9 things I learned at Copenhagen Fashion Week

Scandinavian fashion is synonymous with certain looks that are currently in fashion: oversized blazers, wide-leg pants, slouchy (but very stylish) jeans, mismatched prints and slouchy loafers. Think Matilda Djerf but with a bit more edge. So it’s no surprise that Copenhagen Fashion Week is becoming more and more popular – especially since Nordic fashion brands such as Gani and Saks Potts have entered the aesthetic of other parts of the world, especially in New York City and online on TikTok.

As far as international runway presentations go, if New York Fashion Week is the sophisticated big sister, Copenhagen Fashion Week is the relatively saccharine younger sibling (albeit always on the verge of doing something bad). I felt like the week oscillated between minimal and practical, where the Nordic style is known, and something completely different and new – a little more playful and sometimes edgy. Brands like Stine Goya and (D) are focused on experimentation, art and Gen-Z aesthetics: the former created a collection fit for the future, and the latter used a sense of chaos, a little away from King’s simplicity. to the region. But despite this, from my experience at Copenhagen Fashion Week, not much (in a good way) is likely to go on.

While the whole week felt like a triumph for Nordic brands and how seriously the rest of the fashion world takes (or at least should take) Copenhagen’s style scene, there were a number of pieces and pieces that created excitement and stood out to me. Here are my highlights.

Each of the brands selected to present at Copenhagen Fashion Week had to meet 18 concrete sustainability criteria – at least 50 percent of each collection must be certified, from selected materials or from new generation sustainable materials, recycled, recycled or stone. In addition, the design and production of each show collection should have zero waste and samples should be given a second life. Of course, the Most of it The sustainable way is creating a few clothes, but moving the needle to a circular shape is commendable and especially missing in other fashion shows.

You may recognize the brand Sax Pots from their pastel colors. Fax– The woolen jackets that took New York by storm last year. This year’s collection is a nod to what looks like The Raw and Carhartt had a baby, and I’m sure, stores will be equally excited once it hits. The real triumph here, however, was how interesting the presentation was. The brand had a children’s marching band perform before the show at Tivoli Gardens – the third largest amusement park in the world. There was a sense of joy in the performance, and the models (mostly children attached to their waists or arms) helped introduce both magic and practicality into fashion.

Speaking of kids, they were both featured on the runway with their model parents, and were especially present in the audience at the shows – I think I’ve seen it before with Elena Vélez in New York. It was fun to watch the cutest family you’ve ever seen outing like this and making every event feel more like home. It highlights ways parents can take their place on the fashion stage despite their newly added responsibilities.

Out of genuine curiosity I went to Mark Kenley’s Domino Tan exhibition and was moved by the silent storytelling of the clothes. In Caroline Engelgar’s first collection as the brand’s creative director, beautifully tailored and thoughtful pieces floated down the runway – the Laird Borelli-man. Vogue He told me that the runway had a sense of “cleanliness” to them rather than smallness. That feeling struck him. Engelgaar sent a half skirt down the runway that reminded me of my favorite and chaps dress version. I can’t wait to see this figure styled in the wild.

Scandinavians know how to dress. The people there have a charm that is basically impossible to replicate. The outfits I saw coming in and out all week were somehow both effortless and intentional, utilitarian and playful, without sticking to the weirdness of the original. The clothes worn for these shows were the same clothes I saw on the street in five minutes to the bus stop or people riding their bikes. I left Copenhagen. I’m getting to explore my closet more and feel more confident in my earlier clothing choices.

Gani has an international following of good girls – this season, Amelia Diemoldenburg, Sarah Lysander and Veneda Carter are notably front-runners for the show. (Carter has launched her own jewelry collaboration with Ghani, which she called a first during the presentation—just right for both herself and Ghani.) The clothes are fun at their core, and the show was no less. Models “walked down the runway in butterfly-style outfits,” creative director Diet Refstrup told me backstage. When I asked Refstrup what she thought about the international audience the brand had, she said she didn’t think it would happen. “A day like this, you wake up and you feel like this isn’t real,” she said. “And I’m not the only one. It’s a team effort.”

During the show, a drone buzzes between and around models named Ghani Girls — a term of endearment by the men and women who wear the brand, which Carter describes as “positive, cool, sexy, effortless.” The crowd cheered for familiar faces. A bag emblazoned with Ghani’s new logo, I suspect, will be in high demand, swinging from the arms of women who seem to be waiting in line at any bar. Flowing cape-like coats, a collaboration with 66° North, hang over models’ shoulders. The event ended with an explosion of colors in the form of yellow confetti as the models danced through the colorful paper rain. No matter what you think of the outfit that came down the runway, it’s not a good time.

Where Cecile Bahnsen’s clothing is made seems to be the perfect representation of her namesake brand. The upper floor is filled with natural light, curved windows and soft pastel colors. Just as Bahnsen’s clothes carry a sense of nostalgia, lightness and playfulness, so does this space. A group of workers clinked their glasses as I entered. It was 10:30 in the morning, and my guide, Belinda, laughed. “They’re celebrating someone’s birthday today,” she said. Excitement is clearly produced in this place, and translates into Bahnsen’s gowns, frills and revealing clothes!

Malene Birger has undergone a transformation over the past two years, becoming more and more visible as she walks into her showroom. I saw byproducts from the meat industry, as well as high-quality woolen sweaters and beautiful leather goods. I think this will be a popular brand in New York in the coming months and years!

I fell in love with Copenhagen during the week. There is an unspeakable ease here, and it permeates the streets. Did I mention how it was organized? There was even a Copenhagen Fashion Week-branded bus where attendees hoped to get from show to show. As a New Yorker, one can only dream of such accessibility.