I’m at Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW), experiencing first-hand the next crop of Scandinavian designs that will sweep the rest of the world over the coming year. Or as Melbourne photographer Eugene Canty puts it, it’s “kitten heels-on-the-ground journalism”.
CPHFW has quietly but confidently asserted itself as the fifth global fashion week, a younger but more boisterous sister to the big four (Paris, New York, London, Milan). This week, local and global designers showed their spring/summer 2027 collections.
Estelle Dippie is the founder and director of Commonplace Distribution, a wholesale agency repping Scandi brands like Swedish Stockings, Operasport and Skall Studio in Australia and New Zealand. She says there’s more overlap between Denmark, Australia and New Zealand than you might think. “Even though they’re such different places geographically, there’s a real parallel in the ease of the lifestyle here. The practicality and utility of how people dress is really similar. It’s quite casual, but still really polished.”
Here are the main trends from Copenhagen Fashion Week that are set to make a splash in Australia – just as soon as the weather warms up.
Tapestry
Photo: Courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week. From left: Stine Goya, Stem, Iamisigo.
Australian stylists Karinda Mutabazi and Chelsea Holm have predicted a rise in printed denim, and CPHFW backs this. In particular, patterned tapestry is having a moment. The nostalgic, woven-look material might remind you of your nonna’s floral armchairs, but it’s been modernised for the fashion world. Zero-waste Copenhagen label Stem showcased a tapestry skirt made from Ganni’s deadstock fabrics. African label Iamisigo played with the fragility of woven fabrics, while Danish label Stine Goya debuted a floral-printed denim number. Tapestry shone brightest in street style, where showgoers mixed sartorial references, and upped the historical ante with ruffles.
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Locally, Variety Hour has debuted a matching set, and Courtney Zheng has a heavyweight cotton denim version.
Capes
Photo: Courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week. From left: Henrik Vibskov, Institution, Anne Sofie Madsen, Almada, Herskind.
CPHFW’s runways couldn’t get enough of the billowing silhouette. From Italian label Institution and Nordic label Almada, we saw a draped approach to capes, mimicking natural movement. Danish labels Herskind and Anne Sofie Madsen focused their caping efforts on the neckline, pulling focus to one’s decolletage, and Danish designer Henrik Vibskov walked poncho-like tops down the runway.
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Esse’s Solina cape dress is an elegant, sculptural piece, and Viktoria & Woods’s Haven poncho is a more understated approach to the trend.
Ruching
Photo: Courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week. From left: Herskind, Stem, Collina Strada, Henrik Vibskov.
This season, various designers turned to ruching (the gathering of fabric) to create textural interest. Collina Strada, the New York fashion label in CPHFW’s international guest slot, used shirring to slightly cinch in the bodice of a lime green set. Herskind’s asymmetrical, crossbody ruching transformed a butter yellow dress, and Stem engaged subtle pleating to add visual weight to its dresses. Over at Henrik Vibskov, ruffled finishes amplified technical elastic ruching, proving that functionality can also be decorative.
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Dazie’s shirring one-shoulder piece is the “jeans and a cute top” answer to the ruching trend, and Anna Quan offers a masterclass in gentle gathering with its Gaia dress.
Pink
Photo: Courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week. From left: Nicklas Skovgaard, Mr Larkin, Paolina Russo, Baum und Pferdgarten, Marimekko.
While there was no shortage of aquamarine or plum tones on the streets of Copenhagen, pink seemed to be the emerging colour of the season. Houston- and Copenhagen-based label Mr Larkin and Copenhagen’s Baum und Pferdgarten both showcased flirty sheer dresses in baby pink. Danish label Nicklas Skovgaard turned up the girlish charm, pairing blush tones with a dash of baby blue. Finnish label Marimekko and London-based Paolina Russo turned up the heat with pops of hot pink, offset with light pink tones. Speaking to attendees, it seems the millennial pink hangover has worn off, making way for a fresh revival of a more diverse range of pinks.
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Kinga Csilla’s dusty pink V-neck knit jumper is bohemian and cosy, and Paris Georgia’s dusty pink Alice top is youthful and fun.
Plaid
Photo: Courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week. From left: Henrik Vibskov, O Files, Rene, Nicklas Skovgaard.
Dare we say it? Plaid can almost be considered a neutral print, particularly when it crops up in monotone hues. Structured gingham was used by Nicklas Skovgaard, while Copenhagen label Rene opted for a modernised, blurred take on checks. Henrik Vibskov and Danish label O Files brought out more traditional plaid, though with added details for interest – the former with intentionally unaligned seams, and the latter with double-cuffed sleeves.
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To channel the blurred plaid pattern at home, take a look at Pass Port’s Workers Plaid jacket and Apres Studio’s Sylvie minidress for a lightweight summer check piece.
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