At first sight, Berlin looks like an ordinary residential city. But in fact the entire city has a young fashion scene that pulsates in row after row of designer shops. The area near the Hackesche Hoefe has become so well-known in the fashion world that it has boosted

Berlin’s reputation as one of Europe’s most important fashion centres to a position on par with Paris, Milan and London.

Tourists who explore the area just north of downtown Berlin will find that they can both admire the newest styles and buy them.

The fall of the Berlin Wall strengthened the city’s arts community and reproduced the modern, sizzling, creative fashion scene. Michael Michalsky – one of the big new names in German fashion – moved to Berlin a few years ago. Michalsky has his own stores featuring his own collection and his name is associated with many top brands.

Right now there’s no city more interesting than Berlin according to Michalsky. Berlin is not only the heart of new Europe, but also an indicator of new social trends, which is important for the fashion world.

That is a fact also recognized by Berlin’s schools, which in recent years have founded numerous fashion study programmes. Vivienne Westwood taught for a long time at Berlin University of the Arts and students at the fashion school ESMOD profit from the city’s international networks that span the world of fashion. The school attracts young designers who also stay in Berlin after finishing their education.

One of the best examples of this is Sisi Wasabi, a label with a mix of casual street clothes and elements borrowed from traditional German costumes. For the owner of the label, Zerlina von dem Bussche, Berlin is not just a place to work.

As per Von dem Bussche, Berlin is a city that is tremendously inspiring through its incessant change.

This boom in creativity has led even names that really count in the fashion industry to stalk the city. Events like Berlin Fashion Week attract thousands of industry elite. As a result, Berlin is not just a place where fashion is created, but also a place where it is vigorously bought and sold.

Tourists have taken notice and so have Berlin’s large, established stores. Galeries Lafayette, on Friedrich Strasse, has set aside a corner for young designers. The store is the ritzy offshoot of the Parisian department store of the same name.

Visitors to the upper floors find Berlinomat where the latest styles in belts, bags, shirts and evening wear by various designers are available amid black lacquered walls. But the biggest fashion discovery is the area around the Hackesche Hoefe. While many tourists simply stroll in awe through the courtyard shopping area, fashion conscious visitors find clothes like no other here.

The Hackesche Hoefe is an ideal starting point for a fashion tour of the area. Just behind the cinema, for example, is a store called Berlinerklamotten that offers more than just a single designer’s line. About 140 fashion designers are represented on the ground floor of the factory-like building.