This is Issue 28.

COLLINA STRADA TAKES COPENHAGEN

Collina Strada brought New York energy to Copenhagen Fashion Week as the first international brand invited into the official guest slot. Hillary Taymour adapted her expressive design language to Copenhagen’s strict sustainability requirements, creating the collection entirely from deadstock materials. The result combined playful silhouettes, bold styling and experimental craftsmanship without losing the environmental principles that have long defined the brand. More than a single runway moment, Collina Strada’s presence reflected Copenhagen Fashion Week’s growing international influence. What began as a primarily Scandinavian platform is increasingly positioning itself as an alternative global fashion destination where creativity and responsible production can exist together.

MFPEN - 10 YEARS

Copenhagen-based mfpen marked its tenth anniversary with a collection that demonstrated how far the independent label has evolved. Known for understated tailoring, unconventional proportions and its reinterpretation of familiar wardrobe staples, the brand has developed a distinctive identity within contemporary European menswear. The anniversary represented both a reflection on its first decade and a statement about what comes next. As Copenhagen’s fashion scene becomes increasingly international, mfpen remains an important example of a local independent brand building global relevance without abandoning the restrained and considered approach that originally defined it.

PAOLINA RUSSO

Paolina Russo emerged as one of the week’s important international voices, bringing an experimental combination of traditional craft, technology and youth culture to Copenhagen. The label’s distinctive approach transforms techniques associated with knitwear and handmade production through contemporary silhouettes and digital influences. In a schedule increasingly open to designers from outside Scandinavia, the presentation demonstrated Copenhagen’s growing role as a platform for independent fashion beyond its local scene. Russo’s work also reflected a broader movement among younger designers who are challenging the separation between traditional craftsmanship and technological innovation, using both as tools to build a new visual language.

COPENHAGEN LEAVES MINIMALISM BEHIND

Copenhagen Fashion Week SS27 challenged the idea that Scandinavian fashion is defined exclusively by restraint and minimalism. Across the week’s collections, designers embraced stronger colors, lace, layered textures and more expressive styling, creating a noticeably more individualistic season. The shift did not represent a complete rejection of Scandinavian design principles, but rather an expansion of what they can represent. Practicality and thoughtful construction remained important while designers became increasingly comfortable with decoration and experimentation. As Copenhagen celebrates twenty years of its fashion week, SS27 suggested that its next chapter may be defined less by a single recognizable aesthetic and more by the diversity of the designers participating in it.