Freedom

Childhood, sport, fashion, philosophy or politics – freedom has a lot of dimensions. It is the foundation of humanity and the heart of citizenship, whether you consider the French Revolution or East Germany’s Monday demonstrations under the motto “We are the People”. And yet, freedom is subject to the changing values and standards.

On one hand, just about everything is allowed these days, the multi-faceted character of life is obvious everywhere thanks to globalization. On the other hand, the many accomplishments of an open society and basic rights such as privacy are under discussion again. Digitalization is a particular challenge; its technologies develop faster than our culture. While it allows an increase in efficiency, economy and safety, it is often accompanied by increased scrutiny, uniformity and expected submission.

Freedom plays a special role in Berlin, the new home of the Stiftung der Deutschen Bekleidungsindustrie (German Fashion Industry Foundation) , in short SDBI. Berlin was the capital of the Nazi and SED regimes, the Iron Curtain, yet also the place where the Berlin Wall fell and many social and artistic experiments have been held over the years.

The European Fashion Award FASH 2015 on the topic of “Freedom” is searching for fashion as an expression of attitude: social utopia, poetic symbol of protest, or escape from the everyday routine.