Ottolinger celebrates its tenth anniversary in a show

Ten years after founding their label, Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient, the designers behind Ottolinger, presented a Spring/Summer 2026 collection paying tribute to sisterhood.

The power of female friendship at Ottolinger

It’s been a decade now since the two Swiss designers decided to move to Berlin to create Ottolinger, named after their first studio’s neighbour, the one who received their mail. “It began by simple wanting to create something cool for strong women,” Christa Bösch shared in an interview with Manifesto magazine in 2023. A motto that continues to drive their collections, including the Spring/Summer 2026 one titled Girlfriend and unveiled on Sunday, October 5th.

Girlfriend is a celebration of “the power of female friendship,” as the press release reads. Far from a literal interpretation, it features strong silhouettes where the clothes support the women who wear them, rather than restrain them. “We were talking about how we make things, decode them and find our freedom. It’s about the way we dress… It’s not like you can wear a bikini all day long,” the designers told Vogue.com.

The idea might seem obvious. It seems that fashion has been supporting women’s political and social empowerment in recent decades. However, the declining number of women leading major fashion houses, as well as the persistence of thinness as an aesthetic norm, may suggest otherwise. Added to that is the struggle of “young designers” to navigate an unstable economy that shows little empathy for their challenges. Many reasons that gave Christa Bösch’s words more weight. The latter addressed a letter to Cosima Gadient and placed it on each guest’s seat: “Thank you for being my friend, my partner in crime, and my Otto…”

A runway show guided by instinct

The 34 looks of this summer collection marked a return to the essence of the brand, best known for its almost teenage sense of experimentation. Here, the word “experimentation” means spontaneity. As the designers explained in an interview with Dazed, their approach to deconstructed clothing stems from “the innocence of being a kid and a teenager, doing things without questioning them too much.” “We try to always keep some of that. Go by your instincts and ideas and feel comfortable with it. Don’t let your critical mind interrupt the outpouring,” they continued. On the runway, impeccably tailored blazers appeared alongside sheer knit dresses, over-dyed gingham trousers, leather jackets with puff sleeves, and paisley-print boxers.

A call for care

Collaborations were also an integral part of the show, such as the capsule collection of T-shirts and necklaces created in partnership with Tinder. All profits were donated to NGOs supporting LGBTQ+ rights, youth protection, and minorities.

Sustainability still being at the heart of its approach, Ottolinger also teamed up with eBay to revamp second-hand pieces, and with Mammut to upcycle technical garments.

Ultimately, it was a call for “care” — a concept rooted in taking care of one another and the world around us. At a time when division runs deep, proclaiming the need for connection, creativity, and sisterhood feels very much needed.