Press feature
February 2010

Danes are in Fashion

Over the last decade, the international profile of Copenhagen's fashion designers has increased dramatically. These days, Danish designers working both in Copenhagen and for world famous labels in Paris, London and Milan exert a sizeable influence over the fashion industry. Ambitions are to be Number 4 in Europe, and Copenhagen is well on the way of achieving this

The likes of Anja Vang Kragh at Galliano, Rikke Ruhwald in charge of Bazar line at Christian Lacroix and Roy Krejberg at Kenzo, have helped Danish fashion to make its mark internationally. Uffe Frank, meanwhile, has inherited the mantel of celebrated Danish designer Erik Mortensen. Frank currently works in Milan and designed the dress worn by HM Queen Margrethe II for her 60th birthday celebration in April 2000.

This creative strength, and the esteem in which Danish designers are held around the world, is also reflected in the wide range of talent on display in the city's fashion stores.

Day Birger et Mikkelsen have opened a 'flagship' store on the corner of Pilestræde and Antonigade dominated by tall windows and large glass doors. All seven lines of their design collection is gathered under one roof here: ladies' wear, men's wear, children's clothing, lingerie, jewellery, accessories and home.

Designers Remix designed by Charlotte Eriksen has opened an outlet in the Illum Department Store and a large flagship store in Pilestræde. Not far from here, in Krystalgade is Wood Wood. Two male designers create a new sweatshirt design every month and they are selling beautifully and WoodWood also has Henrik Vibskov design for sale. The shop’s main target group is young people

Young Danish talent
Young brands like Won Hundred, Soulland, Wood Wood and Stine Goya showed their top collection to date and avantgard designer Henrik Vibskok underlined his leading position in the army of Danish designers that stand ready to defend the status of Danish design in Denmark and the world at large. Stine Goya received her education at the well known St. Martins College of art and design in England and is famous for creating complex printed patterns. Denim firm Won Hundred and the former model Stine Goya are two of the fashion industries latest success stories. Wackerhaus that was founded in 2003 appeals to fashionable woman who appreciate simplicity. That is,what is simple, sexy and cool. Designer Tine Wackerhaus from Wackerhaus has also created an almost comic series styled line for men.

Julie Fagerholt with her award-winning company Heartmade situated in idyllic circumstances, a courtyard in the heart of the city, is a name to be reckoned with among those Danish designers that create clothing for independent Danish women. Talented designers like Hübsch und ..., and Trine Kryger Simonsen have set up businesses in and around the city. Other designers up front include Peter Jensen, in demand in Paris and London following his Clair 2001 collection, Baum und Pferdgarten who opened a new shop in February 2010, Praxis known for their "Human Random" concept and designers >double w<. Zarah Voigt designs new and trendy jewellery. And finally Designers Network who recently moved to a new location downtown has helped launch many a new name right out of Denmark's Design School.

Benedikte Utzon, who has made a name for herself since setting up her own-label in 1995 working with seal skin and other attractive fabrics and Charlotte Sparre with a string of attractive accessories. Trine Skoller has created a feminine mix of nostalgia and modernism in her Stella Nova collection. Henrik Vibskov male fashion can be found at Mads Nørgaard on Strøget, the pedestrian street and has his own boutique in Krystalgade. Camilla Stærk's brand ‘Stærk' is sold today in Denmark, Sweden, the US and various European countries. Elise Gug celebrated her 23^th anniversary in 2009, her style is beautiful, feminine and luxurious. A wide range of her creations can be purchased through Urban Factory.

Fashion Exports
Along with several individual designers, Danish labels have been increasingly successful in the international market. Isabell Kristensen has recently opened her third boutique in Monaco to complement her stores in London and Paris and her own brand ‘Dreams by Isabell Kristensen'. Pioneering Danish brand Bruuns Bazaar has opened a store in Paris, Stockholm, London and Oslo to compliment its four stores in Denmark, and entered the official show list at the Paris Fashion Week back in 1999. The brand is on sale in five stores in New York and 25 across the USA.

Another success story is munthe plus simonsen an award-winning design company, founded in 1994 by designers Naja Munthe and Karen Simonsen. Naja Munthe overtook the company in 2009. munthe plus simonsen, who in October 2000 debuted at the pret-à-porter fashion week in Paris, are sold in more than 200 shops in 15 different countries. Karen Simonsen formerly of munthe plus simonsen has started her own brand `Karen by Simonsen´ that was launchd under Fashion Week in August 2009. Peter Jensen is a great favorite on the London fashion scene and was the first fashion designer to win a three year art stipendium from the Danish Art Counsel in 2009

Operating on an even larger scale are successful international Danish brands like Matinique. Part Two and In-Wear, who export their stylish, casual clothing for men and women to the UK, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and Canada among others. Carli Gry's Cottonfield and Jackpot lines are also sold throughout Scandinavia, Europe, Canada, and Japan, and the company has added a sports line to its portfolio with its take-over of Swedish brand Peak Performance (sportswear) and Tiger of Sweden, (men's wear). Other well-known names like Vero Moda, Sand and Samsøe & Samsøe have also played an important role in promoting Danish fashion abroad. 

Fabulous Furs
Fur is once again a hot fabric with designers around the world. Danish furrier Birger Christensen remains the leading fur and fashion house in Scandinavia and has a strong presence internationally with in-house fur departments and agents in the USA, Canada, Japan, and Europe. In addition, Birger Christensen designs for top international labels, including Prada, Donna Karan, Dolce & Gabbana, Kathleen Madden, and the label is also available at Chanel and Hermès boutiques around the world.

Peter Ingwersen, formerly brand director of Levi, who has created the label Noir: Sexy, stylish clothes for women filching elements from the male wardrobe and transforming them into unadulterated luxe. While prize-winning, young designer Susanne Rützou has her own brand: ‘Rützou'.

Similarly forward-looking is Kopenhagen Fur, who makes a point of encouraging fresh, new talent and appoint several new, young designers each year. This openness to innovation has already paid dividends for the company through the development of a unique form of textile produced by knitting with fur. Denmark is also the market leader in mink, and Kopenhagen Fur is the main supplier of mink and fox to fashion houses in Milan, Madrid, Tokyo, New York, and Paris.

The winner of the Danish ‘The Golden Fur Pin Award 2007' was menswear designer Hans Christian Madsen. His speciality is knitwear and that showed in his collection where one of his contributions was a sweater made of knitted mink. He is please with the prize, which besides The Golden Fur Pin itself also includes mink furs in Copenhagen Purple quality and the opportunity to co-operate with Kopenhagen Studio. Hans Christian Madsen is already selling some of his collections in London.

Another renowned fur label is Great Greenland, whose designer Bente Houmann Andersen specializes in working with sealskin.

Copenhagen is Europe's fourth largest Fashion city.

The Danish Fashion Institute - a newly founded network organization created by and for the Danish fashion industry, organizes Copenhagen Fashion Week, one of the biggest events of its kind in Europe. It takes place every February and August The purpose is to develop an extensive network of industry professionals to promote, market and drive Danish fashion forward.

Fashion Fairs
Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (trade only) has over 1000 fashion suppliers representing a total of 1700 international brand name collections in the region's largest exhibition centre, Bella Center. Here you will find the more established, larger scale traders' show.  

An exclusive, design fashion fair called Gallery Int. Fashion Fair is meant to entice an expected 15.000 international buyers to Copenhagen. It takes place in Forum Copenhagen and will include 100 of the  leading Scandinavian design brands including Nordic names such as Mads Nørgaard, Malene Briger, Rützou, Filipa K., Ivan Grundahl, Annhagen and Sand. In August 2007 for the first time, visitors will be offered admission to both Gallery and CPH International Fashion Fair, free shuttle buses for all guests and a shared information desk in the airport.
Every February and August, Copenhagen hosts the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (trade only). This is the biggest event of its kind in Northern Europe with over 857 fashion suppliers representing a total of 1688 international brand name collections in the region's largest exhibition centre, Bella Center. Here you will find the more established, larger scale traders' show.

In Øksnehallen, at Vesterbro, the CPH VISION is known to be among the most trendsetting and innovative fashion fairs in Europe. With its location in central Copenhagen, Denmark, CPH Vision presents the 'crème de la crème' of Scandinavian design mixed with a selection of international designers from all over the world. CPH Vision has achieved its international recognition because of its focus on the small and upcoming designers, and is therefore always an exciting and unpredictable fair to visit. CPH Vision lets the small and un-established designers take centre stage, and is thereby the pivotal point for tomorrows fashion trends. CPH Vision was established in 1998 and has from the start been an unambiguous success. Today CPH Vision has 280 exhibitors with more than 50% of its visitors coming from abroad. In February 2007 the number of visitors reached 30.119. The fair takes place twice a year in August and February

Designers Nest (patron is HRH Crown Princess Mary) is an integrated part of CPH Vision Fair, which, at no cost, gives design students and newly educated designers from Danish and Scandinavian Design Schools the possibility of showing their work and talent in a professional and international fashion forum. The aim of Designers Nest is thus to help ensure and further develop Denmark's position as a fashion and design nation. HRH Crown Princess Mary for the first time presented the design award of DKK 50.000 in 2005.

Vision Lab, part of CPH Vision, is located in a building right by Øksnehallen and houses twenty small, quirky, edgy designers who have been using their resources to establish a name abroad and now have a new venue to meet their international customers.

Copenhagen Unfair presents an alternative to the existing fairs in Copenhagen. Focus is on diversity and non-conformity and aims to show what is on the edge of today's scene, a raw image of the expressions affecting the future design world as it develops in the streets. It unites the different expressions: clothes, music, art, photography, video and short films.  At Copenhagen Unfair there is room for unconventional artists and clothing-designers that you won't find at a mainstream fair.
As new trends emerge on the street and are spotted by people on the streets the fair is open to all and all parts involved, designers, artists, brands musicians and visitors are encouraged to participate.

The Danish Fashion Institute - a newly founded network organization created by and for the Danish fashion industry, organizes Copenhagen Fashion Week. The purpose is to develop an extensive network of industry professionals to promote, market and drive Danish fashion forward.

In 2002, Denmark Fashion was established in Copenhagen and is an independent organization promoting Danish fashion internationally. Denmark Fashion promotes Danish fashion companies and designers. The organization works for the Danish fashion industry, supporting the well-established leading Danish fashion companies, the new and upcoming, the talented, the unique and the creative fashion forces with Danish origin. The fashion portal denmarkfashion.com has been recognized as the leading fashion portal in Scandinavia.

Fashion for all
Copenhagen Fashion Weekend offers a variety of events for the fashion conscious consumer. Fashion shows, parties and in-store acitivites.  In 2008 it will focus on a wide range of fashion oriented events from styling, make-up and trends to shopping the new arrival collections.

Fashion designers mentioned above:

Other addresses of interest

Jewellery