In early July, the best fashion design graduates from German universities gathered at Neo.Fashion’s Graduate Fashion Week, held as part of Berlin Fashion Week. Alongside universities from Germany, selected international design schools also took part for the first time, including Central Saint Martins College in London and universities from Kyiv, Linz and Basel.
Representing the Hochschule Niederrhein, Jasmin Gerth, Henrik Höfer, Sophia Kusch, Lina-Sofie Marschall, Phuong Quynh Le Chu, Blinera Morina, Helene Nusch, Finja Petersen, Julia Segschneider and Sophie Steffen presented their final-year collections. Right up until shortly before the show, the performances and styling were being fine-tuned behind the scenes with great dedication.
In addition to the fashion shows, Neo.Fashion offered numerous networking events organised by the Gesamtverband textil+mode, panel discussions – including on digitalisation in teaching education – as well as recruitment talks with companies from the fashion industry.
“Every year, Neo.Fashion offers our students an excellent platform for establishing contacts with the industry and the textile sector’s network. These connections regularly lead not only to internship opportunities but also to initial job offers, thereby marking the start of their professional careers,” says Ellen Bendt, professor in the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology, specialising in knitwear design and innovative product design.
On the second day of the event, two students presented their work to the international jury at the Best Graduates Show. In the evening, the design duo Phuong Quynh Le Chu and Blinera Morina, with their bachelor’s collection ‘Tangled: Following the Threads of Culture in Fashion’ , were among the twelve best graduates in Germany to present their collections at the sold-out final show.
The students were accompanied by numerous fellow students who supported them backstage, as well as by the social media team, Maya Adam and Le Minh Tri Pham.
Joel Horwitz, professor of Fashion Design at HAKA + Sport – analogue and virtual collection design – recalls one moment in particular: “When a student asked me straight after the show what he needed to do to take part again next year, I knew: Berlin, as a fashion capital, offers our students professional experience and valuable contacts that go far beyond the catwalk. For many, taking part is therefore a special highlight to round off their degrees.”
Photo credits: DANIEL HINZ @HINZGUCKER @NEOFASHION.DE @BERLINFASHIONWE, Maya Adam and Professor Andrea Klüsner
Students’ Instagram accounts:
Henrik Höfer @ungebuegelt
Phuong Quynh Le Chu @kvyny
Blinera Morina @nela__mo
Julia Segschneider @_juliachristina_
Helene Nusch @helene.nusch
Sophia Kusch @some_rags
Sophie Victoria Steffen @toryealing
Finja Petersen @finja_petersen
Lina-Sofie Marschall @lina.marschall
Jasmin Gerth @jasmin.gerth
Links to the event: Neo.Fashion 2026
