Taking place before the big four, Copenhagen Fashion Week often feels like a soft launch, for some years considered just a prelude to prepare you for what is to come. However, it is steadily making a name of its own for the right reasons.
By scrolling through TikTok, you encounter countless creators trying to simulate the Danish lifestyle, from style to decor and cooking.
Beyond the inspirational style, one main factor Copenhagen Fashion Week is superior to others is sustainability.
Image: Baum und Pferdgarten FW23
Any brand must meet 18 minimum standards for responsible fashion production to be included on the official schedule.
These mandates include zero-waste shows, no single-use plastic, producing collections from at least 50 per cent certified recycled, upcycled or deadstock materials, and building more diverse and inclusive teams.
After analysing the data and trends from different fashion weeks, we felt that the focus on sustainability in Copenhagen fashion is unparalleled and should be given the attention it deserves.
The Trend Forecast: data insights from Copenhagen Fall 2023
From our data analysis of the trends gathered from Heuritech’s AI technology, the runways showcased a variety of winter staples, including checked prints in various forms, such as Prince of Wales, checkerboard, and argyle. Checked prints counted for 20% of runway share, spotted in collections from Saks Potts, Holzweiler and Rabens Saloner.
Sweater dresses had the majority of runway share with 27%. It’s not a surprise that knitwear specially applied to long dresses also made a notable appearance, with sweater dresses taking centre stage in neutral tones and maxi lengths.
If you look at the TikTok videos mentioned above recreating the Danish style, this garment is becoming a go-to piece to achieve that Copenhagen effortless look.
Image: The Garment FW23
But not all designers were feeling cosy for this season. A. Roege Hove offered a captivating twist on fine-gauge knit, also known as “gauze knit”, adding a touch of sensuality to the winter silhouettes.
See-through pieces counted for 5% of runway share. It might seem low compared to other trends. However, it is a novel trend to be spotted in CPFW offerings; thus, it’s interesting to see it evolve.
Ganni earned new butterfly wings for Fall 2023
For Fall 2023, Ganni flew away in the form of an abstract butterfly logo.
The new logo felt like the perfect metaphor for the brand’s transformation, growing from two people in 2009 to a global sensation today, just as a butterfly transforms into a grand version of itself.
The designer Ditte Reffstrup spoke about this transformation and stated that in this collection, “you will see me growing up.”
Image: Ganni FW23
“Grown-up, more polished, yet still playful” is how the designer described the Ganni girl for Fall 2023. The theme kicked off with all-black polished looks followed by a series of denim looks, now a brand staple since phasing out leather.
Although the use of colour felt subdued compared to previous seasons, the splashes of colour felt just right, creating a perfect balance between the sequence of black and denim.
Image: Ganni FW23
A buttercream yellow slip with light black ruffles, a long-sleeved red sequinned dress and its shorter strappy counterpart, a ruched velvet green dress, were a few of the coloured highlights and some crowd favourites.
For the accessories, their latest it-bag, Bou Bag, made out of the luxury leather alternative Ohoskin and highlighted the new butterfly logo, stole the show.
You’re invited to a Fashion Week after-party
You probably saw it on Social Media. The video of a dinner guest, who is actually model Sarah Dahl, stands up and struts down the salon, and with her, the tablecloth, which turned out to be part of her dress, and everything from the table follows along. The collection was named “Dressed for Disaster”, after all, spectators were expecting some wreckage.
Before this closing viral moment, (Di)vision welcomed guests into a former royal home that oozed a rager. However, they were just invited to the aftermaths. There was no time for cleaning, guests were seated at tables with wine-stained linens and littered with leftover meals, candles burning low with cigarette butts around, and there was a warning not to eat the oysters.
Then models manoeuvred across the dining hall, almost as the rounds you make when you want everyone from the event to notice what you think is a killer outfit.
For this collection, designers Simon and Nanna Wick circled back to the ’90s and ’00s for a runway filled with Y2K references.
The brand described its collection as “the train wreck Woodstock 1999 festival meets the Met Gala”.
Image: Ganni FW23
The brand ethos of upcycling and DIY was present in the collection. Zippered knit bombers, patchwork plaids, logo sweaters, convertible trousers paired with exposed briefs and denim leg warmers demonstrated there is some perfection in the imperfections.
These “disaster” looks were all crafted with deadstock fabrics, recycled cotton, natural wool, and upcycled vintage products. The shoes, a collaboration with ASICS, will be sold with all profits toward charity.
The final result was beauty in the disaster. (Di)vision managed to cater to its young customers following the Y2K trend, produce market value and wearable garments, and gather social media attention with a viral moment, all while acting sustainably.
Fall 2023 CPHFW should be a lesson to the fashion industry. Being responsible and sustainable still allows brands to be creative and cater to trends, as seen in Ganni, and display viral moments and performances, as seen from (Di)vision.
There is no longer an excuse for excessive waste in fashion. There are many other approaches to innovation that are both more responsible and, quite frankly, more exciting than over-the-top productions and waste. Fall 2023 Copenhagen Fashion Week is a testament to that.
After a month of fashion week analysing the offerings the different cities brought to the table and then comparing them to Heuritech’s data-backed market and product insights, we’ve seen a shift in relying more on creativity and craftsmanship than entertainment and exposure from many brands.
Image: Stine Goya FW23
Designers are letting their garments speak for themselves, and the industry might be on the way to finding its roots again. It’s always positive to make an impression and offer a great show to spectators, but for the right reasons, and in Copenhagen, they can do so while being good to the environment.
According to Heuritech’s experts
