Copenhagen: Powerful platform, great future

On Sunday the final trade fairs of this year’s summer edition of the Copenhagen Fashion Week closed their doors. Time then, to reflect with a provisional report. Whilst the official visitor figures are not yet available, all participants appeared

satisfied with the response to the event. It is possible that fewer Danish buyers attended this year, which could be explained by the fact that the fashion week fell during the holiday period this time round. However, the number of international visitors remained at least constant, according to initial estimations. And it is precisely this – enhanced internationalisation, extending beyond the traditional catchment area of Scandinavia – that is one of the most important targets of the organisers.

In northern Europe, the fashion centre of Copenhagen occupies an exceptional position due to its sheer size alone. Over 2,500 brands presented their new collections for the Spring/Summer 2012 season at the trade fairs. As such, the industry event at the Danish capital is the second largest after Paris when measured on the basis of exhibitor numbers. In order to further strengthen the location, those involved focused on close-knit cooperation, which other fashion hubs could only dream of. With the children’s fashion fair - CPH Kids - also involved in the collaboration under the Copenhagen Fashion Week (CFW) umbrella for the first time, all of the significant trade fairs were united on a single platform. The clearest signs were the common internet presence and a shuttle service that connected all of the trade fairs with each other. Despite this they naturally remained competitors, although the cooperation was a “strong message” according to Kasper Eis, Executive Vice President of the national industry association Dansk Textil & Mode, which is also part of the collaboration: All important organisations shared the common goal of further developing the fashion week.

And a competitive situation only arises in exceptional cases because the individual trade fairs possess such strong profiles that they only rarely infringe on one another when attracting exhibitors: In this regard the richly traditional heavyweight CIFF, at which large, mainly domestic off-the-peg brands exhibit, caters for the requirements of the department stores and specialist retailers. CPH Vision concentrates on young Scandinavian labels and places its focus on the promotion of new talent. Terminal-2 is the place for denim and street wear, whilst the designer labels are usually found exhibiting at the Gallery. This year, the event was able to expand further: Over 270 brands exhibited, including national figureheads such as Henrik Vibskov and by Malene Birger.

Their shows were some of the highpoints of the fashion show programme, which ran from Wednesday to Friday. As usual, Vibskov put on a spectacular performance, which was delivered outdoors and delighted the audience. His collection marked a further step away from his avant-garde style beginnings towards a focussed, smarter wearability. Malene Birger presented designs for every occasion, ranging from sporty leisurewear, through feminine yet non-bourgeois combinations, right through to glittering sequined gowns for formal evenings. And Stine Goya also expanded on her light femininity, presenting a repertoire characterised by stunning prints and exceptionally glamorous accents, for example gold-plated gowns. A returnee proved to be a particular highlight: Charlotte Eskildsen, who most recently presented her Designers Remix label at the London Fashion Week, staged a triumphant comeback in her homeland with a simultaneously modern-urban yet elegant collection.

But the event was not all about established names: In the week gone by, 11 young labels celebrated their debut on the catwalks of Copenhagen, including Magnus Löppe who was acclaimed with the Designers’ Nest Award at CPH Vision in February and who impressed with an exceptionally successful gents’ collection, which he was able to present in the large ballroom within the town hall. On Friday, Löbbe’s successor was chosen. Linda Larsson, a textile graduate of the University of Borås, Sweden, celebrated winning the most important Scandinavian prize for new talent. In light of the consistently high quality and creative diversity of the 24 selected who presented themselves at the final show, there is certainly no rise for concern regarding the future of Scandinavian fashion.

From our correspondent

Foto: Designers Remix, SS 2012 (©Copenhagen Fashion Week)

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