Copenhagen Fashion Week celebrates 20 years of sustainable and accessible fashion | Canada Voices

Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year – and what a milestone it is. From its humble beginnings as a small, little-known fashion community to becoming a global player on the fashion week calendar, the event proves that setting trends while pushing meaningful change within the industry is not only possible, but profitable, too.

CPHFW’s slot on the calendar – August for Spring/Summer and January for Fall/Winter – makes it the first fashion week ahead of the “Big Four” in New York, London, Milan and Paris to present collections each season, cementing its role as an originator of emerging trends.

The milestone edition of the biannual event kicked off in January under a fresh blanket of snow and blistering winds. But the freezing temperatures didn’t deter the hundreds of international buyers, editors and creatives who travelled to Copenhagen, with the street style set showing no shortage of inspiration for winter dressing. (Hint: it might be time to swap that black puffer for a more expressive approach to outerwear.)

The organization’s strict sustainability requirements have become a blueprint for greener fashion weeks worldwide. But that’s not the only reason all eyes are on the so-called “fifth fashion week.” Cecilie Thorsmark, Copenhagen Fashion Week’s chief executive officer, said fashion is now Denmark’s third-largest export commodity, reflecting a growing global interest in Danish and Nordic fashion driven by strong craftsmanship, creativity and an accessible pricing structure.

The event’s philosophy of accessibility was not only evident behind the scenes but intrinsic to the collections themselves. Designers presented a vision of modern Nordic style in which functionality meets experimentation, with even the most conceptual designs appealing to real life rather than distant fantasy.

One of CPHFW’s rising stars, Nicklas Skovgaard, spoke to this idea at his studio ahead of his show. “My brand is cultivated on the edge of romanticism and realism,” he said. “I see a lot of references from old films and images that I really love, but I always think: How would I imagine one of my really good friends wearing this? I’m not interested in making costumes – I want to make clothes people can actually wear.”

Skovgaard’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection featured 1930s silhouettes inspired by Danish actress Marguerite Viby’s wardrobe in the film Mille, Marie og mig, juxtaposed with unexpected materials such as grey cotton jersey and brightly coloured leather. The looks were styled with 1970s-inspired sneakers and round-toe pumps.

Norwegian brand Holzweiler, which celebrated its 10th year showing at CPHFW in January, shared a similar mindset. “We want to create wearable fashion – clothes that can live with a person and become better and better over time,” said designer Maria Skappel Holzweiler.

Leather bomber jackets with contrasting shearling collars, sheer pleated dresses, tartan wool coats and floor-length anoraks signalled wardrobe pieces designed to endure. Styled by the acclaimed Francesca Burns and punctuated by standout accessories – such as hand-blown glass iterations of the brand’s Bud bags (created in collaboration with Norwegian glassmaker Magnor Glassverk) – the collection was one of the week’s most memorable.

As one might expect from a sustainably focused fashion week, upcycling was a recurring theme. Copenhagen label Bonnetje, known for reconstructing old suits into new silhouettes, presented shirt cuffs stitched together to form skirts, cotton-ribbed tank tops transformed into floor-length dresses and suit jackets reworked into couture-inspired shapes.

Taus designers Freyja Taus and Juho Lehiö similarly embraced demi-couture techniques for their salon-style show, merging upcycled materials with precise tailoring – most notably in a sculptural jacket and trousers crafted from 1970s vintage furniture fabric. Interior design textiles appeared elsewhere, with the most literal interpretation coming from Stockholm’s Rave Review, where designers Josephine Bergqvist and Livia Schück draped curtains onto skirts and dresses.

One of the most anticipated shows on the final day belonged to London-based brand Paolina Russo. The designer duo – Canada’s Paolina Russo and France’s Lucile Guilmard – made their Copenhagen runway debut two years ago as part of the Zalando Visionary Award. “We did our first show here, so it has a special place in our hearts,” said Guilmard. “The scale of this fashion week allows us to meet people on a human level and create connections that feel meaningful and deep.”

Presented at the French Embassy, the collection drew inspiration from girlhood, school trips and the wonder of seeing the world for the first time. Sustainably crafted illusion knits and laser-printed denim were reimagined through school-life archetypes – preppy, sporty, band camp and everything in between – resulting in looks that were simultaneously nostalgic and forward-looking.

Two decades in, Copenhagen Fashion Week has proven that its strength lies not in spectacle alone but in real substance – a place where creativity is truly wearable, sustainability is front and centre and community is the catalyst for what comes next.