In the heart of Berlin, the Atrium Tower, Neo.Fashion offered 80+ graduates from 12 universities across Germany the opportunity to present their latest collections to a wide audience. This season, five Neo.Fashion categories were presented and two special prizes were awarded. Furthermore 80+ international and national Digital Artists participated in the exhibition. Over the course of two days, 3000 guests attended the fashion shows and exhibitions. 20,000 photos were taken by photographer Gerome Defrance to document the event photographically. The catwalk showtime lasted a total of six hours. Within these two days, a clear message was conveyed: “The future of fashion needs our stage!“
On the first day alone, more than 100 graduates from 12 renowned universities presented their latest lines, namely the following: Hochschule Hannover, Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle, Hochschule für Künste Bremen, Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin, AMD Akademie Mode & Design, Hochschule Pforzheim, Hochschule Macromedia, HAW Hamburg, Hochschule Reutlingen, Hochschule Bielefeld, HTW Berlin and Hochschule Niederrhein.
The designs were often characterised by a willingness to experiment with materials and new ideas, often interspersed with a strong design language. In addition to that, guests could visit a Digital Fashion Design Exhibition which showcased the work of approximately 80 national and international artists. It contained a mix of newcomers and digital creators. This format creatively merged the digital and physical fashion worlds, underlining that the virtual future has long since arrived at Neo.Fashion.
The Best Graduate and Neo.Fashion Award Ceremony was one of the highlights of this event and was eagerly anticipated. The audience, which included many people working in the fashion industry, sponsors, family and friends, had the opportunity to experience the digital and analogue creations of the 16 nominees first-hand that evening. For the first time since this award was established, two different juries were appointed to evaluate the entries: one for digital and one for analogue design. The following decision-makers were selected as the jury for this season:
Digital Jury: Anja Demuth (CLO), Kerry Murphy (The Fabricant | CEO & Founder), Verena Brune (Zalando Juxtamode), Laura Buechner (Promptlab | stoodio.ai), Keke Opata (3D Akademie Stuttgart), Franziska Englberger (Neo.Fashion. Head of Digital Fashion).
Analog Jury: Claudine Duvivier (Founder and CEO, Tandem), Mauro Grimaldi (Strategic Advisor to the CEO, Richemont F&A Dept.), Anastasios Voulgaris (Creative Director, Burda), Sebastian Warschow (Co-CEO, haebmau AG), Stéphane Moun (CMO & Brand Strategist, Juxtamode).
The winners received one-year licences from CLO and The Fabricant, professional PAFF sewing machines to continue and support their creative work, as well as access to Neo.Fashion’s mentors and networking opportunities. The following candidates emerged as winners:
• Best Digital Fashion Design: Flora Schwöppe, AMD Akademie Mode & Design Hamburg
• Best Craftsmanship: Melanie Parzenczewski, HTW Berlin
• Best Design: Wiebke Lendewig, Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle
• Best Sustainability Concept: Azura Barber, Hochschule Macromedia
• Best Global Concept: Jon Liesenfeld, AMD Akademie Mode & Design
This season, the jury also decided to award two special prizes, which went to Laurin Schuler (Weissensee School of Art Berlin) and Lennart Bole (HS Pforzheim). The first named, awarded with the “Special Prize Potsdamer Platz”, won an exlusive support package which included mentoring, location access, network visibility, a professional film and photo shoot, plus a €500 cash prize.
The second one, awarded with the “Special Prize Brisbane German Week Showcase“, was awarded a trip to Australia to present his latest line at the German Week in Brisbane.
On the last day, the event offered several networking events which started in the morning. Then, we had the opportunity to visit some shows of the MOMENTUM by Neo.Fashion. After a long show day in Berlin, we saw these presentations in the evening:
W1P Studios which showed a very contemporary and individual Spring/Summer 2026 line. Looks in bright lime green and delicate sky blue were particularly memorable. The collection, with its precise cuts and playful silhouettes, appeared very well thought out and impressed with its high urban-chic wearability. Some plain-coloured outfits radiated a great sense of calm.
Stay away from Evil, like the aforementioned label, showcased its collection in the architecturally impressive Atrium Tower on Potsdamer Platz. The label presented a rebellious, extravagant line often rendered in dark tones. Live musical performances on the runway created an emotional atmosphere. Metallic accents caught the eye, and there was often experimentation with red, violet and black tones.
At the end of the evening, we visited the Birds of Berlin (BOB) by Deeon Oxygen show which was a wild, vibrant finale with wigs, long, colorful nails and unexpected styling.
Neo.Fashion 2025 Impressions, Photography by Sussan Zeck, Jana Abel
Neo.Fashion 2025 will remain in our memories as a highly inspiring event in the field of fashion, innovation and the promotion of young design talent, and we are already looking forward to the tenth edition of this format.
Review by Sussan Zeck for D’SCENE Magazine
Images Courtesy of ©Neo.Fashion, Photography by Gerome Defrance, Jana Abel, and Sussan Zeck
