2026. EVERYTHING NEW
An essay by Sven Appelt
My dear customers, my dear friends, my dear partners and companions along the way,
2026 does not begin quietly.
It begins with a decision.
After years of engaging with systems that administer themselves, with institutions that barricade themselves behind forms, and with debates that prefer postponement over resolution, I have made a clear decision for myself: 2026 will not be repaired — 2026 will be rethought.
I state this deliberately and plainly, because for me this year is not a transition, but a cut.
Two new collections — not as commodities, but as a stance
In 2026, two new collections are forthcoming. And they are not a simple “continuation.” They are the result of consequence. Of concentration. Of the desire to understand fashion once again as a language — not as a product that must justify itself, but as an expression that makes demands.
These collections are not created to please.
They are created to take a position.
Andreas, he called her his little doll
One of the central projects of 2026 bears a name that hurts — and for that very reason is necessary:
“Andreas. He called her his little doll.”
It is a project about violence. About power. About structures that look away for as long as possible until they can absolve themselves. It is about children, about dependencies, about emotional and physical boundary violations — and about the social convenience of delegating these issues: to files, to responsibilities, to silence.
This project is not a provocation.
It is an imposition.
And 2026 is the right year for it.
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“Brown — Identity Without the Obligation to Explain”
Running parallel to this is Brown.
Not as a color.
Not as a trend.
But as an identity.
For me, Brown is not a label that needs to be explained, but a condition that must be acknowledged. It is about bodies, about attributions, about gazes, about the constant necessity of having to explain oneself. Brown is not a request for acceptance. It is the statement of existence.
In 2026, Brown will not become more moderate.
It will become clearer.
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Education, art, culture — and why I decided to decline requests from public universities
And with this, we arrive at a point that is particularly important to me: education.
I have made a conscious decision to no longer pass on my knowledge at public universities. Not out of arrogance. Not out of defiance. But for a very simple reason: a lack of appreciation.
The fees that public universities — especially in Berlin — offer for guest lectureships are not merely low. They are condescending. They do not signal frugality, but disregard. And I believe that if a senate considers education worthy of such poor remuneration, it should not be surprised when knowledge migrates elsewhere.
I have therefore decided to teach exclusively at private universities. In places where preparation, experience, and responsibility are treated for what they are: work. Valuable work.
I say this so clearly because there is a connection that cannot be named often enough:
A country that pays education poorly cannot expect a cultural future.
A country that treats art as a cost factor will not produce art.
And a city like Berlin, which enjoys adorning itself with culture while structurally starving it, confuses myth with reality.
Germany was once a country of poets and thinkers.
Not because it was more talented.
But because it took education seriously.
For me, 2026 will be the year in which I demand this seriousness once again — not through appeals, but through decisions.
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Berlin, I stay — but not at any price
I believe in Berlin. In its history. In its fractures. In its potential. But I no longer believe in the fairy tale that culture emerges on its own if one simply romanticizes it long enough.
Culture needs spaces.
Art needs protection.
Education needs respect.
And that is precisely what I am committing myself to in 2026 — with my collections, with my projects, with my work as a lecturer, with my voice.
Not out of defiance.
But out of responsibility.
2026 is new.
And that is a good thing.
2026 ist neu.
Und das ist gut so.