Marie Claire Germany, by Leonie Wessel, August 2025
Copenhagen International Fashion Fair
Copenhagen Fashion Week means a city full of well-dressed people, lots of bicycles and busy schedules. However, the "Copenhagen Fashion Week" does not act alone, the CIFF, the "Copenhagen International Fashion Fair" – one of the most important fashion fairs in Europe – always takes place in parallel. Every year, it brings together thousands of international brands to exhibit their new collections at the Bella Center in the Danish capital. In the 65th edition this August, it also showed the CPHFW NEWTALENT showroom for the first time. In collaboration with the CPHFW, the latest Nordic labels were presented here, which promise a lot of potential.
Scandinavian fashion is ruled by women. Sofie Dolva is CIFF Director, Cecilie Thorsmark is Managing Director of Copenhagen Fashion Week. Many long-established, relevant labels are run by women – of the 42 brands currently presenting at Fashion Week, including some associated with CIFF, 26 are under female management. We introduce the women who define Nordic fashion and have helped shape it for years.
Celine Aagaard, founder and creative director of Envelope1976, since 2018
Norwegian Celine Aagaard grew up "as a 70s kid in a creative family" and worked for over 20 years as an editor in chief, stylist and writer for magazines in Norway. The change brought about by social media was formative for her: "Not only the business and the brands, but also we have changed." Suddenly, everyone, including her, wanted to wear new clothes every day, while materials and brand ethos became more and more questionable.
The idea for Envelope1976 came from a childhood full of vintage fashion: "In a fashion world flooded with trends, we wanted to create a timeless brand that was less seasonal. We started in small steps, produced limited editions and also accepted higher unit costs in order not to have large inventories." She describes the aesthetic as "bohemian-minimalist – well thought-out, effortlessly chic and with a certain edginess".
"We are a company founded and run by women, but we are a small team, and the dynamics in the team are so important. I'm really lucky to have people around me who share the same vision," says Aagaard. You have to design clothes that you like, that you can imagine others doing, now and in the future, at the same time create clothes from materials that you can vouch for and make a business out of them. Not an easy undertaking. At CIFF in Copenhagen, she showed a collection "inspired by Norwegian architecture, where functionalism meets modernism, and by Scandinavian minimalism."
Jane Kønig, founder and designer of Jane Kønig, since 1989
The Danish Jane Kønig founded her eponymous jewellery brand without a business plan. "Everything developed organically from my desire to combine fashion with jewelry," she says. "Everything I do is intuitive, and my universe balances the feminine with the raw." For her, Nordic fashion means "simple lines, clarity and understated elegance. It's never too much – and never too little." Her designs arise from an "inner library of ideas and inspirations", and she deliberately creates "space and peace so that creativity can unfold". As a woman, her approach is characterized by intuition, sensitivity and the ability to keep strength and gentleness in balance.
The woman for whom she designs follows her heart instead of trends. "She is a woman who is rooted in herself and chooses what feels right for her." At the CIFF in Copenhagen, Jane Kønig presented her new collection "Tied Heart". "It combines the gentle with the unadulterated. I feel like we need more love, and that's what inspired me to create a design with a tied heart – as a symbol of strength, connection, and emotion." What she would like to see from fashion brands in the future is "more storytelling behind the brands, more authenticity and a stronger focus on quality instead of quantity."
Sanne Sehested, Creative Director and Founder of Gestuz, since 2008
Sanne Sehested founded her label Gestuz in 2008. "I wanted to create a brand inspired by my wardrobe, which was already then – and still is today – full of vintage pieces." Her goal was to "create designs that emphasize the strength of women rather than overshadow them," inspired by previous decades. For her, Nordic fashion means a combined focus on style and wearability. "Scandinavian fashion is always chic and effortless at the same time – and you feel like you can live in everything we wear."
"I design for the woman I am and for the women who surround me," she says. The Gestuz team consists almost exclusively of women – and that's where she sees the many facets and forms of expression of being a woman: powerful business women who can still wear draped dresses, and gentle, caring mothers in leather suits with huge shoulder pads. Feminine and sensual, be her brand, masculine and grounded at the same time. "Switching between the two is like shifting gears."
For her new collection, Sehested was inspired by the 1970s and 1980s of motorsport. "Many pictures of Marie-Claude Charmasson, who was a French journalist and racing driver, were among our first inspirations." Her white boilersuits, in combination with a baby blue helmet and red elements, have shaped the collection. Sehested would like to see even more diversity in creativity, style, look and voices in Nordic fashion. "Everything becomes stronger when everyone can show what we are made of."
Birgitte Herskind, founder and chief designer of Herskind, since 2013
Birgitte Herskind founded her label to "create a universe rooted in my personal values: dedication to craftsmanship, high-quality fabrics and a strong sense of responsibility". Today, the brand stands for quiet self-confidence – refined, conscious and with a love of detail. For her, Nordic aesthetics are inextricably linked to her origins, even part of her DNA. "Growing up in Denmark means growing up with Scandinavian minimalism. From public spaces like Copenhagen Airport to schools full of iconic Danish designs, this shapes the visual language early on."
Her creativity is fed by travel, encounters and her passion for fabrics. "Visits to my Italian suppliers are often the spark that ignites a new collection." As a woman, she intuitively understands the needs of a wardrobe and knows "that there are days when you want to feel strong and sensual, and others when comfort and softness are crucial". The woman for whom she designs is "self-confident and curious. She knows what she likes – from the books she reads to the food she eats."
For her Spring/Summer 2026 collection, she presents "a balance between softness and structure, calm tones and playful elements – a wardrobe for real life". She would also like to see more balance for Scandinavian fashion itself. "Nordic fashion has a great sense of restraint, but it's important to balance that with boldness and creativity. A touch of fearlessness is what keeps things alive."
Caroline Engelgaar, Creative Director MKDT, since 2022, brand has existed since 2014
Caroline Engelgaar took over as creative director of MKDT Studio in the fall of 2022. For her, the label stands for "the fascination of extraordinary fabrics and precise tailoring". Today, she sees it as a "contemporary brand for the modern woman in every respect – sharp and sensual at the same time, timeless and yet current". She explains Nordic fashion as "a quiet self-confidence in simplicity, shaped by the strong design history of architecture and furniture. It's about craft, function and subtle poetry. It does not strive to be perfect; she dares to be slightly wrong."
Collaboration is at the heart of Engelgaar's work. "I never believed in doing everything on my own," she says. It is creative to always create a balancing act between vision and pragmatism, to turn imagination into something real. As a woman, she constantly navigates these interfaces: ambition and empathy, structure and gentleness, aesthetics and functionality. The woman she designs for "dresses for herself and her body – fit is important. It's about clothes that feel personal and allow her to express strength and individuality."
For MKDT's new collection, she was inspired by surrealist painter Kay Sage. And at the same time by Jean-Jacques Balzac, a fictional character whose AI-generated 'false architecture' shows buildings "that almost make sense." "The collection lives in this space, between presence and absence. It is more melancholic than playful. Intentionally unintentionally," Caroline Engelgaar explains her recently shown fashion.