Copenhagen Fashion Week’s (CPHFW) evolution continues. Some of its big names may be skipping this season — former tentpole Ganni shows no appetite to move back from Paris, while Saks Potts and (Di)vision have closed — but there is plenty to fill the gaps, with the schedule feeling more varied as a result.
The Autumn/Winter 2025 edition kicks off on Monday 27 January with 27 shows and eight presentations on the schedule — roughly on par with last year — and a host of events. Among the returning CPHFW big hitters are Rotate, Baum und Pferdgarten and Gestuz. Remain, which like Rotate is owned by Birger Christensen Collective, is without a creative director following the exit of Martin Asbjørn towards the end of 2024. This season, the brand will host a preview of its AW25 collection and a breakfast on 29 January, rather than a show.
Other recognisable names that have joined the calendar include Swedish fashion brand Filippa K and Icelandic outerwear label 66 North, both of which will hold presentations (66 North will host a dinner afterwards to celebrate its 99th anniversary). Malmö-based Cmmn Swdn is also making its schedule debut with a show. “My dream is a pan-Scandi representation at CPHFW, so I’m thrilled that Filippa K and Cmmn Swdn will participate this time around,” says Laird Borrelli-Persson, senior archive editor at Vogue Runway.
Two other additions have visiting editors and buyers both talking. The first is Alis, which was originally founded as a skate brand in Copenhagen’s anarchist commune Freetown Christiania in 1996. It is now being relaunched as a streetwear brand with backing from Rains founders Daniel Brix Hesselager and Philip Lotko, and with Tobias Birk Nielsen in charge of design. Then, Astrid Andersen’s Stel will host its first runway show after a well-received, large-scale launch event last season. “There’s lots to look forward to,” says Borrelli-Persson.
Other emerging names to note include unconventional upcycled women’s tailoring label Bonnetje, which will hold a runway show this season after a low-fi presentation for SS25 as part of the CPHFW New Talent programme. Similarly, Nicklas Skovgaard will stage a runway show this season (he held a buzzy presentation last edition, while consulting on design for certain looks during Ganni’s Paris debut).
On 28 January, seasoned Danish designer Anne Sofie Madsen will invite guests to an intimate off-calendar presentation. At the other end of the intimacy scale, Han Kjøbenhavn is opening up its show on 30 January to the public, and is preparing for up to 3,000 guests. “There’s a tendency to keep fashion shows super exclusive; we want to connect with our audience and have them be part of the show,” says founder Jannik Wikkelsø Davidsen. Meanwhile, Danish homeware label Niko June and American sportswear brand New Balance are teaming up to create a 700-square-metre custom-build skatepark featuring gigantic skateable installations. The skatepark will be open for two days (28 to 29 January), with various events and competitions taking place on the second.
There’s enough newness to satisfy even the most seasoned attendees. “I’m interested to see Rebekka Bay’s work at Marimekko, Berner Kühl’s modern, minimalist menswear, Stamm, Finland’s Rolf Ekroth, Mark Kenly Domino Tan and Astrid Andersen’s line Stel,” says Bruce Pask, senior editorial director at Neiman Marcus. “I am also excited by menswear brands including NN07, Another Aspect, Sunflower and Mfpen that are not on the official schedule but have shops and events planned.”
Ida Petersson, founder of creative brand agency Good Eggs and a mentor for the CPHFW New Talent programme, echoes this: “I’m excited to see more street and menswear this season. It will be interesting to see how the Danes interpret this genre.”
Stine Goya will wrap up the week by showing her collection at the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in the town of Aalborg, 190 miles from Copenhagen. It’s a “CPHFW first, and an important one”, says Borrelli-Persson. “Fashion doesn’t exist solely in the capital.”
On the Friday morning, before press and buyers head by train to Aalborg, CPHFW and Ganni will co-host a breakfast to celebrate the New Talent cohort, which this season comprises Alectra Rothschild/Masculina, Berner Kühl, Bonnetje and Stamm, alongside Frederik Taus, who is represented by talent platform Alpha. This season, Rotate has joined Ganni as a patron of the programme, which provides bursaries to the next generation of creative talent from the Nordics.
Midweek, Zalando will present the winner of its Visionary Showcase Award (the finalists are Feben, Iamsigo and Rave Review, and the winner will be supported to show in Copenhagen next season).
“It’s of course sad to not have a brand like Ganni [showing] in Denmark, but at the same time it gives the opportunity for the next tier of brands and the newer generation to shine,” says Petersson.
Trends-wise, Pask is expecting innovation in outerwear and plenty of cosy, colourful knitwear and lightweight jackets for layering. “I always appreciate the pragmatic approach to dressing that the environmental conditions of Denmark almost requires,” he says. “There is a reality to the wardrobes and collections here that are certainly affected by considerations of the weather. The practical and artistic combination feels quite signature to this Danish approach to fashion.”
“I’m interested to see if the contemporary market, which is what is represented at CPHFW, gives us an idea whose time has come,” says Borrelli-Persson. “Lagom is a Swedish term that loosely translates into ‘just right’, and my thesis is that the level of design for the price might be just that.”
As with previous iterations, all brands on the CPHFW schedule must comply with its minimum sustainability requirements. London Fashion Week recently became the first of the ‘big four’ to commit to adopting Copenhagen’s framework for its Newgen designers, helping to cement CPHFW’s position as a leader in this space — and its identity in this post-Ganni era. “The sustainability requirements CPHFW have put into place have been adopted across Europe and will now be in partial effect in London. The upshot is that the week has two pillars: its regionality and sustainability, which gives it a very solid foundation. And because of that foundation, the decision of the anchor brand to show in Paris seems less drastic,” observes Borrelli-Persson.
Pask agrees: “I’ve been attending CPHFW for quite a few years now and it is exciting to follow its development and success, with increasing numbers of attendees, brands presenting and global coverage. Its innovative focus on eco-consciousness has led the way and set the standard for other fashion weeks around the world.”
Vogue Business is partnering with CPHFW to host a series of talks this season, which will include discussions on how inclusivity is reshaping the industry, non-traditional career pathways and how to support the next generation of creatives.
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