Humans of Copenhagen Fashion Week: The people behind the street style

Every season, Copenhagen Fashion Week welcomes an eclectic group that share one obvious thing in common. I spoke to some of their best dressed to find out more about the stories behind their style and to ask one often-unspoken question; who are the show-goers and how did they make their way into this tight-knit, sometimes elusive community?

While every fashion week carries with it an air of exclusivity, Copenhagen’s fashion week goers reveal that maybe the industry isn’t as inaccessible as we may think. Digging deeper, it's evident that what binds this community is not just a shared love for fashion, but a shared determination too.

Related: The best street style from Copenhagen Fashion Week spring/summer 2023

The youngest people at fashion week by a mile, these two London teenagers were everywhere. The dynamic duo attended their first fashion week this season in Copenhagen, and what a way to start. Having just finished his GCSE’s, Felix Allen (left) was invited by his management to get some exposure as both model and designer.

When asked what advice they would give to other hopeful fashion week attendees, Alan’s best advice was to simply turn up to shows uninvited and wait outside in the hope of a bit of mingling. “It’s all about getting lucky and speaking to the right person – click with the right people and they’ll be able to take you anywhere”. Hans Brinkmann (right), invited by the same management, thanked social media for his invite. He had the refreshing take that it’s actually pretty easy to get invited to shows and to get noticed in general when you’re actively posting, especially on the fashion side of TikTok.

Related: 4 stand-out inclusive moments from Copenhagen Fashion Week

Jordan Hames (left) is an influencer with a twist. Having done some presenting for MTV, he has gone on to secure a contract with the NFL. He maintains his own personal style though his work on television and enjoys using his platform, as a “lad that’s into sport”, to push boundaries in men’s fashion. In a recent feature for the BBC, he got the chance to integrate fashion into his work in a new way, styling Euro Football kits with vintage and streetwear pieces.

Hames began attending fashion weeks just last year, with Vetements as one of his first shows (and what an entrance). He said that while moving into the industry took some adjustment, he feels proud of how he navigated his career from TV into fashion. He admitted that after attending his first Givenchy show in Paris, he had a moment in his hotel where he cried for an hour, reflecting on the invitation as a milestone he never imagined happening.

Under the same management agency, content creator Oliver Bromfield (right) entered the fashion scene originally as a buyer for Asos but managed to transition into full time influencer this year. I was curious to know what shows were on their bucket list and Jacquemus and Balenciaga were the top contenders. I asked them if they thought whether these invitations were on the cards and I was met with resounding confidence: “it’s a matter of time” Hames responded with a grin.

This Parisian pair are two members of a streetstyle photography group well accustomed to fashion week. Alex Dobé (Right) has been travelling to the various fashion weeks in Europe, Asia and America for almost ten years. Starting out on Tumblr, he was inspired to start shooting fashion week after seeing a photographer in New York capture guests outside a show. In Copenhagen he was shooting for two clients, Vestiaire Collective and the fashion search engine Tagwalk. When asked about his advice for aspiring fashion photographers, Dobé said it wasn’t very difficult in today’s time, that it’s super easy to find addresses of the shows online and he often sees young kids turning up with cameras to practice.

Erwan Filidori (left) is the latest member of the group to join, having left his job in PR just a few months ago. Not working for anyone in particular just yet, he came to Copenhagen to build his portfolio and get contracts for the coming seasons and sees fashion week as a great opportunity to practice as a beginner, with changes in lighting throughout the day, moving subjects and the freedom to capture people without the need to ask permission.

Introducing one of the most photographed girl gangs in Copenhagen – this group have each other’s backs when it comes to fashion week. A true local, Laura Tønder (left) has been attending the event since she was in high school. A Danish designer and influencer living in Spain, she started out doing streetstyle photography outside the shows with her small digital camera. In the early days, she would simply dress up and ask at the door if she could please attend and after a while began to travel to Milan, London and Paris to their respective fashion weeks, photographing others as well as being captured herself. While she doesn’t stress about choosing outfits, she says it can be stressful getting from A to B. In Copenhagen, it’s by bike so it’s all about finding something that’s comfortable and cool – she’ll carry a hairband in her bag to tie up long dresses or bring a pair of flip flops along with her stilettos.

Emma Fridsell (middle) came into the gang through mutual friends and shares the other’s multi-faceted interest in fashion through her work in styling, sales and social media. Tagging along with the others during her first season, she managed to get into shows by simply turning up and dressing up. When I asked whether such an intensive week had ever caused her anxiety or stress Fridsell noted, very honestly, that “we’re going to the shows but we’re also creating a show, and how well we do is always something that we are nervous about but we do it together and that makes it so much easier”.

Mette Dalgaards (right) is fashion week’s triple threat. During the day, she carries out academic research on the resale market and on the side takes on freelance jobs in modelling and styling. She says she has always talked openly about her interest in going to shows and has been very honest about that interest when speaking to people who knew how to get on the list. If Dalgaards has a genuine interest in the brand, she will find someone to contact and explain why it’s relevant for her to go. In her mind, it’s not looked upon by brands as strange to be eager to attend their show and saying it out loud to others is a good start.

This year, Amalie Nielsenn decided to dive into fashion week. As she waits for her visa to work as a designer for Sea New York, she grabbed the opportunity to overcome the anxieties of joining in. As someone that isn’t as outgoing but just as enthusiastic, she has always found it challenging to jump into a scenario so hectic and while her social media has made it easier to get involved, she thinks there should be more opportunities for people that aren’t in the industry to come out and attend.

For Nielsenn, the week is a way to get her designs out there in an environment where it feels like she has the space to go bigger and bolder. She had just finished her final collection from design school in the city so pulled outfits from there, but like all the others I spoke to, found some magic in curating others on the day, it being a true reflection of how she approaches dressing otherwise.

Taking a more traditional route into fashion week, Octavia (left) is the fashion designer of her own sustainable brand, Octavia Chiru. Travelling from Romania for the occasion, she came to bring her brand to the next level. Her tip to other budding designers is to get the brand out there on social media but also at these kinds of physical events. Throughout the week, Chiru wore looks from her most recent collection. It was her bag that made me want to shoot her at first, making my mind after realising it was part of an entire hand-made plush ensemble.

It was her first time in Denmark, and she though it to be a perfect match for her brand with its unapologetic love for colour and a fashion week where sustainability is at the forefront.