Germany is justly renowned as a leader in design and Berlin has a name for contemporary art. Yet fashion design has struggled to establish itself as fully fledged part of the country’s creative culture. Although Germany is a leading global retail market, emerging brands such as Lala Berlin and Kaviar Gauche face an uphill battle and many young talents choose to emulate Karl Lagerfeld, Jil Sander, Tomas Maier of Bottega Veneta and New York darling Kai Kühne and emigrate to more established fashion capitals. Happily, the spotlight that the sponsorship of Mercedes-Benz has now shone on Berlin Fashion Week is slowing this exodus of energy and expertise.

The twice-yearly Fashion Week was launched as recently as July 2007, but it has already been the focus of increased international interest. Alongside the roster of catwalk shows staged in recent seasons at historic Bebelplatz, Berlin now features an array of fashion awards, festive events, showrooms and trade fairs, including the prestigious Premium Trade show and Bread & Butter, Europe’s leading denim and sportswear fair.

Berlin’s trajectory from a regional stage to an international platform can be traced in the change of spokes-models since its beginning. At the outset, Berlin chose model Eva Padberg as its face for a series of advertising images shot by eminent fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth. Although Padberg is a cherished pin-up and bona fide star in Germany, she was almost unknown elsewhere.

She was succeeded in 2008 by Julia Stegner, the Munich-born heir to Claudia Schiffer's crown, who was followed as the official face last season by supermodel and film star Milla Jovovich, appointed by IMG and Mercedes-Benz. Jovovich was seen throughout the city in photos by Miles Aldridge wearing a magnificent spiked white, green and pink Philip Treacy hat. Yet she emphasised her strong investment in Berlin’s everyday identity in interviews about her interest in the local art scene and history.

Much of Germany’s national media attention is still directed at the visiting stars gracing the front rows of the biggest commercial brands. Naomi Campbell, Hilary Swank, Matt Dillon, Zoe Saldana and Brad Pitt are among the marquee names to have attended events. However, the presence of these celebrities can feel artificial and undercuts the budding showcase’s steady maturation. New York and London took decades to grow into contenders to Paris and Milan, which is why the loyal support of German-born star Diane Kruger is a striking and pleasing sign of Berlin’s current status on the international scene. Her sincere commitment toward German fashion demonstrates the importance of retaining Berlin’s unique identity and of maintaining a balance between courting international attention and supporting local designers.

One demonstration of Berlin Fashion Week’s growing significance for German fashion design was the flattering attempt by Munich to stage a competing two-day event last August. The BMW-sponsored event at Munich’s Olympiapark was planned as a showcase for Bavarian designers. The need for two German fashion weeks is highly questionable, given that, say, Los Angeles has yet to threaten New York’s supremacy over style. But the primary motive that led Munich to inaugurate an alternative fashion week was the fact that Germany’s main consumer market is not Berlin. Berlin’s ‘poor but sexy’ reputation makes it a fertile field for young talent but very difficult turf for brands that are eager to expand or create a solid consumer base. Berlin’s art audiences are eager and critically supportive but there is not enough local spending to support brands. What Berlin does offer is a magnet for international press, while its creatively rich artistic community is a lure for potential international buyers.

Despite Munich’s challenge, Berlin Fashion Week is still actually German Fashion Week. Most of the designers showing at Bebelplatz are not Berliners. There’s a healthy mixture of designers from Munich, elsewhere in Germany, and abroad. This augurs well for the future. Melissa Drier, the German correspondent for Women’s Wear Daily since 1985, has chronicled the symbiosis between Germany’s decentralized fashion industry and struggling Berlin talents. As she puts it: ‘Berlin doesn’t have much of a buying public, but it’s a great place to live. It’s a fight when it comes to fashion, but it’s a fight everywhere. Berlin is just a better place to be than a lot of other places.’  

And, as Milla Jovovich commented during Berlin Fashion Week last July: ‘I love it. I think every cool person should want to live here.’ Germany’s fashion future already does.