Fashion news from Copenhagen: insights on sandals, produce, and the latest influential group during the SS26 Fashion Week
Copenhagen Fashion Week Embraces Sustainability and Emerging Talent
Copenhagen's fashion scene shone brightly during the recent Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW), showcasing a strong focus on sustainability, emerging talent, and model diversity.
A key theme of the season was craftsmanship, with basketry and woven motifs appearing in several collections. MKDT Studio featured chequered woven dresses and clutch bags with loose, purposefully undone ribbons. Freya Dalsjø's collection paid homage to Danish craft traditions, featuring sculptural dresses and latticed leather shawls that looked like works of basketry.
Emerging talent was a significant focus, with initiatives like the strengthened CPHFW NEW TALENT program providing mentorship, press visibility, and year-round showrooms to up-and-coming Nordic designers. One of the labels on everyone's lips was Birrot, a Korean-Danish brand, with its collection featuring sharp-shouldered jackets and fluid harem pants. Iamisigo, a Nigerian brand, made its CPHFW debut with brightly colored handwoven dresses and baskets made by African artisans using traditional techniques.
Model diversity and inclusivity form part of CPHFW’s contemporary ethos, with the 2025 trends showing a notable push toward gender-fluid designs featuring unisex silhouettes and inclusive sizing. This commitment to social diversity and accessibility in fashion was evident in the street style, which reflected the city’s sustainable lifestyle that influences fashion choices both on runways and streets.
The urban atmosphere integrated bikes over limos and upcycled materials, with Birrot, Josephine Aarkrogh Schepelern (creative director of Elle Denmark), and Trine Kjær, a Scandi It-girl stylist and creative consultant, all spotted wearing the brand.
Key highlights from Copenhagen’s sustainable fashion state include the use of at least 50% sustainability in materials by brands, no destruction of unsold goods, and public sustainability reporting within six months post-show. Innovative, eco-friendly fabrics like regenerative textiles from agricultural waste and algae fibers were also used, along with digital-first collection creation to reduce waste and sampling.
CPHFW mandates rigorous sustainability standards for participating brands and emphasizes transparency, circular economy principles, and creative experimentation. This is anchored primarily by CPHFW, which continually pushes sustainability standards forward while nurturing new voices and showcasing broad representation.
Notable shows included Nicklas Skovgaard's dramatic, bulbous dresses and skirts inspired by the intimacy of the bedroom, transforming the former church at Nikolaj Kunsthal into a slumber party setting. The Anne Sofie Madsen show, titled "Lick the Star," was an ode to adolescent archetypes and featured a squishy rat clutch bag as the star accessory.
Events like Skall Studio's dinner, which featured rustic, mismatched baskets heaving with plums and bowls of plums on tables, and Mfpen's dinner at their store in collaboration with menswear podcast Throwing Fits, where guests ate fried chicken waffles and sourdough with whipped butter, added to the week's festivities.
Caro Editions' collection featured vintage-inspired polka-dot dresses and accessories, and collaborated with Mulberry to reimagine six one-of-a-kind bags with polka dot linings. Havaianas were also out in force, with the hot-pink and tomato-red colorways worn with denim midi skirts and baggy camo jorts.
OpéraSport's poolside show debuted a 3D-printed flip-flop made in collaboration with footwear company Zellerfeld. Another Aspect threw a party for its fifth anniversary with pizza slices and beers at its store-cum-coffee bar. Lié Studio served polished silver platters of grapes and black plums laid out on fig leaves. Tekla's in-store breakfast event featured bowls of plums.
In summary, Copenhagen’s sustainable fashion landscape is a dynamic, globally influential ecosystem focused on ethical production, emerging diverse talent, model inclusivity, and a distinct street style that reflects the city’s green values and creative spirit. This is anchored primarily by CPHFW, which continually pushes sustainability standards forward while nurturing new voices and showcasing broad representation.
A business focusing on lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, and home-and-garden products could capitalize on the growing interest in sustainable living that Copenhagen Fashion Week promotes. For instance, they could introduce eco-friendly basketry items similar to those seen in various collections during the event.
Technology companies can learn from Copenhagen's emphasis on transparency and digital-first collection creation to minimize waste and sampling, birthing innovative systems that drive sustainability in the global fashion industry.
