- Weixin Zha
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Berlin is stepping up its efforts to support fashion as the German
capital will set up a green fashion hub this year.
The Berlin fashion hub will receive a total of 600,000 euros throughout
2020 and 2021. The hub’s aim is “to make innovative and sustainable fashion
from Berlin visible and to help strengthen the profile of Berlin as a
fashion capital, as a centre for innovation and sustainability,” a
spokesperson for the city of Berlin, said by e-mail. “The specific layout
and concept of the hub are being worked out now,” the spokesperson said,
but didn’t comment on when or where it will be launched.
During Berlin Fashion Week in January, it became clear once again that
the German capital will benefit from new ideas and initiatives if it wants
to gain relevance in the fashion world. Compared to fashion capitals such
as Paris and London, Berlin still lacks the same importance within the
industry. For example, the fashion show calendar at Berlin Fashion Week is
becoming thinner, while the fairs have recently seen falling visitor
numbers, before which they were seeing years of growth. In a bid to counter
this, the city’s fashion fairs introduced new formats and locations in
January.
A green future for Berlin fashion
And Berlin isn’t alone in with its ambitions, as more European fashion
cities broaden their green credentials. La Caserne, for example, is a
sustainability incubator for designers, high-end and ready-to-wear fashion
brands currently being created in the heart of Paris. The
4,000-square-metre hub is scheduled to open in December.
So far, the city of Berlin has supported its fashion industry with
approximately 450,000 euros annually. The fashion hub is set to receive
200,000 euros this year followed by a further 400,000 euros next year. The
money is coming from the Berlin budget for 2020/2021 of around 63.3 billion
euros in total, which was passed by the city’s parliament in December.
The plans for a green Berlin fashion hub reflect a wider vision that
many in the industry see for the future of the city’s fashion appeal.
“Berlin stands very, very clearly for sustainability and technology,” said
Thimo Schwenzfeier, managing director of the green fashion fair Neonyt,
last July in Berlin. “There is no fashion week or trade fair location that
can match Berlin.”
Picture: Brigitte Kreuzwirth / pixelio.de
