On the relationship of humans and nature
- Jonas
Milk of Lime showed their Spring Summer 2026 collection “CHIME“ at Berlin Fashion Week. Drawing from their living and working environment in the rural south of Germany, their designs again stood out with a subtle roughness and their signature “poetic rural punk“ attitude.
As humanity disconnects from nature more and more but at the same time extreme weather events increase, the brand’s ideas are not only beautifully executed but also highly relevant.
When I met the designers Julia Ballardt and Nico Verhaegen in their showroom following their SS26 show „CHIME“, I shared my impression with them that this collection felt rougher than their last one. A comment that they happily agreed with, adding that this collection is more like “them“, meaning that it came about without any collaborations and a reduced team and therefore more purely represents their very own artistic vision.
And while rough- and edgyness is something that’s generally very present in Berlin, Milk of Lime definitely stands out with their approach to it. For one, they’re not based in Berlin but in the rural South of Germany. More importantly, their work is quieter, more subtle, than the often sensational fashion seen in the capital.
At Milk of Lime, not the humans wearing their clothes are in focus but the bigger picture of nature and humans coexisting. Which is an odd thing to say – humans are nature – but that’s just what we as a species have manoeuvred ourselves into.
In the shownotes, they put it like this: “Living in the countryside reveals and confronts us with our very nature and what we deem beautiful. It is where we confide in our surroundings, crafting an homage to its cruel beauty. Nature is pretty heavy metal when you look at it closely. Trees strangling trees, weeds creeping through tended pastures. And humankind, too, is relentless: Gardeners are slicing open blossoms with razor blades for propagation, when there are not enough pollinators anymore.“ The notes conclude with the words: “Chiming the ballad of poetic rural punk“
When asked about punk, Julia emphasised that punk isn’t defined by a specific look but an attitude. When she was growing up, people were telling her she looked punk, although she was wearing flower skirts – it was just how she did it that made it punk.
And while the word “punk“ at first might suggest being against something, this couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s about standing for a different outlook on life – and in Milk of Lime’s case, a different relationship to nature. “it’s everything – it’s life, its death“ the two said – and their creations underline that. They are a testament to see and appreciate nature’s beauty in both aspects – the beautiful and the cruel.
Nature’s dichotomy of nurturingness and roughness could for example be seen in one of my favorite looks (Look 7) of the show. A beautiful light blueish-grey silk two piece of shirt and skirt was paired just with a lace choker going around the model’s neck and hair. The airy, subtle look, paired with the black choker put over the model’s hair perfectly portrayed the ambivalence the two designers were talking about. Like the beauty of a plant’s flower that we admire while in the soil, its roots are fighting for dominance and nutrients. The models’ dark, “weathered“ make-up furthermore underlined the forces of nature and the appeal in the decay.
Although Milk of Lime’s strong awareness for the brutality of nature’s cycles, you can feel that for them, its beauty prevails – giving their creations a strong sense of optimism. Something that was also conveyed in the slogan “I demand poetry“, written on a graphic tee presented this season. Although poetry or any art form is always a reaction to life, it can be more than a coping mechanism but an active way to transform our view on the world – as demonstrated in this collection.
