Fashion Week is Berlin Bound

NEW YORK – IMG Fashion confirmed Friday that Germany will get its own version of Fashion Week this summer when Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin makes its debut July 12 to 15.

The four-day event will make its debut against an historic backdrop as the catwalks will emanate from the Brandenburger Gate, which opened in 1791 and has been the scene of such landmark events as President Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech during the height of the Cold War.

Although best known for New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, IMG produces similar events in Los Angeles, Miami, London, Moscow, Australia, Singapore, Mumbai and Pakistan. Reports of plans for a Berlin version surfaced in the German magazine Stern earlier this month.

“The foundation of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin is yet another milestone in the development of Berlin as a fashion capital,” said Harald Wolf, Senator for Economics, Technology and Women’s Issues of Berlin. “We believe that Berlin provides an ideal center for Europe’s fashion industry. The fusion of international brands with the unique character of the city will create a new force among the existing fashion weeks.”

Fern Mallis, vice president of IMG Fashion, commented, “Berlin, with its unparalleled energy and creativity, will provide a strong foundation for this new fashion initiative, which will appropriately combine international brands that appeal to the city’s spirit with local and up and coming designers.”