitcases carried by hand down the runway — to topical themes such as belonging and citizenship. The looks, directly inspired by queer culture and clubbing, often incorporated religious symbols, such as crucifixes tucked into waistbands. 

3. Dagger 

What do surfers wear in Berlin? Ask Dagger, which offered a distinctly personal and German take on Californian subculture for SS27. Between ripped knits, vintage swimwear, and worn-looking hoodies knotted one on top of another, Luke Rainey, the brand's founder, must have had a great time putting this collection together — soaked in irony yet entirely in tune with the tastes of his generation. The show's most beloved pieces were all made using DIY techniques, including the red trousers with white stars, the "You saw it too, right?" T-shirt with the eyes cut out of the graphic, and the logo tees with leather laces pinching the sleeves.  

4. GmbH

It's hard to wrap up a roundup of the best Berlin shows without including GmbH, the brand founded by Serhat Isik and Benjamin A. Huseby in 2016 to tell the story of the challenges and triumphs of contemporary queer and brown communities. Ten years on from its founding, the brand brought to the runway not only a politically charged collection — featuring a tribute to the creative energy of 1920s Berlin fashion before the rise of Nazism — but a cohesive product that will undoubtedly find success beyond Germany's borders. Minimalist sportswear and elevated tailoring came together in designs with a deeply felt vintage quality, though never a nostalgic one. The styling was equally noteworthy, with some looks that were highly revealing — white tank tops so sheer they barely covered a strip of the torso — and others at the opposite extreme: oversized and enveloping, featuring leather galoshes, silver technical jackets, and embroidered overcoats reaching down to the feet.      

5. Unvain 

Berlin also has its devotees of the minimal, going so far as to send sheer garments down the runway. At Unvain, the independent brand founded in 2020 by Robert Friedrichs as a love letter to Berlin and its subcultures, the SS27 collection blended a touch of the self-conscious allure of indie sleaze — think Napoleon jackets and skinny jeans — with a generous dose of romanticism. The energy the show evoked was that of the end of a party, when the silk dress is already crumpled and not quite warm enough, so you steal your boyfriend's leather jacket. The silhouettes are classic, but the materials are anything but, with fur collars paired with PVC, fully silver parkas, and 1920s-style slip dresses.