Copenhagen Fashion Week: 7 Must-Know Danish Designers

Most of the style set is busy savoring the final days of summer holiday before another round of fashion month kicks off in just a few short weeks, but it’s always fashion week somewhere and most recently it was Denmark’s turn. A crowd of street-style stars and editors from around the globe swapped out their bathing suits and sundresses for raincoats, fur, and plenty of Vetements looks and hit the runway shows in Copenhagen. It’s a short fashion week—just two-and-a-half days—but an increasingly powerful one on the global fashion stage. Denmark, more than ever, has a cultural cool factor that’s undeniable. It factor aside, it’s also important to note that most of the brands showing at Copenhagen Fashion Week are both wearable and generally more affordable than those at some of the main our fashion cities. Here, seven brands to know from Copenhagen right now.

Ganni Another of Denmark’s most established names in fashion, Ganni’s recent ‘Space Cowboy’-themed show was one of the buzziest of the week. Ganni girls like Pernille Teisbaek, Linda Tol, and Veronika Heilbrunner were all on hand in the front row to watch models (including top catwalker and native Dane Nadja Bender) strut the runway. The cowboy part came in the form of horse prints, Western piping details, and of course, denim, all shown with snakeskin boots in varying shades. More literally, several of the girls sported T-shirts that said ‘Space Cowboy.’ The strongest looks, however, were less referential, like a dark brown, suede minidress with a full zip down the front.

Henrik Vibskov Henrik Vibskov, one of the Denmark’s most famous names in fashion, invited the crowds to the city’s Meatpacking District for the final show of the day Wednesday night. While models paraded down the runway in the “Salami: Kitchen of the Nonexistent” men’s and women’s collection of dotted jacquard numbers, the “installation” butchers stood surrounded by large piles of hanging salami operating as if it were a typical day in the factory making salami. The meatiest – no pun intended – part of the collection, however, was the more pared down looks, like the crisp long-sleeve black dress with a tie-waste. Also on offer? Vibs salami, the designer’s own sausage.

Lala Berlin Tehran-born designer Lela Piedayesh launched her knitwear collection back in 2004 in Berlin. Lala Berlin, which has been seen on the likes of Natalie Portman and Jessica Alba, has since evolved into a full-fledged womenswear brand favored for its feminine flair. The Spring 2017 delivered on that, with plenty of elegant flounces on floaty white dresses and shirts and rich textural details. It was all so wearable, though it was hard to imagine sporting any of these at the moment as showgoers sat outside the old Carlsberg brewery, jittering in their gold foil space blankets trying to keep warm.

Freya Dalsjo Contemporary womenswear designer Freya Dalsjo has been one of the highlights of the Copenhagen Fashion Week calendar for several years running. Though it was her luxe, mixed material coats, with a heavy emphasis on fur, that first coat critics’ attention, her look has evolved quite a bit in recent seasons. This time around was no different—she a collection of very wearable shirt-dresses in a range of neutral shades as well as jumpsuits and pants with lots of zipper and patchwork details.

Saks Potts On the cold, rainy afternoon of the show day, the contrasting, colorful fur coats at Saks Potts (modeled by the likes of Nadja Bender) quickly had the crowd’s attention. Barbara Potts and Cathrine Saks, once again, did not disappoint with soft baby blue coat trimmed with Mongolian fur; a long black coat dotted with blue and brown fur (Emily Weiss was already sporting it in the front row); and another long black coat in the same silhouette with rich purple fur bands around each arm.

Baum und Pferdgarten It’s by no means new to the scene in Danish fashion – Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Hestehave started their womenswear label back in 1999. But it remains as local favorite of editors and street-style stars in Copenhagen. This season, the runway mirrored the streets with plenty of lounge-y numbers, including silky pajama sets in red and another rich blue, and dressed up track pants. (Several girls in the front row were sporting both trends.)

Asger Juel Larsen Larsen, winner of the prestigious 2014/2015 International Woolmark Prize in the menswear category, is a undoubtedly star on the Copenhagen Fashion Week calendar. Though it was a departure from his skilled textural pieces that won over the Woolmark judges, it was still one of the collections that had the most flare in Copenhagen this past week. The menswear collection, called ‘Burned Not Fried,’ featured cut-off denim shorts, plaid shirts, and a few killer outerwear pieces, including an oversized, flame red moto jacket.