BUSINESS / COPENHAGEN FASHION WEEK
words by C.A. Ferro
In recent years Copenhagen Fashion Week has gone from marginal outpost to major date on the calendar. So what’s drawing the fashion pack north? Sterling investigates a Scandinavian success story.
In recent years Copenhagen has emerged as the fashion capital of northern Europe. Copenhagen Fashion Week (CFW) started in 2005 and the biannual events – held in August and February – now draw more than 50,000 visitors from all over the world. While Paris, Milan, New York and London continue to be the global leaders, the Danish capital intends to take its place as the world’s fifth biggest fashion week. Barcelona, Tokyo and Berlin, to name a few, are all vying for position, but Copenhagen has had a good head start and Scandinavian fashion is on a roll.
CFW offers three simultaneous clothing trade fairs. Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF), held at the convention hall Bella Centre, is the biggest with everything from work clothes to high fashion, including togs for kids. Then there’s Copenhagen Vision at Øksnehallen for high-end established and budding Danish designers, and Gallery, the newest platform, at Copenhagen Forum, which features mostly Nordic and a few international houses. Gallery began a year ago and has managed to collect the leading design houses from the Nordic region under one roof.
There’s also an alternative fair, openhagen Unfair, a showcase for edgy streetwear and art. For a glimpse into the future, CFW hosts a competition for students from the Nordic design schools: Designers’ Nest, at Øksnehallen, lets the students show what they’re working on and gives visitors to CFW a peek, at what will be hatched in the next few years.The proliferation of events, along with the international interest, shows just how far Copenhagen has come as a fashion capital in the past decade. Before Copenhagen Fashion Week was created in 2005, the event was billed generically as the Fashion Fair and drew very little international interest. Now it’s growing fast. In 2007 the Fashion Week was about 10% bigger than in 2005, a figure that reflects the growing number of buyers, exhibition space, and attendees. “Ten years ago we were strictly national,” says Peter Sabroe, head of exhibitions at Bella Centre.“Now we’re on the fashion world’s map.”
Under one Nordic roof
According to Copenhagen Fashion Institute, which organises CFW, some 29,000 people visit CIFF. 26,000 attend Vision and almost 10,000 go to Gallery. Most visitors check out two or more of the fairs. More than half of them come from abroad, with Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan and France being the top non-Nordic countries represented.“The short week makes it a quick and easy stop on the fashion week route for international buyers and the press. And CFW is both a fashion week and a fashion market week,” notes Anne Christine Persson, head of communication at Copenhagen Fashion Institute.
With more than 50,000 square meters of exhibition space, Copenhagen is the largest collective fashion fair in Europe. The simultaneous three fairs host 1,360 exhibitors representing 2,823 brands. On top of that, a range of brands is exhibited at showrooms all over town. “They say that 500 buyers from around the globe are the ones who move and shake. We’re focusing on them,” says Christian Gregersen, who started and owns the Gallery concept. “If 50 of them come, we will be happy.”Clothes sizing is another draw for the Danish capital, as many sites in southern Europe tend to create and show apparel for the more petit physique. The clothing at the Copenhagen fairs covers all sizes, but most importantly, clothes that fit taller people.
Location also plays an extremely important role in making CFW a fashion hub for Scandinavia. A growing number of houses from Nordic countries other than Denmark have begun to exhibit in Copenhagen – such as Acne Jeans, Gant, SOS and Sand from Sweden, or Noa Noa from Norway – which adds one-stop shopping appeal for buyers.International brands can be found everywhere else,” says Gregersen. “Now international buyers have a place to see the very best that the Nordic region has to offer. Copenhagen is the place to see it all.”
Promoting the city and the clothes
To be sure, the city fathers are behind CFW as it brings in tourism revenues. “Hotels, tourist offices and transport companies work together,” says Sabroe. “Buyers can use it as a kind of mini-vacation.” Exact figures for tourism revenues related to the event are not available, but estimates say the amount is in double-digit million euros.
CFW has been a factor in boosting Danish export
revenues from clothing sales, and a prime focus of the
event is the home-grown designers and houses. In 2006,
total Danish clothing exports rose by 9.3% from the
previous year to around €2.5bn. Further revenues are
logged from indirect exports, that is, Danish design
sent from producers abroad directly to customers. The
range of clothing runs the gamut from raunchy
streetwear to haute couture.Trendspotters have singled out Copenhagen, and
the Danes in general, for their look – and not just that
of fashionistas. The relaxed yet classy clothes sense of
your average local certainly adds to the city’s cachet as
a fashion centre. Danes’ natural feeling for style and
design, coupled with the ease of Copenhagen as a place
to work and socialise in, project an overall image that’s
been a great benefit to CFW.
“From our experience, visitors enjoy coming to the fashion week. As the city is relatively small and cosy, there’s a relaxed atmosphere and the week offers many interesting shows, fairs and events,” says Persson.It seems the whole city gets bitten by the fashion bug each time CFW rolls around. Some 30 shows are held at various venues throughout the week. Giant video screens around the city broadcast all the shows live, as well as interviews with esigners. Posters are everywhere. And of course, there are the parties – lots of them. It’s not hard to see why this particular fashion week is growing in popularity and size each year.
Copenhagen Fashion Week AW08 takes place 6-10 February. For further information visit www.copenhagenfashionweek.com
What the designers say
I see the growing interest as a result of a big, and now well established, group of designers who all started up in the mid-90s. We have worked hard and long for many years, and the fashion world has finally recognised us. Copenhagen is the Nordic capital when it comes to design. We are steaming head and it is our responsibility to grow and work harder to establish our brands even more internationally.” Malene Birger – chief designer at By Malene Birger (above)
There are many good esigners now, so Copenhagen is an
interesting place for Nordic houses, a base so to speak. So much is
done for CFW that fashion really gets under your skin. We can see the
value and will do more PR work for the next one. Plus Scandinavian
design is particularly strong at the moment. It’s creative, but reflects
a clean look that’s in. As to Danish fashion, it’s very approachable
– you can just slip into it and walk out of the house.”
Frederikke Hviid – chief designer at Danish design house Whiite
In terms of fashion, Scandinavia is suddenly exotic. Before,
nearly everything came from the south of Europe. So this is the right
place to exhibit our four annual collections. Gallery has been very
good at promoting the event to international buyers and the press.
We have great expectations, and were fully booked with buyers at
the August fashion week.”
Tina Zahll – brand manager at Copenhagen-based KingQueen
Scandinavia is an important market for us, but this event draws a lot of international buyers, so we’re excited about that. Everybody speaks about a Scandinavian look, and fashion is definitely now a part of what was once primarily furniture or architecture. I believe the Scandinavian look is more relaxed, though there is a sort of north-south mutual inspiration in fashion.” Pontus Björkman – head of sales at Swedish leisurewear house Acne Jeans
It seems like people are happy, and they’re coming from all
over the planet so there’s something here to attract them. I think
we’re on the edge of a big breakthrough.”
Albert Hatchwell Nielsen – chief designer at Danish streetwear house Alis
I met a lot of other designers and international buyers. It was truly exciting and a valuable opportunity.” Christian Helmer – a Danish design student who showed at Designers’ Nest
Fly me there…
Sterling flies to Copenhagen from cities all over Europe.
See pages 96-98 or www.sterling.dk for more details.
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