With its commitment to sustainability being picked up by other fashion weeks such as London, Copenhagen has really cemented its position as a major player on the calendar and the crowds of visitors at every show certainly underlined that. That being said, we thought there was a bit of a lack of energy generally this time around. Maybe it was difficult financial times playing into more commercial collections or the gloom surrounding world events or even just sitting in rough industrial spaces in January weather (some shows were very ‘as before’ with the same theatrics) but things definitely felt more serious and less fun this time around. However, there were still some great presentations and great clothes. We didn’t go to everything but from the shows we saw, these were our favourites.
CMMN SWDN
Showing for the first time this season, Swedish CMMN SWDN (how do you pronounce that??) gave an intimate but exciting show in Thorvaldsens Museum that also introduced their first womenswear collection. With a East meets West theme that could easily have been cliched but most definitely wasn’t, they showed very desirable tailoring, lovely lux fabrics and some great lurex knits.
Rolf Ekroth
After an apparently difficult financial year, Rolf Ekroth’s show was a little more melancholy than usual (he normally balances Finnish gloominess with a witty sense of humour). Set in the dark with just following spotlights, the clothes loomed out of the blackness with just a few moments to savour the interesting mix of fabrics and textures. We could live without the superfluous pointy bits on some outfits but as always, the outerwear in particular was great.
MKDT Studio
Only a few menswear outfits in the MKDT Studio show this time, though of course much of the tailoring and outerwear works for men and women. This was another serious show with classical piano and an intellectual rigour but as always the clothes were beautifully thought out and styled. With pattern cutting and construction this good, there’s no need for theatrics.
Berner Kühl
Wisely opting for a presentation on models rather than a show (an option a few other designers would do well to consider), Berner Kuhl played to his strength with minimalist clothes in beautiful fabrics: it was a real advantage to feel things as well as just see them from the front row. He showed suede for the first time which was delicious and we loved the knitwear too.
Henrik Vibskov
One designer who is totally justified in showing a theatrical presentation is Henrik Vibskov, after all, he is also a musician (he played the soundtrack of the show), a theatre designer and an all-around renaissance man. His version of post-apocalyptic chic was surprisingly upbeat and optimistic with a riot of colour and pattern providing one of the truly entertaining highlights of the week.
