At a time when Berliners wake up every day with questions like "Are we as creative as we used to be?" or "How will the creative sectors survive these challenging times?", FASHION BLOCK serves as an oasis. Yet, getting to know the system more closely and understanding its objectives is essential to grasping the sheer richness of the initiative. The Columbist sat down with Berlin-Mitte Mayor Stefanie Remlinger to discuss all of this: creating a compelling, all-encompassing narrative that begins with FASHION BLOCK and moves toward sustaining Berlin’s creative identity, one that concerns all of us.

— Following the launch of FASHION BLOCK, the project comes to life at the Alexanderplatz / Memhardstraße axis through PLATTE, sitting right at the intersection of one of Berlin's most important urban locations and the fashion ecosystem. What strategy did you pursue to integrate this new space at PLATTE into the commercial and cultural fabric of central Mitte?

— Our strategy is not simply to bring another fashion project to Alexanderplatz. We want to contribute to a broader transformation of this historic and highly visible part of Berlin. Alexanderplatz has always been a place of commerce, mobility, tourism and social change. But we believe it can become much more strongly associated with the creative energy for which Berlin is known internationally. That means creating long-term, reliable spaces for creative actors in the centre of the city and combining cultural visibility with real economic perspectives.

PLATTE Berlin has already established an important public-facing platform here. Through its strong community and B2C formats, it connects Berlin fashion directly with audiences and customers. FASHION BLOCK complements this with development, production, professionalization and B2B structures. Together, they can help create a place where people do not only come to shop or pass through, but to discover what is being created in Berlin, meet the people behind it and become part of that environment. For us, that is also part of the image change we want to encourage at Alexanderplatz: from a predominantly transit and consumption-oriented location towards a place associated with creativity, participation and contemporary Berlin.

— FASHION BLOCK stands out not just as a showroom for designers and their collections, but as a comprehensive development hub spanning from ideation to production and B2B networking. How do you aim to make local production and professionalization, areas where independent designers struggle most, sustainable under this roof?

— The crucial point is to close the gaps that independent designers often have to bridge on their own. Berlin does not lack creative talent. The challenge often begins when a strong idea has to become a sustainable business: finding production partners, understanding materials and costs, developing products, scaling responsibly, building B2B relationships and entering new markets.

FASHION BLOCK is designed around exactly these needs. It provides space for production and innovation formats, qualification, business development, cooperation and professional networking. And this is where the relationship with PLATTE Berlin is particularly important. PLATTE primarily works on the B2C side. Its strong community creates visibility, direct market feedback and contact with customers. FASHION BLOCK strengthens the development and business side behind that visibility. Together, they can support a designer through very different stages: from being discovered and testing a product to building production structures, partnerships and a viable company. For me, sustainability therefore means more than ecological responsibility. It also means creating conditions in which independent creative businesses can survive, grow and remain in Berlin over the long term.

— The initiative originated in Mitte and Pankow with plans to expand citywide, bringing together the Senate Department, PLATTE Berlin, and more. What kind of model does this collaboration between local government, public entities, and creative communities offer for Berlin's overall future?

— It is a model based on shared responsibility and on combining different kinds of expertise. The district understands the location, the local economy and the needs we see on theground. PLATTE Berlin brings direct access to the fashion community, practical experience and an established network. Public partners can help make space available. And the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises connects these local structures with Berlin's broader economic strategy and funding instruments.

That cooperation has been essential. The Senate Department has been a very reliable partner throughout this development. Michael Biel and his team have understood that the creative industries are not a side issue, but an important part of Berlin's economy and international profile.

For me, this is also a model for the future of economic development in Berlin. The government should not try to invent creative ecosystems from an office. Its role is to create the conditions in which strong existing communities can develop: access to space, continuity, funding and connections. When public institutions and creative communities work together in that way, public support becomes much more than funding. It becomes an investment in lasting structures.

— Rather than being defined by traditional commercial fashion capitals, Berlin is globally recognized for its avant-garde, free-spirited, and independent design scene. Why is supporting emerging talent and keeping them in the city critical to preserving Berlin's cultural identity and heritage, and how does FASHION BLOCK support it?

— Because creativity is one of Berlin's strongest unique selling points. Berlin has built an international identity around freedom, experimentation, independence and the possibility to develop ideas outside conventional structures. This is not simply an image created for tourism. It is a living ecosystem that attracts designers, artists, founders and creative entrepreneurs from all over the world and gives many of them a reason to stay. That is an enormous asset for the city. But it cannot be taken for granted. If creative people can no longer find spaces to work, if they cannot professionalize their businesses or see an economic future here, Berlin risks losing exactly the people who create this identity.

Supporting emerging talent therefore means more than offering visibility or a stage. It means creating the conditions for people to build a professional future here. FASHION BLOCK translates that political ambition into concrete infrastructure: space, knowledge, production opportunities, networks and business development. If Berlin wants to preserve what makes it different from other fashion capitals, we have to make sure that creative freedom is matched by real opportunities to stay and grow.

— FASHION BLOCK is co-financed through the European Regional Development Fund and the State of Berlin. How do you evaluate directing public funds into creative industries in terms of driving the city's long-term economic growth and job creation?

— I see it as an investment in economic infrastructure. Creative industries generate jobs, innovation and value creation, but they are often made up of small and medium-sized companies that cannot build all the structures they need individually. Public investment can create shared infrastructure that benefits many actors at once: spaces, qualification, access to networks, production knowledge, innovation and market opportunities. That is very different from permanently subsidizing individual labels. The aim is to improve the conditionsunder which companies can become economically independent, grow and create employment.

There is another aspect that is particularly relevant for Berlin: the creative economy is part of the city's international attractiveness. It brings talent, businesses and visitors here and supports many other parts of the local economy. So investing in creative industries is both sector policy and location policy. It strengthens an industry, but it also strengthens the qualities that make Berlin competitive and distinctive as a city.

— At a time when traditional retail is shifting, how will introducing creative production and collaborative workspaces to a high-density hub like Alexanderplatz reshape the area's atmosphere? How will Berlin fashion transform into a tangible experience for visitors in this dynamic location?

— This is where I see one of the greatest opportunities for Alexanderplatz. Consumer behaviour has changed. People increasingly expect more from city centres than simply a place to make a transaction. They want experiences, authenticity, exchange and the feeling of being part of something. And purchasing decisions are increasingly connected to questions of identity, origin, sustainability and values. For retail, this is not necessarily a threat. It can be a major opportunity.

If we combine retail with creative production, workshops, events, community, designers and spaces where people can discover how products are developed, shopping becomes part of a larger experience. That is particularly powerful at Alexanderplatz. This historic location is known around the world, but its image is still strongly shaped by traffic, large-scale retail and transit. We want to add another identity to it: a place where the creative Berlin that people travel here for can actually be experienced.

Visitors should be able to encounter Berlin fashion not only as a product on a rack, but through the people, stories, processes and values behind it. That creates a stronger emotional connection to the place and to the products. And ultimately, that can also strengthen retail itself and contribute to a more resilient local economy. For me, this is exactly the kind of city centre we should be working towards: commercially viable, but at the same time distinctive, creative and rooted in the identity of Berlin.

— The foundation laid by PLATTE Berlin expands significantly with FASHION BLOCK. Looking ahead, what is your next ambitious step toward cementing Berlin-Mitte as the premier destination for emerging independent talent on the global fashion map?

— The next ambition is to turn what we are building here into a lasting creative ecosystem. With PLATTE Berlin, FASHION BLOCK and the additional spaces in the immediate surroundings, we are bringing together different parts of the fashion value chain in one central location: visibility, community, market access, development, production, professionalization and cooperation.

The next step is to secure these structures over the long term and connect them more strongly with international markets, networks, and partners.Berlin already has international attention. The challenge is to convert that attention into sustainable opportunities for the people who create here. And I believe Mitte can play a special role in that. We have the visibility, the accessibility and one of the most internationally recognized urban locations in Berlin. If we succeed in combining that with permanent creative spaces and strong economic structures, we can also contribute to a new image of Alexanderplatz itself.

The ambition is not to make Berlin another Paris, Milan or London. Berlin's strength lies precisely in being different. Our task is to protect and develop that difference and to make sure that the people who create the Berlin brand can also build their future here.