Copenhagen Fashion Week has firmly established itself as fashion's 'fifth city', transforming from humble beginnings into a globally influential showcase that champions sustainability while propelling Danish design talent onto the world stage. As the event celebrates its 20th anniversary, its remarkable journey from scepticism to international recognition demonstrates how a determined vision can reshape an entire industry.
The Visionary Foundation
What began in 2006 as the merging of two small trade fairs has evolved into a biannual highlight of the global fashion calendar, attracting editors from prestigious publications including Vogue, international buyers from luxury retailers, and influencers drawn to Copenhagen's celebrated street style scene. Cecilie Thorsmark, chief executive of Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW), credits founder Eva Kruse's unwavering vision for this transformation. "She set out from the start to make it the fifth fashion week," Thorsmark explains. "Though initially met with considerable doubt and seen as unrealistic, her persistence has been vindicated by today's reality."
Sustainability as Catalyst
The most significant achievement of Copenhagen Fashion Week's two-decade evolution has been its pioneering sustainability framework, implemented in 2020. This bold initiative required brands to meet eighteen minimum standards within three years or face exclusion from the schedule. These standards ranged from banning plastic hangers to regulating textile choices, challenging an industry notorious for greenwashing practices.
"The framework has truly underlined the potential of transforming a fashion week from a showcase event to a catalyst for change," Thorsmark emphasises. While several brands initially struggled to meet requirements, over thirty now comply fully, with fashion councils in Britain and Germany following Copenhagen's progressive lead.
Brand Success Stories
Danish fashion has grown exponentially alongside CPHFW's development, becoming the country's third-largest export commodity with international demand increasing by eighty-four percent. The showcase has launched numerous homegrown brands to global prominence, most notably Ganni, which achieved a five hundred million pound valuation in 2022 after popularising distinctive styles from leopard-print jeans to fruit-emblazoned T-shirts.
Creative director Ditte Reffstrup acknowledges CPHFW's crucial role: "There is no doubt Copenhagen Fashion Week has been our main stage and helped us to become an international brand." The brand's biannual presentations from 2014 onwards, which spawned the influential #GanniGirls street style phenomenon, proved instrumental to its success before its eventual move to Paris Fashion Week.
International Recognition
Linda Cui Zhang, fashion director of luxury retail chain Nordstrom, notes that Danish brands resonate strongly with international customers by "embodying principles of the Scandinavian lifestyle". She highlights Cecilie Bahnsen's intricately crafted romantic dresses and Lié Studio's sculptural jewellery as examples of designs that combine meticulous craftsmanship with versatile wearability.
Rikke Baumgarten of Baum und Pferdgarten recalls the inaugural CPHFW edition where families built catwalks and friends helped with seating cards, contrasting with today's international presence across thirty countries. "Copenhagen Fashion Week has changed enormously," she observes, "providing crucial visibility, credibility, and the opportunity to evolve from something very local into something truly international."
Nurturing Future Talent
Copenhagen Fashion Week continues to prioritise emerging designers through initiatives like Ganni's patronage and mentorship programme for Nordic brands. "You can very easily drown in Paris or Milan," Reffstrup notes. "Here in Copenhagen you are centre-stage." This supportive environment has proven particularly valuable for new talent competing in an increasingly crowded global market.
A new homecoming slot introduced this anniversary year welcomes back brands after international presentations elsewhere, inspired by Cecilie Bahnsen's decision to stage her tenth anniversary show in Copenhagen rather than Paris. Holzweiler, recently showing in London, becomes the first participant in this initiative.
"The ambition will never be to keep brands in Copenhagen forever," Thorsmark concludes, "but to support them in whatever feels relevant for their development. Even though we miss brands incredibly when they progress internationally, their success demonstrates the potential of what we can nurture here."
As Copenhagen Fashion Week celebrates two decades of innovation, its unique combination of sustainable leadership and talent development continues to redefine fashion's global landscape, proving that visionary thinking can transform regional showcases into international powerhouses.
