We’re out on the streets with Zalando—specifically, The Corner.
Tucked into the junction of Linienstraße and Kleine Hamburger Straße, a quiet corner in Berlin’s Mitte became, for a few days, a living moodboard of the city’s underground pulse. In partnership with grassroots radio platform Refuge Worldwide, Zalando launched The Corner, a streetwear and music experience that blurred the line between pop-up and platform. Nestled amongst the electric orange storefront were sound systems, sharp silhouettes, and Berliners doing what they do best: showing up exactly as they are.
Inside the HVW8 Gallery, the air was thick with bass and patchouli. The styling was effortless but meticulous—the freshest new sneakers, oversized hoodies, chainmail paired with classic tailoring. Between live sets by DJ Spit, Ace Tee, and Dreamcastmoe, guests wandered between panel talks and an adidas customization station where merch was shredded, dyed, stamped, and stitched into something distinctly personal. No two pieces left the same.
Berlin’s streetwear scene has long thrived outside the algorithm. Here, people dress like they don’t care if you’re watching—often because you are, and they still don’t. When asked to describe the fashion in this city, Phuc Bui called it “versatile,” Lorena said “bold,” and Milena Zara added, “edgy.” But edgy doesn’t quite capture the texture. It’s less about provocation than about instinct. In Berlin, fashion is reactionary, reflexive, and often unconscious. Style, here, is something you live in.
“The thing about Berlin,” said Milena Zara, “is that everybody can express themselves very freely. You could basically walk down the street naked and nobody would care.” It’s a cliché because it’s true, and The Corner embraced that freedom in full. People came layered in looks that defied obvious influence—more protest than performance. Somewhere between a throwback and a soccer-fever dream, Nike’s platinum Nike T90s and Umbro’s jerseys made an appearance. So did Salomon trail runners paired with silk skirts, adidas Tokyo’s peeking out from under baggy cargos and some sunglasses. Nothing matched, yet everything worked out.
Naturally, the question of what trends we need to walk away from also surfaced. “Ripped jeans,” groaned Jing Yu. “I cannot handle the ripped jeans.” Lorena muttered something about five-finger shoes—“I kind of hate and like them”—then trailed off, clearly torn. These weren’t trend reports. They were the passing judgments of people who don’t follow fashion but live it, metabolize it, reinterpret it without waiting for the memo.
And yet, even with all its rebellion, Berlin fashion has its unspoken codes. “All black. It’s not just an aesthetic,” said Hongyu, “it’s a mood.” Raymond chimed in, “They actually dress better in all black.” It’s a uniform of sorts, but never uniform. It’s elegance without effort, cool without the chill.
Sound, of course, is never just a backdrop in Berlin—it’s a force field. At The Corner, the lineup was lean but intentional. Bass-heavy sets gave way to ambient pockets of conversation, while Deadhype hosted a live-streamed panel that explored the relationship between tattoos, streetwear and the culture behind it.
When asked what song they’d walk a runway to, answers came without hesitation. “Jump by Blackpink,” said Hongyu. Raymond answered quickly with “Definitely something by Playboi Carti,” said another. Evidently, the walk matters as much as the fit.
The Corner showed how Berlin’s fashion and music communities move—on their own terms, without asking for approval. To discover more about the styles that shape the scene, head over to Zalando and explore The Corner here.
