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When Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) headliner Ganni announced it wasn’t showing this season to make way for investment in new talent and new materials, industry insiders knew to expect a toned-down event. But Ganni’s absence wasn’t the only thing affecting the mood: shows were pared back, as were the collections — mirroring the fascination with “office life” as seen on the menswear catwalks in Paris and Milan.
“It’s been a little bit subdued,” says Vogue Scandinavia print editor Allyson Shiffman. “You can really feel the state of the economy. The collections feel — it’s not necessarily a bad thing — but commercial. It’s practical that brands are going for [wearability], because they need to sell and survive.” At a Ganni dinner on Tuesday night, founders Ditte and Nicolaj Reffstrup acknowledged how difficult it is for today’s young brands.
We’re in a moment where there’s a need for authenticity in fashion, which has been reflected at CPHFW this week, says Julie Gilhart, brand consultant and chief development officer at Tomorrow London. She noted minimal label Mfpen’s debut runway show and by-appointment presentation Caro Editions from influencer Caroline Brasch, as highlights of the week. Vogue Runway senior archive editor Laird Borrelli-Persson also noted those brands. “You saw at Mfpen that [founder] Sigrid’s main passions are music and tailoring, in a show that was like a concert.”
Copenhagen fashion buttons up
In certain shows, there’s been a more playful take on corporate dressing, with some deconstructed tailoring, says Shiffman. “It feeds into the more buttoned-up kind presentations we’ve seen this season, rather than the loud, “more is more” fun Copenhagen we’re used to seeing.”
“[Copenhagen] is a place where you can see a beautiful coat, a place where you can see a beautiful trouser,” says Gilhart. “Call it maybe quiet luxury, but it’s just an everyday style.”
It’s true that this season, the everyday reigned supreme, and the Scandi girl was put to work. From Skall Studio and The Garment to Mfpen, there were firmly fastened ties and fitted blouses aplenty this season. Bags were big enough for a laptop, models carried umbrellas (Mark Kenly Domino Tan), books (Skall Studio), snacks (Nicklas Skovgaard) and even sandwich bags (Mfpen), giving the looks a real-life context. Over coffee after The Garment show, which included stiff shirts and exaggerated collars, mother-daughter creator duo Larissa and Ella Mills, first-timers at CPHFW, explained that the shows were reminding them of TikTok trend, “the office siren”.
It’s been “pretty safe” this season, agrees Borrelli-Persson. However, there were some bolder moments that chime with trends we’re seeing across the fashion cities, she says. “With Nicklas Skovgaard’s show, the voluminous [silhouettes] chime with what we’ve seen elsewhere, like the inflatable costumes at Henrik Vibskov here in Copenhagen or inflatables at Rick Owens and Duran Lantink in Paris. Also the oblique angles that Maria Grazia Chiuri used at Dior, we saw in the LBDs at Mark Kenly Domino Tan. I’m not suggesting it’s referential, what I’m trying to say is that we see fashion has a global reach.”
Regular people, regular lives
Saks Potts, one of the most internationally known labels on schedule, scaled back its usual spectacle with a small, 150-capacity show in its office, presenting a tight 14-look collection inspired by Kate Moss. Stine Goya also showed in the brand’s office, in a show prefaced with a calm monologue about the importance of diverse perspectives in fashion. And streetwear label Wood Wood, who normally shows to the soundtrack of thumping bass, held a show in total silence, save for the camera clicks and one unfortunate attendee who loudly dropped her phone.
Smaller shows meant a smaller influencer presence. But UK influencer Mia Regan was spotted at the Ganni dinner, plus some Scandi macro-influencer names like Anna Winck and Emilia Silberg. CPHFW sponsor TikTok brought a small cohort of talents, including Sabrina Bahsoon (Tube Girl) and @secondhandhuns. On the front rows, brands were keen to reflect regular people and support their own community and teams for AW24, rather than hosting splashy influencer-heavy events.
Vogue Scandinavia’s Shiffman herself had a runway moment at OpéraSport, as the brand cast her and a series of journalists in its Wednesday morning show to give the collection real-life context, including Elle UK’s Eni Subair, British Vogue’s Alice Cary and Itunu Oke from GQ. “Casting non-models is a deliberate choice, as we believe it adds a genuineness and relatability to our show,” said co-founders Stephanie Gundelach and Awa Malina Stelter afterwards. “Embracing this diversity is fundamental to our ethos.”
You might think Rotate, which typically competes with Ganni for the spotlight on the final night of CPHFW, would harness its moment this season. “We’ve been asked this a lot but we actually weren’t thinking of it as a big thing,” said co-founder Thora Valdimars at the brand’s studio ahead of the show. The brand didn’t host its usual post-show influencer dinner, instead going straight into a party with its community and employees. “We haven’t been able to do that before. We wanted to give back to the people who’ve worked so hard on this for six months,” said co-founder Jeanette Madsen.
New talent bring some drama
CPHFW’s emphasis on new talent this season did bring some buzz, experts agree, with emerging brands bolstered by sponsors like Ganni and Esprit.
This season has caught a spirit of collaboration and creativity — two entwined values that have been integral to the AW24 edition, says CPHFW CEO Cecilie Thorsmark. “The showcases we have experienced this season from our New Talent brands have been nothing short of a wave of new energy that has rolled through the schedule. I am so excited about what the future holds when we witness these creatives letting us into their universes.”
Emerging designer Skovgaard kicked off the week on Monday afternoon with a high-octane take on a salon show, his second on schedule. Showgoers beamed and giggled as models pivoted around the room in voluminous ball gowns, glitter and feathers, videoing themselves, posing seductively, writhing on strategically placed rugs, or eating a banana.
Shortly after, newcomer Alectra Rothschild presented her debut show, featuring incredible model talent, from as far as New York. The designer says buyers and press were particularly pleased with the casting from Rothschild’s best friend Emma Matell, which featured a series of trans models. “It has been extremely overwhelming,” she says of the response. “I feel very blessed to have had a debut show with such an impact.” The soundtrack, provided by DJ G2G, was a precursor to the designer’s raucous Wednesday night after-party at Jolene bar in the Meatpacking District. The night finished somewhere around 5am.
London-based brand Paolina Russo, who had a tricky show slot on Wednesday night at 8pm, wedged between a series of brand dinners from Jade Cropper, Baum und Pferdgarten and Soulland, wowed audiences with a mesmerising pre-show performance — a rare viral moment this week. Dancers held giant, bubblegum-pink balloons as they moved through the sculptural space, which US Vogue contributor Megan O’Sullivan described as “Ibiza Stonehenge”. Editors who missed it were furious with themselves for attending one of the dinners instead.
As fashion week came to an end, some organisers might have worried about the effect of a quieter season, but CPHFW’s Thorsmark has confidence in the Nordics, whatever the weather. “I would counter this and say on the contrary the focus was on craftsmanship, creativity and expression [this season] — allowing the vision to speak for itself, which shows a confidence and a self belief in the continued growth of the region.”
