On Thursday evening, the Fashion Council Germany and the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises hosted the opening dinner of the newly launched Fashion Week. This networking event – a long-standing tradition in the official Berlin Fashion Week calendar – took place for the first time not in a restaurant, but in an exciting off-site location.

“In recent seasons, Berlin Fashion Week has increasingly integrated the work of its designers into the city – making it visible in the country’s most important cultural institutions and at iconic locations such as the Red City Hall, Tempelhof Airport, and high atop the TV Tower. Now, with the opening dinner in the Great Orangery of Charlottenburg Palace, where Der Berliner Salon will also open on Friday, we are continuing this tradition: fashion is being experienced as part of culture, history, and society,” said Christiane Arp , Chairwoman of the Fashion Council Germany.

“Berlin is not only a place of creative freedom, but also a significant economic hub for the fashion industry. Innovative startups and labels, established companies, and thousands of employees shape this sector and make a vital contribution to our city's economic output. Berlin Fashion Week showcases this strength and brings it to the world: it connects design with entrepreneurship, the creativity of local talent with international competitiveness,” adds Berlin's State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Michael Biel . “Our aim is to continue creating the necessary framework through our support, enabling sustainable innovation to flourish – so that Berlin can further enhance its international appeal as a fashion center and maintain its renewed relevance.”

This season, the Orangery at Charlottenburg Palace welcomed around 230 guests from the worlds of fashion and media, politics and society, including Kozue Akimoto (model), Carlo Bellmann and Keith Metcalfe (eBay), Michele Beil and Jale Richert (Richert Beil), Iris Berben (actress), Edward Buchanan (Perfect Magazine), Declan Chan (content creator), William Fan (designer), Franziska Frosch (Elle Germany), Alfons Kaiser (FAZ), Florence Kasumba (actress), Manuela Kampp-Wirtz (Burda Style Group), Wana Limar (creative director), Nadja Reusch (Airbnb Germany), Angel Nemov (Business of Fashion), Janina Lin Otto (Holistic Foundation), Eva Padberg (model), Caroline Rush (UNation), Hadnet Tesfai (presenter), Valentin von Arnim (Iris von Arnim), Kerstin Weng (Vogue Germany), Arashi Yanagawa (John Lawrence Sullivan) and Bobby Kolade (Buzigahill). After opening speeches by Christiane Arp (Fashion Council Germany) and State Secretary Michael Biel (Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises), the guests engaged in a relaxed exchange about the upcoming edition of Berlin Fashion Week.

We thank the official partners of Berlin Fashion Week, Airbnb and Martini , as well as the team of the Orangerie at Charlottenburg Palace.

Photos: Tonya Matyu, Jeremy Möller