Nicklas Skovgaard - SS26

For a designer, the nights leading up to a runway show are infamously sleepless. Still, for spring/summer '26, Nicklas Skovgaard drew inspiration from the one place he probably hasn’t spent that much time over the past few days: the bedroom. “The bedroom really reflects who we are as a person, in a way,” says Skovgaard, noting he started paying extra attention to his own sleep quarters during some rare time off this past Easter. “People have such a specific way of doing their bedroom. Do you like natural cotton for the bedding? Do you like satin ruffled bedding?” To set the mood, front row guests lounged on fluffy white beds (on the centre of which lay napping models, cozied up in bathrobes). Given that the show began just past 6pm, Skovgaard joked that some may like to hang out and take a nap afterwards.

It’s a fitting starting point for a designer best known for his deft revival of the bubble skirt, a pillow-like expression that could easily double as a cosy place to lay one’s head. “We’re trying to really embrace this idea of the bedroom being something that feels quite secure and soft,” says Skovgaard, noting that his design language has a certain softness to it, despite the 80s-revival sculptural shapes.

This notion of bedroom-friendly softness comes through quite literally in the quilted cotton skirts, cut in a ladylike A-line silhouette (Skovgaard, as we know, loves to play with volume). Softness is also found in the gentle draping and thoughtful layering – most notably by way of a shimmery organza overlay that tops swinging floral gowns, made voluminous with the tulle. As Skovgaard puts it, it will take you straight from the bedroom to the club.

Elsewhere, traditionally behind-closed-doors pieces – yes, we’re talking underwear, realised in collaboration with Sloggi – are boldly worn as outerwear, worn with jersey skirts in looks that are distinctly Carrie Bradshaw-esque. In examining the bedroom, Skovgaard also considered the way in which sleep, that elusive beast, affects how we get dressed come morning. After a good night’s rest, one might dare to put together an outfit in a new or unusual way (for instance, wearing one’s bra atop one’s shirt). “It can sort of embolden your style if you sleep really well,” says Skovgaard. “You get the courage to try something new.”

To that end, as the designer points out, this show is a lot more styled than seasons past, which had the tendency to focus on a statement coat or a well-considered frock. Here, mix-and-match dressing – dressing to one’s morning mood – is encouraged. Think leather shorts with tulle details worn with track jackets or a black top covered in teeny tiny bows worn with panties. It’s quite reflective of the street style looks parading past just outside the show, where personal expression abounds and a Skovgaard piece can be seamlessly integrated into one’s personal style, like a bedside table finding its perfect place in one’s home.

As for Skovgaard’s own bedroom? “It’s very calm, very natural. I live with my boyfriend, but before we met I had zebra-print bedding,” he says. “But now if I could choose myself, maybe I would go for a ruffle.”

See all the looks from Nicklas Skovgaard's SS26 collection below.