Copenhagen Fashion Week is now a powerful player on the international style stage and is often regarded as the “fifth” fashion week city, along with New York, London, Milan and Paris. It is known for its stance on sustainability and roster of playful, contemporary brands, like Ganni and Saks Potts, however the street-style scene has become an important part of its power. The Copenhagen “look” circa 2018 was all about a colourful, printed dress (think Ganni gingham or Stine Goya florals) grounded with ugly, practical trainers or Havaianas in paintbox brights.
After all, this is a city where guests pull in at shows on bicycles and electric scooters. The trend cycle is a fickle business—one minute heels are declared “dead” and the next they are hailed as making a triumphant return. After lockdowns forced us into Birkenstocks and slippers, designers like Versace, Valentino and Saint Laurent suggested we dressed for the re-opened world in towering platforms that are so high, they make your arches hurt just looking at them.
Anne Hathaway and Dua Lipa rose (quite literally) to the occasion, however after a few months it was clear that most of us weren’t quite so willing to part with our slipper-like flats. Over the past couple of years, the front row was more likely to be lined with Alaïa crystal Mary Janes and mesh flats, than anything that might require an emergency Compeed. Unsurprisingly, Copenhagen, with its cobbles and bicycle culture, was the perfect city fo.