The best bits from Copenhagen Fashion Week’s opening day

Copenhagen Fashion Week might have only kicked off its SS26 presentations yesterday, but CPHFW is always one of the freshest (not to mention the most ethical and sustainable) events in the fashion calendar. It’s also one of the only major fashion weeks where you probably haven’t heard of most of its designers — but that just adds to the fun, hey? 

Here are the bits that caught our eye from the opening day.

Starting with a splash

CPHFW started with a very literal splash — Copenhagen-native brand OpéraSPORT opened the week at Frederiksberg swimming pool with a diver performing some upside-down splits tricks before jumping into the water. On the aquatic theme, there was a very chic and mermaid-y use of sequins in the collection — all, of course, made from recycled or organic materials. Most importantly, though, Alana Hadid opened the show, which can’t not be read as a (much-needed) political statement thanks to the model’s Palestinian heritage and activism.

A cut above

P.L.N. held their fourth CPHFW show, which was a little scary and a lot cool. Titled ‘Snit’ (Danish for ‘cut’), it was about cutting oneself loose from cultural norms. To relay that sentiment, the show was packed with butcher-esque imagery, set in the context of a warehouse in the meatpacking district and audience members packed into cages. Yes, really. As for the collection, the colour palette centred around muted flesh and bone tones (of course) with sharp tailoring. Leather, latex, garters and chains also made an appearance, which added a little sexy edge to the not-so-sexy meat theme.

Fresh faces

The Swedish School of Textiles also had their show on Monday. Named EXIT25, it included the work of sixteen graduates from the University of Borås’ MA and BA courses. The standout piece was probably Zuzana Vrabelova’s knitted dress, which comprised months of knitting, twenty-two kilos of yarn and thousands of knitted loops. 

Love is in the air (or under the bridge)

Lastly, Copenhagen-based brand Caro Editions debuted their SS26 under Knippelsbro, the bridge where its founders Caroline and Frederik Bille Brahe got married. Cute! The collection could very well have been the outfits of wedding guests who know who to dress well without being uptight about it. Think: silk bows, checks, lace, polka dots — all a bit of fun. There was even a cheeky, sheer spin on a wedding dress, which was both our standout from the collection and a testament to how CPHFW never takes itself too seriously.