\u201cPast, Present, Future\u201d\u2014that is how Serhat I\u015f\u0131k described the collection he and Benjamin A. Huseby designed for their label, GmbH, to mark its 10th anniversary. While it might sound like an overused term to describe a collection, the phrase perfectly encapsulates their current work. After all, the winners of this year\u2019s FCG x Vogue Germany Fashion Fund wouldn\u2019t be GmbH if this collection\u2014impressive as usual in both craftsmanship and aesthetics\u2014wasn\u2019t grounded in a well-conceived concept and delivered with a message: Berlin\u2019s fashion history is very worth remembering, so that the resurgent appreciation for local design might enjoy a better future than it has over the past 80 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the 1920s and \u201930s, Berlin was a major fashion capital alongside Paris, and the textile trade was Germany\u2019s second-largest industry,\u201d I\u015f\u0131k explained. The Nazi regime destroyed not only this thriving market but also the image of fashion\u2014with long-lasting consequences: since the end of the WWII, fashion in Germany has been viewed as something frivolous, superficial, and superfluous; the appreciation and cultural standing accorded to fashion in countries like France or Italy are lacking here.<\/p>\n
\u201cTen years ago, that left us with no choice but to head to Paris first,\u201d the designers recounted. \u201cIt\u2019s already hard enough for people with a migrant background to make their mark in Germany\u2014let alone in a field that isn\u2019t valued.\u201d By now, however, the perception of fashion in Germany is steadily improving, not least because a fashion house like GmbH consistently demonstrates at Berlin Fashion Week the quality that exists here\u2014provided it is given the opportunity and a platform to shine. After years in Paris and Milan, Huseby and I\u015f\u0131k returned with their show in 2024\u2014a boon for Berlin as a fashion hub.<\/p>\n
For their anniversary collection, the duo drew inspiration from the recently published book Modehauptstadt Berlin by historian Gesa Kessemeier; through years of research, she documented the flourishing fashion scene of pre-war Berlin and highlighted long-forgotten names such as Joe Strassner, Johanna Marbach, and Uli Richter. GmbH also tracked down collector Julia Schwarz, whose unique archive, \u201cBerlin Chic,\u201d houses over 1,000 pieces from that era, and who made some of these items available to Huseby and I\u015f\u0131k for the show.<\/p>\n
Giving the collection the name, \u201cDesire Paths,\u201d the designers merged historical rarities with reworked best-of GmbH designs from the past decade\u2014such as trousers with inset stripes, boxer-style shorts, over-the-knee boots, jackets with dropped shoulders, and fitted tops\u2014to create a highly harmonious mix. The opening look featured a sleeveless jacket with a voluminous collar inspired by Berlin\u2019s couture heritage\u2014specifically, the collar of a coat by Clara B\u00f6hm (whose atelier was looted during the Reichspogromnacht in 1938, and who was murdered in a concentration camp in 1942). Such details added depth to a collection that nonetheless felt light and fresh, presented by a cast that was\u2014as always with GmbH\u2014stunningly good: musicians Arca, Alif Hilal, Julez Smith, and Don Jackoghue (founder of The Meatmarket), alongside fantastic models and intriguing street-cast talent.<\/p>\n
Among the show\u2019s guests were I\u015f\u0131k\u2019s parents, who sat expectantly on the transparent show-chairs in the beautiful garden of the Kronprinzenpalais an hour before the show began. \u201cEven his kindergarten teacher said he would grow up to be an artist,\u201d Seher I\u015f\u0131k said. She recalled how her son loved to paint as a young boy, asking her to constantly buy new sketchpads, and how he learned to crochet from his grandmother. \u201cWe are very proud,\u201d commented his father, Yusuf. Stefano Pilati, a close friend of GmbH, also sensed this pride. \u201cTen years ago, when they founded the label, we talked about it a lot. What I particularly like about them is their will and determination to pursue what they stand for, even in a climate that isn\u2019t necessarily receptive.\u201d Pilati is alluding to the strong socio-political references that have long made GmbH one of the most thoughtful and outspoken labels around. \u201cWatching my friends succeed\u2014what could be better than that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe watching them not only succeed but also spark a conversation about Berlin\u2019s fashion history\u2014a dialogue long overdue in Germany, especially in a climate where art and culture are once again under pressure. The duo\u2019s show notes concluded with these words: \u201cWe are often questioned on why GmbH is so explicitly political and lectured on how fashion should be unpolitical \u2014 this brief history lesson should be enough to negate any such argument.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cPast, Present, Future\u201d\u2014that is how Serhat I\u015f\u0131k described the collection he and Benjamin A. Huseby designed for their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":123523,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[99],"tags":[112,60513,190,1151,1079,1153],"class_list":["post-123522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-berlin","tag-berlin","tag-berlin-spring-2027","tag-germany","tag-gmbh","tag-runway","tag-runway_review"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/116873830629025338","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}