Copenhagen Fashion Week: the names to drop and what to shop

Copenhagen Fashion Week: the names to drop and what to shop | Soho House

From Rotate’s hit mini dresses to Stine Goya’s bold prints, here’s your definitive guide

Monday 8 August 2022     By Emma McCarthy

Copenhagen Fashion Week kicks off today, bringing with it a cavalcade of everything you’ll be wearing next season. That’s because the Danish capital’s biannual style showcase – which leads the fashion month calendar ahead of New York, London, Milan and Paris – has become a forerunner in dictating trends you’ll actually see off the catwalk, with homegrown banner brands spanning Ganni to Holzweiler.

The reason for this is three-fold. Firstly, the city is a mecca for street style, securing Copenhagen’s clout as a bastion of good taste. Secondly, the schedule is loaded with high-low luxury brands – think wearable silhouettes and accessible price points that don’t require a second mortgage. Finally, of all the fashion capitals, Copenhagen is leading the way with sustainability standards.

In January 2020, CPHFW set out an ambitious action plan, which outlined a dedication to drive positive change in how fashion is produced, marketed and consumed. All brands on the schedule are required to meet minimum standards in six key areas – from environmental strategy to responsible fabric choices – while the use of single-use plastic hangers and garment bags is banned. The initiative is also committed to offsetting its carbon emissions by enforcing strict preventive production policies governed by Nordic institutions such as the Icelandic Fashion Council and the Norwegian Fashion Hub.

So, the question is do you know your Cecilie Bahnsen from your Samsøe Samsøe? Here are the names to drop – and what to shop.

Copenhagen Fashion Week: the names to drop and what to shop | Soho House
Copenhagen Fashion Week: the names to drop and what to shop | Soho House

Rotate

Founded by Danish influencers Thora Vladimars and Jeanette Friis Madsen in collaboration with cult Copenhagen-based concept store Birger Christensen, it’s no surprise Rotate is beloved by the city’s street-style elite. With a focus on mini dresses designed to stop traffic, the duo designs pieces they dream of having in their own closets – ideal for when blending in with the crowd is at the bottom of your priority list.

What to buy: anything short, sequinned, and show-stopping.


Remain

Birger Christensen’s sister venture – the brainchild of CEO and creative director Denise Christensen – Remain seeks to be ‘a clear-cut voice in a world of noise’. The brand’s mission to be ‘forever relevant’ focuses on rewriting the urban uniform with pieces that offer longevity without sacrificing style. Simultaneously bold and timeless, make it your go-to for colour-pop leather trousers and ribbed knit midi dresses.

What to buy: leather trousers in candyfloss pink or apple green.

Copenhagen Fashion Week: the names to drop and what to shop | Soho House
Copenhagen Fashion Week: the names to drop and what to shop | Soho House
Copenhagen Fashion Week: the names to drop and what to shop | Soho House

 

(di)vision

(di)vision was founded by siblings Nanna and Simon Wick with a singular aim: ‘create from what already is’. This work ethic results in street-savvy collections made almost entirely of pre-existing materials. Expect spliced-together bomber jackets, logo hoodies made from deadstock jersey, and upcycled Levi’s jeans reconstructed with surplus stock and detailed with oversized hole punch cut-outs. Plus, they pride themselves on a DIY process – almost everything they create is designed, sewn, coded, shot, edited, packed and shipped from their studio in Herlev on the outskirts of Copenhagen.

What to buy: a pair of one-of-a-kind upcycled jeans – if you can catch them in stock.

Baum und Pferdgarten

Near impossible to pronounce – and therefore, a litmus test for identifying who among your fashion circle has done their research – Baum und Pferdgarten is an established stalwart of Danish style beloved by fashion editors the world over. Helmed by founding female creative directors Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Hestehave, confident colour and clashing prints offset with a clean Scandi silhouette are the linchpin of every collection.

What to buy: the knitwear offering is unrivalled.

The Garment

Own less by buying right. This is the message of The Garment, founded in 2020 by Sophia Roe and Charlotte Eskildsen. As a result, a seasonless, minimalist aesthetic prevails through a vision to cater to a woman who prioritises wardrobe investments with longevity over trends. This responsible mood translates into production, too – the brand prioritises ethically sourced and recycled materials, and calculates and offsets the carbon impact of every garment.

What to buy: the perfect pair of black trousers that you’ll wear forever.
 
Copenhagen Fashion Week: the names to drop and what to shop | Soho House
Copenhagen Fashion Week: the names to drop and what to shop | Soho House

Stine Goya

Before Stine Goya, Scandi style was synonymous with minimalism. But through her pioneering use of colour and print, the designer has put the ‘fun’ in functional and introduced the world to a modern way to dress focused on directional, instantly recognisable designs, and effortless silhouettes. Beginning her fashion career first as a model, then as an editor, it’s little wonder the Danish-born designer has quietly forged a reputation as one of Copenhagen Fashion Week’s cornerstone names.

What to buy: a printed dress – the bolder, the better.


Latimmier

Launched just last year and making its Fashion Week debut, Latimmier is the brainchild of rising Finnish talent, Ervin Latimer. Since graduating from the prestigious Aalto University in Helsinki in 2018, his CV includes stints at cult luxury label Alyx under creative director Matthew M Williams and Danish high-end label Heliot Emil, as well as winning the 2020 Young Designer of the Year Award in Finland. His design focuses on dissecting modern masculinity through a gender-irrelevant sensibility – think deconstructed tailoring, shirting cut on the skew, and skirt-trouser hybrids. Expect Latimmier to be the name on everybody’s lips.

What to buy: a statement skewwhiff shirt.

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