tHERAPY Recycle & Exorcise and FADE OUT Label Present Upcycled Capsule Collections at the Grand Finale of Upcycling Drag Competition at legendary SO36
On the night of the Grand Finale of Berlin’s Next Top Quing, held at the legendary SO36 club in
Kreuzberg, Berlin based independent upcycling fashion labels—tHERAPY Recycle & Exorcise
and FADE OUT Label—unveiled exclusive preview capsule collections in a vibrant, politically
charged celebration of drag, transformation, and circular fashion.
The event was organized by Queerberg Collective, a migrant-led association of Refugee & Drag
Quings including BIPOC, Sex Workers, Trans & Queer artists, who champion community,
empowerment, performance, and visibility. Since 2024, tHERAPY Recycle & Exorcise has
supported the competition by offering prizes to semifinalists, reinforcing their commitment to
uplifting marginalized creative talent.
Each brand presented a runway with five performers, five looks, and a unique artistic narrative
woven between the show's drag performance categories.
FADE OUT Label
FADE OUT Label is a zero-waste, genderless denim couture brand founded in Berlin in 2015 by Andy. Blending craftsmanship and sustainability, the brand invites audiences into a world where creativity meets responsibility, and where imagination rewrites the rules of fashion.
The collection showcased at SO36, titled Lebkuchenherz, draws from Andy’s philosophy that making clothes is like making cakes: they must be beautiful, delicious, and above all, healthy.
The capsule featured upcycled garments born from unexpected beginnings: used parachutes, scraps of metal, old IKEA curtains, vintage ski suits, donated clothing, protest banners, advertising posters gathered from the streets around Kotti in Berlin, and FADE OUT Label’s signature patchwork denim.
Lebkuchenherz is a tribute to all who dare to imagine what discarded materials could become. A celebration of conscious creation, expressive design, and fashion that contributes to a better world. As FADE OUT Label reminds us:
“YOU ARE WHAT YOU WEAR.”
Sound design and original music by @grankowsky
tHERAPY Recycle & Exorcise — “Waste Is Privilege” Runway
For tHERAPY Recycle & Exorcise, the runway was more than a fashion show—it was a statement. The performance centered on the motto:
“WASTE IS PRIVILEGE.” Every garment on the runway—crafted from a donated wedding dress and donated curtains from neighbours, second hand duvets, vintage tablecloths, rescued underwear, parts of shoes, and more—once lived a discarded life. Some materials traveled from closed shoe factories in Argentina; others were donated by neighbors in Berlin.
tHERAPY, a female-immigrant, Latina-led art-fashion and upcycling project run between Berlin and Córdoba (Argentina), transforms not only fabric but meaning. The brand reclaims what society rejects, giving each piece a second life, a second identity, and a second narrative.
Upcycling is part of their lineage. Their grandmother, who did not know the word “upcycling,” practiced it daily out of necessity. Today, the designers use that inherited creativity to confront the opposite problem—overconsumption and systemic waste.
This collection challenges beauty norms and critiques a system that discards both objects and people. In every stitch, tHERAPY invites audiences to reconsider what we call “trash” and recognise the privilege embedded within waste.
Event Credits
Walking Queens included:
http://www.instagram.com/juicycaaa
http://www.instagram.com/bellafromberlin
http://www.instagram.com/reflektra
http://www.instagram.com/toylettepaypr
http://www.instagram.com/queenjustmean
Shows Photography by:
Anna Moody — @mooderss
Felipe Bonicatto — @felipebonicatto.ph