The last time Victor Barragán and his namesake label were on any kind of official schedule was September 2022, at New York Fashion Week. Models emerged from a graffiti-covered porta-potty onto a catwalk strewn with garbage and dollar bills, while the SS23 collection sent up the excesses of white American capitalism. The moment was a turning point of sorts for the brand, both critically and in the cultural zeitgeist: one that re-established the Barragán catwalk as a site of radical experimentation, with the designer pushing his already provocative vision to new extremes.

That collection was followed by Quiet Luxury in October 2023, an off-schedule show in Mexico City that continued the ethos set a year earlier – make provocative clothing with a political slant. In the time since that SS24 collection, Barragán has kept fairly busy. A string of collaborations kept the cogs whirring, including a standout partnership with the Palestinian brand Trashy Clothing – but, as the designer has proved countless times before, nothing beats the corporeal experience of being at a Barragán show.

Held at the Mexican Embassy in Berlin, Barragán’s SS27 collection was called – maybe a little confusingly – Barragán SS30. According to show notes, the future-facing title referenced “the political and symbolic timeframe surrounding the projected end of Donald Trump’s current presidential administration in the United States”, while the diplomatic setting framed the embassy as “a nation sustained by agreement and recognition, sovereignty existing through documentation in German land.”

When the glowering soundtrack kicked into gear, and the embassy foyer was bathed in a menacing red glow, the first look materialised: a skintight green dress, worn by a heavily pregnant model. Was she a Mexican woman visiting the embassy so her child was born on home soil? Or a German citizen taking refuge in a foreign land? Just as the audience were contending with what her presence might mean, she was gone – these lightning fast models weren’t sticking around for long. After the first look, lots of European symbols followed, to narrate this cross-cultural exchange. Euro bills were printed on thongs and swim caps, world flags adorned jeans and leather jackets, while emblems that suggested the movement of people and goods – a ‘V.H. Barragan’ suitcase, or a transit stamp t-shirt that cheekily read ‘Please Destroy Me’ – featured heavily throughout.

But, lest we forget, this was a Victor Barragán runway. As well as being a Latin/German link-up, SS27 was also a character study in all things sleaze. Leather daddies in hot pants and captain hats followed oiled-up muscle Marys with holey boxers and jeans round their ankles; one model in a latex dress had her arms clasped behind her back, also bound together by skin-coloured latex; in places, duct tape and even bare hands were used instead of bras, while another model walked the entire runway with his hands down his pants. “I love Berlin, and I love the people,” Barragán told us post-show, just after he’d showered his models (and some unsuspecting journalists) with a bottle of champagne backstage. “There’s so many creative people here. I feel like my brand really fits in.”

Scroll through the gallery at the top of the page to see the entire SS27 collection