CPHFW ss24
FASHION
Top 4 emerging brands from Copenhagen Fashion Week 2024 runways
Rolf Ekroth
CPHFW sees the return of the biggest fashion week in Northern Europe. With sustainability and originality at its core, the lineup presents an array of unique emerging brands showcasing their work. Each designer is hand selected with originality in mind as well as the conscious and innovative efforts being made to better the environment. Copenhagen Fashion Week believes in the importance of lessening the detrimental pollution implemented by the fashion industry through new designs. It’s clear that environmental consideration is no deterrent but rather, an advantage to the creation of genuine fashion as seen throughout the emerging designers of this season.
Nicklas Skovgaard
Nicklas Skovgaard’s eponymous brand has been producing collections with a sense of unexpectedness since 2020. Skovgaard is a self-taught weaver which led to the creation of his own textiles used for the garments in his collections. Presenting biannually, his contradictory fabric merging and unforeseen silhouettes are entirely intentional. Skovgaard capitalizes on his hand-weaving skills using a loom and his own fabrics as the primary tools for his designs. Doing away with deadstock, he creates custom pieces based on specific styling and sizing as well as strictly creating made-to-order pieces. Skovgaard works locally in his Copenhagen-based studio and was a nominated finalist of the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize in 2022. This collection is showcased on the official schedule of CPFW NEWTALENT for SS24 and AW24.
The Show
For SS24, Nicklas Skovgaard played a little game of dress up. The audience was sat as if in a theater before the curtains were pulled back to reveal a stage of mannequins all dressed in whimsical designs. Only one live model was the star of this show (very fitting for a Leo season runway such as this). She bounced directly from her own seat in the audience onto the stage before prancing across the room changing in and out of looks, almost like a game of dress up in a very chic mother’s closet. With the audience acting as the mirror, there was a voyeuristic and playful element brightening up the otherwise sterile space. The designs matched the energy with drop waist silhouettes and tastes of ruffles and fringe. The theatrics of it all felt reminiscent of a 80’s-90’s runway when the catwalk was a tableau vivant and every look was connected to a character; emphasizing the spectacle as a true fashion “show”.
Stamm
Danish designer Elisabet Stamm launched her fashion brand in 2022 with the idea of having a Scandinavian brand with an international outlook. Stamm follows a dualism in her designs combining a mixture of high and low elements. Key concepts: well made clothing with a low key and relaxed feel. Stamm has quickly made a splash in Copenhagen as the winner of the ZSA Sustainability Award upon debuting the FW23 runway show during Copenhagen Fashion Week. Along with combining handmade Indian fabrics with recycled man made fabrics, Stamm only works with RDS certified goose down which means the animals used for the down were treated in compliance with the principles and criteria of animal welfare. Furthermore, Stamm has also begun initiating the use of natural kapok fiber as filling, lessening the use of animal byproducts in the collections.
The Show
Stamm brought the heat with the SS24 collection. Glow-faced models paraded around a basketball court giving a very strong streetwear impression. The androgynous casting lent an excellent hand to the oversized silhouettes matched with chain accessories and open backs. Stamm’s hip hop affinities are made clear as the collection rests on its Nordic foundations with New York influences.
Rolf Ekroth
Finnish-Swedish designer Rok Ekroth’s road to fashion is an unpredictable one. Initially studying social work before bouncing to sales and online poker in the early 2000’s, he finally landed on creating clothing and hasn't looked back since. Graduating from Helskinki’s Aalto University in 2015, Ekroth has done numerous collaborative projects and has since been a finalist of the Hyères Festival as well as winner of the Designers’ Best competition. Since independently relaunching his namesake brand during the height of the pandemic in 2020, he has made it a goal to create clothing that is inclusive, genderless, and sustainable. All of the garments are made in Finland and the Baltic countries to ensure ethical working conditions and fair pay to workers. The clothing itself prioritizes the use of sustainable materials with 80% of the garments made from deadstock or recycled sources. In an effort to create zero waste designs, Rolf Ekroth in collaboration with Blue Sky Lab has launched Bio2X, a straw-based textile made from biomass surplus. Rolf Ekroth believes in the environmental responsibility of the fashion industry and aims to create well-made and unique clothing that aligns with the best interests of the world at heart.
The Show
Imagine this: you’re in the 90’s Indie Rock music video montage of your dreams and all of your friends just showed up to the skatepark in their coolest outfits to hang out and have a few beers. That’s exactly what the Rolf Ekroth SS24 show felt like. The young and funky atmosphere made for the perfect backdrop of their genderless collection. Funky draping and combinations are seen throughout- trench coats being matched with knee socks and florals being laid on baggy silhouettes was only the beginning. The rosy theme offered a mix of well layered looks that gave a street style vibe while still maintaining elegance.
Vain
This Finnish brand combines creativity in the digital age with an innate understanding of nostalgia. Founded by Creative Director Jimi Vain and CEO Roope Reinola, this already cult sensation of a brand is all about coming together as humans in an age of rapid technological advancement. They recently presented their FW23 debut collection “NU-RMO” at Pitti Uomo 103 in January 2023. Having become masters of virality, in collaboration with McDonalds they created a collection entirely made of upcycled work uniforms garnering the attention of 200 million across social media channels and 800 articles written worldwide. Upcycling is just one of the many ways they are trying to make sustainable efforts through their clothing. Vain has decided to cut out the middleman and use a direct-to-consumer and made-to-order business model to reduce stock waste. By 2026, Vain is projected to have over 80% of sales from its online store with over 50% as made-to-order sales in an effort to reduce inventory as much as possible.
The Show
The warehouse rave setting created the perfect atmosphere for the dark and detailed pieces. Refreshingly androgynous, the garments have a quiet aggression to them. The minimalist tailoring with strong shapes and stark details felt fitting for the rave culture that surrounds the brand while remaining wearable and unadulterated. Ultra baggy cargo pants are matched with staple knit sweaters giving a goth yet functional feel. Referencing “Finnish melancholy and anxiety” in a world of disarray, the designs are meant to have a haunting element to them while finding peace within the intricacies of the clothes.
