Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) turns 20 next year. And this season, the arguable “fifth city” of fashion felt like it was levelling up.
Spring/Summer is always a bigger season in the Danish capital, and if you speak to anyone during the January event, they implore you to return when the weather is better. It wasn’t just better weather: this season, the CPHFW schedule was more packed than usual, with 44 shows and presentations, as more and more brands from across the Nordics and beyond pile into CPHFW to align with its sustainable ethos and take advantage of its growing guest list of international press and buyers. For SS26, there were 71 guests, up from 48 last season.
“What we love is the variety of formats people use to showcase their brands, collections and universes. While we have a plethora of inspiring runways, we have a host of breakfasts, installations, dinners, parties, collaborations and openings all ensuring a kaleidoscope of creativity is presented,” says CPHFW CEO Cecilie Thorsmark. “We want to ensure we can showcase the full spectrum of the Nordic region alongside our international supporters, which might mean a packed schedule, but also underlines how CPHFW and our brands are going from strength to strength.”
Here are the key takeaways from the week.
New blood
Copenhagen was brimming with new talent this season, enriching the schedule with more must-see shows. Of the newcomers, several editors and buyers noted Anne Sofie Madsen as a highlight. The designer relaunched her brand after an eight-year break with a fun, sassy runway show, featuring what promises to be an It-accessory: the rat bag. The brand’s co-creative director Caroline Clante brought hers along to the Ray-Ban x Dazed dinner a couple of days after the show and it caused quite a stir.
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Zalando Visionary Award winner and Iamisigo designer Bubu Ogisi was another highlight. The Nigerian designer’s artisanal techniques and recycled fabrics, sourced from across Africa, lend themselves well to a runway show. As models walked by, you could see the textures and the craft. Interestingly, Ogisi doesn’t plan to sell any of her collection on Zalando (usually a perk of winning the prize), as it’s made up of luxury, one-of-a-kind pieces constructed from recycled materials. “This show was about spreading the word, spreading knowledge, craft and heritage,” Ogisi said backstage. “I’m glad different parts of the world are experiencing it.”
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The influx of Swedish brands was marked this season. Swedish label Rave Review — specialists in feminine upcycled fashion — made the move to CPHFW after showing in Milan for three seasons. “It’s so much about sustainability here, and that’s what we are about too, so it made sense — we feel at home,” said co-founder Josephine Bergqvist backstage post-show. Martin Quad had a strong debut runway outing of dark tailoring and deconstructed silhouettes; Freya Dalsjø returned after a six-year hiatus with a sombre, slow show, during which models walked the runway twice, so you could really take in the sculptural pieces woven entirely from deadstock. They join fellow Swedish labels Deadwood and Cmmn Swdn, who showed on Thursday, and Filippa K, who did a pre-fall presentation.
Some young brands put on their first on-schedule presentations. “This season, the CPHFW New Talent scheme welcomed Kettel Atelier, Taus and Stem as ‘Ones to Watch’,” Thorsmark says. Each presented not just clothes, but how they are created. Vogue Scandinavia’s Shiffman noted Taus as a highlight. “Our One to Watch designers presented such unified visions in how to rethink fashion design, the system it currently resides in, and also how to present craft in the spotlight. Design doesn’t always need to be about product: it is allowed to symbolise process, too.”
“Freya Dalsjø, Kettel Atelier and Caro Edition have caught our attention,” says Mytheresa chief buying and group fashion venture officer Tiffany Hsu. “While we haven’t onboarded them at this stage, they’re certainly interesting new names to watch.”
Heritage and homecomings
The Cecilie Bahnsen show took place in an industrial estate outside techno club Hangaren, a stark contrast from the expansive archive collection, featuring Bahnsen’s signature voluminous dresses and laser-cut florals. The designer, who shows in Paris and will be on-schedule in October, returned to her roots for this one-off celebration, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. Bahnsen’s show has inspired a new guest designer slot on the schedule, Thorsmark says, to bring a fresh international talent to CPHFW each season.
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66North celebrated its 100th anniversary with a presentation, to demonstrate its repair shop concept (all pieces can be repaired no matter when they were purchased), and communicate the technical design behind its outerwear.
Stel, Astrid Andersen’s new label, is now in its fourth season. And having shown her previous, eponymous brand at London Fashion Week, Andersen relocated to her native Denmark for her second coming. Andersen is happy to have launched the label from CPHFW this time around, as she feels there’s less pressure to stick to the show format season after season. “I get to do this without the pressure of conforming to a certain way of presenting clothes,” she says. “It gives me freedom.” Her previous outings include a salon-style show in a penthouse apartment and a presentation inside an industrial crane.
Ambitious venues and show concepts
Not only was the schedule busier, brands staged shows in impressive venues this season, perhaps underlining their ambitions to play in the big leagues — and to stand out on a busy schedule.
The Garment spent years securing its outdoor show venue, in the Royal Stables at Christiansborg Palace. The brand had to get many, many signatures of approval, including from government ministers and the Supreme Court. The public tried to peek between the arches as models walked by. “The Royal Stables has been on my bucket list for ages,” says creative director and co-founder Charlotte Eskildsen. “After many years of doing this, it’s become increasingly challenging to find a city location that truly aligns with my vision for presenting the collection and the show.”
Caro Editions’s Monday night show was a recreation of co-founders Caroline and Frederik Bille Brahe’s wedding. Before the show — which took place canalside at their original wedding venue — Frederik handed out sparkling wine to guests on the front row. Post-show, wedding bells tolled and guests boarded a boat to one of the couple’s restaurants, Apollo. The collection featured some wedding looks, a theme this season: Bahnsen’s anniversary show was all-white, while Rotate included a full section of party dresses fit for wedding night.
Elsewhere, guests sat on “beds” around sleepy models at Nicklas Skovgaard’s show. The designer was met with resounding cheers as he continues to develop his buzzy label, noted as a highlight pretty unanimously among editors. Martin Quad made his runway debut in a dystopian concrete water tower, Opéra Sport showed in the Frederiksberg aquatic centre (a diver took a plunge to kick off the show) and Rolf Ekroth showed in a woodland during golden hour.
Sensory marketing
Sensory marketing, using food and beverage, has surged over the last year, as brands understand that trends now transcend fashion and move into new categories like homeware and food. In Copenhagen, many brands eschewed shows, instead opting for breakfasts, dinners and pop-up cafés, creating Instagram-ready tablescapes to entice show-goers around the jam-packed schedule.
Instead of a show, Stine Goya collaborated with creative studio File Under Pop and Michelin-star chef Morten Falk on Tuesday night. Guests, who included members of the Stine Goya team, had hand-painted plates and personalised painted coasters. Painted drapes lined the archways, with bowls of cherries and mountains of whipped butter on display. The food was equally aesthetic, with stuffed courgette flowers and plates of candied fruit.
On Tuesday, Scandi homeware label Tekla hosted a breakfast, with platters of plums and Danish pastries and plates of cheese on a bun in perfect straight lines. On Wednesday, New Balance hosted a pop-up in Nytorv square, in collaboration with local café Atelier September, with rye bread and tomatoes served (again) with whipped butter. The Garment has a pink-themed dinner, with a display made up of cotton candy and pink peas.
Trends to note
Perhaps it’s because Scandi designers took their holidays in June and July, while prepping their shows, but a lot of the collections this season felt resort inspired. Flip flops continue to dominate the runway, continuing from the men’s SS26 season. There was a Havaianas collaboration at Opéra Sport, beaded styles at Cmmn Swdn and raffia versions at Alis. When it came to the clothes, there was plenty of relaxed fringing at MKDT Studio, raffia at Cmmn Swdn and Iamisigo, and sheer summer dresses at Rave Review. For many smaller Copenhagen brands, they perhaps don’t do a resort collection, so it makes sense to provide looks across the summer season.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Copenhagen without plenty of minimalist tailoring, and Hsu notes that colour palettes felt particularly toned down this season.
But designers like Bonnetje, MKDT Studio, Stel, Mark Quad and PLN played with styling and silhouette for SS26, to create unique looks that stand out. Agathe Cloé Vaissiere, womenswear buyer at Printemps, says that consumers today are looking for interesting twists on classic silhouettes, as more and more move away from quiet luxury. “I saw a lot of deconstructed tailoring, fringing and panels,” adds Marine Humeau, buying manager at Printemps.
“I’ve seen a nice balance of relevancy and inspirational fashion this week,” says Nordstrom’s associate fashion director Linda Cui Zhang. “It’s wonderful to discover brands that customers can easily integrate into their wardrobes (Birrot), as well as brands focused on high-craft and luxury materials (Ranra, Freya Dalsjø).”
Rotate closed out the week on Thursday evening, with an eclectic show of the brand’s signature eveningwear, and the unveiling of a collaboration with Swedish cosmetics label Caia. “Rotate closing the show is always a standout moment at Copenhagen Fashion Week. It’s a vibrant and joyful finale, and we always look forward to that celebratory energy,” Mytheresa’s Hsu says. “Rotate continues to be our strongest-performing brand from Copenhagen. It resonates well with our global customer base and consistently delivers standout pieces.”
Now, organisers are looking to next season, and kicking off the birthday celebrations. “We will be celebrating our 20th anniversary throughout the year, not only across both the January and August edition, but also with our partners and collaborators in key cities and Nordic hubs,” Thorsmark says. “This anniversary is about looking forward as much as recognising what we have achieved: our dedication to cultivating a future-facing, positive, impactful and innovative fashion week will be at the forefront of all we will impart for 2026.”
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