• ABOUT YOU Opera on October 7, 2026, at Admiralspalast in Berlin

• ABOUT YOU Fashion Show for A/W 2026 staged as a modern interpretation of opera

• Around 1,500 invited guests taking on the role of the jury in a staged court case

• Six brand shows by Guido Maria Kretschmer, LeGer by Lena Gercke, Levi's®, Nike, PUMA, and selected dm brands as part of the evidence

• One-week digital extension across social media and the ABOUT YOU online fashion store

Hamburg | September 7, 2026 – All rise! The court comes to order. The jury takes its seats, all eyes turn to the stage, and an extraordinary trial begins. Yet no crime is on trial. Instead, the case centers on the most human question of all: What do we truly desire?

On October 7, 2026, ABOUT YOU will make its opera debut with “Trial of Human Desire”, an original production created specifically for this evening at Admiralspalast in Berlin. Around 1,500 invited guests from fashion, entertainment, social media, press, and business will attend the premiere. Their role is already set: Summoned as the jury with their invitation, they will take their seats in the courtroom.

“With ABOUT YOU Opera, we are bringing fashion and entertainment together with one of the most traditional forms of high culture for the first time,” says Julian Jansen, VP Marketing Innovation at ABOUT YOU. “Our most extraordinary ABOUT YOU Fashion Show to date will give our guests an unforgettable night at the opera. They will experience the scale and emotional power of opera not from a respectful distance, but up close and as part of the story.”

THE TRIAL OF HUMAN DESIRE

To capture the emotional force of opera, ABOUT YOU draws on the dramaturgy of a court trial. At the center of the story is a protagonist who has lost touch with what truly drives them. The court sends them in search of their deepest desire.

Their journey unfolds across different realms of human longing. Familiar settings grow increasingly abstract, the night becomes more seductive, and with every stage, a decision draws closer for which there is no objectively right verdict. What ultimately matters is whether the protagonist finds the courage to recognize one desire as truly their own.

The evidence is presented in six acts: Guido Maria Kretschmer, LeGer by Lena Gercke, Levi's®, Nike, and PUMA showcase their looks and collections for A/W 2026. The sixth act features the dm brands Balea, ebelin, and trend !t up. Each brand develops its own concept and interprets a different facet of human desire. Models, actors, and performers share the stage, accompanied by arias.

WHEN THE OPERA HOUSE BECOMES A COURTROOM

For the jury, the trial begins long before the hearing in the courtroom. As soon as the invited guests step out of their shuttle cars, they are drawn into the media frenzy surrounding a major court case. Flashing cameras, microphones in the crowd, and questions about the proceedings ahead. Their path to the courtroom leads straight through it.

In the courtyard and foyers of Admiralspalast, the jury passes through the Court of Justice. Here, brand partners pick up motifs from the world of the courtroom, with files and pieces of evidence woven into the staging and activations inviting guests to explore the brands’ products.

Once the jury enters Admiralspalast, the theatrical opulence of the historic venue meets the clear order of a court. The balconies become jury seating, the auditorium turns into a tribunal, and the stage becomes the site of the proceedings.

Afterwards: The formal order of the court gives way and the proceedings move to the dance floor. For the Aftershow Party, Admiralspalast reveals its nocturnal side as club lighting and electronic music take over the foyer and replace the atmosphere of the courtroom.

THE CASE REMAINS OPEN FOR ONE WEEK

The case does not end with the final curtain. ABOUT YOU Opera serves as the major stage moment of the one-week “ABOUT YOU Fashion Week” campaign and extends across ABOUT YOU’s social media channels and online fashion store. Among other activations, the six brand shows are featured on dedicated landing pages where customers can directly discover and order the looks and collections presented at Admiralspalast.