Berlin Fashion Week: John Lawrence Sullivan explores boxing and black metal for AW26

John Lawrence Sullivan boxed its way into the hearts of Berlin Fashion Week with a collection soundtracked by metal riffs.

Japanese designer and label founder_ Arashi Yanagawa_ explained in a post-show interview that he drew inspiration from the shared mentality of his past career as a boxer and Norwegian black metal. This includes strength_ independence and a forward-looking perspective. There is no looking back.

Norway's snowy forests also featured as a print in the collection. Yanagawa discovered this aesthetic during a visit to Scandinavia_ where he has friends active in the metal scene who host parties outdoors in the cold.

The collection was a perfect fit for Berlin. Temperatures in the city dropped to minus ten degrees on Monday_ with snow partially covering the pavements. It was not just the weather that made for a perfect match.

Although the German capital was not a direct source of inspiration_ the aesthetic seemed tailor-made for the city and its inhabitants.

The show was held at the industrial Kraftwerk venue_ part of the same complex as the renowned techno club Tresor. The collection itself_ dominated by leather coats_ gloves and over-the-knee boots_ seemed perfectly suited for the city's party scene.

The pieces also impressed buyer Shuhei Iwasa from the Japanese department store chain Takashimaya. Stud and spike details on items such as boots and bags_ along with transparent mesh long-sleeved tops_ completed the subculture-inspired aesthetic.

The rock-inspired aesthetic was contrasted with clean tailoring_ featuring a return to narrower-cut suit trousers.

The colour palette featured accents of silver on suits_ green on knitted jumpers and shades of brown on faux-fur coats_ alongside a base of black.