6 stand-out moments you might have missed at Copenhagen Fashion Week

Copenhagen Fashion Week celebrated a major milestone this season as it introduced 18 minimum sustainability requirements that all brands have to meet for the first time. “Knowing that all the brands are living up to the standards gave me the room to enjoy the beauty and the creativity on another level,” Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, tells Vogue.

There was certainly plenty to digest during a busy three-day schedule, from the incredible show venues to surprise appearances on the runway, and of course, the clothes. Below, see the stand-out moments from autumn/winter 2023.

Since launching in 2018, (Di)vision has delivered a series of memorable shows, with this season being no different. Held in a hotel dining room, tables featured leftover oysters, fries and abandoned bottles of wine, as guests were transported to a late-night after party. A jazz band played the likes of Linkin Park and Avril Lavigne, in keeping with the collection’s grunge theme. The finishing flourish? Designer Simon Wick’s girlfriend, model Sarah Dahl, got up from one of the tables, pulling off the tablecloth – which formed the train of her dress – with her as she took to the catwalk.

Related: See all the looks from (Di)vision's AW23 runway show

Over at A. Roege Hoeve, the show opened with a model wearing just pants and boots – immediately drawing comparisons with Bella Hadid’s spray-on dress moment at Coperni’s spring/summer 2023 show. Rather than spraying on a dress, the knitwear specialist showed the way her signature gauzy knitwear is draped over the body, drawing attention to the delicate craftsmanship that goes into her pieces.

Zalando Sustainability Award finalist Selam Fessahaye proved that eco-minded design certainly doesn’t have to be boring with her autumn/winter 2023 collection, featuring everything from upcycled sequin dresses to patterned suiting and cut-out twin sets. The final look, a dramatic pink tulle confection complete with a matching bonnet, brought the house down.

Related: Selam Fessahaye makes an exuberant return to the runway for AW23

Rising Finnish brand Latimmier delivered a new take on the traditional runway format, with founder Ervin Latimer acting as emcee for the show. To start off with, he described how three months ago he wasn’t sure if he would even be able to make a new collection, as he was struggling with burnout, highlighting the challenges and pressures that many young designers are under. As the models came down the runway, he described each look. A beautifully understated way of telling the story behind his clothes.

One of the highlights of Copenhagen Fashion Week has always been seeing the vast array of venues that brands choose to hold their shows, from museums to industrial parking lots. For autumn/winter 2023, Saks Potts chose to hold its show inside the city’s famous Tivoli Gardens, with guests strolling past the amusement park’s illuminations to get to its Concert Hall. Family was the driving theme of the collection, but there was pageantry, too, via a performance from the Tivoli Youth Guard, who were dressed like toy soldiers.

Related: For AW23, Saks Potts celebrates family in all its forms

The casting has been interesting to note in Copenhagen, with a number of designers asking friends and members of their creative circle to walk their shows, in lieu of traditional models. The number of mature models on the catwalk was also particularly noticeable this season. The loudest cheers – and indeed, screams – of the week, though, were for The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills’s Lisa Rinna, who made a surprise appearance on the runway at Rotate, wearing a black bodysuit and leopard-print coat.