Mascha Berger – BECOMING MY ALTER EGO

This summer’s UdK Rundgang once again opened its doors to the public, giving visitors the chance to explore the work of students across all disciplines. But while the halls were buzzing with installations, performances, and exhibitions, something was missing: the fashion department’s annual show.

The decision not to stage one this year was a direct result of the funding cuts currently affecting many cultural and educational institutions in Berlin. While the students of HTW organized a show on their own initiative and Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee managed to keep theirs on the schedule, UdK’s fashion students were left with the Rundgang as their only stage. It was a compromise that didn’t always give their projects the visibility they deserved.

CAMPAIGN IMAGES
Photography – Jan Luis Hartung & Maximilian Neretin

Yet within this framework, Mascha Berger’s master collection Becoming My Alter Ego stood out. Exploring how identity is shaped between digital spaces and real life, the work draws on familiar gaming archetypes—the nerdy gamer boy, the alpha hero, the cute sidekick, the femme fatale. Rather than exposing these roles, Berger reclaims them with irony and freedom, showing how digital avatars and physical selves constantly echo and reshape one another.

What makes the collection compelling is not only its conceptual depth but also its use of technology as a tool rather than a threat: AI processes, and laser cutting meet vegan deadstock fabrics, while 3D printed accessories made with jewelry artist Kira Bü from recycled PET highlight a conscious, resource-aware approach.

Berger’s collection reflects a generation negotiating fluid identities in an era of media saturation and shifting values. It imagines alter egos not as escapism but as a space of play and confidence, where digital fantasy and physical presence can co-exist—and even strengthen one another.

PERFORMANCE IMAGES
Photography – Laura Schaeffer

Looking ahead, Berger is already shaping the next chapter. Together with her fellow student Charlotte Golz, she is launching the label ML Heart, with a studio recently set up in Berlin-Lichtenberg. The brand aims to address both the struggles and joys of building a creative practice, combining emotional depth with a sustainable approach—always keeping a sense of play at the center of fashion. With their debut collection in progress, ML Heart signals a fresh perspective from two designers determined to carve out their own space in Berlin’s fashion landscape.