Saks Potts is the winner of the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize 2023

Since 2012, the Wessel & Vett Foundation has focused on yearly awarding a select emerging brand that manages to perfect the foundation’s core values of entrepreneurship and creativity. Three finalists are nominated, which then have to convince the always star-studded jury that their business case and their creative vision is worthy of the hefty prize of €40.000. The three nominees for the 2023 edition were Forza Collective, Saks Potts,and Heliot Emil, a diverse selection of brands all founded in Copenhagen. This year, Saks Potts was the brand that managed to impress the jury with their inherently Danish take on luxury everyday womenswear, and their Saks Potts Uniform (a selection of best sellers and brand favorites). 

«The initial reaction was just being really surprised and overwhelmed – mostly because the other finalists have such strong cases with unique creative visions. And then just being really grateful that the jury also saw our potential» said the two Saks Potts founders, Cathrine Saks and Barbara Potts, after the announcement. Winning the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize was not only a great achievement for the brand that plans to use the €40.000 prize fund to invest heavily in sustainable advancements throughout their business, it was also dedicated to the team behind the founders. «Our office and our store is located just across the street from the Design Museum Danmark venue, so after the announcement we ran over there to turn up the music, celebrate with our team members, and just enjoy it! It’s an achievement by them and by our amazing CEO Josefine Laigaard.»

Like their approach to shows, Saks Potts decided to go big on their presentation for the jury. During the break after Heliot Emil’s presentation, a set of Saks Potts team members – dressed top-to-toe in the brand – created a large backlit podium and displayed a selection of garments. Each jury member was then gifted an extensive brand book with six bookmarks, a sort «Bible of Saks Potts» – which also doubled as a thorough showcase of the main points of their presentation. The founders and their newly appointed CEO emphasised the brand's six core values: female empowerment, authenticity, unconventionality, Copenhagen, craftsmanship, and lastly, community. The eleven jury members that chose Saks Potts as this year’s winner consisted of local and international industry leaders. One of them were Silas Adler, Founder & Creative Director of Soulland and a long time member of the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize jury, who expressed his thoughts on this year’s edition of the award. 

«First of all, I would say that all three presentations were definitely at the highest level I have experienced. I think that Kristoffer Kongshaug at Forza Collective is making beautifully constructed products, and his design is really what I’ve been looking for in terms of seeing a redefinition of Scandinavian Minimalism. Saks Potts has a very unique ability to define themselves in the same environment that the product and the consumer live and relate within – and creatively it’s also truly Copenhagen-ish! Lastly, Heliot Emil is just so innovative and it is really impressive when you see the product. For someone like myself that design products, and understands the amount of work you need to put in to be able to create in the way that they do – Un-fucking-believable! They’re all strong brands, so the trick here for them is to evolve without changing.»

Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week and part of the jury, was also truly impressed by all the finalists, and revealed that the jury struggled to agree on a definite winner. «They are incomparable and each a winner within their own segment. From the incredible growth we have seen at Heliot Emil, to the international communities of Saks Potts, to the exceptional introduction of Forza Collective to the Danish fashion fold – it was almost excruciating to choose a winner this year.» The difficulty this year was not only heightened by the Wessel & Vett Foundation’s slight shift in nominating more established brands, it was also the diversity present in terms of entrepreneurship and creativity. A diversity that relates to the general landscape in Scandinavia, even according to Cecilie Thorsmark and Copenhagen Fashion Week. «This year we were presented with such an energizing birds-eye view of what the definition of Danish fashion can encompass: the term itself has evolved in so many directions and that was only underlined by the three distinct brands that presented today. We must celebrate the new visual codes of the Nordic fashion scene and I feel excited from being reminded of that today.»

An inquisitive member of the jury included 1Granary’s Founder & Editor in Chief, Olya Kuryshchuk, who’s curiosity always capped of the lightning round of jury questions. «Not only did Saks Potts do a solid presentation, but they also added an element of sensation – they moved us – you could feel the brand engulf the jury by bringing us closer together, closer to the garments, providing us with the extensive brand book, and the little fragrance as well. The point here is that if this level of care and sense of engagement is something they provide for their community, then that’s truly valuable.» She also highlighted the fashion community in Copenhagen from her outside perspective. «I think what’s really incredible about the Copenhagen fashion scene is how collaborative it is – even to be exchanging knowledge between brands that are somewhat competing. In other cities, like London or Paris, the fashion scene is much more fragmented, and it is clear that brands in Copenhagen benefit from collaboration.»

The remaining jury members consisted of Francesco Martino, Style Editor at GQ Italia, Chidozie Obasi, Fashion Critic at Large at Office Magazine, Nicolaj Reffstrup, Co-Founder of Ganni, Yasin Müjdeci, Founder of Voo Store, Mads Nørgaard, Founder & Creative Director at Mads Nørgaard, Veronica D’Souza, Sustainability Expert & Consultant, Carla Christine Bruus Aagaard-Strube, Chief Editor at Fashion Forum, Saam Emme, Fashion Director at 247, and finally Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg, Founder of the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize.