Stuttgart/Berlin. On 16 and 17 January 2018, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (MBFW) will be held in Berlin at the initiative of the automotive manufacturer featuring a new look and a new location, the ewerk. The event is organised by creative agency NOWADAYS. On the evening of the first day, Viennese designer Martina Mueller-Callisti will present the new autumn/winter collection of her "Callisti" label at the invitation of Mercedes‑B enz and fashion magazine ELLE. The show is part of both brands' campaign to promote young talent and will take place on Tuesday, 16 January 2018, at 8 pm at the ewerk in Berlin, access from Wilhelmstrasse 43.

In her native Austria, the designer Martina Mueller-Callisti long since ceased being an unknown. Since 2007, the Callisti label has stood for puristic, extravagant and urban fashion. In 2012, a fashion line for men was added to the women's collection. The designer's gaze is at all times focused on a self-assured look combining charisma with elegance and sensuality.

At the MBFW in January, Mercedes-Benz and ELLE will present Callisti for the first time in Berlin as part of their joint campaign to promote young talent, which has been successful for a number of years. The 2018 autumn/winter collection will be dominated by puristic-futuristic looks, muted colours and loving attention to detail. "I'm in the process of taking a virtual stroll back through the last decade of my life and creative work in order to let it all flow into the new collection, something that has especially moved and impressed me", says Mueller-Callisti. "My aim is to create a best-of that does not miss out on the present, with a zeitgeist that already incorporates the tomorrow".

The show will be held at the ewerk, the new MBFW location in the heart of Berlin. The listed former electricity substation with its two large halls in a raw industrial look offers an ideal setting for high-calibre fashion shows, including Dawid Tomaszewski, Riani and Cashmere Victim. With a reduced number of presentations, the programme for MBFW Berlin, true to the original concept, is focused on exclusive fashion and offers the individual labels more room for attention-grabbing presentations. In addition to the traditional show format, the designers will also present their fashion designs to the invited audience in a special area in front of and behind the catwalk. Alongside fashion design, Mercedes-Benz has chosen this setting to present its new G-Class for the first time, just a few days after the world première in Detroit.

On the outside of the building, the ewerk will open up with public screening of live stream of the presentations. Between the shows, spectators will be treated to cinematic insights into the Berlin fashion scene and the Fashion Week atmosphere in the German capital. The MBFW organisers have opted for a high level of digitisation, making the fashion platform available online to a wide audience.

Since the mid-1990s, Mercedes-Benz has established itself as a partner of selected fashion events around the world. The brand is currently involved in over
60 fashion platforms, including the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weeks in Sydney, Beijing, Berlin, Istanbul and Milan, as well as the International Festival of Fashion and Photography in Hyères. In the context of the Group's own International Designer Exchange Programme (IDEP), Mercedes-Benz has made a name for itself especially in the promotion of talented young designers. Together with ELLE, Germany's top-selling high-end fashion magazine and one of the world's best-known media brands, the automotive manufacturer each season invites a promising designer to present his or her collection to an international public in Berlin.

FASHION HAB presented by Mercedes-Benz

In addition to the MBFW, Mercedes-Benz is involved in Berlin on a new platform of the Fashion Council Germany (FCG): FASHION HAB presented by Mercedes-Benz is a new, innovative and annual event format that will provide a stage for design talents and bilateral exchange programmes. The designers will be presented under the patronage of the FCG and in collaboration with international fashion institutions. The Halle am Berghain (HAB), which gives its name to and provides the venue for the new FASHION HAB format, is a special place for special talents. FASHION HAB presented by Mercedes-Benz celebrates its début on 17 January 2018.

More information about the MBFW and the options for accreditation will be available from 18.12.2017 on the new website www.mbfw.berlin.