Another successful Copenhagen Fashion Week concluded last week, with the beloved and cult-favorite Ganni closing the week out. The spring/summer 2024 collections shown at CPFW were full of color, prints, layering, oversize jewelry, bows, performances, reworked workwear, and my favorite that’s become a mainstay: the dresses-over-pants combo. CPFW is quickly becoming thought of as the fifth destination for fashion month after New York, London, Milan, and Paris and the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) is a must-see spot during the week. CIFF is one of Europe's largest fashion fairs, covering everything from fashion to beauty and home. It's an amazing outlet where you can get close up and familiar with brands that are shown on the runways as well as smaller contemporary brands during the week. It's an opportunity to hear firsthand how the brands started and understand their vision while touching and feeling the new collections.
There are dozens of brands showing from across Europe, but here are seven local brands that everyone should know.
WOOD WOOD
This contemporary Danish brand has been a mainstay in the Scandinavian fashion circle for quite some time. They showed their spring/summer collection last week during Copenhagen Fashion Week, and some highlights included remixed workwear, creative layering, and bursts of orange. It fits with the brand's intent to create clothing that reads "tech-meets-formal countenance." They are very much about exploring and pushing the envelope for what typical fashion looks like. However, their secondary line, Double A, has more of an everyday vibe with essential and fundamental pieces.
BLANCHE
Blanche started as an eco-friendly denim brand back in 2017 and since then has expanded into full womenswear. They firmly believe in building a fully sustainable wardrobe from head to toe. The brand employs a variety of sustainable production practices, including using recycled materials such as sea wool, yarn made from recycled bottles, and fishnets. Blanche writes in their mission statement that they “desire to have a fully traceable supply chain from seed to finished product.” Blanche’s pieces are versatile and classic, adding to their waste-less mentality. They are building capsule closets with staple pieces. A personal favorite was their denim with an expandable waistband so they can be worn lower or higher on the hip, depending on personal preference or size fluctuation, and a small added detail of utility to the pants allows for longevity.
BERNER KÜHL
Another brand founded on the idea of making pieces that will last a lifetime is Berner Kühl. Launched in Copenhagen in 2019 to bring well-made menswear to the Scandi fashion scene, the brand has done just that. Bernard Kühl is built on “utility, nature, and serenity.” His pieces are classic but with edge and personality. Kühl believes that all emerging and established brands should consider that sustainability must be at the forefront of their business model and vision. Ethically sourced quality materials will last longer while impacting the environment and industry better.
JOSEPHINE
Josephine, a Norwegian jewelry brand named and inspired after Empress Joséphine Bonaparte for her trailblazing in fashion and bold, rebellious choices, sets out to make pieces that will last a lifetime. They intend to make a treasured heirloom that can be passed down. The brand uses all recycled materials to make their pieces. Josephine offers solid gold and silver designs, and the pieces are meant to be collected and built upon each other. Their rings stack beautifully imperfectly, avoiding looking too curated and giving that perfect mismatched feel while allowing for mixing metals.
PALMES TENNIS
This brand was born two years ago when the creator started playing tennis during Covid. He started looking into what clothing existed for the sport but found it all very traditional. It was there the idea of Palmes came to be to make a brand that felt like a new perspective for Tennis culture, something more universal for everyone. The brand draws inspiration from all over, specifically art, music, and skateboarding. A fun touch is the little nods to tennis throughout the collections-- such as the yellow-green color of a tennis ball used as an accent and short pockets designed to hold loose balls.
ISNURH
Danish streetwear brand ISNURH was founded in 2017 to create garments with attention to detail and craftsmanship and to maintain integrity in production quality. A significant accomplishment came in 2021 when the brand made a completely biodegradable shirt that uses zero water in production. The brand recently came under the mentorship of Kering and will be showing during New York Fashion Week. In addition to catching Kering’s eye, their standout prints and vibrant shirts have recently been worn by Justin Bieber and Joe Jonas. ISNURH is definitely a brand to watch.
RÉSUMÉ
This contemporary Copenhagen-based brand was founded by two sisters who wanted to make clothing that felt experimental but classic, as well as an actual merging of their styles. There is something for everyone with their pieces, ranging from upscale loungewear to skin-tight sheer floor-length dresses in various colors and textures.
Let us slide into your DMs. Sign up for the Teen Vogue daily email.
