Glitter might usually be associated with a glamorous, disco-ready beat, but at Collina Strada’s Copenhagen Fashion Week debut, Submission Beauty’s plastic-free particles got the gritty treatment, with shimmering swathes swept across not just the models’ faces, but also their hair and bodies. Below, step backstage for a closer look at how lead makeup artist and founder of Submission Beauty, Zenia Jaeger, created the more-is-more look
It’s RIP to ‘clean girl’ makeup, according to Collina Strada. The American brand made a buzzy debut at Copenhagen Fashion Week spring/summer ‘27, becoming the event’s first-ever International Guest. For the occasion, creative director Hillary Taymor dove into the brand’s archives, fashioning a one-off collection from forgotten swatches, fabric experiments and studio scraps, some tracing back to Collina Strada’s early days.
The result was a tactile and layered lineup realised in delicate, painterly hues – with an artful beauty look to boot. Doubling down on its sustainability-first approach, the brand partnered with the conscious LA-based label, Submission Beauty, whose sparkling, plastic-free glitter took centre stage in the show’s maximalist glam, catching the sun’s rays as models strode down the alfresco runway at the city’s Opera Park.
Photo: Macs Abente Gaydou
Photo: Macs Abente Gaydou
Photo: Macs Abente Gaydou
According to Zenia Jaeger, the key makeup artist and co-founder of Submission Beauty (together with Swedish makeup-artist Johanna Nomiey), the brief for the show was straightforward: “More is more.” “Hillary came to us ready to play. We both agreed that the energy we wanted to bring to Copenhagen Fashion Week this season came from a desire to show how responsible beauty and fashion do not have one look – it can be bold, punk and completely unexpected,” she says. “This show was about Hillary pushing the boundaries of what people expect her brand to be. She went all out, and we went there with her.”
Harnessing Submission Beauty’s entire offering of plastic-free glitter (and custom shades made for the show), shimmering swathes of silver, baby blue, light green, scarlet and gold adorned not just the models’ eyes, but also their lips, body and hair. With an undone, slept-in feel – as though the models had just returned from an all-night rave – at the Collina Strada show, glitter got the gritty treatment, which was exactly the effect Jaeger was aiming for.