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Copenhagen Fashion Week ss21

The first post-pandemic fashion week hosting physical, digital and hybrid fashion shows and presentations.

14th of August 2020 | Copenhagen, Denmark 

By GILI BIEGUN

A young, open minded female leader navigated Denmark to safety as Covid19 impacted billions around the world. The crucial and responsible acts leadership took during the crisis allowed the Danes to host events, open restaurants and bars and meet each other, almost like it was 2019.

That same open mindedness and flexibility was reflected this week as Copenhagen Fashion Week took a physical space in Villa Copenhagen and other locations around the city. Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, announced earlier this year that the Scandinevian brands

will present their Spring Summer 2021 collections in a combination of physical hybrid and digital formats of fashion shows and presentations. The result was a successful week that kept Copenhagen on the lead as a pioneer in sustainable fashion and innovative ideals.

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''Danish designer Soeren Le Schmidt showcased his SS21 collection during Copenhagen Fashion Week, presented at the highly anticipated sustainable, luxury hotel, Villa Copenhagen, carrying on the history of the former Danish Central Post & Telegraph Office''

Photos by Gili Biegun at Soeren Le Schmidt

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Birgitte Herskind Spring Summer 2021 in her showroom.

Photos by Gili Biegun at Birgitte Herskind

‘’As showing clothing can seem quite irrelevant, it might be the best opportunity we will ever have to re-imagine and change the industry. For this reason and to support CPHFW, mfpen has decided to contribute with a minimal showcasing of the SS21 collection’’.

What is a hybrid fashion event? As the fashion week’s organization allowed brands to interpret the current situation in their own way (keeping the government's guidelines to safe interactions) many fashion houses decided on a combination of a physical rendez-vous and a screening of their digital fashion video presenting their SS21 collection. Stine Goya, Mfpen, Henrik Vibskov, Samsøe Samsøe, Malaikaraiss, Soeren Le Schmidt and others chose to incorporate physical and digital, 

creating a physical event presenting their collection to a live audience and live streaming viewers.

While Stine Goya presented their SS21 fashion film they also called press and buyers to visit their studio in Copenhagen hosting an 'Open House' in which the visitors could touch and feel the collection. Henrik Vibskov and Soeren Le Schmidt presented open-air catwalks maintaining social distancing between the guests  and mindfully caring about their health.

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''The mood of the season captures the essence of the eternally modern soul Françoise Hardy, the French singer-songwriter and 1960s style icon. As a leading figure of the yé-yé movement, Hardy’s music introduced playful femininity to pop culture, evoked in the collection through playful breaks to the masculinity of sharp tailoring.''

Photos by Gili Biegun at REMAIN Birger Christensen SS21

Sustainability and the global health crisis

By the end of 2019 Birgitte Herskind had in mind evening wear and cocktail dresses for her Spring Summer 2021 collection but during the lockdown in her home in Denmark she decided to rethink and be current. The result was of a one of a kind collection of unique items which can be styled in countless ways. Mindfully made from exceptional fabric the collection is sustainable, wearable and adaptable to any time of day and location. Zoom meetings included.

Many other Scandinavian designers stayed true to their sustainable point of view and adapted their collections to the current reality. Baum und Pferdgarten colorful pre-spring collection was cut in half in order to be better connected to the industry needs presenting to buyers 100 best selected pieces. 

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''Finding nature and human survival a constant source of fascination, this season Henrik Vibskov’s inspiration concentrated on a natural phenomenon – Fire. The contradictory nature of fire and the way it contributes to our way of life is what inspired the team for the SS21 collection..''

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Simon Nygard opening for Soeren Le Schmidt

''This season, the SLS collection is, as usual, based on old school tailoring, presenting high quality and skillfulness, alongside with a rockabilly and new playful edge throughout the collection, experimenting with coarse metal buttons and solid silver zippers. The looks were perfectly teamed with hip hop music from the nineties, adding an underground vibe to the show.''

Photos by Gili Biegun at Soeren Le Schmidt

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Birgitte Herskind Spring Summer 2021 in her showroom.

Photos by Gili Biegun at Birgitte Herskind

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''The mood of the season captures the essence of the eternally modern soul Françoise Hardy, the French singer-songwriter and 1960s style icon. As a leading figure of the yé-yé movement, Hardy’s music introduced playful femininity to pop culture, evoked in the collection through playful breaks to the masculinity of sharp tailoring.''

Photos by Gili Biegun at REMAIN Birger Christensen SS21

''Exploring the liberation found in the playful and the naïve, The SS21 Presentation provided a fresh offering and redefined expectations to the visual language of REMAIN.''  REMAIN Birger Christensen SS21 Copenhagen Fashion Week

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''Fire is a curious thing. Breathing the same oxygen as us, the intense heat can melt materials, change their shape, burn through or blend them together. It’s also how we cook food, forge tools and stimulate growth in various ecological systems. It symbolizes energy, passion and love as well as new beginnings and growth.''

Photos by Gili Biegun at Henrik Vibskov SS21