Copenhagen Fashion Week (August 5-9) kicked off in the Danish capital with a spotlight on sustainability and circular design this week. Freya Dalsjø and the Swedish School of Textiles champion slow fashion, placing focus on craftsmanship and meaningful garments. Meanwhile, Forza Collective and Kettel Atelier look to the past, reviving vintage textiles and silhouettes with a contemporary edge.
Forza Collective Reimagines the Past
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
Forza Collective’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection debuted in a brutalist subterranean parking garage, where a skylight softened the stark surroundings. Beneath Ofelia Square, amid Copenhagen’s iconic waterfront, guests sat on benches as models moved through the space in handkerchief skirts, cut-out shoulders, and draped suits with flowing ties.
Inspired by vintage French fashion illustrations from the 1920s and ‘30s, designer Kristoffer Kongshaug embraced dropped waistlines and sharp tailoring, reinterpreting them through a 90s minimalist lens. “I like the idea of bringing these to life, and placing them in a more contemporary and modern setting,” said Kongshaug. The result was a series of handkerchief skirts, draped suits, exposed shoulders, and elongated ties that blend vintage elegance with modern ease. This collection is both nostalgic and forward-looking—honoring past design traditions while recontextualizing them for today’s wearers. This is modern tailoring with soul.
“I like the idea of bringing these to life, and placing them in a more contemporary and modern setting.”
Kristoffer Kongshaug
RANRA Grows with the Seasons
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
RANRA’s first in-person show reframes the fashion presentation as a ritual, not a spectacle. Inspired by rhubarb, an early spring plant common in Iceland, the collection celebrates what’s seasonal, enduring, and right in front of us.
Tailored pieces were crafted in weather-ready fabrics like silk-linen blends, raw canvas, and sun-faded cotton. Leather repels water while natural fibers catch wind and sun, aging with character over time. Rain stains, sun-bleached shoulders, and worn knees are embraced as part of each garment’s life. RANRA’s clothing evolves with the wearer, made for both hiking trails and museum halls. The show rejects fast fashion in favor of slow growth, like the rhubarb itself.
“We don’t deisng to impress—we design to last,” said co-founder Luke Stevens.
Swedish School of Textiles Presents Graduate Show Exit25
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
“Exit25,” the graduate show from the Swedish School of Textiles, showcases work from designers rethinking identity, imperfection, and functionality through textile innovation. Modular knitwear, inspired by cellular behavior, allows garments to adapt to different shapes and styles through drawstrings and adjustable elements. The emphasis is on circular design, pieces can be disassembled, reshaped, and worn in countless ways.
Highlights include garments that seem to organically erupt from the body, evoking forms found in nature. Paper yarns create structures that feel botanical, animalistic, or historical, yet distinctly futuristic. Each look challenges fixed categories of gender, form, and function. More than a fashion show, Exit25 is a blueprint for what’s next: design that evolves with the wearer and reflects a world in constant transformation.
Kettel Atelier Unveils Fusion of Fashion and Art
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
Kettel Atelier’s “Unravel” trades the traditional runway for an immersive installation at Daydream Studio. The show blurs the boundaries between fashion, art, and sustainability, inviting guests into a space where clothing becomes a canvas for reinterpretation. “This is not a runway. It’s a living installation. A collaboration between fabric and feeling” says Kettel Atelier.
Garments are made using upcycled materials and reflect a bohemian sensibility. Guests watched artist @billewho live-paint responses to the designs, adding an additional layer of transformation. Furniture brand Warm Nordic also collaborated, providing classic pieces reupholstered in vintage textiles, Kettel’s signature.
More than just a collection, “Unravel” is a reflection on emotional durability and creative reuse—where every piece, whether fabric or furniture, tells a layered story. It’s not just fashion; it’s a dialogue.
Danish Design Duo Bonnetje’s “Breakable” Collection
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
In “Breakable,” Danish design duo Bonnetje explores human fragility through clothing. Inspired by glass—delicate but moldable—the collection considers how sensitive people navigate a world in flux. Clothing becomes a shield, much like glass can be reshaped and reused.
Bonnetje is known for deconstructing old suits and reconstructing them into new forms. This sustainable, circular approach appeals to those seeking fashion with emotional resonance and longevity. Their designs blend soft, feminine silhouettes with masculine tailoring, suggesting identity as both fluid and resilient.
Models walked the runway wrapped in garments resembling bubble wrap. Plissé textures, unfinished edges, and lingerie inspired detailing highlight vulnerability. A standout look pairs a sheer skirt over an opaque one, balancing playfulness with practicality.
Freya Dalsjø Returns with Purpose
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
Courtesy of James Cochrane.
After a six-year hiatus, Freya Dalsjø returns to Copenhagen Fashion Week with a collection that meditates on impermanence and the human need for meaning in a disposable world. SS26 is grounded in a reverence for natural materials and craftsmanship. Fabrics like silk, wool, cashmere, leather, lacoon, horsehair, and wood offer tactile richness, textures so vivid they seem to transmit through the screen. The muted palette—white, ivory, eggshell, granite, charcoal, caviar, chocolate brown, java, mahogany, and black—honors the raw beauty of each material.
Designer, Freya Dalsjø said, “This season marks a return to the runway and to our core values.” A highlight of the collection is Dalsjø’s long-standing collaboration with Felefasa, a Chinese producer of leather, lacoon, and cashmere. During the brand’s hiatus, the partnership evolved through deep material research and refined technique, underscoring Dalsjø’s commitment to supply chain transparency.
