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There’s a word in Danish used to represent community spirit: samfundssind. Translated by the Danish Language Council as “putting common interests before individual interests," but also as "common spirit" or "social mentality," it was one of Denmark's most used keywords during the Covid-19 pandemic, so much so that it was once even mentioned by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in one of her first speeches to the nation. «This is exactly what we have in Denmark - samfundssind,» she said. In reality, the word’s much deeper roots relate to the strong tradition of community spirit that has always characterized the country, and most likely played a key role in the revival of local fashion. «For the Danish creative industry, the bonds that tie the fashion industry together have always been underpinned by a deep-rooted sense of community. Not only is this through the size that the fashion landscape holds here - we are a small nation after all! - but also the value that is placed on support, collaboration, and mutual respect for one another and each person’s respective craft» said Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week and one of the main protagonists of the Danish city's success in fashion. «The Danish nation is ruled by a sense of equality amongst its citizens, and nowhere is this more present than in our fashion community. While the world might be in a constant state of flux, there is comfort in our stability we foster between ourselves. The only way to grow is to collaborate - this will be how we will cultivate our future of fashion in this day and age.» Together with Copenhagen's increasing relevance in the geography of Fashion Weeks, in recent years the Scandinavian movement has stepped out of its comfort zone; putting aside the minimalism that made it world famous, the Danish capital transformed into the nerve centre of a renaissance, precisely because of the uniqueness of the city and of those who inhabit it. In anticipation of the upcoming edition of Copenhagen Fashion Week, nss magazine wanted to chronicle this journey by looking at three of the brands that are taking part in the Danish Capital’s radical shift. Each with its own uniqueness and personal story, Sunflower, (di)vision, and A. Roge Hove are the three protagonists of Portrait: The Copenhagen Issue.
Sunflower's headquarters are located in Vestergade, sharing its central Copenhagen building together with other brands and companies. Just last summer, founder and creative director Ulrik Pedersen organised in the same place one of the most entertaining shows of that Fashion Week. It is with him and co-founder Alan Blond that I speak, sitting in the showroom on one of the top floors of the building. «We founded Sunflower in 2018 with the idea of creating classic menswear but with a contemporary twist. We wanted to come up with quality clothes of course, but the thing that was most important to us was to have a group of people who really loved the brand. A society. The "Sunflower Society.” Design plays an important role of course, but when we create a pair of jeans we are interested in seeing how it will be worn by the people who are part of this group.» One of the brands informed by Scandinavian minimalism, Sunflower focuses on the collective participation of everyone who loves the brand and their ability to reinterpret it to suit their own style. «We like to see how even a very simple product can be worn differently from person to person. A black sweater can be a great product. It's up to the wearer to make it unique.» An idea which, as Ulrik tells it, is not only present in the clothes created by the brand but also in the way they are presented.
«We don't create clothes for influencers, we create clothes for real people. Even with our shows, we don't try to go after 'fashion wannabes' but everyone who can enrich our community.» In a difficult time for independent brands, having a solid community behind them is a certainty. «Sunflower was born just before the pandemic, we had some time to make ourselves known before things got bad,» Ulrik tells me. «But if you look around, no particularly interesting retailers have opened in the last ten years, and that has made it more complicated for people who want to sell their products online. That's why it's important to have a 'society.' Sure, someday we'd like to open a flagship store in Copenhagen, Berlin, or Milan. But it has to be done at the right time.» After an off-schedule show last February - «we sent in the application too late» Ulrik told me as he laughed - Sunflower is set to return as part of Copenhagen Fashion Week next August. «Maybe that was our best show with almost 400 people in our studio. Even though we were not on the official schedule, having our whole community present for us was the biggest success. For us, the show is not about front row and champagne, it's about standing room and beers. That's what Sunflower is.» This is also why, when I ask them about the role of a city like Copenhagen in the growth process of Scandinavian fashion, Ulrik and Alan's answer is sharp and decisive: «Copenhagen should never compete with Milan, Paris, London, or New York. Because it is none of these cities and should not be. Also, we as a brand should never think of competing with the realities that parade in those cities, because we could not do that. We should be proud to be part of Copenhagen by trying to channel its beauty.»
«We don't create clothes for influencers, we create clothes for real people. Even with our shows, we don't try to go after 'fashion wannabes' but everyone who can enrich our community.» In a difficult time for independent brands, having a solid community behind them is a certainty. «Sunflower was born just before the pandemic, we had some time to make ourselves known before things got bad,» Ulrik tells me. «But if you look around, no particularly interesting retailers have opened in the last ten years, and that has made it more complicated for people who want to sell their products online. That's why it's important to have a 'society.' Sure, someday we'd like to open a flagship store in Copenhagen, Berlin, or Milan. But it has to be done at the right time.» After an off-schedule show last February - «we sent in the application too late» Ulrik told me as he laughed - Sunflower is set to return as part of Copenhagen Fashion Week next August. «Maybe that was our best show with almost 400 people in our studio. Even though we were not on the official schedule, having our whole community present for us was the biggest success. For us, the show is not about front row and champagne, it's about standing room and beers. That's what Sunflower is.» This is also why, when I ask them about the role of a city like Copenhagen in the growth process of Scandinavian fashion, Ulrik and Alan's answer is sharp and decisive: «Copenhagen should never compete with Milan, Paris, London, or New York. Because it is none of these cities and should not be. Also, we as a brand should never think of competing with the realities that parade in those cities, because we could not do that. We should be proud to be part of Copenhagen by trying to channel its beauty.»
Simon Wick is covered in tattoos, has shaved hair, and he’s wearing a baseball cap that reads "Jesus played the Ocarina." He is the kind of person who sticks with you from the very first moment you see him. A trait he shares with her brand, (di)vision. Last August Simon and his sister Nanna chose a small forest near the Hangaren, a former hangar on the island of Refshaleø used as a party location, to host their show based on Apocalypse Now quotes and fortified juice, while in February they quite literally invaded the Internet with their show "Dressed for Disaster." To understand how it all began, I meet Simon at (di)vision's offices in Lavendelstræde, a street in the old part of town where Constanze Mozart, widow of the Austrian composer, also lived in the early 1800s. «I founded (di)vision together with my sister about five years ago with the idea of doing something different. I was always interested in the concept of rebuilding and reusing, but especially in how we could incorporate it within a brand. Our first products were some old military bomber jackets, but having no idea how to sew a dress I asked my sister for help.» Since then, the brand has grown in relation to that same idea, to create from something that already existed, adapting it from time to time according to need: from scrap materials to excess stock, to upcycling and «everything in between,» as Simon tells me. «We are now a ready-to-wear brand that is strongly focused on community. We try to do everything in-house, involving our friends. The idea is that of a big family.» When it comes to (di)vision, what stands out the most is its disruptive aesthetic, in which punk elements meet pop culture and Y2K, certainly a far cry from what we are used to associating with Scandinavian fashion. «I've always seen our work as that of a Fashion Week outsider. The brands here are predominantly women's, while the men's brands are super minimal. You could almost say that we are the maximalist alternative, something different from what others are doing. But this is not a negative aspect. I like to see Copenhagen and Danish fashion as something where everyone grows together: if we grow so does Sunflower and vice versa. So yes, I could tell you that we are outsiders, but it is solely an advantage for us.»
After the success of their last show, (di)vision decided to take a break from the runways, choosing to dedicate their next event to their community and fans. «Today it seems like Fashion Week shows have to be elitist, while people who really care about a brand don't have the opportunity to attend. I understand that it has to be that way because that's how things work. But for this time we wanted to turn them upside down. There will be no new collection, but we preferred to spend all our money on the people who have helped us over the years.» The family of (di)vision is actually quite enlarged. In addition to Simon, Nanna, and the entire team, its trucker hat has become the official uniform of his community, ubiquitous on the streets of the Danish city and beyond. Its fans around the world include Vittoria Ceretti - «a friend of my girlfriend» Simon confides, Jordan Daniels, 070Shake, and Lalisa Manobal to name a few. But despite the brand's global success, its focus remains its hometown. «We are a smaller city than other fashion capitals, but that gives us a lot more freedom. Working here means having another perspective on what you can do and what you can't do with your brand, but most importantly it means having the chance to experiment. This is also why Scandinavian fashion is changing. There is a new generation of designers ready to put their ideas into action. The important thing is not to be afraid to do it.»
After the success of their last show, (di)vision decided to take a break from the runways, choosing to dedicate their next event to their community and fans. «Today it seems like Fashion Week shows have to be elitist, while people who really care about a brand don't have the opportunity to attend. I understand that it has to be that way because that's how things work. But for this time we wanted to turn them upside down. There will be no new collection, but we preferred to spend all our money on the people who have helped us over the years.» The family of (di)vision is actually quite enlarged. In addition to Simon, Nanna, and the entire team, its trucker hat has become the official uniform of his community, ubiquitous on the streets of the Danish city and beyond. Its fans around the world include Vittoria Ceretti - «a friend of my girlfriend» Simon confides, Jordan Daniels, 070Shake, and Lalisa Manobal to name a few. But despite the brand's global success, its focus remains its hometown. «We are a smaller city than other fashion capitals, but that gives us a lot more freedom. Working here means having another perspective on what you can do and what you can't do with your brand, but most importantly it means having the chance to experiment. This is also why Scandinavian fashion is changing. There is a new generation of designers ready to put their ideas into action. The important thing is not to be afraid to do it.»
The King's Garden is one of the oldest parks in all of Denmark. Established in the early 17th century as the private garden of King Christian IV's Rosenborg Castle, the park is now one of the most famous and visited green spaces in the Danish city - so much so that it even appeared in one of the episodes of the FX series The Bear. It is there that Amalie Røge Hove has chosen to meet us to discuss her brand, A. Roege Hove, just weeks after winning the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation in the latest Woolmark Prizes. «We are a brand focused on knitwear» she tells me right away. «A choice that comes from the idea of being able to experiment, to challenge materials and shapes.» Despite being brought to life only a few years ago, the brand already has its own clear idea of fashion and its values - including «not wanting to try to make everything» Amalie says - in a creative process that starts in the brand's tiny offices in Copenhagen and goes all the way to factories divided between Ireland and Italy. In Perugia, to be precise. As well as the other brands interviewed in previous days, A. Roege Hove can consider itself young. Born in 2019, Amalie and her team had to come to terms with the pandemic and its impact on an independent reality right from the start in a process of survival in which the city and its community played a leading role: «I have lived in London and Shanghai, but if I had to find something magical about Copenhagen I would say its honesty. To readily admit what is going right and what is going wrong. And when people are honest with each other they end up helping each other despite what can happen to you in bad times. You can talk to others, compare and exchange advice. It's not like in many other cities, where gatekeeping reigns and everyone is full of secrets. Here you are part of a community.»
When she talks about community, Amalie refers first to her team, consisting of six people plus the staff members who work on different facets of the brand. «For me, it's about surrounding yourself with people who don't just make clothes. There may be someone who takes care of the jewellery we use in the shoots or who creates the showroom layout. It's a team effort where we inspire each other.» Without teamwork built on a mutual trust relationship, Amalie tells me, «many brands would not even get a chance to start.» A smaller reality, but one that, like a small laboratory, gives the opportunity to experiment and work with less pressure than those cities that engulf emerging realities. It is this freedom that is making possible the change that Amalie is leading. «When I was in London and Shanghai, everyone ended up generalising thinking that Danish fashion was just “clean and functional”. I'm not saying it's not, but we also have a great tradition of craftsmanship and innovation. So I think this is the perfect time to work so that the general perception of Scandinavian fashion can change.»
When she talks about community, Amalie refers first to her team, consisting of six people plus the staff members who work on different facets of the brand. «For me, it's about surrounding yourself with people who don't just make clothes. There may be someone who takes care of the jewellery we use in the shoots or who creates the showroom layout. It's a team effort where we inspire each other.» Without teamwork built on a mutual trust relationship, Amalie tells me, «many brands would not even get a chance to start.» A smaller reality, but one that, like a small laboratory, gives the opportunity to experiment and work with less pressure than those cities that engulf emerging realities. It is this freedom that is making possible the change that Amalie is leading. «When I was in London and Shanghai, everyone ended up generalising thinking that Danish fashion was just “clean and functional”. I'm not saying it's not, but we also have a great tradition of craftsmanship and innovation. So I think this is the perfect time to work so that the general perception of Scandinavian fashion can change.»
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