by Lotus Ladegaard

CPHFW AW22 kicked off on a monday morning in early February. The Danish covid-19 restrictions were lifted just in time for many designers to choose physical attendance with non-traditional shows.

Soeren Le Schmidt is always a crowd favorite. Known for his many red carpet designs for Danish celebs and royals, Soeren Le Schmidt always delivers on exquisite tailoring and a crowd-pleasing show. His AW22 collection named ‘Fairytale’ was presented in classic carnival-style backdrops and props that had a quirky and humoristic way about them which in turn complimented his graphic and minimalistic looks.

His color palette was simple and mostly kept in black, white, and navy. His play with gender fluidity gave us some surprises and knock-out looks such as the black and white pantsuit with accentuated waist and flared pants and the black pants with black vest. Soeren Le Schmidt is always a great way to start Fashion Week.

The Hamburg-based label Fassbender has fashion veteran Christina Fassbender, her brother Sebastian Steinhoff and designer Matthias Louwen behind it and is considered a ‘Friends and Family business’. Fassbender is driven by a strong commitment to quality and responsibility and thus seeks an innovative approach with smart engineering and a technology-driven mission.

Fassbender delivered a solid and interesting AW22 collection on a traditional runway. The color palette featured neutrals such as black, white, beige, brown along with some splashes of bright colours such as red, green, and delicate pink. So many looks stood out such as the brown long satin shirt with high slits styled with a pair of ankle pants and a layered look with a pinstriped shiny coat over a brocade shirt and long skirt. Fassbender delivered another great collection that feels smart, young, and fresh.

Munthe is another must-see at Copenhagen Fashion Week. The Danish fashion staple has continued to deliver collections after collections that have that wow factor and has won over many fashionistas, not only in Denmark but around the world. Munthe has always drawn inspiration from art, architecture, nature, and music to create feminine suits, beautiful silhouettes, artistic hand-painted prints, and everything, we have come to know Munthe for.

For AW22, Munthe had opted for a digital show, showcasing a runway in a winter wonderland. As always, the color palette was busy with several prints, bold bright colors such as light blue bordering turquoise, a warm brown, and multi-colored prints. It would not be a Munthe show without a ton of showstoppers such as the shiny caramel quilted cape over a multi-colored ombre dress and the beige knitted dress styled with a three-colored bag along with the little black dress with ruffled sleeves. Munthe is always a show that is much anticipated and for good reason.

Of course, it wouldn’t really feel like Copenhagen Fashion Week without Danish renowned fashion designer, artist, curator, and musician; Henrik Vibskov, known for his eponymous fashion brand and its enticing universes and crossover into art installation, scenography, video, and performance.

His AW22 collection titled ‘Biblioteca of micro selves’ was presented on a Vibskov-traditional runway; models walked down next to stands with hanging see-through plastic shelves with dimmed orange light in them. His color palette was busy with an array of colors in different prints, stripes, and checkers. It would be hard to single out just a few with so many showstoppers and stand-out looks. Henrik Vibskov has never disappointed neither in design nor in showmanship, and his AW22 collection was no different.

With the promise of AW22, we look forward to CPHFW SS23.