Elegance of derby, utilitarian style, and genderless outfits at Copenhagen Fashion Week

Copenhagen Fashion Week has come to a close, leaving a vibrant impression and setting an ambitious direction for the Spring–Summer 2026 season. The Danish capital continues to confidently assert itself not only through a sustainable approach in the industry but also through bold innovative solutions and active support for young talents.

Compared to competing fashion weeks, this one, like a breath of fresh air, consistently delights with unexpected finds and wow effects. Everything becomes a source of inspiration: collections, street style, conceptual spaces, and the carefully curated atmosphere that the organizers create with special attention to every detail.

In addition to the current sustainability agenda, designers are posing many philosophical questions through their creations at this time.

Iamisigo

Winner of the Zalando Visionary Award 2025 – Iamisigo – presented a collection that protects, empowers, and predicts the future in the present. The brand proposes duality based on metaphysics: to be adorned and to be conscious, guided by the phrase “It's not about spectacle. It's about energetic alignment.” Instead of dressing a body moving through space, this collection views the body itself as a medium – a bioelectrical landscape where physical and spiritual memories intersect. Iamisigo divides this terrain into four vibrating dimensions – body, mind, spirit, and emotions – and molds these forms, which compress and expand with each dimension. Grounding fibers like cotton, sisal, raffia, and jute draw energy inward; radiant metals, glass, and plastic emit it outward, tuning the wearer like an ancient instrument. These materials are transformed using traditional African craft techniques – from hand weaving to chainmail forging, from glassblowing to fiber weaving.

Rabens Saloner 

As always, nature remained central in the collections of Rabens Saloner. This time, the designer drew inspiration from flower petals, sunset skies, and pristine spring leaves. The line unfolds in a palette of peach, lime, mandarin, and lilac, balanced by warm neutral tones. Handcraft again takes center stage: prints featuring motifs of sea urchins and blurred horizons create the impression of “hyper flora and fauna.” Surprise is the brand’s main style: coral plaid on sheer pleats, army pants paired with sharp tailoring, and a trench coat styled as a bomber. The eveningwear section is particularly sensual – chiffon flows like graffiti, lace encircles skirts, and sequins boldly coexist with cargo details. 

The Garment 

Guests were gathered at the Royal Stables of Copenhagen – a venue rich in history that set the tone for the collection: restrained, noble, and imbued with a sense of calm and sustainability. The designer drew inspiration from personal memories: horses in the morning light, antique curtains, and worn textiles from a French countryside home. 

All silhouettes are minimalistic yet meticulously thought-out: flowing harem pants, sculptural bandeau dresses, cropped jackets reminiscent of jockey uniforms. Breathable fabrics form the base – cotton, linen, silk, and sheer materials. The color palette is “appetizing” – butter, strawberry, white bed linens, black, and sandy hues like aged walls. Menswear-style linen suits and summer tuxedos are paired with ties worn as scarves – a wardrobe that easily flows between genders. Evening looks feature sheer volumes, seemingly created for sultry summer nights. Lace bras and bikini-like knit tops are barely perceptible under light cotton wraps. 

Munthe 

Naja Munthe, the brand’s creative director, continues to be inspired by her own flower garden. Each gathered element of flora was transferred onto fabric dyed with plant pigments through steam eco-printing. From ferns to delicate buds – they are embodied in 3D embroidery, lace, and English broderie.

Silhouettes in the collection blend soft cuts, sculptural shapes, and layering, creating an image where structure organically merges with movement. The color palette reflects naturalness: faded pastels, earthy hues, and muted mid-tones. Delicate fabrics are combined with denim, transparency contrasts with utility, and sporty elements are woven seamlessly into romantic aesthetics. Recently, Munthe’s collections have paid special attention to accessories – seen often in street style – from bags to sandals adorned with interchangeable handles and charms that emphasize individuality. 

Henrik Vibskov

A visual parable about fragility, care, and the power of softness from Henrik Vibskov emerged from inspiration drawn from his previous New York project, The Bank Is Dead. This time, however, the brand reflected on the concept of protection – what and how we safeguard around us. The collection Everything Cracks Eventually – I’ll Be Gentle features raincoat-like covers and dresses referencing musical instrument cases. Prints range from case imprints on denim to jacquards depicting hens and root vegetables hiding underground. The runway transformed into a surreal landscape with black eggs – symbols of fragility and internal potential. Strange yellow structures glided across the stage, resembling futuristic cradles harboring life. Mysterious “guardians” performed a ritual of care: inspecting the eggs, touching them gently, as if passing on their affection.

Gestuz 

The brand Gestuz explores the pace of modern life, prompting us to reflect: where are we rushing to? Designer Sanne Sehested suggests slowing down, being present in the moment, and allowing oneself to feel clothing as a tactile and emotional experience. The collection The Human Race is imbued with a sense of movement and pause, strength and softness, masculinity and femininity. Draped silhouettes, reminiscent of racetrack curves, and flowing dresses with fluttering scarves seem to trace the trajectory of a speeding car. Here, vintage motorsport aesthetics meet utilitarian style: distressed leather, coordinated suits, denim, cropped bombers evoking mechanic or pilot uniforms. Denim looks, already a signature of the brand, this season appear more relaxed, with a focus on waist-accentuated jackets. The palette ranges between rich blacks, oily blues, and burgundy – and unexpectedly bright pastel tones.

Baum und Pferdgarten

The elegance of derby aristocracy meets the functionality of sportswear at Baum und Pferdgarten. Creative directors Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Hestehave explored the visual codes of jockey uniforms and spectator outfits from the grandstands, transforming them into a dynamic play of contrasts. Sharp color-blocking, striped nylon, and bold silhouettes evoke the swiftness of horse racing, while ruffles on outerwear add a touch of delicate femininity. The collection Notes from the Grandstand also makes room for traditional motifs – from rosettes to vintage lace – juxtaposed with daring leopard prints and faux leather. Highlights like dusty pink hues and faux suede accessories brought a soft theatricality. Loose blouses and dropped-waist dresses added fluidity and ease to the looks.

MKDT Studio

In creating their collection, the brand looked back to two artists – Kay Sage, known for her still and surreal spaces, and Jean Jacques Balzac, whose “wrong architecture” generated by AI depicts “almost meaningful” buildings. “Guided by this conceptual foundation and a return to the archives, the design process began as a means to understand the instinctive, almost unconscious way in which women make use of the brand's clothing,” said the brand’s representatives. The prevailing silhouettes are strict, based on structured blazers, sculptural trousers, and form-fitting dresses. Uncut threads, oversized belt buckles, and seams that split to reveal the body – techniques that incorporate free strips of fabric woven into sleeves or folded into skirts – result in forms growing from the inside out. The color palette reflects duality: from deep black and melange mink to ivory, combined with mineral pastels – sage green, lavender gray, and chiffon yellow.

TG Botanical

A poetic meditation on rebirth and femininity from TG Botanical, this collection embodies nature through textures, forms, and tactile sensations. Inspired by flora as a space of silence, growth, and internal blooming, The Garden of Awakening supports naturalness – using linen, cotton, and ramie. The brand’s signature hand-gathered fabric with elastic threads becomes a sculptural technique, evoking plowed earth or landscapes shaped by time. Airy silhouettes and voluminous shapes create the illusion of movement, as though clothing continues to grow on the body. Femininity reveals itself through open tops, corset details, and swimwear-inspired silhouettes that emphasize key points of the body: waist, shoulders, and décolletage. Dresses with ruffles and flounces seem to embrace the figure, unfolding in motion. Vests and tops with vertical gathering give the body a sense of stability – like a plant taking root.

CMMN SWDN 

Designers and spouses Emma and Saif Bakir from CMMN SWDN offered a subtle dialogue on change, identity, and emotional openness. Emma’s feminine intuition blends harmoniously with Saif’s grounded masculinity, creating garments that transcend gender and formality. The collection Shifting Light evokes a sense of slowed time – when light lingers, shadows stretch, and moments become more tangible. The materials emphasize natural texture and softness: cotton, linen, silk with a papery effect, and gently crushed surfaces. Colors – soft yellow, olive, cream, and sand – combine with muted gold and tarnished silver. Draped coats, sleeveless tunics, loose drawstring trousers, and soft tailoring convey a sense of lightness and inner strength. Metallic accents don’t shine – they merely glimmer, like sunlight reflected on skin. Shirts wrap the body without restricting it, and long skirts flow with every movement.

Nicklas Skovgaard

Nicklas Skovgaard reveals an aesthetic of unexpected contrasts, where classic elements collide with bold modernity. Founded in Copenhagen in 2020, the brand focuses on material as a powerful medium for unexpected combinations and meanings that shape the silhouette. Transformed forms, like reimagined quotes from the past, appear as retro leather jackets balancing on the edge of sculptural expression. A-line silhouettes create playful dynamics, and tulle inserts reminiscent of ballgown hems add theatricality. Lace and fringe serve as delicate textural accents, emphasizing fragility. Some pieces take on puffed shapes, as if shielding a woman’s inner world from external noise. Attention to detail is evident even in accessories – clutch bags that resemble pillows seem like soft islands in an ocean of architectural structures.

Deadwood

Deadwood has reimagined what happens when humanity goes too far, losing control over its creations. A reference to the myth of Icarus turned the show into a kinetic installation by artist Dominik Kisling. Just imagine – a living sand mirage made of parachute fabric, mesmerizingly billowing above the runway, while models forged a path through this illusory whirlwind as if through a storm. The collection's color palette ranged from scorched sand, khaki, and terracotta to the cold gleam of silicon. The clash of textures drew attention: cracked leather was juxtaposed with recycled aluminum, dry canvas with futuristic mesh. The brand remained true to its eco-conscious approach, using reclaimed materials and experimental fabrics, including natural latex. Specially invited designer Salvatore Vignola infused the collection with sensuality and airiness. Deadwood questions the blind race for technological supremacy. The looks in this lineup serve as a reminder of the fragile balance between man and machine.

Photos courtesy of brand PR teams.