From the 29th of January to the 2nd of February, Copenhagen Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2024 took place.
In an earlier post titled “Fashion Week is NOT Sustainable,” we looked into the distinctiveness of Copenhagen Fashion Week compared to its counterparts, Paris, Milan, and New York, due to its commitment to sustainability.
To showcase their collections at Copenhagen Fashion Week, designers have to meet a set of sustainability standards. These standards, curated by the organizers of Copenhagen Fashion Week in collaboration with third-party sustainability consultants, encompass six focus areas, spanning the entirety of the supply chain and including 18 action points.
The standards are meant to push fashion brands in the right direction by making them more environmentally friendly and ethical.
An example for each of the focus areas is:
- Strategic Direction: We do not destroy unsold clothes from previous collections.
- Design: We find a second life for our samples.
- Smart Material Choice: At least 50% of our collection is either certified, made of preferred materials, or new generation sustainable materials, upcycled, recycled, or made of deadstock.
- Working Conditions: We are committed to exercising due diligence in our supply chain according to international guidelines and standards and work with our suppliers to ensure e.g., freely chosen employment, secure employment, or no child labor.
- Consumer Engagement: Our in-store and online customer service staff is well-informed about our sustainability strategy.
- Show: Our set design and show production is zero waste.
You can read the complete Minimum Standards to participate in Copenhagen Fashion Week here.
AW24 Collections
In this post, we’ll look at the collections of some of the brands and designers who were able to secure a spot on the Copenhagen Fashion Week schedule.
Nicklas Skovgaard
Copenhagen Fashion Week kicked off with Nicklas Skovgaard’s collection. Despite the brand’s relatively brief history – having been established in 2020 – Nicklas has already made a lasting impact on the fashion scene.
Through his brand, Nicklas aims to explore the expressive potential of fabrics by experimenting with unconventional materials and classical forms. He achieves this by incorporating his woven fabric alongside elements like Vinyl, Lycra, and chiffon. This unexpected fusion of materials results in alluring silhouettes.
The inspiration for his AW24 collection draws from the 80s and is influenced by his three muses: his mother, Annie, who relocated to London during that era to train as an aerobatics instructor; Tess McGill, portrayed in the movie “Working Girl”; and Lecia Jønsson, the lead singer of a Danish band.
The combination of the three muses and their different lives back in the 80s inspired the collection. The collection discovers different takes on dressing for everyday life. Through fabrics, silhouettes, and details, Nicklas aims to answer questions like “How do you dress when you want to feel both cool and cozy at the same time?”
Interested in seeing more of Nicklas Skovgaard’s work? Check out their website or Instagram (@nicklasskovgaard).
Saks Potts
Founded in 2014 by Catherine Saks and Barbara Potts, Saks Potts is a womenswear brand. The brand’s designs are a reflection of the personal lives of the women. Most of their inspiration comes from their environment in Denmark and their ultimate muse, Carolyne Bessette-Kennedy.
For their AW24 collection, Saks Potts went against the usual and held a smaller, intimate fashion show in their headquarters. This collection was inspired by Kate Moss’s iconic style in the 2010s, aka the short dresses, chunky belts, and black rubber boots. The show was opened by Stella Maxwell, who, in my personal opinion, was an amazing choice as this aesthetics fits her perfectly.
Saks Potts also took inspiration from their previous collections and reintroduced some of their successful pieces from earlier years.
Interested in seeing more of Saks Potts? Check out their website or Instagram (@sakspotts).
Rolf Ekroth
Rolf Ekroth is a Finnish/Swedish designer who launched his brand in 2020. Since he graduated from Aalto University in Helsinki in 2015, Rolf has worked on many collaborative projects, won many prizes, and gained international recognition.
For his AW24 collection “Dear Night,” Rolf took inspiration from traditional Finnish winter sports like cross-country skiing, ski jumping, ice hockey, and snowboarding. The collection pays homage to his home country by using Scandinavian and Finnish knitting patterns and techniques for pieces like jumpers, leg warmers, mittens, and balaclavas. The collection used a muted color palette from the 1980s Finland.
In addition to the inspiration from winters in Finland, Rolf also integrated interpretations of the couch – a central element of his memories – by using velvet fabrics, soft rose, and velvet and leather jackets adorned with fabric-enclosed buttons reminiscent of couch detailing.
As a fun addition, Rolf Ekroth offers a way to own the knitted pieces from the runway collection by providing full instructions and yarn.
Interested in seeing more of Rolf Ekroth’s work? Check out their website or Instagram (@rolf_ekroth).
Remain
Remain is a subsidiary of renowned Danish fashion house Birger Christensen. The AW24 collection was created by creative director Martin Asbjørn.
For this collection, he moved away from following trends and instead focussed on high-quality, timeless designs with a contemporary spin to it. The designs are meant to be practical and a necessity but equally sensual and beautiful. This is definitely reflected in the latest collection.
The designs shown on the runway focused on clean lines and simple structured silhouettes that were made intriguing through the use of different materials and textures. The color palette was on the darker side with black, dark cognac, and chocolate brown, but it also had lighter colors like raindrop gray and deep lilac.
Interested in seeing more of Remain? Check out their website or Instagram (@remainbirgerchristensen).
Henrik Vibskov
Henrik Vibskov is a renowned fashion designer from Copenhagen. Since he graduated in 2001, he has produced over 40 fashion collections, and he is the only Scandinavian designer to show his collection during Paris Men’s Fashion Week. In addition to being an award-winning designer – his latest being the culture award presented by the then Crown pair, now King and Queen of Denmark– he is also an artist, curator, and even a musician.
As stated on his website, his fashion collections are known for their “twisted yet tantalizing universes,” showing his variety of art skills through his designs.
His AW24 collection is inspired by therapy and what we do to catch a break. With this collection, Henrik tried to show the theme through exaggerated contrasts. From simple silhouettes to excessive shapes, from see-through fabrics to heavy woven jackets, and from mellow colors to bright colors. The artwork on the clothes was inspired by game and horse therapy, including graphics from the gaming world as well as subtle prints with shadows of birds and flowers.
Interested in seeing more of Henrik Vibskov’s work? Check out their website or Instagram (@henrikvibskov).
Helmstedt
Helmstedt was founded in 2018 by Emilie Helmstedt and is known for its use of colors and craftsmanship. Although the brand is relatively young, it has received international recognition and had its first runway show for the SS19 collection. As they mention on their website, the brand works at the intersection of fashion and art and has a wide array of products, including womenswear, sculptures, poems, and even a children’s collection.
Emilie crafts a new universe each season, and this year, the inspiration was Treasure Hunt. The collection had an earthy color palette, ranging from brown and beige to pastels like purple and green. The collection also included lots of prints, hand painted by Emilie herself. Helmstedt’s new collection shows an exceptional blend of creativity, and the whole collection is perfect for everyday wear.
Interested in seeing more of Helmstedt? Check out their website or Instagram (@helmstedt_).
Han Kjøbenhavn
Copenhagen Fashion Week closed with the show of Danish fashion house Han Kjøbenhavn. The brand was founded in 2008 by Jannik Wikkelsø Davidsen, and is known for its distinctive design. Their vision is “to create innovative and spectacular designs that eliminate distance and become emotionally inclusive to people.”
The new Han Kjøbenhavn collection is called SILENCE and presents a combination of sculptural designs and accessible garments, like oversized hoodies and bombers, primarily in the colors black, gray, and some white.
Jannik states, “SILENCE is our upbringing. It’s grafting 12 hours a day in the local sports club – Passionate about everything inside the institution and the community that surrounds it. It’s the on-field and off-field respect and the emotions that connects these energies. SILENCE is for movement and function. It is executed in materials, that embrace exactly this: A core a build from organic jersey and progressive nylon and technical garments, developed for movement. ”
Interested in seeing more of Han Kjøbenhavn? Check out their website or Instagram (@hankjobenhavn).
Ganni
Notably, for season AW24, Ganni was not scheduled to show its collection during Copenhagen Fashion Week. This news was rather surprising as Ganni has been a big name during CPHFW for some time now.
This year, Ganni focused on giving back to Fashion Week by creating an exhibition titled “Future, Talent, and Fabrics,” featuring the work of new talents using materials developed through the Fabrics of the Future initiative the brand established in 2021.
For this exhibition, the brand worked with CPHFW’s New Talent Program to select seven artists and designers to showcase at the Nikolaj Art Gallery.
Sources
All pictures link to their source, and all credits go to the rightful owners.
You can find the header picture here.
Image Credit: Copenhagen Fashion Week (Saks Potts)
