“We actually put the most pressure on ourselves,” Serhat Işik and Benjamin Huseby humbly noted a few minutes before their show began. GMBH has always had a political bent, but they also allow themselves the freedom to sometimes “just” make beautiful fashion.
“Back in winter 2023, we called our collection ‘Untitled’ and it was all about the color pink and bows. That’s a privilege, no question. But now? We can’t remain silent. As soon as you walk out, you face reality,” said Işik. Next to him was Huseby, wearing a T-shirt with the words “Friedensangst” printed on it. “Fear of Peace” is a grotesque paraphrase used by the German financial press to describe the worries of many shareholders in the defense industry when international peace agreements are concluded and share prices fall as a result.
At what is probably the tensest moment in global politics since GMBH’s founding, the two designers are sticking to a tried-and-tested principle: finding beauty in dark times. That meant a return to the Berlin club culture of the 1980s, when the capital was truly a transgressive place of freedom. Though the focus was rediscovering their fashionable beginnings, teasing with body-shaping silhouettes or re-proportioning silhouettes to be more powerful, this collection had a few soft surprises to it. Very flowing pants with wraparound fabric panels, a small peplum on a jacket, and gently draping faux fur coats added a touch of delicacy to the runway. These were contrasted by their iconic thigh-high square-toe boots with front zippers, pants with boxer waistbands, and modular pieces such as faux fur collars and scarves.
All in all, a rough yet delicate look back at many decades of Berlin and the last decade of GMBH. So, will we see a stylistic new beginning for their 10th anniversary show in the summer? That will be decided by the political situation. In fact, the greatest amount of pressure on Işik and Huseby actually comes from the industry due to who they are. “We know that we are getting politicized as Muslim immigrants or children of Muslim immigrants. We want to talk about that too. That’s why we founded GMBH,” they add with seriousness in their voice and a smile in their eyes. “And if that were ever to become the reason we’d be taken down, then so be it.”
