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
Jason Fejiro photographed by Johanna Stroud and styled by Jay Taglè, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
For the first time, the work of more than 60 artists who have lived and created at the TOM House will come together in FXLK PLAY: Mythmaking, Devotion, and Mischief, an exhibition opening September 12, 2025, at Long Hall in West Hollywood’s Plummer Park.
Oakley is taking its expertise from extreme sports to outer space.
There’s something raw and electric in Last Exit on Bethnal, the new collaborative project between London producer/DJ Hannah Holland and filmmaker/photographer Lydia Garnett.
JIL SANDER backed the production of a seven-track EP and the Hamburg-shot music video for the song “Wanderlust”.
Balenciaga’s Winter 2025 campaign strips away polish in favor of something more intriguing: real moments in real spaces.
Marine Serre unveiled the first chapter of its “Heads or Tails” campaign, captured by the lens of Julia et Vincent.
Thirty students from fashion schools across Europe will gather in Barcelona this November to tackle one of the industry’s biggest challenges: waste.
The Phantom of the Opera has chosen his designer. Nicola Formichetti has been appointed Director of Masks for Masquerade, the new immersive Phantom experience coming to New York.
MM6 Maison Margiela and Dr. Martens are teaming up again, this time with a capsule that twists classic Docs into something fresh.
Kwir Nou Éxist project, a photo installation conceived by model, actress and activist Raya Martigny and her partner Edouard Richard, is now on view until July 25 in the iconic Tuileries Garden in Paris.
The legacy of Virgil Abloh will soon be celebrated at the Grand Palais in Paris with an exhibition developed in collaboration with Nike.
MODUS VIVENDI’s latest swimwear collection is made for days in the sun, with pieces that catch the eye without costing the earth.
Liam Goofy at Two Managment photographed by Martina Moreno and styled by Marta Ros, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
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Nanushka’s Pre-Spring 2026 collection, Reflections, takes cues from Austrian thinker Rudolf Steiner’s belief that spirit and material are inseparable.
The wait and speculation are over. Almost a month after Francesco Risso’s departure, Marni now has a new Creative Director: Belgian designer Meryll Rogge.
Spanish-Nigerian designer Wekaforé Jibril has made history with the opening of his first standalone boutique in Barcelona, becoming the first Black designer to establish a flagship store in Spain.
“It’s an honour to work with Burberry,” Wu said. “The brand’s dedication to its heritage and innovation results in pieces that never fail to amaze. I look forward to discovering what we’ll create together.”
ICECREAM EU has teamed up with END. to launch a special capsule collection celebrating END.’s 20th anniversary.
Harrison Sheehan photographed and styled by Carlos Venegas, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
The Studio Archive is a new series releasing original Polaroids taken by the founder of Dominic Albano Collection.
C2H4® is slowing down. Instead of chasing seasons, their R011 Collection is built to last: one carefully crafted lineup per year, designed to stay relevant long after the trends fade.
We had the opportunity to chat with Martin about the great skincare reset and what we can learn from Danish clean beauty.
HAIKURE’s SS26 collection, Come As You Are, is for people who want to feel good without the effort, who wear clothes that fit their lives, not the other way around.
Daniel Solano captured by the lens of Arthur Coelho and styled by Dana Fracalossi, in exclusive for Fucking Young! Online.
For his second couture show closing Haute Couture Week, Kevin Germanier chose to have fun.
Glass Cypress’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, The Ones Who Flee, is a meditation on movement, not just physical escape, but the deeper act of resisting what binds us.
For Oakley, it’s been five decades of innovation, turning science into design, and refusing to blend in.
