HADERLUMP SS26
In the internet age, ownership and permanence have reached an existential head. When everything is accessible and when things are made to be replaceable, is there any value in materiality anymore?
For a sentimentalist like Johann Ehrhardt, the designer at the helm of HADERLUMP, the answer is obvious. Despite his youthful appearance and streetwear-inspired aesthetic, Ehrhardt is engrossed by the past. Even his brand’s name is an anachronism, a reappropriation of an old slur used for rag traders who found and sold scrap materials. For the Spring/Summer 2026 season, Ehrhardt was inspired by the old tradition of bookplates: elaborate, illustrated images found inside old books as a mark of ownership. Translating from Latin to “from the books”, the collection’s name, “EX LIBRIS”, refers to whose library a certain text belongs to. “I remember thinking, no one knows about these anymore,” the designer told Vogue Runway about the practice. “My generation would never think to put [an identity stamp] in a book.”
Despite the collection’s old inspiration, the looks themselves were modern. With a restrained colour palette of earth tones, greys and blacks, Ehrhardt’s garments looked more like post-apocalyptic officewear than an attempt to revive days past. His silhouettes oscillated between structured, sculptural and expressive, with oversized blazers and corsets that were subtly exaggerated at the hip. A skilful balance between wearability and drama was achieved through asymmetric men's skirts, intentionally unzipped waistbands, and the brand’s staple floor-sweeping coats. Texture was a definite highlight of the collection, containing nods to Ehrhardt's rich literary intention. Rough linen mimicked aging pages, grainy leather like worn covers, and an excess of pleats took after dog-eared paper. A suede corset dress made from various brown panels resembled a dozen book spines pieced together.
“EX LIBRIS is not a nostalgic homage to the past, but rather a meditation on how we carry meaning forward”
His final garments were a series of otherworldly beige and black gowns, ruched and pleated like old, folded pages, yet decidedly modern in their sculptural shape. HADERLUMP is a brand that deftly navigates the tension between past and present via its contemporary aesthetic and slow, often anachronistic values. Ehrhardt's practice is one that has a motto of cooperation and collaboration over comparison, carving an alternative to the hurried, impersonality of the current fashion system. He prioritises circularity, transparency and personal relationships, sourcing materials from textile scrap from Textilhafen Berlin, deadstock fabrics from Recovo and his own recycled fabrics produced in Spain.
For a young brand in an oversaturated and overproducing fashion market, the importance of this identity and how it translates into practice cannot be overstated. In an ever-changing world, Ehrhardt asks what it means to leave a mark, and what kind of mark is worth leaving.
