COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK Spring/Summer 2024

 

Quality, Quality – and QUALITY!

To say Copenhagen Fashion SS 2024 Week was a feast for the eyes would be a gross understatement – it was a knockout spectacle. Innovative, intuitive and above all, FUN!

The city of Copenhagen with its olde-worlde cobbled streets and canals, quaint harbour and picture-perfect architecture buzzed with the excitement that only Fashion Week brings twice a year, with the world’s eyes fixed firmly on the city for a week.

This event is fast becoming one of our firm favourites and for very good reason. We’ve become accustomed to the extraordinary quality and inventiveness of this Scandinavian bi-annual fashion calendar highlight with its unrelenting level of sophistication and elegance season on season. Some standard to uphold! And indeed CPHFW did just that, and more.

Fabulous surprises kept coming as we watched in awe: the avant-garde effortlessly mingled with the classic on the runway, with easy Scandi practicality and wearability always prioritised. And there was a good measure of bikinis in the Nordic rain too! The excitement, the vibe, the anticipation! By Day 4 it was hard to pick just a few favourites.

 

The Legends – and the Future Classics

A whopping 31 brands strutted their stuff, the week kicked off with an inspired knitwear range by A. Roege Hove and suitably finished on Day 4 with globally sought-after legend Ganni.

In between we saw jaw-dropping sophistication in collections by stalwarts Saks Potts, Remain, Marimekko, Stine Goya, Wood Wood, Henrik Vibskov and Baum & Pferdgarten. Newbies like Rolf Ekroth and Nicklas Skovgaard as part of the hugely exciting CPHFW Newtalent initiative also properly knocked our socks off with their respective floral and theatrical offerings.

 

As for Trends

Colour was king, as was patterning. From demure pastels at Baum & Pferdgarten and Remain to shocking pops of saturated colour – hot pink, vibrant turquoise, neon tangerine and poison green – at Saks Potts, Stine Goya and Henrik Vibskov, the colour palette sizzled with these scorching hot summer shades! Blue came in many hues, and was evidently the colour of choice this season. Stalwart Finnish brand Marimekko was yet again the undisputed purveyor of iconic Scandi fabric shapes and patterns, and brands like Paolina and Baum & Pferdgarten also presented inspired surface patterning.

Sit back and enjoy our hand-picked selection of the very best of the shows – copious quantities of beauty, creativity and innovation vying for attention! But who’s complaining?

 

Standout Brands

SAKS POTTS

Delicious pops of candy-coloured satin pieces that one can totally imagine taking pride of place in any summer wardrobe (especially in one’s vacation check-in luggage) were populating Saks Potts’ new season collection, shown in an exotic seaside promenade setting. Already a favourite of the likes of Kylie Jenner and Lily Rose Depp, it’s easy to see why this brand has reached feverish heights of popularity. Take for example the cobalt sea-folly blue chiffon dress with its ruched waistline, or the perfectly tailored metallic silver foil trench, or the perfect true blue slouchy boyfriend top … these are party pieces to covet and enjoy wherever they may take one, whether that’s home or away, whether you’re off to your local seafood restaurant or on an idyllic cruise, you’re likely to feel elegant, sexy and special in these. And that’s why this collection is spot-on and exactly what we all dream about – an exotic and escapist wardrobe that brings pure joy!

Watch Saks Potts’ Show here:

 

MARIMEKKO

This legendary Finnish brand that we’ve come to adore for its inspired Scandi prints and bold colours, is 60 years old this year! Marimekko has been known for its inclusive and diverse approach to fashion, with pieces designed to flatter and fit most body shapes and sizes. This collection with its uber-bold and cheery florals, its maxi tunics with their flattering V-necks and delicious colour blocking combinations reaffirms that Marimekko is a universal success story – and a brand that never ceases to inspire, always effortlessly managing to balance romantic elegance with sophisticated practicality.

Watch Marimekko’s show here:

 

BAUM & PFERDGARTEN

Designers Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Hestehave of Baum & Pferdgarten went all out celebrating their beloved city of Copenhagen with this SS 2024 collection. And indeed one can picture the shimmering Danish sea when casting your eye over their transparent sequinned maxi dress, the tactile silver skirt and cheeky sailor’s cap, while models traversed the ancient cobbled street runway. It’s undoubtedly a ‘city’ collection, streetwise and urban, with gingham cardigans and pea coats, easy striped shirts and plenty denim, all anchored in strappy black Mary Janes and comfy socks. And one can easily imagine how these pieces will take you from the office straight into the Copenhagen nightlife, with a few minor tweaks.

Watch Baum & Pferdgarten’s show here:

 

STINE GOYA

Designer Stine Goya called her SS 2024 collection ‘Homecoming’ and said, “SS24 is driven by the pursuit for ‘home’ and the many facets of what that means to different people and communities around the world.” This collection does conjure up images of neighbours pitching up to a local street party celebration! Sculptural and sensual, each piece celebrates individuality, from the transparent nude sheath to the bold hot pink suit and exquisite, exotic floral-printed ensembles.

Watch Stine Goya’s show here:

 

GANNI

Ganni’s signature animal prints and double denim were still going strong in this collection, but their SS 2024 offering also infused two new collaborations (New Balance and Ace & Tate) into the mix, which added to the traditional Ganni silhouette. Effortless layering, like the off-the-shoulder red cardi and plaid miniskirt worn over a printed maxi skirt and long sleeved top, reflected the ‘old’ Ganni’s slightly quirky, street-smart flavour and casual New Balance trainers added another level of blasé practicality to a range that boasted plenty stunning tailoring and dresses, some with a 40s vintage feel to them. As ever, the choice of models reflected the company’s ethos of inclusivity of body shape.

Watch Ganni’s show here:

 

HENRIK VIBSKOV

The theme of ‘boxing’ (the collection was called ‘Unboxing Walz Tutuorial’) reverberated through Henrik Vibskov’s SS 2024 collection, depicted in the padded ankle straps on shoes, the lacing of the corsetry and ‘armour’, and double boxing gloves that were transformed into hats. As ever, this was an eccentric collection from the stables of this St Martin’s graduate, whose use of colour and pattern is always to be gawked at. A sense of the medieval was also present in the head pieces and geometric patterning of the ensembles. Plaid pieces rubbed shoulders with exotic avian intarsia knits and jacquard co-ords. It certainly is a rather eclectic and playful assemblage of various elements, but one thing is for sure, it works a treat!

Watch Henrik Vibskov’s show here:

 

As For TRENDS …

Tailoring Meets Lounging

Here’s where smart, relaxed and quirky tailoring meets the comfort factor, and boy oh boy, are these pieces covetable! Some are super tactile, like the fring-ey soft Lovechild 1979 ensemble, others are sleek and sculptural, like the pointy-hemmed caramel tailored suit at Remain or the slate grey asymmetrical ensemble at Wood Wood. A standout piece is the camel trench coat-cape at Mark Kenley Domingo Tan.

 

True Blue

If one had to single out one shade, it was blue that was designers’ colour of choice for Spring/ Summer 2024 and was to be seen in shades that ranged from palest sky blue to inky indigo, denim and turquoise. Denim was seen in all its guises – from deepest midnight blue at Ganni to ‘traditional’ true blue’ at Rotate and Remain.

 

Earn your Stripes

Stripes have never been a stranger to Scandinavian fashion, and this season was no exception. Stripes were to be seen across many colourways and in many collections.

 

Going to the Ball?

Many designers couldn’t resist including a sculptural gown into their collections, many of which were floor-sweeping and dreamy, ranging in fabric from transparent organza to sleek satin, damask and lace.