Since founding DAGGER, designer Luke Raine has quickly established the growing brand as one of Berlin’s most exciting independent fashion labels while rooted in resilience. Drawing inspiration from Northern Ireland, Berlin’s creative energy, and youth subcultures, DAGGER has become known for its raw tailoring, utilitarian influences and charged storytelling. Following DAGGER’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection during Berlin Fashion Week, we spoke with Luke about building a brand, why he remains committed to creating opportunities for working-class talent, the optimism behind his latest collection, and how Berlin continues to provide fertile ground for independent designers to thrive.
We first became familiar with your brand DAGGER over a year ago through Berlin Fashion Week. Can you tell us how the brand was born?
The brand was born in 2020 when I lost my job due to COVID. The final sentence of my job dismissal letter was “we wish you all the best with your professional future and personal wellbeing.” I used my last 300 euros from the government to print this sentence on the back of some shirts, and here we are today.
You launched the brand with very limited resources; I don’t know how you made it happen. What lessons from those early days do you still carry with you?
That there is always a way. When you have nothing, you have no choice but to find a way to get what is needed. This is why I am so vocal about employing kids from working-class backgrounds because we don’t give up when things are hard. Hard is a natural setting for us, so we overcome more easily than others possibly. With the right opportunity to apply this in business, you could have an incredible employee on your hands.
What’s the story behind the name?
DAGGER comes from the ceremonial use of the blade in pages’ ritual marking the end of one and the beginning of another.
Berlin has become home for the brand, while your roots are in Northern Ireland. Your work often references skate culture and working-class communities; what similarities and differences have you found in the two places and how has it shaped your work?
Both cities obviously share historical political hardships and understand separation. Although both are radical, it is in different ways. Berlin is much freer and accepting. It is easier to be who you are here. I think that has allowed me to look back at my life in the north of Ireland and draw inspiration from it through a more open and romantic lens.
Looking at Spring/Summer 2027, what was your starting point?
I wanted to take it back to my hometown, which is a seaside town. In the summer it fills with tourists, and teenagers get their first jobs on fairground rides, flipping burgers, making ice cream, etc. It gives them a little cash, which gives them a little freedom. I wanted to harness that feeling of freedom, joy, and optimism they feel after a night partying in the sand dunes or beaches after experiencing more firsts. I imagine them walking home in the early hours, a little hazy but definitely happy, thinking about who or what they could become in the future.
Were there any new techniques, fabrics or silhouettes you wanted to experiment with this season?
I really wanted to show a softer, more romantic side to DAGGER, especially in contrast with our usual rough fabrics like denim, canvas, etc. I played with many very lightweight sheer fabrics, especially for shirts, and focused on clashing louder patterns like polka dots, checks, and even some zebra.
What makes Berlin Fashion Week the right platform for DAGGER?
Berlin is a city that supports designers. There is help here in all ways as long as you are willing to work hard and offer something new and worthwhile. We have access to some of the most beautiful buildings and architecture to house our shows, meaning we can create moments that would be impossible in a city such as Paris, for example.
Berlin is often described as one of the last fashion capitals where independent voices can still thrive. Has that been your experience?
Absolutely. As we have witnessed with London over the past 10 years, funding has almost been completely cut, which has dried out the fashion week once known to be the go-to for what’s next. Berlin is very much wet.
As the brand grows, how do you protect the DIY spirit that made people connect with it in the first place?
I am very focused on making sure, as my team grows, that it is with young people from a similar background to mine. I want them to be able to tell their stories through DAGGER. No matter how big the brand gets, and I believe it will. The people contributing to it will keep its feet on the ground.
Looking ahead, where do you see DAGGER in the future?
A global brand. The success of the shows and especially this sales season in Paris, taking 45 tier 1 store appointments in 5 days, confirmed that we have something special here.
Just for fun, what’s on your summer playlist?
Set you free by n-trance. It’s the finale of my show.
And finally, what is fucking young to you?
Fucking Young to me is London because that’s where I was living when the magazine first hit, and I can remember looking at the name in the window of a magazine store on Broadway Market at the time and thinking, “that’s good”.
Photos: DAGGER’s SS27 Backstage.
