Ganni

Urban regeneration programs across key European cities such as London, Paris, Milan and Amsterdam are mostly designed with the goal to reduce traffic and encourage residents to walk and cycle to their destinations.London alone plans to add to and increase the number of cycle lanes in the near future to better connect regenerating residential areas like Wembley, Tottenham Hale, Isle of Dogs, Greenwich and Brentford to the city center.
A slew of bicycle manufacturers and cycling-gear makers are booming because of the rising demand, and e-bikes in particular have become a popular option for commuters looking to strengthen their health while beating traffic.
There are many options with prices as low as 499 pounds for a foldable e-bike from Argos, which could work if you don’t mind a freakishly giant battery hanging between your legs, to mountain-trail ready, monstrous-looking ones retailing for around 7,000 pounds from Evans Cycles in London.

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The average price for a decent e-bike is still relatively high, ranging from around 1,500 to 3,000 pounds. The good news is that cities like Paris have introduced multiple incentives to make choosing an e-bike more accessible.
As part of French capital’s biking plan, some 180,000 additional bike parking spots will be added, and between now and 2026, Parisian riders will gain 180 kilometers of long-awaited and permanent bike lanes.
E-bike rental providers such as Lime, Uber’s Jump and Tiers are also making effortless and sustainable riding more accessible to millions across major cities in Europe and beyond.

Presenter Jeremy Vine here seen leaving BBC Radio Two studios on his new 2,700-pound Electric Brompton bike. The new bike allowed Jeremy to get around quicker between his two jobs at Channel 5 and BBC Radio Two studio.

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Cycling may be on the rise — but sleek and chic options for the fashionably minded are slim.
Brompton is a popular choice. It can be packed into a small square and can be checked into a cloakroom at a party. There are also a many accessories to choose from — if you are going home from said party with a giant goodie bag, the messenger bag that attaches to the front will be perfect to fit all that stuff you might re-sell online later.
Powered by electricity, the Brompton e-bike overcomes one of the biggest flaws of its small-wheel nature — going uphill has never been so easy. (Anecdotally, I was once asked if I have competed in weight lifting as years of cycling on a Brompton have given me very strong thighs.)
If you don’t want to pay the premium for the electric version, which costs about twice as much as the normal one, you can sign up for the waiting list on Swytch. This British upstart sells e-bike conversion kits that promise to turn standard Brompton bikes, as well as others, into e-bikes at a lower cost.

A VanMoof e-bike designed by Jacquemus.

Courtesy

Another contender is VanMoof. This Dutch e-bike maker has designed some of the most stylish models available on the market.
VanMoof recently teased a one-off all-black version of the S3 model for Paris Men’s Fashion Week with the Berlin-based fashion label GmbH’s cofounders, Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik.
Loved by celebrities including Evan Mock and Frank Ocean, VanMoof bikes come with a very minimal and futuristic design with the battery hidden within the frame and buttons are nearly invisible. The company has also released one-off bikes in connection with Stephane Ashpool’s Pigalle, Jacquemus, and Highsnobiety, as well as content collaborations with Ganni in celebration of the Scandi brand’s store opening in Amsterdam.

Jonathan Hum, chief marketing officer at VanMoof, says the company, founded in 2009 by Taco and Ties Carlier, started with the mission to make the perfect city bike.
“Design has been the hallmark of the brand from the beginning, and it continues to be the key differentiator for us. We are fairly unique in the sense that we prioritize design whereas that maybe hasn’t been a priority for a lot of other brands up until this point in the space,” Hum says.
“It is not just from a form point of view, but also from a function point of view, such as these consumer-led design features, whether that’s the shape of the frame itself, or the integration of, like, a kick lock into the frame so you don’t have to lug a big heavy lock around with you,” he says.

VanMoof teamed with Ganni on a cycling-themed collaboration.

Courtesy

The A5 and S5 are the least VanMoof models to hit the market. Both are manufactured in Taiwan.
“There’s a very deliberate consumer-focused design strategy. It’s not a men’s bike or a women’s bike. A5 is a bike that is aimed ostensibly at a slightly smaller rider, which makes them easier to jump on and off cycling around town, whereas the other bigger model S5 is a bit more of a cruiser with an emphasis on riding comfortably over longer distances,” Hum explains.
He believes that the company’s emphasis on design is what drew “an enviable list” of fashion and design brands that want to collaborate with VanMoof. “There’s a sense of recognition of that being important to us as it is to some of the other brands that maybe you wouldn’t ordinarily put us together with, but there’s a shared terrain with design,” Hum says.
E-bikes, which generally result in less sweating, open up a new lane for fashion possibilities in the summer. The layer game is a solid option for long-distance commuters. And both the Brompton and VanMoof A5 are ideal for those attending summer parties by the Seine during Fete de la Musique in maxidresses, as the lower top tube design allows riders to get on and off the bike more easily.
Remember to top your e-bike look off with a helmet — safety cannot be compromised in the name of fashion.

“As an agenda-setting fashion week, it’s crucial that we continue to grow our international positioning. In other words, Copenhagen Fashion Week will not reduce the number of international guests,” said the report, highlighting that hospitality-related emissions actually increased by 7.3 metric tons in 2021. “When we set the target to reduce our emissions, we had hoped to explore other alternatives for traveling and were enthusiastic about technological advancements to lower the impact of flights in general. But both have proven too optimistic and we will take this into consideration when target-setting for the upcoming three-year period.”
To counteract the issue, the event will explore options like train travel and guest guides for traveling mindfully. All participating brands will also be charged a carbon offsetting fee to ensure that the emissions from their events are all offset by Copenhagen Fashion Week’s appointed partner.
A number of other goals, focusing on social responsibility, were also reached in the last year, including the implementation of a code of conduct for all suppliers; running an anti-racism and intersectionality workshop for all Copenhagen Fashion Week employees, and fostering partnerships with nongovernmental organizations, including Fashion Revolution and The Soulfuls, supporting the latter’s mentorship program.

Copenhagen Fashion Week, fall 2022: Holzweiler

Gearing up to the full implementation of its 2023 sustainability requirements, the showcase ran a series of pilot tests and individual meetings with local brands to guide them through the new set of expectations they will have to meet; the information they will have to share, and self-assessment surveys they will have to complete to be part of the event.

“Copenhagen Fashion Week decided to focus on the 18 Minimum Standards as the main admission criterion and all brands must comply fully to be part of the official show schedule,” added the report. “We believe that these minimum standards will allow for a targeted approach toward more responsible business practices in the fashion industry. Each consecutive year after the minimum standards come into effect in January 2023, we may add additional standards to advance sustainability efforts within the industry.”

This is no doubt a full-on set of demands, creating an extra layer of work for brands when organizing their seasonal shows. But in fact, the Scandis were happy to make the investment and are achieving significant milestones of their own, to ensure they meet all requirements by next year.

By Malene Birger for instance, which is under the new direction of sisters Maja and Ellen Dixdotter, has been in the process of reducing the size of each seasonal collection by over 50 percent, moving its production to Europe, and reducing the amount of dyed and mixed fabrics used, all in the last year. For its latest fall 2022 range, presented via a digital film, 43 percent of the materials were dye-free and the Dixdotters are set on establishing more measurable goals to map out the company’s next decade.

By Malene Birger, fall 2022
Courtesy of By Malene Birger

“It was just about listening to our gut and what we felt was right,” said Maja Dixdotter, the company’s chief executive officer, who started implementing swift changes from early on and is on a mission to move By Malene Birger to a more premium luxury positioning, spotlighting seasonless garments, like the cozy knits, chic silk dresses, and neutral-hued tailoring they presented for fall. “We cut down the amount of suppliers we use, created partnerships closer to home in Europe and are now only working with really high-end fabrics to bring this new vision to life. Not looking at trends just feels true to us,” added the sisters.
At Stine Goya, while husband-and-wife duo Stine Goya and Thomas Hertz have an ambitious growth plan for the next year, they are still making sure they execute their ambitions sustainably: their new swimwear category was made of purely recycled nylon fabrics, while a new biodegradable rubber material was introduced in the mainline collection.

Oslo-based Holzweiler has also been heavily investing in sustainable fabric development, adding recycled wool accessories to its offer and presenting a series of worn-effect leather pieces, made of upcycled leather. The message? “Garments which look or feel used still have value. We want to inspire our audience to find pieces in their own wardrobe which might have been worn out and see beauty in that or give them new life,” said Maria Skappel Holzweiler, the label’s designer, also pointing to the brand’s new resale and rental services.

Copenhagen Fashion Week, fall 2022: Stine Goya

Soulland, one of the city’s established streetwear players, has also started a detailed Responsibility Report where it outlines the work the company does across the sustainability sector. In the last year the brand said it has limited its manufacturing suppliers to 13 long-term partners in order to maintain visibility over factory conditions; it also cut down the amount of mills it sources fabric from, and is in the process of mapping out raw material suppliers.
In addition, the amount of sustainable fabrics — meaning deadstock, recycled, or organic — used in seasonal ranges was increased from 57 percent to 71 percent in 2021, while the company is committing to not building sets for its shows and doing away with goodie bags to minimize its footprint.

Soulland, fall 2022
Courtesy of Soulland

Saks Potts, too, which first became known for its fur-trimmed leather coats, is moving away from real fur and the more trend-led candy colors it was famous for in favor of more practical, timeless pieces made of natural or recycled fibers. “We are working really closely with Copenhagen Fashion Week and our new head of sustainability to keep moving forward. We talk about responsibility rather than sustainability because there’s really nothing sustainable about fashion,” said Barbara Potts.
As for the new generation of designers grabbing the headlines at Copenhagen Fashion Week, sustainable design is second nature. There’s Amalie Roge Hove, who produces ribbed-knit pieces in small production runs and one-size-fits-all, stretchy fabrics that eliminate waste, as well as buzzy labels such as (di)vision and Kerne.milk, which have upcycling at their core.
“Even as we grow, we want to keep that intimate, handmade element and focus on our sustainability plan even more, going deeper into our supply chain and textile choices,” said Kerne.milk founder Marie Mark.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The old system has gone out the window and the guard has changed. This was the overarching theme during the latest iteration of Copenhagen Fashion Week, which, in a moment of serendipity, got to welcome international press and buyers just as the Danish government announced the lifting of all COVID-19 related restrictions. 
The mood was celebratory — handshakes, hugs and even late-night parties were back in full force — but change was also in the air, along with a feeling that nothing would ever be quite the same again.
It came from seeing some of the city’s biggest names, from Ganni to Rotate, choosing to skip the catwalk in favor of more democratic, digital presentations and a conviction to continue running their businesses on their own terms — and timelines — post-pandemic.

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Copenhagen Fashion Week, fall 2022: (di)vision

But there was still plenty to see on the runway, including an array of fledgling designers, from local label (di)vision to Swedish up-and-comer Jade Cropper. They are coming onto the fashion scene with a global outlook from the get-go and an edgier look that’s very much aligned with the TikTok-approved Y2K aesthetic.
Their influence is clearly trickling down to the street style scene, which put the Danish capital in the international spotlight to begin with. The changing of the guard was clear across the streets and front rows this season: Candy colors, Instagram influencers and all things saccharine were replaced by a new generation of creatives with a flair for darker, austere silhouettes; ’90s sunglasses worn indoors; balaclavas, and the latest sneaker drops.
Danish fashion figures, both new and established, seem up for the change, showing unanimous support for the new talent on the calendar while having open conversations about the work that still needs to be done to make fashion less wasteful and more equitable, and grounding their aesthetics to suit the new climate. It’s this embrace of the future that’s giving Copenhagen Fashion Week lasting power, and slowly but surely establishing the city as “the fifth fashion capital” — as Swiss native and Browns buying director Ida Petersson put it.

Copenhagen Fashion Week, fall 2022: the street style scene

One of the hottest tickets of the week was knitwear specialist and Cecilie Bahnsen alumnus A. Roege Hove.
For her second show, Copenhagen native Amalie Roege Hove staged an intimate runway show in the city’s famous Christiania region, showing evolved versions of her signature knits, loosely draped around the body, cut in just the right places, and stretching to fit all body types.
“I get inspiration by how the pieces fit different bodies. I find it so beautiful that the knit can adapt depending on the shape of the wearer’s body,” said the young designer, who offers her signature ribbed knits across two sizes intended to fit a range of sizes.
Her approach to knitwear felt fresh and the products had commercial legs while still offering a more directional point of view — something the city, best known for its contemporary offering, has lacked.
(Di)vision, too, with its alien-themed collection of patchwork leather trenches, split bomber jackets and fierce minidresses, added a needed spirit of experimentation to the city’s lineup. 

Copenhagen Fashion Week, fall 2022: (di)vision

These brands presented their new collections on people of varying ages, genders and sizes — casting friends, team members and a more diverse set of models. It felt like second nature to these young designers rather than a tick-box exercise.
At Ganni’s “Love Forever” digital presentation there was also an array of body types dancing in the brand’s new fall range, from pop star Jada to her backup dancers and models. Ditto for Soulland, which makes a point to do its casting in-house and tap people from its own communities or Instagram before reaching out to traditional modeling agencies; and Saks Potts, which showed its new, more grounded aesthetic on mostly friends and colleagues.
“It’s such a different cast of girls. The atmosphere here feels like an airport, with people coming in from all over the world, each with their own personality. We don’t want to show a group who all feel like they have to look the same to feel they can belong,” said Catherine Saks, pointing to the brand’s more practical approach to clothing, with leather separates or hunting-inspired tweed tailoring that busy women, like herself, can live in — and in true Danish style, ride their bikes in. She added that U.S. and U.K. buyers have been responding well to the new direction, during last week’s sales campaign.

Copenhagen Fashion Week, fall 2022: Saks Potts

There was a focus on up-and-coming talent throughout the schedule of shows and events. The Designers’ Nest showcase highlighted a group of young talent and named three winners who will go on to receive cash prizes and mentorship. Designer Boram Yoo took home the grand prize of 50,000 Danish krona with a collection that explored the history of forced labor uniforms in Korea.
Frederik Taus, who stood out for his playful approach and vibrant colors, won the Browns Fashion Award and will be stocked at the London boutique, as well as receive the added benefits of mentorship and a full pre-payment on the order. Rintaro Lino was another winner, picked by Trussardi creative directors Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Işik of GmbH for the internship award. He will work alongside the duo on Trussardi’s relaunch.
Copenhagen Fashion Week also celebrated a new partnership with the Swedish Fashion Council, an incubator for young talent. Jade Cropper, who is part of the program, made her debut this season and caught the eye of international attendees for her grungy take on glamour, all about dangerously high slits, vintage-style denim and fierce leather looks. Her Y2K aesthetic might have been familiar, but she offered a fresh perspective by presenting it on women of all ages.

Copenhagen Fashion Week Fall 2022: Jade Cropper

“It’s a new era for us and we want to keep this dialogue going between Denmark and Sweden,” said Copenhagen Fashion Week chief executive officer Cecilie Thorsmark, at a dinner held at the Swedish Embassy to celebrate the partnership between the two countries’ fashion industries and local talent like Cropper.  
The new blood might have been the talk of the town, but that’s not to say that the city’s mainstays are out of the picture. Even if many of the major names sat the season out or focused on digital presentations, they have been working to evolve their designs for the post-pandemic era and plotting major global expansion plans behind the scenes.
Danish fashion darling Cecilie Bahnsen, for one, is preparing for her big Paris catwalk debut but made her presence felt in the city with the launch of the photography book she has been working on with Japan-based Takashi Homma and a dinner held with Danish jeweler Sophie Bille Brahe, where guests wore her romantic puff-sleeve dresses with Bille Brahe’s signature pearls and ate oysters and lobster pasta under candlelight. 
Remain was also forging ahead with its sales campaign and said it’s on track to double its revenues, carving a clear niche with its competitive price points and high-quality leather separates that come in a mix of neutrals and more trendy, bright colors. Sister label Rotate — which started with a small dress capsule a mere three years ago — is now entering new markets like Russia and India, extending its offer to swim and bridalwear, and plotting a global partnership with Havaianas.

A preview of the Rotate fall 2022 campaign.
Courtesy of Rotate

Samsøe Samsøe, which has tapped designer Meme Fagiuoli as its new creative director, is plotting new store openings in Paris and the U.S. for later in the year, as well as an expansion into accessories, in a bid to continue the brand’s growth trajectory. According to the company’s CEO Peter Sextus, the last two decades saw Samsøe Samsøe grow from a 1.5 million euro business to a 140 million euro turnover recorded in this financial year.
As for Stine Goya, she was back on the official schedule after a brief hiatus and showed one of her most confident collections to date — aligned with the brand’s ambitious expansion goals in the U.K. and the U.S.

Acknowledging the changed landscape without letting go of her flair for bright colors and even brighter patterns, Goya offered loose tailoring in bold primary colors; a charming new hobo bag design; as well as cool puffers and tracksuits that will likely grab the attention of the younger generation who are now setting the fashion agenda.

Copenhagen Fashion Week, fall 2022: Stine Goya

Baum und Pferdgarten, one of the most established names in the Danish scene, was also feeling confident and upbeat, offering one of their most directional collections to date, juxtaposing traditional puffers and technical garments in glossy reds and pinks, with more delicate sequins, transparent fabrics and funky miniskirts that had a whiff of Miu Miu but were nonetheless charming.
“We just want to offer special pieces. In reality, nobody needs more clothes, so we are thinking about longevity and the sustainability aspect more than ever,” said Baum designers Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Hestehave backstage.
Longevity and elevating the quality of garments was a running theme for many of Copenhagen’s established names, who are now expanding their design teams with more international talent and looking to complement their existing contemporary collections with more elevated, design-led pieces.

Copenhagen Fashion Week, fall 2022: Baum und Pferdgarten

Influencer and designer Sophia Roe was all about stepping away from ephemeral social media trends and offering seasonless staples for her new label, The Garment, with a fall collection of androgynous pinstripe tailoring; elegant silk blouses, and tweed separates. “We’ve grown up with midcentury furniture and all these classic pieces that stay with us for generations. I wanted to bring the same approach to clothing,” added Roe, whose new line is being picked up by the likes of Ssense, Luisa Via Roma and The Frankie Shop.
Oslo, Norway-based Holzweiler was one of the most successful in this quest for elevation, adding hand-painted prints, heat-reactive fabrics and one-of-a-kind leather pieces, treated to have a worn, vintage effect.
“We are at a place where we can do more exclusive pieces and make a statement that we want to create these more expensive, special products rather than go too wide and go down on the quality,” said the label’s designer Maria Skappel Holzweiler, adding that the brand still wants to hold on to its open, democratic approach by offering its customers the chance to rent runway samples for a fraction of the retail price.

Copenhagen Fashion Week, fall 2022: Holzweiler

“We are heavily investing in our design and technical teams to elevate everything we have done in the past and showcase the future with more technical fabrics and exclusive pieces,” she added, pointing to new-season knits that were strategically torn to feel well-loved and almost pre-used. “We want to promote this idea that used items still have value and inspire our audience to find beauty in their worn-out items or try to give them new life. It’s important to think that way when designing for the future.”

Copenhagen Fashion Week, fall 2022: A. Roege Hove

COPENHAGEN — “Everybody is in love with the Ganni Girls,” boasted the Danish label’s chief executive officer Andrea Baldo.
Baldo joined the business three years ago, following its sale to L Catterton, and has since been working to take it global. The ever-growing power of the Ganni Girls community — which is a popular hashtag on Instagram but also a real-life community of women who are fully dedicated to the brand’s funky prints, loose silhouettes, and Peter Pan collars — has meant that it’s been smooth sailing so far.
Having laid the foundations, Baldo is ready to take things up a notch and turn Ganni into a truly global label — with the U.S. and China top of the agenda.
Ganni’s hybrid spring 2022 show at Copenhagen Fashion Week on Thursday, which saw live broadcasts and conversations take place throughout the week and culminate with a tight yet impressive lineup, presented at the top of the city’s artificial ski slope Copenhill, also signaled that the brand is ready for takeoff.

The collection, dedicated to optimism and the joy of living life again, showed the increasing breadth of the Ganni offer, which extends beyond its popular printed dresses to knits, outerwear, sportswear, a growing family of rugged-soled boots and loafers, as well as more experimental crocheted or appliquéd pieces.

“It’s really about marrying good design with a price point that’s reachable,” said Baldo, adding that part of the brand’s success formula is the ‘heroes’ it managed to create in every category, from its quilted coats to its crystal-encrusted knits, rubber boots and Peter Pan-collared shirts.

Ganni, spring 2022 
Courtesy of Ganni

A full denim range and a collection of sustainably made bags — created by a dedicated accessories team that sits in Paris — are up next.
On a business level, this signature carefree style and the brand’s commitment to “honest price points” has meant that an increasing number of women around the world want to identify themselves as Ganni Girls.
The U.S. has already turned into the label’s biggest market in the last three years, surpassing its well-established retail and wholesale businesses in its home of Scandinavia. There have been openings on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles and Mercer Street in New York, as well as a dedicated showroom and local team.
With the U.S. now being “the most important market” for Ganni, there is increased focus in offering more localized services, hence the brand’s latest opening in Williamsburg, where many Ganni Girls reside.
There are also markets like South Korea and Australia, which grew organically given the amount of Ganni Girls there, so the brand has been working to build dedicated e-commerce sites and is looking at physical retail locations in those countries, too.
“There’s been a lot of natural growth of the community because they resonate with the Ganni style. I think that Ditte [Reffstrup, the brand’s creative director] really created something so distinct. She deserves a lot of credit for that,” said Baldo.
Stores in Paris and Amsterdam are in the works and the next big focus will be on conquering China: The label made its first steps in the market through third-party retailers like Net-a-porter and Ssense, and three months ago opened its own store on Tmall.

Backstage at Ganni, spring 2022. 
Kuba Dabrowski/WWD

“The results have been mind-blowing. It’s been much better than what we have anticipated because the market was ready. There was a lot more awareness, probably because of the influence that we already have in Korea and because of social media. Now, looking at the performance, we can finally serve the market directly. The numbers are really which will push us forward to the next step of opening a store. It was a medium-term goal but it’s top of my agenda now,” said Baldo, who previously held executive roles at the likes of Marni, Diesel and Coccinelle. “It’s the first time that I have landlords come to me first, to get the brand.”
The ambitious retail rollout comes at a time when other brands are shuttering stores and downsizing their retail networks. Ganni also asked the question of whether stores are really needed, especially as its e-commerce sales skyrocketed in the last year. 
But according to Baldo, the brand’s community-first approach means there’s still a purpose for physical stores. What might have changed is the strategy behind them: they are seen as hubs rather than stores, and they’re more likely to be located in local neighborhoods rather than prime, central locations.
“With the Williamsburg location, for example, we asked, ‘Where are we shipping most? Where is our tribe basically living?’ And what the pandemic showed was that these local stores are more important than big, commercial centers. So maybe the locations may change, because we want to be closer to the community. By doing this, we can tap into many other opportunities, like one-on-one meetings with customers or delivering to their home,” explained Baldo, who doesn’t see the trend changing post-pandemic. “What this could mean is that we won’t need as many stores we initially planned for to reach our objectives. This kind of balance between e-commerce and retail hubs allows you to maximize sales.”
A similar shift in perspective was applied to the label’s design calendar, which revolves around 11 small drops and dedicated capsules, like the Ganni Club range of activewear or the label’s collaboration with buzzy London designer Priya Ahluwalia earlier this summer.
This means less product, edited-down main collections, and higher sell-throughs. It’s all about telling new stories with the same products rather than producing more, explained Baldo. “It’s better for everybody, because we run out of product earlier and have less waste. But it’s also an opportunity to tell different stories at a different rhythm. The new drop schedules mean that our engagement with the consumer is almost on a weekly basis, which works on digital, but also on a retail level.”

It’s an important rethink for Ganni, which wants to achieve scale while holding onto its high sustainability standards.

Backstage at Ganni, spring 2022. 
Kuba Dabrowski/WWD

Since Baldo took over the reins of the business, cofounder Nikolaj Reffstrup has turned his focus entirely to sustainability and circularity in particular — adopting an ongoing test-and-learn approach on every aspect of the business. On the raw material stage, the brand has been increasing its use of recycled or deadstock materials, and also thinking about ways to extend the lives of its garments postproduction by piloting rental services in its Copenhagen stores.
“We need to create business models that give us more value out of our resources. It’s still not easy to make it financially viable, but ideally you want to be able to use the same resources and multiply the opportunity to extract value from them,” said Baldo. “These products have a residual value but so far the industry has only been focusing on the first transaction.”
The rental model can offer brands the opportunity to make multiple transactions out of the same garment and then sell it on the secondhand market, making a profit. But there’s still progress to be made until there’s enough demand: “We launched our pilot in Denmark, which has one of the biggest secondhand markets, and we saw that the model works. Yet, as of today are not economically viable and the volume is not picking up as fast as it should. That’s why we are thinking about expanding to other markets because we might need to create more traffic,” explained Baldo.
The company also recently launched a small collection of secondhand and upcycled garments on Depop to show that “it’s serious about circularity” and to understand the younger, socially conscious audience better through data gathering.
The ultimate ambition? Offering the customer the choice of renting, buying new, or secondhand at checkout, just like they are being offered to choose whether to pay by card or via PayPal.
“It will become the normal way of interacting with customers and will be up to the brands to find the balance between the different business models and build the right cost structure,” said Baldo.

Ganni Fall 2020. Photo: Andrea Adriani / Gorunway.com

The most anticipated week in sustainable fashion starts today, February 2. Running until February 4 in a digital format, Copenhagen Fashion Week will feature the Fall 2021 collections from 33 brands from the Nordic region. Copenhagen Fashion Week has long been a favorite destination for fashion buyers and editors. The biannual Nordic showcase’s CEO Cecile Thorsmark hails the showcase “as a forward thinking representation of Nordic talent to our global community.” Brands presenting include renowned names like Stine Goya, Ganni, and Munthe as well as emerging ones joining the schedule like Rotate and Stand Studio. All the digital presentations will be available to watch on the event’s website, along with numerous industry talks (don’t miss Vogue Arabia’s Caterina Minthe’s talk on February 4) meaning you can have front row access to all of Copenhagen Fashion Week from the comfort of your home.
Read on for our guide to all the major highlights of this year’s Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Zalando Sustainability Award
Arizona Muse. Photo: Getty

The Fall 2021 season marks the launch of the Zalando Sustainability award, which aims to recognize brands that are making exceptional steps in their sustainable efforts. The winners will receive a prize of € 20 000 and a partnership with the e-commerce company Zalando in developing an exclusive capsule collection. It will explore sustainable solutions in design through textiles, production, and technological processes. Three finalists have been selected for the inaugural award by a professional international jury, including model, environmental activist, and sustainability consultant Arizona Muse. The finalists for the award include Finnish fashion house Marimekko, Danish designer Louise Lyngh Bjerregaard, and Swedish brand House of Dagmar. The winners of the award will be announced on the last day of the Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Digital presentations
Photo: Daniele Oberrauch / gorunway.com

Swedish menswear company Schnayderman, headed by creative director Hampus Bernhoff, will host Copenhagen Fashion Week’s opening show. This is the first showcasing of the brand as part of the official schedule and will allow the brand to showcase both menswear and womenswear. Stine Goya, Ganni, Wood Wood, Holzweiler, 7 Days Active, and Domino Tan are some of the many brands presenting digitally. To mark the end of Copenhagen Fashion Week, renowned Danish designer Henrik Vibskov will close the show. Read on for our host of Copenhagen Fashion Week digital show previews. For the full schedule head to Copenhagenfashionweek.com.
STINE GOYA
Designer Stine Goya. Courtesy CPHFW

Designer notes: “Our AW21 collection is a tribute to the dazzling energy of the underground. Imbued in the intersection between the 1980s New Romantic movement and the dark rebellion of 1990s grunge, fused with the glamour of the roaring 20s – periods of time consumed by a hunger for adventure, rebellion, and sensuality. It´s a collection to wear dancing around to the euphoric sounds of David Bowie and Roxy Music. s an expression of the rhythm of the night – the underground club scene. Going out, meeting people, dancing until dawn – this lightness and freedom that we have been all missing over the past year.”
What to expect: Stine Goya offered Vogue Arabia a zoom walk through the collection “grunge euphoria” ahead of the show. The pieces–separates, dresses, and outerwear are led by the season’s main print “only lovers left alive” featuring hand-drawn night dwellers alongside midnight blooms. The season’s floral print is inspired by Japanese artist Tetsumi Kudo and his artificial plants that bloom in the desert.  Look for a focused mix of lace, organza, and patent leather in a “retina-searing” color palette. This season, the brand sees 55% of the collection made from sustainable fabrics, up 14% from last season.
Show time: February 3, 11am. Stay tuned afterwards for Stine Goya’s Live QA with Vogue Global’s Liam Freeman
Remain designer Denise Christensen. Courtesy CPHFW

REMAIN
What to expect: Showcased in a life-sized inflatable city, the theme of the show plays out as being a tourist in your own city where the familiar becomes new again. “The Tourist” is inspired by the urban energy and architecture of Copenhagen where function and minimalist expression meets the quaint, the quirky, and the unexpected.
Show time: February 3, 15h00 CET. Stay tuned for Remain’s Live QA with Kati Chitrakorn of Vogue Business
Lovechild 1979 creative director Anne-Dorth.

LOVECHILD 1979
Designer notes: “I’ve always found so much inspiration in how people dress. How they style the garments they choose this morning. The constant flow and dynamic of people on their everyday commute. I miss being inspired and surprised by the diversity in the day-to-day street scene. Something we want to bring through these strangers passing each other in an arrival hall. We strive to remind ourselves of that every day beauty. I’m so tired of seeing sweatpants everywhere. I miss the dressing up and  making an effort. Fall 2021 is built on unstructured shapes and natural fabrics, forming a collection that is elegant, but not fragile and with the sensuality and charm in the details,”  creative director Anne-Dorthe
Look for: “A casual sensibility is portrayed in unstructured shapes and natural fabrics. The collection’s demure elegance is fulfilled in cotton, poplin, soft hand knit, sheer silk linen, denim and structured wool. A reliable fabric makes a reliable garment.”
Show time: Feb 3 1600 CET. Stay tuned for Lovechild 1979’s live QA with Erin Fitzpatick of WhoWhatWear
Designer Naja Munthe of Munthe. Courtesy CPHFW

MUNTHE
Designer notes: “Ceramics have always fascinated me. There is something so interesting about the different phases in creating this kind of artwork; The design, the shaping of the clay, the glazing and the burning. Ceramics are a material, from which everyone can make something of their own.”
What to expect: Denim, vintage patchwork, gender neutral garments and “prints that work across both clothing and the look of ceramic glaze. A range of dresses, shirts, skirts ,and tops devoted to the variety of ceramic-coatings.”
Show time: Feb 3, 18h00 CET. Stay tuned for Munthe’s live QA with and Nathalie Theodosi of WWD
Mark Kenly Domino Tan

MARK KENLY DOMINO TAN 
Look for: “Melding the utilitarian practicality of womens- and menswear with the softening influence of innovative fabric like crinkled linen, double padded wool, heavy silk satin, and herringbone tweed. The palette is natural with subtle prints and fabrics mean to be combined and paired in curious ways.”
Show time: Thursday, February 4th at 13h00 CET. Don’t miss Mark Kenly Domino Tan’s talk with Vogue Arabia features director Caterina Minthe at 13.20 CET.
Ditte and Nicolaj Reffstrup of Ganni. Courtesy CPHFW Fall 2021

GANNI
Designer notes: “Everything is different this season. Usually we get our inspiration by travelling, seeing new places, watching people. Instead, we started the creative process by gathering everyone from the design team on a video call. We talked about our feelings, everything that we have gone through. The strongest feeling that came out of it was love. Our love for the life we have, our families, our work. Love for the ordinary small things. It might sound cheesy, but it’s this feeling that we are not alone in the world. It’s a collection full of optimism.”
Look for: A live performance project conceived with three female musicians. Quilting on leather pieces and outerwear adds texture and structure to fabrics. Ruching and draping, particularly on dresses and blouses, wrapping the body in ways that feel sensual and feminine. A time transcendent paisley print motif and large romantic rose prints takes inspiration pieces worn by Princess Diana, while the collection palette runs the full gamut from super classic shades of brown, navy and cream to fossil green and boosts of 90’s neon green alongside soft lilac, pretty pinks and a burnt yellow.
Show time: February 4th, 17h00 CET. Stay tuned for Ganni’s live QA with Tiffany Hsu of Mytheresa.com
Talent Incubators Designers’ Nest

The Talent Incubators Designers’ Nest is a non-profit initiative set up to support Nordic countries’ best fashion graduates. Each year, 10 finalists are selected by director Ane Lynge-Jorlén and a panel of industry experts to present their work at Copenhagen Fashion Week. The awarded designers will receive mentorships, internships, and support to produce a commercial collection.
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