Copenhagen Fashion Week: Everything that happened, from Ganni’s ‘Higher Love’ show to Rixo’s sustainable denim

As the bi-annual Scandinavian fashion event draws to a close, we round up some of our highlights

(Simon Birk)

Copenhagen Fashion Week is one of the highlights on the industry’s calendar. Modern Scandinavian style is so revered by the fashion set that the bi-annual event is on-par with London Fashion Week in terms of setting the sartorial agenda.

While somehow both minimal and flamboyant, Scandinavian fashion is renowned for its idiosyncrasies and the stellar brands that have emerged as a result of its distinct aesthetic.

Cult labels, like Ganni and Saks Potts, show at CFW each season, while other, emerging labels, including Stine Goya and Rotate are swiftly catching up in terms of popularity, particularly among the industry’s impeccably dressed, and incredibly successful, social media stars - see Emili Sindlev and Pernille Teisbaek.

As this season draws to a close, key talking points include Rixo launching a sustainable denim collection, while Ganni themed its spring/summer 2022 collection around the concept of “Higher Love” in an homage to post-pandemic fashion.

Here are our highlights from Copenhagen Fashion Week.

The street style

Two guests at Copenhagen Fashion Week (Cornel Cristian Petrus/Shutterstock)

Every season, CFW leads the way in terms of street style, with its attendees among the best-dressed of the bunch. This time around, key trends off the runway included spring tailoring, with guests pairing oversized blazers with leather mini dresses, highlighter hues, with fluorescent shades finding their way onto jackets, tulle dresses, and there was even some metallic and retro floral co-ord action.

On the accessories front, bandanas led the way, with guests showcasing the myriad ways in which they can be worn, either tied around one’s neck, or used as a headscarf.

Ganni’s ‘Higher Love’

The cult Scandi label’s latest collection was all about ‘taking it higher’ (Ganni/Simon Birk)

With its signature ruched dresses, swish tailoring, and zany florals, Ganni rarely disappoints. This season was no different. For spring/summer 2022, the brand was inspired by this idea of “higher love” and celebrating the return to normality. The result is a collection that is the antithesis of our signature lockdown look (not a pair of tracksuit bottoms to be seen), comprising tight-fitting shirt dresses, ruffled off-the-shoulder crop tops, and netted dresses, all in a joyful palette of crimsons, sea greens, sky blues, pinks, and mustard yellows.

“Spring Summer 2022 is all about reigniting our love for life and love for ourselves,” said Ditte Reffstrup, creative director at Ganni. “Personally, I used the lockdown to look inwards.

“I know many people did that – thinking about what makes us feel good, what we miss from before and what we don’t want in our lives anymore. The collection is about saying ‘yes’ to what feels right, saying ‘yes’ to yourself. It’s about loving yourself, expressing yourself and being happy with who you are.”

Rixo’s sustainable denim

The collection uses 80 per cent less water than regular denim (Rixo)

In an unexpected move, famed British label Rixo launched its first-ever sustainable denim at CFW. The garments are influenced by a Scandi aesthetic, with the collection featuring shirts with ruffled peter pan collars, cropped denim jackets with widely spaced buttons, and calf-length A-line skirts.

The collection uses 80 per cent less water than traditional denim and 60 per cent less hazardous chemicals. It ill be available to shoppers in January 2022.

Saks Potts

Saks Potts has done it again, debuting a stellar collection at CFW that stays true to its playful, ethically-minded brand identity. On the runway, we saw bubblegum pink shift dresses, floral 1970s crop tops, orange sun dresses, and crochet beach cover-ups.

The Danish brand might be best known for its retro fur-cuffed coats, which have been worn by Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and co, but this collection proved Saks Potts can do much more than just outerwear.

“Everything in the closet is a little bit more elegant, a little bit more sophisticated,” co-founder Barbara Potts told Vogue Scandinavia. “But it’s still very practical to move around in. As you know, in Copenhagen, we bicycle a lot.”

Stine Goya

Another colourful contribution to the CFW lineup is Stine Goya, whose spring/summer 2022 collection was soaked in sunshine yellows, swirling patterned jackets, checkered jumpers, and so much more. You name it, Stine Goya probably made it.

Highlights include a shimmering green sleeveless mini dress (a pair of flares come in the same fabric), a floral A-line mini skirt with matching tights, and an off-the-shoulder ruched orange gown covered in swirls of yellow, brown and red.

The collection was titled “How Much Can We Grow” and was dedicated to the world’s creative communities.