Berlin Fashion Week – Mads Dinesen AW14

Tuesday 28th January 2014

Fifth in our series on Berlin Fashion Week for the new AW14 collections.

For Mads Dinesen’s AW14 collection, Smoke-Clad Warrior, that showed last week at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Berlin, the spirit of rebellion was running high. Models stomped down the runway with their eyes running with tears and black makeup, and mud sticking to the soles of their boots, giant flag in hand. They represented a band of committed soldiers, straight from the field and charged with the righteous anger of war. Elements of streetwear were used throughout alongside desert survival wear, and coin-embellished masks, all in a stark monochrome palette, with occasional injections of blood red and mid blue. Slogans played a major role in the designer’s concept, with protest and propaganda messages emblazoned on caps, shirts and the stage itself, which featured the scrawled paint mantra “Fight the fight”.

This is the first time the Danish designer has shown on one of the main fashion stages at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, and so the bigger stage brought with it new challenges and expectations. Starting with a monochrome body performance video on screens around the catwalk, he brought the mystical side of his work onto the runway, but with a slick, professional touch. This AW14 collection represented another step forward into the mainstream, while holding onto the inspiration from ritual eclecticism that makes his clothes unforgettable.