Neo.Fashion. Berlin: Emerging Fashion Talent Chart a New Course

More than 620 talents, nine editions, one milestone: Neo.Fashion. celebrates its 10th edition this July and announces a new organizational structure — a clear statement of commitment to the long-term development of emerging talent in the German fashion industry. 

Germany’s most versatile platform for emerging fashion talent marks its 10th anniversary with a strategic repositioning and a new venue: For its 10th edition, Neo.Fashion. will take place during Berlin Fashion Week from July 2 to 4, 2026, in a former industrial hall at “Neues Ufer 13” in Berlin-Moabit. The program includes the Best Graduates Shows and Aspiring Designer Shows, alongside the presentation of the Neo.Fashion. Award and the Digital Fashion Award. To date, ten universities from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Ukraine have confirmed their participation. A strong emphasis on sustainability defines this year’s collections. With the establishment of the non-profit Neo.Fashion. e.V. in 2025, the initiative has further professionalized its organizational structure, creating a more robust foundation for the long-term promotion of emerging design talent. 
 
What started in 2017 as a vision has since become a defining fixture for young fashion designers across Germany: Neo.Fashion. is celebrating its 10th edition this year. Since the inaugural graduate show in the fall of 2017 at Motorwerk Weißensee in Berlin, more than 620 graduates from across the country have presented their final collections on the Neo.Fashion. stage. In 2019, the platform became an official part of Berlin Fashion Week, cementing its place in the international fashion calendar. With the Best Graduates Shows, the Aspiring Designer Shows, the Neo.Fashion. Award, and the Digital Fashion Award — launched for the first time last year — Neo.Fashion. has grown into a unique ecosystem that goes far beyond a pure presentation platform. 

The founding of the nonprofit Neo.Fashion. e.V. in 2025 marks a pivotal step toward sustained, structured talent development. A newly expanded organizational team now manages the full range of Neo.Fashion. activities — from university coordination and communications to technical production, industry partnerships, textile research, and startup outreach. Workshops, competitions, mentoring programs, and international collaborations will be part of the platform’s expanded offering going forward. 

Neo.Fashion. is also making a geographic move. From July 2 through 4, 2026 — as always, in sync with Berlin Fashion Week — the event relocates to “Neues Ufer 13” (“New Shore 13”) in the Berlin district of Moabit: a former industrial hall whose raw, urban aesthetic provides an authentic backdrop for young, uncharted fashion voices. “We see ‘Neues Ufer’ as a metaphor — for us as a format that has reinvented itself time and again over ten years, and for the talents who show their collections here with a new shore as their destination,” says Jens Zander, CEO of brand experience agency S49, founder of Neo.Fashion., and director of the new Neo.Fashion. e.V., where he oversees production and strategic development. 

More than ten professional runway shows are planned, featuring selected graduates from nearly all German fashion schools presenting their collections. Each show will spotlight six to eight emerging designers. In total, up to 80 participants will take the stage in July, presenting their work to a broad public audience—well beyond the industry itself. This open and inclusive approach sets Neo.Fashion apart from other formats. 
Ten universities have already confirmed their participation: Hochschule Pforzheim (Pforzheim), Hochschule Niederrhein (Krefeld, Mönchengladbach), AMD Akademie Mode & Design (Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Wiesbaden, Munich), Hochschule Reutlingen (Reutlingen), Hochschule Hannover (Hannover), Hochschule Bielefeld (Bielefeld), Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin – HTW Berlin (Berlin), Hochschule Macromedia (Berlin), Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle (Halle/Saale), and HAW Hamburg – University of Applied Sciences (Hamburg). On the international side: the University of Art and Design Linz (Linz, Austria), the Academy of Art and Design Basel – HGK FHNW (Basel, Switzerland), Fashion Art Toronto (Toronto, Canada), and the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design – KNUTD (Kyiv, Ukraine). 

One theme runs through nearly every collection shown at Neo.Fashion.: sustainability. What was a niche concern a decade ago is now a core driver of young designers’ creative work. From material sourcing and production processes to circular design principles, Neo.Fashion. graduates are rethinking fashion from the ground up — and setting new standards for a responsible future in the industry. Neo.Fashion. actively supports this shift, providing space for innovative, sustainable approaches. 

Nurturing Talent as an Investment in the Future 
Germany’s fashion economy — including retail, startups, and FashionTech — contributes approximately €70 billion to the country’s GDP and supports around one million jobs, according to research by Oxford Economics commissioned by the Fashion Council Germany (FCG) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). The German textile and apparel industry generates around €32 billion in annual revenue and employs more than 120,000 people across approximately 1,400 companies. The German apparel market as a whole recorded revenues of around €67.7 billion in 2025. 

Maintaining and growing that position demands a consistent pipeline of new talent. Platforms like Neo.Fashion. play a central role in bridging the gap between education and professional entry — giving emerging designers the visibility and industry connections they need to launch their careers. 

Success Stories and International Partnerships 
The impact of Neo.Fashion. as a launchpad for young designers is evident in the careers that have followed: many alumni who showed their first collections on the Neo.Fashion. runway have since returned with their own labels — and are now fixtures in the Berlin Fashion Week calendar. 

Particularly noteworthy is the partnership with Ukrainian Fashion Week, established in 2022, which gives Ukrainian design talent an international platform despite the difficult situation in their home country. Strategic partners including the Fashion Council Germany (FCG) and the German Textile and Fashion Federation (Gesamtverband textil+mode) support Neo.Fashion. in broadening its reach and opening doors into the industry for emerging designers. 

Neo.Fashion. — The Ecosystem 
Best Graduates Show: The flagship show of Neo.Fashion. during Berlin Fashion Week, in which the best final collections from fashion design students across Germany are presented in professional runway shows. 

Neo.Fashion. Award: An award recognizing outstanding emerging talent distinguished by exceptional creativity, innovation, or sustainability in their collections — designers who are setting the agenda for the future of the industry. 

Aspiring Designer Shows: A platform for young designers who have already taken their first steps toward independence and are building their own labels — giving them the opportunity to present their current collections to a broad professional audience. 

Digital Fashion Award: Launched in 2025, this award signals a shift in how fashion engages with the digital world — treating it not just as a tool, but as a creative space in its own right. For Neo.Fashion., it marks a key step in the evolution of the format and opens a new chapter in supporting digital emerging talent.