Danny Reinke at Berlin Fashion Week: 90 Seconds Before the Apocalypse
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The Berlin Fashion Week concluded beautifully, leaving behind memorable moments and striking collections. Among them, Danny Reinke’s collection, which captivated the audience with his Fall/Winter 2025-2026 collection titled “90 Seconds to Midnight”, oscillating between a hellish vision of the future and optimism, inviting change.
Inspired by the dark tales of Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann and the famous Clock of the Apocalypse, this collection depicts a dramatic tension between innocence and urgency, between imagination and the reality of a world on the brink of collapse.
“With 90 Seconds to Midnight, Danny Reinke calls upon the strength of resistance – an encouragement to face the challenges of our time with creativity, courage, and solidarity.” A committed fashion, conceived as a manifesto, where each silhouette tells a story between poetry and thrill.
A brief recap of the show to understand the inspirations of the Berlin designer.
The recap of Danny Reinke’s show at Berlin Fashion Week
90 seconds before impact. The Clock of the Apocalypse ticks, and Danny Reinke transforms this urgency into fashion that swings between innocence and chaos. Inspired by the moral tales of Struwwelpeter, his collection plays on contrasts: almost innocent silhouettes with clean lines coexist with darker pieces, steeped in dramatic tension. An imminent sense of escape runs through the show, as if the models were trying to flee a declining world. The aesthetic blends couture elegance with punk accents straight from the 80s. A raw, rebellious, and fearless fashion that echoes the urgency (climatic or political, who knows…) of our time.
The silhouettes
Rebellious, elegant, and decidedly dramatic, Danny Reinke’s creations juggle between candor and chaos. Drawing from the moral tales of Struwwelpeter and the urgency of the Clock of the Apocalypse, the designer shapes a striking duality: on one side, pieces with childlike, almost innocent looks; on the other, dark silhouettes imbued with a sense of impending destruction. A disturbing contrast, where innocence flirts with the end of the world.
- The black
Personally, these dark silhouettes reminded me of wandering souls, almost ghostly. A “zombie” effect that perfectly fits Danny Reinke’s inspirations: a world on the edge of the abyss, where humanity wavers between elegance and hell. Black, the master color of the show, embodies both absolute sophistication and imminent chaos—a powerful contrast that gives the collection its strength.
- A forest touch
Amidst these dark silhouettes, a few models sport the key color of 2025: mocha mousse, enhanced with a distinctly seventies floral pattern. These floral prints seem to embody childhood and the lost nostalgia of innocence growing up in a chaotic world. Featured on dresses or outfits with childlike looks, the flowers retain a vintage patina, adding a melancholic touch to this vision of a youth tinged with bitterness.
- The 1980s
It’s impossible for a Berliner to evoke the punk legacy without diving back into the 1980s-1990s, a time marked by rebellion and renewal with the fall of the wall and the collapse of the communist regime. Danny Reinke draws from this rebellious spirit to celebrate the strength of individuality and remind us that the power of the people can always overturn a predetermined fate.
- Disheveled hair
Disheveled or electrified hair amplifies the dramatic side of the show, highlighting the urgency of the message: no time to care about appearances, the clock is ticking. Every hair detail matters, reinforcing the coherence of the whole and strongly asserting the aesthetic and narrative of the show.
- The past
The show evokes the past from two distinct angles: the past in terms of know-how and tradition, and the past in a more political sense, breaking free from old thought patterns to create new ones. It expresses craftsmanship through meticulously crafted pieces: using design techniques such as double-wrist pants, materials like tweed, as well as cutting and reconstruction techniques to create his punk looks.
- The accessories
The accessories play a key role in the storytelling of the show. Several models walk the runway with travel bags and suitcases, illustrating the urgency to flee before the inevitable. A staging perfectly aligned with the apocalyptic theme of the collection. Another striking detail: one model carries a giant scissors, worn like a weapon, accentuating this dramatic tension and the idea of an imminent struggle.
- Solidarity
We can end on a positive note, as despite the theme and the dark nuances of the outfits presented, it should be remembered: we can escape the Apocalypse and build our own story by breaking free from a predetermined fate, and this comes through solidarity and action. Aesthetically, Danny Reinke expresses this sentiment in a very creative way: by having two models walk hand in hand, side by side, dressed in natural colors reminiscent of the earth. Are you getting chills? That’s the goal, and I recommend watching the show again on video to learn more!
Image credit: © Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images for Danny Reinke
