Freshly back from our vacations, we were greeted in early August by Copenhagen Fashion Week when press, buyers, fans and lots of TikTokkers descend on the city for four days of shows, presentations, dinners and parties. For us who live here, the scale of the invasion tends to push us a little into the background – brands, understandably, want to focus on the visitors who are in town for only a short while – but we still had fun sitting front row, chatting to people we only see twice a year and seeing some pretty good collections. Menswear, as always, was a bit thin on the ground, but we did the legwork for you and saw it all.
Berner Kühl
Opting again for a presentation rather than a runway show (a good idea as these clothes need to be seen up close), Berner Kuhl again showed he is the master of fabrication. Sheer shirts, crispy cottons, technical suiting and ultra soft yarns all begged to be touched. We loved the raw-edged biker jacket and the masculine take on knitted twin-sets, all styled with just the right amount of nerdiness.
CMMN SWDN
The styling of the show may have lacked a little edginess, but there is no doubting the quality and style of the clothes shown by CMMN SWDN. As always with this husband and wife-designed brand, tailoring was excellent – we loved the double-breasted blazers – and the lurex-tinged knits would be a covetable addition to any man’s wardrobe. Altogether, it was a perfect dressing for a summer vacation in Tuscany.
Henrik Vibskov
Henrik Vibskov’s shows are always part fashion and part performance art (this one involved a gang of people polishing and sometimes breaking what looked to be chocolate eggs), but the clothes were actually pretty wearable and toned down this season. As always, it was pattern on pattern on pattern, but with an easy swagger which made it all look realistic rather than theatrical.
P.L.N.
Staged in an old slaughterhouse with half the audience in cages around the walls, the P.L.N. show seemed to be a tribute to Jack the Ripper, with models channelling street urchins in Victorian-era East End London played out to a fantastic soundtrack of Bauhaus. But take away the theatrics and there were some fine – and very well-made – clothes here. The abbreviated frock coats were a standout.
Ranra
Iceland-based Ranra brought their country’s particular take on summer weather (rainy) to the runway with a collection that focused on technical outerwear but done with real sartorial elegance. The mix of fabrics – nylons, gaberdines, pyjama stripes – was masterful and the colour palette just right.
