Let’s talk about Copenhagen Fashion Week

What is the first thing that comes on your mind around fashion weeks?

I, for instanse, develop mixed up feelings and thoughts. This hasn’t always been the case…you see I used to anticipate fashion week months, especially the January shows ( I love winter style! ). I felt so lucky to live in the era of on line, live presentations of fashion shows. To be able to become an actual viewer of this creativity parade while it was taking place. Then scroll down the street style photos for tons of inspiration. And follow insta stories for a sneak peek from backstage or the aftershow parties, dreaming to be part of all of this someday…yes I got excited. Some times I still do. For a moment or two. And then it hits me…

Alongside colourful textiles and extravagantly embodied designs walk some tough to consider issues. Fashion industry is known to have exploited badly human labor and the environment. Technology and globalization has led to an enormous growth. But in terms of fast fashion and profit gaining this translates to abuse. On people and the planet. We are ‘in dire need for an entirely new human-scale model’ as Dana Thomas claims in her investigative book Fashionopolis.

So how could an affair like fashion week fit into such new model? The tons of waste, the carbon footprint from all the travelling, the exploitive business plan that most of these brands respond to, the encouragement to overconsume, the peacocking around the streets alongside homeless people… . Can this on going game of seasonal presentations be sustainable?

People behind Copenhagen Fashion Week believe it can. They actually came up with an action plan to help push the industry to accelerate necessary and comprehensive sustainability efforts. The plan has two parts :

Part 1: innovation of the event in order to minimise climate impact.
Part 2 : sustainability requirements in order to push for change as the brands who wish to participate in 2023 affair would have to meet 17 standarts and their work would be guided by three main pillars :

Reduse

Innovate

Accelerate

Those pillars are created according to The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 12, 13, 17 which reflect standarts and agreements on human rights, environment, climate and sustainable development.

As Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, eloquently points out :

Fashion weeks are a symbolic, cultural focal point of the fashion world, a platform where new visions, trends and talents emerge. I therefore believe they hold tremendous potential to drive change and, if we dare to be bold, we can change how business is done.

All of the above have been unveiled in 28 January 2020 as the new Sustainability Action Plan 2020-2022: Reinventing Copenhagen Fashion Week – Reducing negative impacts, innovating our business model and accelerating industry change. Just before fashion week began…

As all of this sounded promising and hopeful, we, here at fasfem, decided to follow @cphfw. We were very happy to see Carcel do the opening show of the Copenhagen Fashion Week AW20 and brands that promote upcycling clothing, like Rare Review, thrive. Moreover, food provided by Cofoco Food throughout the events was sustainable, vegeterian or even vegan. And klar delivered a range of sustainable cleaning products to all brands backstage.

Not much you think? Well, it is a start. A fine one as far as we are concerned. Whether the plan will reach its goals at the given timeframe is remained to be seen. For now let’s explore CPHFW AW20 from our point of view….

Here are some fasfem approved trends for AW 20 which one could replicate at home with what one has :