Copenhagen Fashion Week announces official AW20 schedule

Copenhagen Fashion Week has confirmed that established names including Ganni, Stine Goya, Cecilie Bahnsen and Gestuz will be showcasing alongside debuting brands Carcel and Rains, as part of its official autumn/winter 2020 schedule.

Taking place in January 2020, Copenhagen Fashion Week has described its line-up as “exceptionally strong” after “careful consideration” of all the brands that applied to take part.

The Scandinavian showcase will officially open with debuting sustainably-driven Danish brand Carcel, who will present their autumn/winter 2020 collection on Tuesday, January 28 at 10am. The womenswear brand has become known for its alternative supply chain, building its own production sites inside women’s prisons where they help the women gain new skills, earn fair wages, and provide for their families.

Commenting on taking part in Copenhagen Fashion Week, Veronica d'Souza, chief executive at Carcel, said in a statement: "Copenhagen Fashion Week is the strongest platform in the Nordics to showcase what you stand for as a brand. Now that sustainability is a strong strategic focus for the event, we feel there is a match.

“We are very honoured to get to open Copenhagen Fashion Week and together with our creative partners we hope to create both beautiful and meaningful experience to remember.”

Copenhagen Fashion Week autumn/winter 2020 kicks off on January 28

Other new names on the schedule include Danish raincoat label Rains, Norwegian rising star Michael Olestad and the Swedish brands Selam Fessahaye and Rave Review.

While contemporary streetwear brand Wood Wood and Tonsure are back on the official schedule, which organisers states “bolsters the menswear scene that has been re-emerging the past year”. They will be joined other menswear brands including up-and-coming brand (di)vision, Henrik Vibskov, Soulland and this year's Magasin du Nord Fashion Prize finalist Mfpen.

“We are delighted to be back presenting at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Copenhagen is our hometown and with an increase in international visitors, both press and buyers, it only feels natural to be part of again. It is always a special feeling to be able to present our collection on home turf,” explained Malte Flagstad, founder and designer at Tonsure.

They will all join established brands such as Holzweiler, Rodebjer, Stand Studio, and By Malene Birger who have been a part of Copenhagen Fashion Week for several seasons.

Cecilie Thorsmark, chief executive of Copenhagen Fashion Week, added: "We are very excited to once again welcome guests to celebrate the best of Scandinavian fashion here in Copenhagen. This season boasts a very strong schedule, blending some of the most esteemed Danish, Swedish and Norwegian brands with some very exciting debutants that are already making headlines here and abroad.”

Gestuz returning to official schedule with immersive presentation

In addition, Gestuz has confirmed that it is returning to the official schedule to present its autumn/winter 2020 collection on January 28 at the Christoffer Egelund Gallery with an immersive presentation entitled ‘Gallery Gestuz’, inspired by a meeting of art and fashion.

The Danish brand has stated it is “rethinking the presentation format” and guests will be “active actors as they make their way through the space and experience a number of different design interpretations”. All the experiences have been curated in collaboration with a series of international artists, including Paris-based creative Anna Klein, the stylist for the AW20 presentation and campaign launching in July 2020.

Speaking about the new initiative, creative director Sanne Sehested said: “I’m incredibly proud to be presenting our AW20 collection during Fashion Week in Copenhagen. It’s been a goal that we’ve worked long and hard to achieve over the past few years. It’s been important for us to be fully ready to unveil the collection on the official schedule, to ensure that our look and brand are spot on.

“Gestuz has grown up and we’ve established our DNA, and this is also evident in the team we’ve put together for the presentation. It has been extremely important to me to rethink the story and format surrounding the presentation to fit the story we want to tell about Gestuz. We look forward to supporting Copenhagen Fashion Week, which, like us, has evolved over the past few years.”

Copenhagen Fashion Week kicks off on Tuesday, January 28 and runs until January 31, 2020.

Image: courtesy of Gestuz