The 26-year-old Minju Kim recently was announced as the winner of the H&M Design Award and presented her collection today at Stockholm’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. We have a first look of her collection called “Dear My Friend,” inspired by Japanese horror manga artist Junji.

According to WWD, the choice of the young, avant-garde designer reflects H&M’s recent efforts to “up its fashion quotient amid a tough economic environment for fast-fashion players.” H&M will stage its first fashion show in eight years on Feb. 27th, during Paris Fashion Week. We’ll keep you posted.

Exclusive to Highsnobette we have captured some backstage looks from in the Brandenburger Tor fashion tent during Berlin Fashion Week. We posted an interview earlier featuring a chat with Jelena and Sedina, designers for German brand Holy Ghost, and one hour before the second collection was to be shown, we met backstage and had the chance to capture images of the label’s show rehearsal and the typical hair and makeup mayhem of any show.

Photography: Georgia Reeve for Highsnobette.com

More backstage images on the next page.

We have a first look of the Mecredes-Benz Autumn/Winter 2013 campaign shot by Ryan McGinley in the setting of California’s super big Tejon Ranch. For 2013 it is super model Karlie Kloss who will star in the campaign next to beautiful grey stunt horse named Ice. Don’t miss to take a look behind the scenes of the shoot by clicking on the Read more button.

Cars ad’s are usually all one of the same kind: A nice car blending into the empty streets of a city or a landscape; Lights, enginge noises. Nothing that can make a women’s heart beat faster. This one is very nice though…Mecedes-Benz just released a short film, directed by Anthony Hofman, starring Scottish actor Dougray Scott and the SLS SMG sports car that questioning if desire is controlable. Watch the film here above. Enjoy!

Every year the Coolbrands list names the most influencial brands of the year in a survey that is voted by around 3,000 British consumers and a panel of 39 key influencers including bloggers, designers and actors. All companies are judged on originality, style, authenticity, desirability and uniqueness.

Here is the Top 20 for 2012.
1. Apple
2. YouTube
3. Aston Martin
4. Twitter
5. Google
6. BBC iPlayer
7. Glastonbury
8. Virgin Atlantic
9. Bang & Olufsen
10. Liberty
11. Sony
12. Bose
13. Haagen-Dazs
14. Selfridges
15. Ben & Jerry’s
16. Mercedes-Benz
17. Vogue
18. Skype
19. Nike
20. Nikon

The Mercedes Benz  Fashion Week Swim event is now taking place in Miami with today the final day. Mara Hoffman, a designer we always have an eye on, showed her collection yesterday. I don’t see that many radical departures from last year, more updates on colors and fabrications, plus some clever new cuts like the one above. Nonetheless, sexy and sensual as always and a name every fashion-minded beach lover wants included in her summer wardrobe.

See more suits on the next page.

In a video promoting Mercedes Benz and its association with Berlin Fashion Week, director Alex Prager films beautifully captures Lara Stone in what may be her very first acting roll. Via Nowness.

In conjunction with its sponsorship of Berlin Fashion Week, Mercedes Benz is featuring Lara Stone in print ads promoting the brand and the event. In the ads and video interview above she wears Calvin Klein, with whom she has an exclusive.

She answers quite a few questions in the video and if you’re a fan some will come as no surprise–Carine Roitfeld is her style icon, but others reveal some new details, and she gives some sage advice to models  just starting out that can be applied to all humans, stating:

“You have to really try and be yourself and listen to your instincts because you are usually right about things that you do want to do and don’t want to do, and you have to be really clear with everyone about what your boundaries are. It’s important.”

On the next page, the print campaign image. Via Ffg.

As an introduction to Berlin,  Shilpa Chavan’s Little Shilpa  installation during Berlin Fashion week  constitutes a ” Re-hash,  an amalgamation of all her past work..”To initiate a new dialogue with Berlin, its future”. As usual  the young designer/stylist uses her creativity and invites us into  a world of fantasy , conceptual fun and colors. On the next page a closer look at Chilpa Chavan’s Little Shilpa  A/W 2010 presentation.Imgs via mbfw.

With their first ever Berlin Fashion Week presentation I was excited to see what Starstyling would have in store. Titled ‘Hokus Fokus’ their Spring 2010 Collections is inspired by the ever changing nature of Modules ( A standardized, often interchangeable component of a system or construction that is designed for easy assembly or flexible use) Where attachable accessories transform the appearance and function of an outfit, Contrasting matte and shiny fabrics , with the labels signature playfulness joined with functionalism.

Outfits can be pulled apart  and transformed as fast are they are put together. Beyond the dramatic styling of this collection you’ll find some great, fun   pieces that  showcase  the talented duo of Katja Schlegel and Kai Seifried ’s talent , and imagination. A closer look at Starstyling Spring/Summer 2010 on the next page.Via mbfw.