Spring/Summer ’23 Denim Report – Sourcing Journal

Denim made its mark at Copenhagen Fashion Week with low-rises, color and subtle nods to workwear.

Ganni’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection shared turf with the Danish brand’s latest “see now, buy now” collaboration with Levi’s. Inspired by Mother Nature and the uptick of interest in gardening, pieces in the Levi’s x Ganni collection are made with at least 55 percent certified organic cotton and water-saving natural dyes sourced from plants and minerals. The result is a range of “easy silhouettes” in muted yellow, pink, red and lavender hues that complement vintage indigo washes.

The colorful collaboration aligns with Ganni creative director Ditte Reffstrup’s energized vision for S/S ’23. Reffstrup said the “Joyride” collection replicates the sense of freedom and creativity that she experiences each morning when she turns up the music on her headphones and cycles to work. “Those 15 minutes are completely [mine] to treasure,” she said. “My mind is open and my thoughts just flow. This collection is really about that feeling.”

Cold-shoulder dresses, ruched dresses and cargo pants collide with leopard print, fuzzy textures, wavy hemlines and cowboy boots. Other denim pieces include baggy jeans with red metallic foil, white and ecru jeans, overdyed green jeans and a washed black mini wrap skirt.

It was also home to two upcycling collaborations. Ganni teamed with British stalwart Barbour on a range of upcycled wax jackets and with 66° North on recycled nylon and polyester pieces.

“I’m a collaboration junkie,” Reffstrup said. “I love it when the chemistry works and the ideas are flowing. As an industry we need to start cooperating more, especially if we are going to make fashion more responsible. No one brand, no matter how hard they try, can do it alone. We’ve got to work together.”

Stockholm-based Hope balanced tailoring with utilitarian fashion. Known for labeling garments with men’s and women’s sizes since 2017, the S/S ’23 collection offered genderless items like a washed black Trucker jacket, straight fit jeans and jumpsuits. The brand tipped its hat to trends with baggy fits in gray and lavender and a paint-splattered black jean.

Schnayderman’s presented white jeans with bold indigo dye effects. Bleached-out denim skirts and dresses added an ethereal look to Jade Cropper’s collection. Remain featured washed tan jeans with monochromatic tops and neutral trench coats. Layered hems in contrasting shades of indigo added depth to Munthe’s jeans and denim shorts.

Dark indigo denim provides a foundation to Saks Potts’ vacation-inspired collection spanning ’70s-inspired liquid gold dresses to halter tops and dresses splashed with Barbie pink pailettes. Wide-leg jeans hung low on the hips, while denim blazers and matching front-slit skirts were paired with bikini tops. Both jeans and jackets featured deep cuffs.

Operasport styled Y2K-era front-tie cardigans with cropped carpenter jeans and denim miniskirts. Gestuz combined the hallmarks of joggers and cargos into a single pair of ankle-cinched jeans. A looser version was styled with a metallic silver bikini top, while a light-wash denim dress, cropped jacket and jeans featured crystal accents.

Patchwork denim was a common theme in (Di)vision’s collection. Zip-up jackets with elongated sleeves, slouchy low-rise jeans and work shirts featured an array of yellow-tinted denim swatches—some splashed with paint. The brand also experimented with printed patchwork and destruction motifs. (Di)vision delved into Y2K with ruched-legged low-rise jeans and destroyed denim.

Latimmier slashed the side seams of jeans to reveal whole legs, while P.L.N. remained true to its punk-goth roots by taking an aggressive approach to black denim with monochromatic patchwork, cutouts and rips.