Hannah Ernst

In January 2023, the organisers of Copenhagen Fashion Week introduced a catalogue of sustainability standards that brands have to meet in order to show their collections. Our writer Hannah delves into what the criteria were, how likely it is that other fashion weeks will follow and how sustainable the concept of biannual fashion shows can ever really be.

Guided by a love for nature and a minimalist mindset, Scandinavian heritage is characterised by a genuine and humble notion of sustainability. After spending half a year in Copenhagen, I felt like living in a progressive metropolis disguised as a small village: Standing next to people commuting with their bikes, seeing impromptu dinner setups on sidewalks and passing shop windows with world-renowned wood furniture inside of them. With this impression it didn’t necessarily come as a surprise when the organisers of Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) announced that brands have to comply with a catalogue of 18 sustainability standards to partake in this season’s Fashion Week.