Berlin Fashion Week: Play Hard, Land Softly - A Study of Youth and Identity in Luke Rainey’s AW26 Dagger Collection

An urban fallen angel of skateboarders, in ripped jeans and holding a bottle of beer, stood centre of the runway during Luke Rainey's Dagger show in Berlin. All photographs and cover by Jay Zoo for DAM 

Dagger’s new Autumn/Winter 2026 collection called Play Hard, was a standout at Berlin Fashion Week, and a personal reckoning for designer Luke Rainey, whose work encompasses his own early experiences of having to make something from very little, writes Jeanne-Maire Cilento. Photography by Jay Zoo

Starting out with t-shirts printed with 

quotable statements, the designer has 

built a sophisticated label.

LIVING in Berlin for the past five years, Northern Irish designer Luke Rainey named his label Dagger after a ritual blade associated with change and transition, built on the idea that identity is forged under pressure.

Rainey launched the brand in 2020 at a moment of rupture, turning professional rejection into motivation and imprinting that defiance into his work. 

"Each look is rooted in personal memory, reflecting resilience, freedom and creativity shaped through scarcity," the designer says. "Play Hard is not about perfection, but about rough edges, fragility and the strength found in community." 

Growing up in a coastal town in Northern Ireland, he learned early that style wasn’t about polish but survival. Skateboarding offered a sense of agency, friendship and a raw, resourceful mindset that still drives the designer's approach. It gave him a shared language and a way to belong when options were thin. 

"Play hard is a love letter to growing up in Portrush, a working-class seaside town," the designer says. "Surrounded by boarded-up arcades and harsh coastal weather, skateboarding became an escape, a culture and a way to form identity when opportunity was limited." 

The strength of Luke Rainey's work lies in his evocation of youth and perseverance, a reminder that the most compelling fashion often comes from necessity rather than excess

Growing up skateboarding in a small town in

Northern Ireland is key to Rainey's designs. 

This season, Rainey channels memories of freezing weather, closed storefronts, and the restless energy of youth searching for release. 

The designs feel protective and worn-in, created for movement and endurance. Textures are tough, silhouettes strong, and details deliberately imperfect, reflecting a world shaped by a small range of options and shared ingenuity.

"The collection draws from winter nights at home, empty arcades, distant sounds, fog and flashing lights, capturing a feeling that is both beautiful and unsettling," explains the designer. 

The strength of Luke Rainey's work lies in his evocation of youth and perseverance, a reminder that the most compelling fashion often comes from necessity rather than excess. 

Scroll to see more highlights from Dagger's AW26 collection at Berlin Fashion Week 

Berlin Fashion Week: Where Sustainability Gets Sophisticated, Danny Reinke's Autumn/Winter 2026 Collection

A beautiful confection of tulle was a highlight of Danny Reinke's AW26 collection in Berlin. Photograph (above) and cover with singer Ichika Uehara by Jay Zoo for DAM. 

At Berlin Fashion Week, Danny Reinke's new collection, entitled Numinous, unfolded as a study in how clothing can negotiate emotion, responsibility, and form, bringing together refined construction, tactile depth, and a thoughtful approach to materials. It shows a designer working with confidence and precision, creating pieces that engage the body and the senses while reflecting a broader commitment to sustainability and longevity. Story by Jeanne-Marie Cilento. Photography by Jay Zoo 

Deep burgundy-hued faux-fur

gave a sense of wandering in

a dark forest,

DANNY Reinke's is one of Germany’s most rigorous and concept-driven designers, known for his precise tailoring and uncompromising commitment to environmentally aware fashion. This season he examined psychological terrain yet anchored the collection in a disciplined design language.

The concept of Numinous, meaning the mysterious, the supernatural and appealing to the aesthetic sense, was translated through references to dark forests as symbolic spaces of uncertainty. Rather than literal storytelling, Reinke approached the idea through structure and material. Silhouettes enveloped the body, suggesting protection while retaining a sense of fragility. This duality became the collection’s central thesis.

Material innovation was a driving force. Reinke combined tulle and transparent fabrics with recycled and deadstock textiles, creating complex surfaces that balanced lightness and density. These contrasts were not ornamental but strategic, reinforcing the emotional tension at the heart of the collection. Faux fur and virgin wool appeared prominently in coats and outerwear, grounding the more ethereal elements and underscoring Reinke’s strength in wearable yet conceptually robust design.

By using leftover materials with irregular textures and visible construction, Danny Reinke made sustainability an integral design tool rather than a secondary consideration

An intricately embroidered dress

showed the designer's skill at 

producing couture-like designs.

A defining feature of Numinous was the use of fabrics made from collected leftover materials, including ropes, wool, felt, leather remnants, and raffia. These textiles introduced irregular textures and visible construction, positioning sustainability as an integral design tool rather than a secondary consideration. The garments carried the marks of their making, aligning craftsmanship with transparency and accountability.

The collection also marked Reinke’s first collaboration with Korean designer Sungyi Lee of Wala Design Lab. The co-designed pieces introduced subtle shifts in proportion and surface treatment, expanding the collection’s material vocabulary while remaining consistent with its overall structure and intent.

With Numinous, Danny Reinke avoided spectacle in favor of substance. The AW26 presentation demonstrated an evolution of his practice, one that prioritizes craftsmanship, materials and ethical production without compromising aesthetic clarity and it stood out for its restraint, coherence, and quietly assertive vision.

See below more highlights of Danny Reinke's new collection at Berlin Fashion Week

Scroll down see more of the AW26 collection backstage before the show in Berlin