Reference Festival Recap
by Adriano Batista
From January 21st to 23rd, the second edition of Reference Festival was staged on a virtual platform, Reference Realities. Under the theme of Navigating Parallel Realities, activations for the largest part were created in physical space and expanded digitally which attracted a global crowd of more than 28,000 people. It set the perspective for virtual events and experiences.
In absence of a crowd the Zeiss Major Planetarium in Berlin was the festival’s key physical venue which saw exclusive, one time performances by Die Hässlichen Vögel, while in partnership with Carhartt WIP, Bill Kouligas’ label PAN presented Anne Imhof & Eliza Douglas, ‘Act 1’ by MJ Harper & David Jainz styled by Stefano Pilati in Random Identities, Pan Daijing, and Amnesia Scanner whose show was enhanced by after-effects from Freeka Tet that came to life on referencerealities.com. Each performance was site-specific, conceived for the planetarium, and optimized for the environment of the platform. A live chat function enabled registered visitors to communicate and share the experience. Reference Festival became a space of virtual togetherness for like-minded people across the globe.
Organisers Reference Studios gallery space on Berlin Schoeneberg’s famous Potsdamer Strasse became another physical site of cultural content production. It hosted a multidisciplinary exhibition which included a selection of sculptures by Tobias Spichtig for Balenciaga, the launch of a collaborative side table by furniture design duo Chapel Petrassi x Mowalola, an edit of Endyma’s Helmut Lang archive curated by Michael Kardamakis, an interactive installation by creative collective Treffpunkt, an exclusive film screening by emerging designer’s PunkZec’s COLRS as well as the presentation of a suit by contemporary creative studio acte™ in collaboration with Sucuk & Bratwurst that was created for the event.
More detached from location were the film for GmbH’s FW21 ‘Welt am Draht’ collection, 032c’s 20th anniversary activation which sent LCD paneled trucks across Berlin, a purely virtual Blue Room created by EBIT™ (Enjoy Being in Transition) in collaboration with Michel Gaubert, and an experience by Lost Souls of Saturn (Seth Troxler & Phil Moffa) premiered and hosted at the platform’s planetarium stage. The platform proved seamless functionality throughout.
Reference Festival closed with the announcement of a prize for emerging talent in partnership with Slam Jam, that will roll out with further information and the introduction of its full committee in the next weeks. Slam Jam offers an incubator program, while Reference Studios takes on the winner’s PR. The prize highlights underrepresented voices, no degree or even formal education is required to enter. More context was created in panels by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Honey Dijon, with features from Soo Joo Park, Kenneth Ize, Michel Gaubert, Tiffany Godoy, Michael Kardamakis (ENDYMA), Iolo Lewis Edwards (High Fashion Talk), and Michelle Elie.
Carlota Barrera Spring/Summer 2021
Givenchy Spring/Summer 2021 Campaign
Take a look at Drôle de Monsieur’s Spring/Summer 2026 backstage, captured by the lens of Tiago Pestana during Paris Fashion Week, in exclusive for Fucking Young!
PUMA is bringing back the early 2000s track spirit with its reimagined H-Street sneaker.
Take a look at SYSTEM’s Spring/Summer 2026 backstage, captured by the lens of Tiago Pestana during Paris Fashion Week, in exclusive for Fucking Young!
Dior has always been a cultural language. For Summer 2026, Creative Director Jonathan Anderson plays with that lexicon, stretching its history into new shapes.
Take a look at CAMPERLAB’s Spring/Summer 2026 backstage, captured by the lens of Rita Castel-Branco during Paris Fashion Week, in exclusive for Fucking Young!
For Spring/Summer 2026, Ouest Paris dives deeper into its love affair with workwear, this time pulling inspiration from an unexpected place: NASA’s 1960s office culture.
GR10K’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, Cramp’d, doesn’t just reflect modern saturation but leans into it.
Junya Watanabe Man doesn’t chase trends but circles back to them, turning the past into something quietly surprising.
The names roll off the tongue like a trumpet’s lazy riff: Vedado. Miramar. Malecón. Three corners of Havana, three moods, three stages for Drôle de Monsieur’s Summer 2026 collection.
Ryota Iwai, Founder and Creative Director of AURALEE, presented his Spring/Summer 2026 collection during Paris Fashion Week.
IM MEN presented its Spring/Summer 2026 collection, inspired by the legacy of ceramist Shoji Kamoda, during Paris Fashion Week.
With sophistication, straps, and sleaze, Rick Owens presented his collection “Temple” at the Palais de Tokyo.
Jonathan Anderson, Creative Director of the House, is preparing to present his first collection by Dior in one of the most emblematic places in Paris.
The collection speaks to those who know the weight of repetition but still hold space for possibility.
Take a look at BLUEMARBLE’s Spring/Summer 2026 backstage, captured by the lens of Tiago Pestana during Paris Fashion Week, in exclusive for Fucking Young!
The Spring/Summer 2026 collection isn’t about trends or rules; it’s about movement, play, and the simple thrill of existing without apology.
The collection takes military and workwear staples (timeless, functional) and washes them in something more fluid.
Mike Amiri builds his Spring/Summer 2026 collection like a perfect hotel stay, where different lives collide in sun-drenched harmony.
Tatras has always been about bridges, between Italy and Japan, between form and function, between the crafted and the everyday.
CamperLab arrived at Paris Men’s Fashion Week with the growl of an engine in a concrete garage.
When the world grows dark, Walter Van Beirendonck responds with glittering defiance.
For BLUEMARBLE’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, creative director Anthony Alvarez Graff found inspiration in the Mont Faron téléphérique of Toulon, a cable car bridging mountain and city.
For Spring/Summer 2026, Feng Chen Wang returns to her roots while pushing forward, a collection that feels like a conversation between memory and the present.
On a drowsy summer afternoon, between the pages of untouched books and the hum of cicadas, Sean Suen found inspiration for his Spring/Summer 2026 collection.
Take a look at EGONLAB’s Spring/Summer 2026 backstage, captured by the lens of Tiago Pestana during Paris Fashion Week, in exclusive for Fucking Young!
This exhibition marks the conclusion of Demna’s ready-to-wear work for Balenciaga, anchored by the Exactitudes collection.
During Paris Men’s Fashion Week, Christian Louboutin transformed the grand halls of the Hôtel de Crillon into a living showcase for its Sartorial line.
For Spring/Summer 2026, EGONLAB presents In Memoriam, a collection that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant.
For Spring/Summer 2026, Wales Bonner marks ten years with Jewel, a collection that feels like flipping through a well-loved wardrobe, one where every piece has a story.
