Your Copenhagen Fashion Week SS26 cheat sheet

The spring/summer '26 edition of Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) kicks off today with a schedule brimming with new names and one-off activations.

Running 4 to 8 August, the event will feature 30 runway shows and 15 presentations, up slightly on last year’s summer season. This includes star designer Cecilie Bahnsen, one of Copenhagen’s biggest fashion exports, who will return to CPHFW after seven seasons showing in Paris, to celebrate the brand’s 10th anniversary with a special show on Thursday evening. Alongside her, CPHFW mainstays like Rotate, Baum und Pferdgarten and The Garment will make their returns, as well as buzzy newer names like Nicklas Skovgaard and Caro Editions.

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Copenhagen is increasingly spotlighting labels from across the Nordics. Vogue Runway’s Laird Borrelli-Persson – a long-time attendee of the week – says she is “very excited” for Swedish label Rave Review, which will make its CPHFW runway debut on Tuesday after a three-season stint in Milan (the brand was a finalist for the Zalando Award at CPHFW last season). Alongside Rave Review, Swedish labels Deadwood, Cmmn Swdn, Filippa K, plus the Swedish School of Textiles, are returning to the show and presentation schedule. From Iceland, Zalando’s 2022 Award winner Ranra will return to the Copenhagen catwalk on Monday afternoon for the first time since its win. Icelandic outerwear label 66North will then celebrate its 100th anniversary with a large-scale presentation on Tuesday. Finnish labels Rolf Ekroth and Marimekko will also return, showing on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.

“The more cross-Nordic representation there is, the happier I am,” says Borrelli-Persson. “I’ve been hoping and hoping and hoping that there would finally be some Norwegian representation at CPHFW and [Norwegian Fashion Week] Oslo Runway will hold an event this season. Manifestation?”

Bruce Pask, senior director of men’s fashion at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, and mentor in the CPHFW New Talent programme, is looking forward to checking in with Copenhagen’s menswear brands. “I’m particularly impressed with the menswear offering that has continued to increase over the past few seasons [in Copenhagen], with brands like Mfpen, NN07, Berner Kühl and Another Aspect, each with shops and events taking place near one another, creating a real destination during the week,” he says.

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Borrelli-Persson is looking forward to the return of Danish menswear label Sunflower this season. The brand last showed for SS24. Meanwhile, LVMH Prize semi-finalist Mfpen will host a dinner on Thursday night with US podcast ‘Throwing Fits’, who are long-time fans of the brand and have helped to bolster its business in the States.

“CPHFW has a nice mixture of runway shows, presentations, store events, evening dinners and social gatherings that really create a sense of community among all of the international attendees, as well as the designers and exhibiting talent, inspiring compelling conversations and new introductions that all serve to enrich the experience,” says Pask.

Some fashion councils don’t look favourably on brands exiting the calendar. But CPHFW is taking a different approach to nurturing its talents, even after a break. The New Talent programme welcomes Danish brand Anne Sofie Madsen this season, alongside existing labels Bonnetje and Berner Kühl. This is a second coming for the Danish designer, who initially launched her brand in 2013, before closing it in 2017 and pivoting to other art forms, like illustration and film. “I’m really interested in how we talk about newness in fashion. There is new, new as in emerging talent; and then there is new as in an experienced designer working on something new,” says Borrelli-Persson. “Anne Sofie Madsen is a case in point. Last season’s gem of a presentation didn’t get as much attention as I thought it should have. The designer is part of the New Talent programme this year, [which] should rectify that.”

Similarly, the womenswear design trio behind Freya Dalsjø is returning to the Danish capital after a six-year hiatus, partly for health reasons, with a runway show on Tuesday. And former New Talent designer, dark, subversive label PLN, is making a comeback after a two-year pause to strengthen his business.

“I always check out the new names [in Copenhagen], and especially the brands we already follow that are transitioning to full runway shows,” says Printemps womenswear buyer Mathilde Vanini. “That shift usually says a lot about their growth and ambition. Sometimes, it’s the more low-key shows that leave the strongest impression.”

Of course, runway shows aren’t everything. Zero-waste knitwear label Stem, made-to-order label Taus and vintage-inspired Spanish label Kettel Atelier, will join the Ones to Watch programme, for fledgling brands who receive mentorship and operational support for staging on-schedule presentations.

Many brands are eschewing shows or presentations entirely, instead hosting events. Stine Goya, following its impressive art exhibition and show in Aalborg last season, is not showing for SS26; rather, the brand is staging a dinner on Tuesday evening, in collaboration with Copenhagen creative studio File Under Pop. Tekla will host a breakfast on Tuesday, and Pandora – a key sponsor of CPHFW – will stage various events throughout the week, including a styling suite and a dinner on Tuesday for press, buyers and talent. On Wednesday evening, Ray-Ban will host a dinner in collaboration with Dazed, while Swedish outerwear player J Lindeberg will host a dinner across town.

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In terms of trends, buyers are expecting Danish takes on some of the trends that emerged during the SS26 men’s shows. “Danish design is a wonderful blend of pragmatism and utility with creativity and originality. I’m always inspired by how the season’s developing trends are seen through this lens that is unique to this region’s expansively creative designers,” says Pask. “We’re curious to see if the preppy revival that we saw in influential Paris collections may be present at CPHFW, and how designers may interpret it. We also saw an overarching focus on fluidity in tailoring, an ease of shape and fabrication, which would be interesting to see envisioned by the Danish designers.”

“CPHFW has really developed a strong identity,” echoes Printemps’s Vanini. “It feels like an insider’s fashion week. Less glitter and glam than Paris, which allows more room for real conversations and honest points of view. Sustainability, creativity and community aren’t just for the hype here.”