With Stockholm and Oslo cancelling their fashion weeks to rethink how to
make the fashion event more sustainable, Copenhagen Fashion Week was flying
the flag for Scandi fashion as the only showcase in Scandinavia for the
spring/summer 2020 season. Running from August 6 to 9, it featured
established names including Ganni, By Malene Birger and Baum und
Pferdgarten alongside rising stars Saks Potts, Cecilie Bahnsen and
Stand.
Copenhagen Fashion Week’s popularity has exploded in recent years, seen
as the cool kid to the traditional ‘big four’ fashion weeks in New York,
London, Milan and Paris, with editors and buyers obsessed with Scandi
style, and the showcase’s ability to disregard the fashion ‘rules’ in
favour of experimental and contemporary collections.
For spring/summer 2020, Scandinavian brands rebelled against the
minimalist aesthetic, which they have been championing in recent years,
instead they opted for colour galore, with bursts of pastel lilac, green
and pinks, as seen at Ganni, Elaine Hersby and Stand, while print clashes
were a big trend for Saks Potts, Ganni and Munthe from floral with paisley
prints to checks with pinstripes, while Henrik Vibskov paired prints of
lobsters, sardines and dancing couples for a cartoon-like feel.
There was also a revival of the ’80’s with Stine Goya embracing the
polka dot clash with a variety of tights, tops and dresses, while Saks
Potts featured a red polka dot print throughout, and brands Cecilie Bahnsen
and Holzweiler highlighted utilitarian workwear with structured shapes and
tailoring pieces.
Leather also made a statement, not thought as the key fabrication for a
spring/summer wardrobe, but brands including Ganni and Stand highlighted
the beauty of summertime leather with Stand presenting a purple
snakeskin-effect leather jacket and skirt ensemble.
Feminine silhouettes was seen throughout the Copenhagen Fashion Week
schedule with puff sleeves being a key trend, seen across floaty,
empire-line dresses and tops on the catwalk of Cecilie Bahnsen alongside
delicate sheer organza tailoring, while Baum and Pferdgarten opted to
showcase a spin on the sheer trend with see-through bucket hats, and
Brøgger embrace the voluminous dress trend with floaty floor-length gowns.
Five statement collections from Copenhagen Fashion Week SS20
Brøgger SS20
Brøgger debut its second catwalk show during Copenhagen Fashion Week
with its spring/summer 2020 collection by designer Julie Brøgger, which saw
a continuation of her nostalgic inspiration from the strong women of her
childhood, with a focus on memories of the second wave feminists.
“I see this collection as if I squinted my eyes and remember my mother
and her diverse group of girlfriends in the late 1980s/early 1990s,”
explained Julie Brøgger in the show notes. “Their confidence and strong
convictions was as much a part of their outfits as their clothes. They
would wear sharp tailoring for court and lavish shapes and fabrics for
dinner parties, and use scarves for headbands and hair ties.”
In keeping with the brands play on contrasting modern femininity and
masculinity, oversized pleated organza slip dresses were layered over
tailored trousers, whilst androgynous shirts were seen with delicate,
ruched dresses.
Another key highlight included a focus on statement shoulders, as a nod
to the power dressing of the 1980s businesswoman, with a puff shoulder
blazer suit made in both wool and taffeta checks, paired with wide-leg
shorts.
There was also what the brand calls a “balanced attempt” to make less
impact on the environment season after season, with each print is certified
for its eco-friendly processes of low impact bases and works with suppliers
that offer flexible quantities to reduce waste.
In addition, Brøgger confirmed that it donates leftover stock and
materials to local organisations supporting women’s equality and job
opportunities and that all the shoes used in the show were vintage and that
circular fashion platform, Vestiaire Collective, would resell the shoes
after the show.
Even the venue of the show had an environmental consideration, as the
Rigsarkivets Grønne Taghave is a roof garden created as part of
Copenhagen’s green roof policy in its strategy to become CO2 neutral by
2025.
Helmstedt’s summer fairytale
Known for her fairytale-like colourful collections and playful
presentations, Emilie Helmstedt who has been named “the most visionary
young designer in Copenhagen” by Vogue and last year won the prestigious
Magasin du Nord Fashion Prize, wowed the Copenhagen fashion crowd with her
summer breeze inspired bee collection.
Emile Helmstedt, founder and creative director of Helmstedt, states in
the show notes: “In an old biology book, I found a beautiful illustration
of a bee that took my breath away. The bee is extraordinary in its
expression and endless angles. It is sweet with its big round eyes,
frightening with its sharp sting, and poetic when flying around with its
flamboyant wing.”
The humble bee is the main inspiration for her spring/summer 2020
collection, with the insect featuring in her hand-painted graphic prints,
alongside flowers and fruits, as a celebration of the Danish summer.
The collection features Helmstedt’s continuation to explore and
reinterpret modern womenswear, with her signature dresses and two-piece
silk suits featuring childlike hand-painted motives and bold, unique
prints, alongside new styles, including robes, quilted jackets, dresses in
crisp cotton and quirky hats, which are accompanied by extravagant
grapevine resembling headpieces and earrings, handcrafted by jeweller Niels
Monies, Helmstedt’s boyfriend.
“With this collection, I urge you to celebrate the nature surrounding
us. My inspiration has been the small insects, that contribute to
everything blossoming around us during the summer. The feeling of grass
under bare feet. The smell of asphalt after a downpour of rain. Enchanting
freckles and fresh red strawberries,” added Helmstedt. “I want to celebrate
those endless summer nights, simmering garden parties, refreshing dips in
the ocean and picnics in the park – but just like the bee – I also strive
to make my presence noticed, to be annoying, yet essential, a buzz that
makes you aware and reminds you to take care.”
Elaine Hersby SS20
Copenhagen-based fashion designer Elaine Hersby continues to showcase
her new approach to womenswear, where body movement comes into play with
the use of flexible materials that the designer states allow “bodies to
breathe and move freely”.
Combining minimalistic style, with artistry and modern wearability has
made her a firm hit with fashion editors on the Copenhagen Fashion Week
schedule since her SS17 debut, as has her energetic, interactive
performance presentations, which this season saw a playful dance
performance on Soho Rooftop.
For spring/summer 2020, Hersby was inspired by the ocean and the ways in
which we interact with it, which led to the creation of “organic shapes
that follow the body as it moves,” explains Hersby in the show notes. This
is highlighted with asymmetrical cuts and silhouettes which have been
manipulated by drapes and pleating, in a colour palette of lilacs, lime
green and white.
While feminine in design, there was a nod to towards athleisure with
hoods featuring on her statement long-sleeve knee-length ruffle dresses, as
well as sweaters and with the bodysuits, and all looked perfectly styled
with trainers.
Munthe SS20
With powerful femininity as its core, Munthe’s spring/summer 2020
collection was inspired by the idea of “being real is a lot more than just
looking like the nature” an impression central to sculptor Constantin
Brâncuși’s work that made him controversial in his time.
With this in mind, abstract forms repeated throughout the collection,
with garments draped over one shoulder, wrapped around the body, and some
shirting styles looked like the fabrication had been stuffed into the
pockets.
While powder pink, sky blue and burnt sienna were the key colours,
pinstripes, windowcheck, denim and leather pattern, colour-blocking, and
silk blended fabrications added a contemporary feel across dresses,
wide-leg trousers, shirts, oversized cable knits, trousers with low crotch
and pleating detailing, as well as oversized coats, suits and bomber
jackets.
In addition, there were dresses, hoodies and T-shirts inspired by
Brâncuși’s sketching process, featuring playful abstract faces in all-over
prints, for a streetstyle feel to the collection.
“The collection is decorated and ornamented, extravagant and eclectic,
without compromising the overarching signatures of Munthe’s design –
quality, comfort and functionality,” explained the Scandinavian brand,
which has stores in Denmark and Norway.
Ganni celebrates 10 years
“This collection feels personal. It always does, but maybe this one
feels different because it marks 10 years of Ganni for Nicolaj and me,”
explains Ditte Reffstrup, Ganni creative director in the show notes. “It
means so much to see how women all over the world connect to what we do. I
don’t think we ever really dared to believe it would come this far,
expanding globally with stores opening in the US and everywhere.”
For spring/summer 2020, Ganni celebrated its 10th year with a return to
the venue of its SS15 show, the tennis court of the Hotel Mercur in
Copenhagen, as it continued to explore the boundaries of masculine-feminine
dressing that began in its pre-spring collection – “it’s femininity your
own way. Each to their own,” added the Danish fashion label.
Menswear inspired tailoring is showcased alongside feminine silhouettes,
with Broderie Anglaise, bodycon and cut-outs, all “communicating strength
and power” in the upbeat and confident collection. While the tailoring has
a ‘70s vibe, with Prince of Wales check blazer teamed with matching pleated
pants or short scallop-hem skirts, while thrift store inspired ‘90s Pulp
cool creeps into the knitted cardigans and jumpers with crystal flower
buttons and detailing.
There are also variations on Ganni’s signature wrap printed dress, with
square necklines, three-quarter sleeves and ruching detail down the entire
body with cut-outs and a new piercing-like pin detail, which were showcased
in a lilac-and-white rose motif, a posy-printed mint-green satin and an
animal print.
Reffstrup, added: “I’ve been thinking a lot about the core of Ganni. Not
in a branding way, but about why we started – the heart of it. In the
studio, they’ve been joking that this is my therapy collection.
“In today’s world, there’s so much female confidence but still so much
unfinished business. I’m a mother of two girls who’ll be women in the world
soon, so it’s on my mind. What we do is all about making women feel like
they are capable of anything. Ganni is a state of mind more than anything,
it’s about making women feel comfortable in their own skin.”
Main Image: courtesy of Cecilie Bahnsen SS20
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