A minimalist Mecca: ILLUM Copenhagen opens Phoebe Philo’s first Scandinavian shop-in-shop

Tomorrow, a minimal Mecca arrives in Copenhagen as ILLUM opens Phoebe Philo’s very first Scandinavian shop-in-shop. The eponymous brainchild of beloved designer Phoebe Philo herself, the brand offers deliciously sculptural, seasonless investment pieces, with a focus on exceptional quality and timelessness. Located on the ground floor, the new space, will stock a curated selection of ready to wear, leather goods, shoes and accessories. To mark the occasion, Phoebe Philo has taken over four of the department store’s windows.

Launched in October 2023 as a strictly online affair, Phoebe Philo is the long-awaited followup to Philo’s iconic era as creative director of Celine (then Céline); the designer’s compromise-free vision of a modern women’s wardrobe. The brand has since put down roots at Bergdorf Goodman in New York (the first physical point of sale, opened in April of last year) followed by retail partnerships in Milan, London, Paris, Los Angeles and Miami (the brand’s own site remains the only online destination to shop the coveted pieces).

Still, Copenhagen feels like a particularly fitting city for a brand – and designer – renowned for decadent restraint. In many ways, Phoebe Philo feels directly pointed towards the Scandinavian sensibility, not just for its understated, silhouette-forward design and focus on craft and material, but for its sense of permanence; a sustainable approach to fashion if there ever was one. Even the to-the-point lookbooks starring some of the world’s biggest supermodels (including Copenhagen’s own Mona Tougaard) exude a certain Nordic-ness, with their imperceptible glam and effortlessly cool attitude.

While the first collection arrived via several spontaneously-released see-now-buy-now edits, the collections are now delivered in their entirety, the lookbooks released some months in advance.

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These are the sort of pieces that ought to be experienced in person. Nestled in the ILLUM shop on opening day, one finds unmissable outerwear with razor-sharp shoulders, relaxed tuxedo shirts and oversized double-breasted suits (the tailoring, it must be said, needs to be seen to be believed). Elsewhere, the signature leather Gig bag (now in a charming small size), sleek heeled loafers and the face-shielding goggle glasses – sure to be a favourite among Danish It girls this Copenhagen Fashion Week. And, for the Philo-head who has everything, a massive towel emblazoned with the word “HI”.

As for the shop itself, custom, steel interiors and Okoume wood display offer a no-fuss backdrop to garments that need little introduction. No plush sofas here – just white lacquered steel chairs. In fact, the only soft element in the space is the hand-tufted tobacco wool carpet. A characteristically quiet sanctuary sure to make a lot of noise. Welcome to Copenhagen, Phoebe Philo – we’re sure you’ll feel right at home.