Unveiled last week during Berlin Fashion Week, the new collection titled ERROR AS ASSET showcases 30 looks that position waste, error, and imperfection as integral assets within contemporary fashion systems. The collection is divided into two distinct lines, each exploring different facets of concept and scalability.
The ICONIC line serves as the ideological foundation of PLN-GNS. This line features garments crafted entirely from discarded sneakers, merging art with utility. These items undergo intensive handcrafting processes, resulting in unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that maintain their wearability. In contrast, the SIGNATURE line takes this concept further into an accessible domain, incorporating stock fabrics and defective production leftovers alongside reduced sneaker components. This approach enables limited capsule releases while adhering to the brand’s commitment to circular logic.
@berlinfashionwe
@fashioncouncilgermany
All photos by Ines Bahr for BFW @inesbahr_photography
Rejecting conventional gender divisions, the collection offers two fit systems, feminine and masculine, each representing an equal share of 15 looks. The styling by Gianni.vas enhances silhouettes, amplifying themes of tension and provocation. An open casting approach invites a diverse array of models, including both professionals and non-models, across various genders and appearances. The makeup design carries social significance, featuring visual references to frostbite and snow, which echo the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, a reflection of the region’s challenging circumstances.
Each ICONIC garment is produced through an intensive process that may require up to 80 hours of craftsmanship. This season, the collections repurpose between 500 and 800 pairs of sneakers. While the experimental studio is based in Europe, a significant portion of production is maintained in Ukraine, where development has encountered delays due to the impacts of war, power outages, and security concerns. The collection was presented in a unique hybrid format within a historic Berlin villa, highlighting the dynamic interplay of speed and stillness, tradition and disruption. This juxtaposition reinforces ERROR AS ASSET as both a distinctive fashion statement and a critical commentary on current systems.
Founded in 2021 by Mitya Hontarenko and Iryna Ambrosova, PLNGNS is a multi-award-winning fashion initiative rooted in Kyiv and based in Berlin. The brand is redefining circular design through its innovative processes, transforming discarded sneakers into one-of-a-kind garments that generate minimal additional CO2 emissions. Recognised with awards such as the Berlin-Contemporary and ITS Footwear Award, PLNGNS has been an influential voice in the Berlin Fashion Week schedule since the FW24 season.
Evolving from an experimental venture in material reuse, PLNGNS is now a fully developed ecosystem encompassing a fashion label, an innovation lab, and a circular consultancy. It exemplifies true closed-cycle production, demonstrating how scalable fashion models can emerge from radical, future-proof systems. The past use and design of materials serve as essential inputs into creative processes, inviting collaboration between the designer, the materials, and the wearer in co-creating the final garment.
Operating out of a studio in Kyiv, PLN-GNS blends industrial and architectural silhouettes with a commitment to political and environmental consciousness. These garments preserve the memory of their previous lives while proposing sustainable paths forward. More than mere collections, this initiative represents the genesis of an adaptable model that embeds sustainability into its core, using fashion as a medium for resistance, community, and accountability, embodying a truly authentic form of sustainability that is visibly processed, materially honest, and culturally progressive.
styling @gianni.vas
creative director @xxmityax
head designer @iraira_amb
junior designer @ksqur
casting & performance @sasha.kakurina
pr @lobby.pr
lead makeup @dasha.makeup.berlin
makeup artists: @danielaleee @natsumua @alla_lemax @okhota.ivanna @viktoria_turokmua @alina_blazhevska @lgmua_
nails @liisaeli
art directors/print designe @alexbabariko
soundtrack Markvart Vyacheslav @_marik_marik
location @st.elisabeth.villaelisabeth
Show as part of the format BERLIN CONTEMPORARY during @berlinfashionwe is supposed by @senwienbe in cooperation with @fashioncouncilgermany
