Copenhagen Fashion Week SS23 Top Runway Shows

The Spring/Summer 2023 edition of Copenhagen Fashion Week has come to a close, spotlighting the best designers from the Nordic fashion scene. The event brought together some of the region’s hottest creatives, as well as up-and-coming names to keep on our radar.

Our favorites this season at CPHFW included ROTATE, which staged a disco party-themed collection, as well as GANNI with a runway featuring multiple collaborations. (di)vision delivered a range inspired by the effects of war, while Holzweiler presented dreamy yet technical designs using details taken from parachutes and workwear. Stine Goya was all about exploring contrast with a strong yet soft collection, and Wood Wood brought together a runway celebrating artistic communities.

Continue scrolling to read about our favorite shows and runway trends spotted at CPHFW SS23.

James Cochrane

Baum und Pferdgarten closed the street of Vognmagergade to showcase its SS23 collection. Bright pink stripes covered the runway as models walked down in looks exploring the concept of time. The label revisited some of the most iconic pieces in its 23-year history, bringing out details such as flower prints, oversized silhouettes, pinstripes and its very own monogram to the stage. Pinstriped pieces were layered atop each other, while prints were found on translucent organza items with the runway transitioning from blue and black tones to green, peach and tangerine tones. In addition to brightly colored garments, the brand teased an upcoming capsule collection of watches and accessories created with Danish watchmaker Skagen.

James Cochrane

Closing the first day of CPHFW, Simon and Nanna Wick of (di)vision invited attendees to an outdoor space surrounded by nature. The venue was decorated with mushroom-shaped lamps and Instagram-ready couches courtesy of GUBI. Taking inspiration from Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 film Apocalypse Nowthe SS23 collection took military references to express the effects of war. Created using surplus military gear, fits included a lace-up mini dress and loose knit dresses, as well as patched denim pieces in the form of skirts, dresses, jackets and more. GUBI’s mushroom-shaped lights also served as accessories, carried in bags or attached to belts.

James Cochrane

Ditte Reffstrup brought positive, happy energy to the GANNI runway, which was covered in chalk art and bike ramps. The show, dubbed “JOYRIDE,” opened with BMX rider Malene Kejlstrup Sørensen speeding down the stage, followed by a collection filled with collaborations. Looks included denim designed in partnership with Levi’s, outdoor clothing co-created with 66North and Barbour-branded jackets. In addition to the collaborations, GANNI debuted an innovative T-shirt made with Infinna, which uses fiber woven from textile waste.

Reffstrup spoke of the collection: “My best ideas come to me in the morning. I put my headphones on, turn the music up super loud, get on my bike and cycle to work. Those 15 minutes are completely mine to treasure. My mind is open and my thoughts just flow. This collection is really about that feeling.” She added that the SS23 show was all about celebrating the summertime energy of Copenhagen.

James Cochrane

Guests walked into an indoor space decorated with large floating balloons made out of deadstock parachutes, which served as the main inspiration for Holzweiler’s SS23 collection. Titled “In Motion,” the range featured ruched dresses highlighted with rings and ripstop cords that added contrast to the dreamy floral prints. The cords, which were transformed into a variety of accessories like belts, harnesses and backpack straps, accompanied women’s and men’s pieces that were mostly dressed in pastel tones including desert dust, travertine, cerulean, cilantro and malachite. The looks were complete with headwear such as pilot’s hats crocheted with long tassels, created in collaboration with milliner Noel Stewart.

James Cochrane

ROTATE concluded the final day of CPHFW at the Bella Arena, where models walked under disco balls. Through their latest collection, the brand’s creative directors Thora Valdimarsdottir and Jeanette Madsen expressed the power of unbreakable bonds, showcasing an energetic, upbeat show with throwback hip-hop tunes playing in the background. Channeling the label’s signature high glam aesthetic, looks featured neon sequins and foil prints, in addition to crystal embellishments. Standouts included the fiery Theresa Dress, which simultaneously launched as an augmented reality (AR) experience and an NFT, marking ROTATE’s foray into Web3. Following the full collection, all of the models changed into glossy bold red looks to celebrate the finale of the show, dancing on stage under the disco balls as CPHFW came to a close.

James Cochrane

Barbara Potts and Cathrine Saks continue to take Saks Potts in a new direction, straying away from using materials like fur, which was used for the label’s signature coat from 2014. Potts said in an interview with Hypebae that the SS23 collection takes inspiration from Crown Princess Mary of Denmark — particularly, “the time she came from Australia to Denmark in the early 2000s, living an almost ordinary life in Copenhagen, casually walking around the streets in her stylish looks.”

Marking the brand’s biggest show to date, the presentation took place on Kongens Nytorv, where models and close friends such as Pernille Teisbaek and Erin Wasson walked in vibrant prints and colors with fringed accessories. With their SS23 presentation, the designer duo defined the Nordic cool-girl style with oversized sequins, perforated skirts and more.

James Cochrane

Titled “Whisper Loud,” Stine Goya’s SS23 collection was soft and tender, yet strong and impactful with the use of bold colors and prints. Inspired by Riot Grrrl, an avant-garde movement led by feminist pioneers fighting gender norms, the runway featured contrasting textures and silhouettes. “These women, these forces of nature of the Riot Grrrl movement, inspire so much joy and energy in me,” the designer spoke of the collection. “Their fierce, unapologetic attitude is the driver of this collection. I want everyone who wears these pieces to be imbued with their power, confidence and sensuality.”

The space featured a series of sand structures that collapsed one by one throughout the show — referencing the breakdown of barriers — serving as the perfect backdrop for knits and mini skirts paired with bomber jackets, as well as slip dresses worn with technical outerwear.

James Cochrane

Wood Wood’s latest collection was, just like its title, an “Escape to Paradise.” The show was set on Lille Langebro, a curved walking and cycling bridge running through the center of Copenhagen. Scheduled just in time for the city’s sunset, models walked down the bridge with shades of pastel pink and blue lighting up the sky.

This time around, Wood Wood was inspired to celebrate artistic communities, just like Peggy Guggenheim did at the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in Venice to support some of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Looks featured workwear-style pieces such as carpenter pants and painter’s shirts, with an emphasis on functionality on items like bias-cut floral designs, two-piece tracksuits and more.

This season marked the debut stage for Cecilie Liv Mortensen, who joins Wood Wood as head of design, creating the SS23 collection alongside the brand’s co-founder Brian SS Jensen. Mortensen shared in a press release: “For this season, we drew upon a sense of community — a feeling that’s underpinned Wood Wood’s vision since the very beginning. As Head of Design, I wanted to cultivate a collaborative feeling, where each designer could feed off of one another’s energy. That’s where we want to head over the next 20 years — with a focus on togetherness that translates in the pieces that we create.”