To receive the Vogue Business newsletter, sign up here.
The Autumn/Winter 2024 edition of Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) kicks off on Monday 29 January with new blood, established Scandi names and one notable absence: Ganni, the Copenhagen anchor, has dropped off the schedule in order to make way for budding brands.
In response to the struggles faced by young designers in the current climate, Ganni is funding this season’s New Talent Programme, which was launched for SS23 to incubate emerging Nordic designers. Ganni’s participation is meant to encourage them to use more responsible alternative materials, under Ganni’s Fabrics of the Future initiative, where it tests and invests in material innovation startups, to incorporate them into collections. “It’s big news that Ganni, the anchor of the week, has decided not to put on a show, but to instead give a hand up to some young Danish designers,” says Laird Borrelli-Persson, senior archive editor at Vogue Runway. “I love the jig sawing and continuity in that.”
As a whole, CPHFW has grown in size: the event will feature 29 shows and 10 presentations, up from 25 shows last season. It includes mainstays like Rotate, Saks Potts and Stine Goya, plus established Scandi newcomer J.Lindeberg, returning cult Danish label Mfpen and a host of buzzy emerging talents like Nicklas Skovgaard.
For the third season, all brands on the CPHFW schedule must comply with 18 minimum responsibility standards including no single-use plastic and producing collections from at least 50 per cent certified recycled, upcycled or deadstock materials. The event also leads the way in terms of size inclusivity when compared to New York, London, Milan and Paris, as all CPHFW designers sign an ethical charter to confirm they will consider inclusivity when casting.
“Hats off to CPHFW for their sustainable initiatives — both in terms of protecting the planet and nurturing new talent,” Borrelli-Persson says, “Birger Christensen and the Wessel and Vett Fashion Prize are also supporting up-and-comers. The fact that some of this support is for creatives across the Nordic region is particularly important.”
The week will kick off with two brands from the New Talent roster, a focus for this edition. Fantastical womenswear designer Skovgaard will open the week, presenting his much-anticipated sophomore collection in a runway show, after a splashy performance-based debut last season. Then, comes hot-tipped talent Alectra Rothschild/Masculina. After two years of off-schedule exhibition-style presentations to showcase her high-glamour, avant-garde designs, the Mugler alum is taking to the runway this season to put on a show for her far-reaching creative community from New York to London.
Alongside Ganni, other Danish brands are cognisant of the current socio-economic climate for AW24. Saks Potts, which returned last season with a large outdoor show, is scaling back this season, showing in its store to a tight guest list of 150 people. Co-founder Cathrine Saks says it felt right to be smaller and quieter considering “the state of the world”, reminiscent of Rick Owens’s AW24 menswear show held at his home, scaled back to be respectful towards Palestine.
“A theme of collaboration and mutual support echoes throughout our brands for AW24,” says Cecilie Thorsmark, CPHFW CEO. Alongside Ganni, premium label Esprit has become a patron of CPHFW; and long-time sponsor, Rotate and Remain owner Birger-Christensen group continues to invest in the programme, she says.
Scandi menswear rising
Hot on the heels of Pitti, Milan and Paris menswear, Copenhagen Fashion Week will see an influx of menswear labels for AW24, who are taking the opportunity to push co-ed collections. First there’s the debut “official” runway show of cult menswear label Mfpen, in a return to the schedule since 2019 to host what Borrelli-Persson expects to be a be a “cool, co-ed, indie affair”, on Wednesday, showcasing its recently launched womenswear alongside its contemporary menswear.
Several recent grads of the Royal College of Art will be showing in different ways, including Rothschild. “Andreas Hermann Bloch is one of the talents selected for the Alpha (formerly Designer’s Nest) incubator. I love his pattern cutting, which creates subtle intrigues in seemingly straightforward menswear,” Borrelli-Persson says.
Established Swedish brand J.Lindeberg will also make its CPHFW debut. As the brand approaches its 30-year anniversary in 2026, it’s upping the ante with a large-scale 600-capacity show and drinks on Tuesday. It will be the brand’s first co-ed show, debuting its new women’s ready-to-wear (previously, they only produced women’s sportswear).
Will Scandi style follow AW24 trends?
With an injection of menswear labels, we can expect Copenhagen to reflect Milan and Paris menswear trends for AW24, with plenty of tailoring, workwear and outerwear, imbued with some glamour from womenswear brands in the New Talent programme cohort, Saks Potts and Rotate.
There is a subtle aesthetic shift underway in Danish fashion, says Borelli-Persson. “Danish fashion isn’t especially minimalist — compared to much Swedish design — but that seems to be changing a bit. It was my impression last season that [Danish brand] MKDT’s more classic take was well received by visiting editors.”
“The style and aesthetic of designers presenting collections in Copenhagen definitely have an individuality and uniqueness that transcend adherence to trending fashion statements,” says Bruce Pask, senior editorial director at Neiman Marcus Group. “However, I do expect the sartorial foundation that was present is the majority of collections seen in Milan and Paris to inform what we will see in Copenhagen. Evening and occasionwear has gained in importance and I do expect to see aspects of that introduced in presentations here. I find a real utility to the fashion seen in Denmark that is often matched by great originality and personality.”
Evening schedules will be busy with brand dinners from Baum und Pferdgarten (celebrating its 25th anniversary), emerging designer Jade Cropper, who hasn’t shown since AW23, and Soulland, who stepped back from the show schedule last season. On the party front, the hottest ticket in town is Alectra Rothschild’s Masculina afterparty, which music platform Resident Advisor noted as a “nightlife highlight” for the week. CPHFW will also feature a talks programme during lunch breaks in between shows (in collaboration with Vogue Business), centred on issues around diversity, equity and inclusion, sustainability and talent incubation.
CPHFW CEO Thorsmark is optimistic about the event’s impact. “While we might have all left 2023 on a note of uncertainty, as we enter 2024, this season has already proven that the ever-shifting face of creativity is full of opportunities, solidarity and positive change.”
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
More from this author:
Copenhagen proves fashion week can be responsible and still fun
Copenhagen pulls off biggest fashion week yet despite brands’ financial worries
Ganni’s Copenhagen show put AI on display — but not in its collection
