Copenhagen Fashion Week, of course, is when fashion comes home: it’s our local biannual event which is part preview, part social and part chance to show off our beautiful city. After last summer’s washout when cold weather and torrential rain put the dampener on most outdoor events (and the cycling in-between), Copenhagen put on its best clothes this time and the sun shone for pretty much the whole four days. There were parties, some looooong dinners, a lot of small talk, hugging and some very fine things to see on the runway too. Here are our standout menswear shows:
Berner Kühl
Showing in a very intimate art gallery space where you could almost reach out and touch the clothes, Copenhagen’s king of minimalism Berner Kühl played to his strengths: great fabrics, pared-back styling, attention to detail. We loved his foray into denim and leather but as always it’s his mix of technical and sartorial that wins us over.
Deadwood
Forgoing their usual post-apocalyptic imagery, Deadwood showed a surprisingly upbeat collection in Copenhagen’s atmospheric old meatpacking district (standing in for a Kowloon street market). Dedicated to repurposing and recycling, the collection nevertheless appeared polished and coherent with trademark vegan leather mixed with deadstock lightweight nylon, denim and even vintage Mickey Mouse sweatshirts.
Henrik Vibskov
Part runway show, part performance art performance, Henrik Vibskov involved lots of wafting sheets rising up and down with a diverse cast of very slow models to present his collection. Whilst the fabric unfortunately interrupted sight lines a little too much, the clothes were lovely. Never stepping too far from his customer favourites, there were few surprises but we loved the mixed stripe knitwear and the double-breasted checked blazers.
Mark Kenley Domino Tan
MKDT moved away from the intellectual severity of their usual collections and showed something much gentler and prettier this season. We missed the mixed-up menswear codes a little but there were still some immaculately constructed pieces such as this stunning (if impractical) off-white coat and soft db suit.
Rolf Ekroth
Serving up eclectic style with a liberal dose of humour (much needed in the fashion world), Rolf Ekroth based his collection on Finnish summer barn dancing (which does sound like a lot of fun…) Presented to a soundtrack of beer-swilling pub songs, the result was a mash-up of floral prints, life jackets (don’t ask), nipple piercings and some wonderful patch fabric coats. We loved it all.
Won Hundred
Won Hundred are primarily a forward-thinking denim-based brand and that can be difficult to translate into a runway show where the audience is expecting a bit of drama and fantasy. But in an understated presentation in a backyard, we saw a cohesive collection of well-worn jeans, shirts and leather which would happily sit in your wardrobe. The pale pink Canadian tux was a favourite.
