On-the-ground updates from the the fall 2025 shows in Copenhagen.
Alectra Rothschild/Masculina Takes a Stand Against Anti-trans Violence
She’s not gonna take it. Having created a trilogy of “introspective” shows that documented “the lived experience of transness from my perspective, but also from that of a lot of the people in my life,” Alectra Rothschild is looking outward. Reviewing the statistics of violence against transgender people elicited a feeling of “fem rage” and the creation of this collection, the last under NewTalent support, called Give the Girl a Gun. The show opened with a snippet from Donald-two-sexes-Trump’s day one speech about transgender rights. The subject couldn’t be more serious or pressing, but among the darkness there were literal and symbolic flashes of light. Lucy Liu’s Kill Bill character, O-Ren Ishii, was a reference. “I’m imagining the whole cast as assassins in this empowered way,” Rothschild said. The collection showed a clear evolution of the designer’s talent, showcasing not only draping and slashing but more tailoring as well. An “assassin’s” trench, slit high in the back, had high peaked shoulders, the collection’s power silhouette. Look five, a silver spangled showgirl gone awry, conveyed a sense of beauty and pathos.
“I want to word this really, really correctly, because people are already afraid of trans people—but they’re not afraid of trans people because they’re scared for their own safety—they’re scared of transness because we’re freaks to people,” said Rothschild. “And because we’re viewed like that, it also opens up a whole world of violence to us because we re so othered and not really humanized, and people don’t see us as full fledged humans who deserve healthcare, and equal job opportunities, or equal housing, so I that’s why I want to do this. I think that with the last show, I wanted to put the entire cast on a pedestal for people to look up at us instead of looking down, and for this show, I need you to actually get scared of us in a different way than you are already, in a kind of don’t-fuck-with-us sort of way.”
Aiayu: Serene and Simple Wardrobe Pieces
Aiayu has its headquarters in a little brick building that was once a mail and telegraph center and looks like it popped out of a story book, and it’s there where creative director Maria Høgh Heilmann staged her fall presentation. Guests sipped tea while a cellist played and models posed against a “soft wall” of fabric. Each model came out twice, the second time wearing a coat or jacket over what she had previously worn, which gave a sense of how these simple, comfy garments would be used. Heilmann is focused on working with undyed natural materials and collaborates with artisans all over the world and in Europe. There is a pajama-like ease to many of the pieces.
Birrot Sets the Tone
Strict minimalism isn’t the prevailing vibe in Copenhagen, but Birrot offers a variation on it. Nadja Bender opened this tonal collection with a top and flowy draped-knee pants that demonstrated the range of the different weights of the brand’s proprietary lay fabric, a bonded crepe. There was a certain defiant languor in the way the models moved silently in their material-wrapped shoes, and a welcome elegance in the final burgundy dress with wrapped shoulders.
Backstage designers Kyeongmin Kim and Seyoung Hong said that their focus this season was building bridges between cultures following last season’s introduction of the brand and its Korean roots. The aesthetic might be understated, but there’s a lot going on in terms of material development and pattern making.
Marimekko: Flying High
Guests arriving at the disused Vilhelm Lauritzen Terminal at Kastrup Airport today found Marimekko flags flying outside. The interior of the 1939 building, which felt toy-like compared to the size of airports today, was hung with lengths of the Finnish firm’s fabrics. Like the weather, the first looks in the collection were somber colored, but as the show progressed there was more and more color. The company’s signature sleeveless sheaths were the sharpest looks, though the dark denim also had potential. Asked about the link between the clothes and the space, Bay said she thinks of “Marimekko always living at the intersection of architecture, design, and fashion.”
