With the arrival of many up-and-coming designers, The fashion scene in Denmark seems to be experiencing a stylistic phenomenon at the moment. In many ways, Denmark has long been the epicenter of well-designed products. “For such a compact Nordic country, Denmark has birthed an unprecedented number of design successes, not limited to the fields of furniture and architecture, while the scope of Danish fashion has also come crisply into focus in recent years,” says highsnobiety.com. From the classic minimalism of Scandinavia to the edgy avant-garde, we take a look at some of the most influential Danish individuals in 2016.
The year following her graduation from the London’s Central St Martins, Stine Goya created her design label in Copenhagen. By 2009, she was cited as Denmark’s Best Upcoming Designer at the Dansk Fashion Awards. “Striving to create apparel that inspires women to express their individuality, Goya incorporates feminine silhouettes, playful and vibrant color palettes and arty prints into her designs, crafting a look that is both whimsical and contemporary,” says theculturetrip.com. Since her first debut at Copenhagen Fashion week back in 2007, Goya has gained international fame with 90 stores around the world retailing her designs.
In an interview for freundvonfreunden.com, Goya took the time to speak about how her love for fashion design began:
“I think it actually started when I was very young,” she said. “I lived in this very small village, north of Copenhagen, where there was this after-school arrangement where you work on hobbies. And from when I was eight years old I was really into sewing. So in all my spare time I went over there to sew clothing for myself, my parents and my family. So I’ve had it in me for quite a while I must say.”
When asked how her time spent at Central Saint Martins in London influenced her design, Goyda responded:
“I think you get very influenced because there are so many different nationalities. And, especially at Saint Martins, there are people from all over the world. It was really inspiring for a Scandinavian person to come over and see how a Japanese girl would work with things and how an American would do it in another way. So it was very inspiring to be with other nationalities.”
In a world where the competition in fashion is fierce, Copenhagen has started to ascend through the ranks. In terms of the city now being considered a fashion capital? “Overall it’s really good,” says Goya. “There are some good things happening here and it’s especially great that we have some new designers that we actually foster. I think we can attract people from abroad but of course it is difficult, we are small. People still think that Copenhagen is the capital of Norway, or that it’s a country. It’s difficult but I definitely think that Copenhagen Fashion Week is doing a really great job promoting the city. A lot of international buyers and fashion directors come here for this event. I think there is great potential in Copenhagen.”
Beginning his career over 30 years ago in Copenhagen, designer Ivan Grundahl is now an international name—his stores now exist not only in Denmark, but also in New York, Oslo, Dubai, and Beirut. “Edgy, innovative and international, Grundahl’s designs pair asymmetrical cuts, irregular silhouettes and flowing forms with contrasting fabrics like wool and leather resulting in an urban, avant-garde look.” says theculturetrip.com. In his Fall/Winter 2015 collection, displayed at Copenhagen Fashion Week, Grundahl showcased a grungy-chic line filled with flowing black gowns, oversized hats, and ruffles galore. His materials of choice, as seen in this collection, are fabric and leather.
Grundahl’s target clientele are women between the ages of 20-70 and wear 36-46. “The strategy is as pragmatic as it is good since the designer addresses a wide audience without precise boundaries between generations. Therefore, Grundahl ‘rejuvenates’ old people and encourages young people around 25 to get used to a certain implicity and well-tailored clothes that are also comfortable,” says Inhale magazine.
This tactic is rarely used by major couture houses and young designers. In a conversation with Inhale, Grundahl stated:
“Most designers target young ages, which is very natural. You may think of a middle-aged clientele- which some top- selling designers no doubt do- take Versace, for example- but there is no way to survive in the fashion industry as a self-styled old women’s label. There is one very simple reason: everyone wants to look young. I am 55, and I would never go to a store advertising itself as selling clothes for men in their mid-fifties. No way!” The designer notes: You have to carry yourself with dignity and style —Natural and cool, classy, comfortable and down-to-earth would do beautifully.
Following her graduation from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, designer Freya Dalsjø decided to revisit her homeland of Denmark in order to start her own label. “Guided by a mission to explore and challenge conventional boundaries of material, aesthetics and the body, Dalsjø’s ready-to-wear designs are defined by high quality fabrics and craftsmanship, bold colors and architectural, yet artistic lines,” says theculturetrip.com
In an interview with W magazine, Dalsjø spoke about how she arrived to her current success in the design field:
“I work hard and I like it. First, I studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp for a while and then moved to Copenhagen where I got the chance to present my work during Copenhagen Fashion Week. That led to more shows and a team, brand, production, stores, etc. The process has been fast and slow at the same time. Honestly, everything started very unplanned, with no finance or knowledge and I was young and naive, but four years later, it has evolved a lot and I have learned so much from the process in doing everything from scratch. From sewing every piece myself in my attic to producing and having a team of 15 people.”
In terms of how she sees her label evolving in the future, the designer tells W:
“I want to create something that feels relevant in terms of design, materials, usage, something you want to wear and keep. The world doesn’t need more white T-shirts, it needs awareness and appreciation of sustainable production and products. Creatively I feel we get better, more honest and more clever with every collection we present. The brand was established in Copenhagen, but we are more than ever ready to present our design and visions on a global scene.”
Finally, her opinion on the current fashion scene in Denmark? Dalsjø says:
A lot of the newer generation of Danish designers, as well as Copenhagen as a city, are getting more and more attention. Copenhagen fashion, in the past, was known for it cool simplicity and wearability, but now it’s more creative than ever with designers collaborating with musicians and artists. I guess the light spirited mindset and small scale of the city makes it easy for like-minded people to bring their ideas to life. Copenhagen is very much a melting pot, bridging Scandinavian countries with England and central Europe, and there’s an invigorating influx of creative types. You see more and more Copenhagen-based designers now showing in London or Paris and selling in the best concept stores and high-end boutiques. But I think this is only the beginning of what will emerge from Copenhagen. There is so much going on that is not yet getting attention in international media.
The design in Denmark is known for its simplicity and practicality, which is often channeled into the minimalist fashion that frequently appears on the streets of Copenhagen. Recently, the New York Times asked some locals of the city what inspired their stylistic taste.
“Anna Morris, a hairdresser who owns a salon in the city’s Vesterbro neighborhood, says that she is influenced by the simple silhouettes she sees on people in Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital,” says the Times. Dressed in a flowing black-and-white dress, chunky heels and a top bun, Anna says she is drawn to more vintage style icons like Alexa Chung and Mia Farrow.
When asked how she would describe her personal style, she told the Times:
“I think quite simple, but also a little bit dressy. I’m not really a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl, but I don’t like to wear too many loud colors or crazy shapes. It’s generally quite straight up and down, black and white, feminine but kind of a boyish feminine, if that makes sense.”
In light of how the seasons affect the styles, which can vary from region to region, Morris says that:
In winter it’s very cold and icy, and people generally wear a lot of black and gray and warm clothes. And in the summer, generally people come out a little more, people’s personalities shine through. So I think people’s styles get a little more eccentric and a little more interesting.
Dress in an oversized red knit cardigan, skinny black jeans and large oversized sunglasses, Kasper Moltov’s look is classy with a hint of eccentricity. He tell the Times: “Copenhagen is not a very big city, but you will see a lot who will, like, go to a certain extent to always be in fashion. I’d describe my fashion style as being very casual, layered.” Pointing to cardigan, he notes: “This is Valeria Olkova. It has a very male fall (implying the way the piece frames the body) I am inspired by the way that anything can be done,” He says, referring to the city itself. “You can wear anything and, you know, everybody will be okay with it.”
For a further look into the lives of street style savvy people around the world, check out The New York Times’ Intersection: Street Style video series.
