Editors Pick: Top designers at Copenhagen Fashion Week SS23

In August, the biggest names in Nordic fashion gathered in the sun-splashed Danish capital for the Spring/Summer 23 showcase at Copenhagen Fashion Week. The schedule featured the usual major players like Saks Potts, Henrik Vibskov and Ganni, as well as platforming a slew of exciting emerging talents. Here, we present our pick of the top ten Scandinavian designers to walk the runway this season.

(di)vision

“Create from what already is,” is the founding ethic behind Copenhagen-based fashion and design label (di)vision, directed by siblings Nanna and Simon Wick. Their unisex collections are based on upcycled materials, and meld classic silhouettes with a conceptual DIY-inspired aesthetic. (di)vision’s SS23 collection saw a proliferation of patchwork, intricate prints and ragged knits meet in a utility-inspired take on slouch-fashion.

(di)vision. Photo: James Cochrane

Ganni

Cult Danish ready-to-wear favourite Ganni was founded in 2000 by gallerist Frans Truelsen and is today helmed by husband-and-wife duo Nicolaj and Ditte Reffstrup. The label has become a global phenomenon with its signature vivid palettes and sophisticated, down-to-earth staples. “It’s all about the contrast; wearing something feminine and pairing it with a pair of sneakers or denim,” explains Ditte. Ganni’s SS23 runway was awash with high-saturation popsicle hues: cobalt mini-dresses, crimson cowboy boots, bubblegum-pink denim and bright orange eyeliner.

Ganni. Photo: Bryndis Thorsteinsdottir

Saks Potts

Copenhageners Cathrine Saks and Barbara Potts launched Saks Potts in 2014, taking inspiration from their upbringing in the Danish capital. The pair point to the late Carolyne Bessette-Kennedy as the ultimate muse for the Saks Potts woman. Her aesthetic of chic 1990s minimalism and modernism was a touchstone for their SS23 collection, in which structured shirts worn loose met low-slung waistlines, tassel detailing, metallics and sunny throwback prints.

Sacks Potts. Photo: Tonya Matyu

Stine Goya
Stine Goya’s design ethos is “centred around strong, impassioned ideas and the power of colour and print,” says the eponymous founder and designer and, since 2006, the label has consistently protested the Scandinavian convention of minimalist design and muted palettes. Goya’s playful silhouettes, quality fabrics and bespoke hand-drawn prints have attracted legions of followers, and SS23 was no exception; presenting a rich exploration of pastel patterns, fun silk-pouf accessories and statement feminine cuts.

Stine Goya. Photo: Tonya Matyu

Baum Auf Pferdgarten

Founders Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Hestehave describe Baum und Pferdgarten’s design identity as “timeless, exclusive and unexpected.” The label mixes bold prints with nuanced colour, becoming a mould-breaking fashion staple in the Nordics for its eclectic and poetic designs. Baum und Pferdgarten’s SS23 runway mused the female silhouette, with forays into colour-clashing mini-ensembles, as well nods to power-dressing, with sharp lapels, billowing trench coats and slicked-back hair.

Baum und Pferdgarten. Photo: James Cochrane

Henrik Vibskov

Henrik Vibskov’s shows are as much exhibitions as they are runways. In fact, the multitude of tantalising art, performance and design universes created in relation to each fashion collection have earnt Henrik Vibskov a reputation as a design-maverick in his home city of Copenhagen. His SS23 collection was a parade of Vibskov classics: stark stripes, abstract repeating prints, reimagined collars and cuffs, playful oversizing and signature headscarves, packed into alternately billowing and sinched-in silhouettes.

Henrik Vibskov. Photo: Bryndis Thorsteinsdottir

Holzweiler

Drawing inspiration from art, architecture, nature and contemporary youth culture, Norwegian fashion house Holzweiler channels “timeless sartorial ideals, design curiosity and craftsmanship.” The label began turning heads for its silk, lambswool and cashmere scarf collections, before expanding into ready-to-wear in 2014. This season, the Holzweiler runway saw knotted rope accessories, ruching and delicate, sheer fabrics meet buckles, leather and metal hoop fastenings in a clash of fragility and robustness.

Holzweiler. Photo: Colette der Kinderen

A. ROEGE HOVE

Conceptual knitwear brand A. ROEGE HOVE’s artistic approach to original craftsmanship sees its garments blur the boundary between effortless and extravagant. “Like sculptures, they showcase different stories for every style. With thin and shadowlike materials, the pieces frame the body, and their real shape is brought to life by its owner,” says Danish founder and designer Amalie Røge Hove. On the SS23 runway, Røge Hove’s looks were clinging and ephemeral – so light, they almost seemed to be holograms – in a palette of monochrome and green, laced together with fine strings.

A. ROEGE HOVE. Photo: James Cochrane

ISO. POETISM by Tobias Birk Nielsen

Copenhagen label ISO. POETISM by Tobias Birk Nielsen strikes a delicate balance between visual, sculptural and poetic expression, with garments whose unexpected forms are often the result of experimental fabrics. Birk Nielsen calls ISO.POETISM ‘a tribute to collectivism’ with environmental sustainability at its core. Accordingly, his new collection worked muted tones of khaki, sand and navy with brighter expressions of green, in sync with outdoor-inspired gear: puffer vests, technical trousers, zips, camo, buckles and wide-brimmed hats.

ISO. POETISM by Tobias Birk Nielsen Photo: Bryndis Thorseinsdottir

Jade Cropper

Inspired by the life-philosophy of her grandmother, Jade Cropper explores the unconventional interplay between the energy of the streets and the aesthetic of couture fashion, using a sustainable design practice based on waste fabrics, deadstock, recycled and circular material. Cropper is a fresh face on the scene, having graduated and launched her brand just two years ago, but her inventive and contemporary garments are already making waves. This season, Jade Cropper showed a dusty-toned collection of cut-outs, string and clap-bound body-wraps, buttery black-leather and fraying denim.

Jade Cropper. Photo: Tonya Matyu