Casual chic heralds the start of the Berlin Fashion Week

Dutch designer Erik Frenken kicked off Berlin Fashion Week on Tuesday with a collection inspired by Victorian fashion for label Avelon. Frenken told Reuters that his collection of striped shirt-dresses and skirts, breezy wrap-around blouses and platform sneakers harkened to a bygone era but also harnessed a contemporary vibe with effortless, clean, relaxed looks.

"I started playing with these concepts, stripes and ruffles, giving the antique approach to pleating and ruffling and shapes, A-line shapes," Frenken said.

Prior to joining Avelon, Frenken served as the head designer of women’s wear at avant garde label Viktor&Rolf, after graduating from Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design in London.

The Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin sees some 200,000 visitors including industry professionals and journalists, and offers a platform for both established designers and newcomers to present their collections for Spring Summer 2017.

Alongside more than 30 runway shows from designers such as Guido Maria Kretschmer, Michael Michalsky and Anja Gockel, attendees can visit different fashion exhibitions and fairs, as well as parties, panel talks and competitions.