Copenhagen Fashion Week SS22 Was a Lesson in Sustainability and Scandi-Chic

From Ganni’s effortless style to Saks Potts’s curated closet of crisp shirts, wide trousers, and leather accents, these are the five must-see brands that ruled the Danish Spring 2022 runways.

There’s a magic to Scandinavia that is hard to quantify. The elusive and cool “it” girl that inhabits it and the effortless ease in which they approach life — think hygge, a lifestyle that’s all about embracing coziness, and minimalist Nordic interior design — has been coveted by North Americans for years. So leave it to Copenhagen Fashion Week Spring 2022 to host a stylish, chill and safe gathering (during a pandemic, no less!) that was as sustainable as it was fashionable.

Considered by some as the fifth fashion capital of the world, the Danish city has made a name for itself for its environmental agenda. In 2020, Copenhagen Fashion Week introduced a three-year sustainability action plan to reduce 50 percent of its emissions and commit to a zero-waste target. The event is also holding designers accountable, and any brand that wishes to participate has three years to meet strict sustainability requirements or risk being ineligible to attend.

The designers who stood out at this year’s SS22 shows were the ones that balanced environmental activism with COVID-conscious protocols and a distinctly Scandinavian aesthetic. Most designers showcased their work outdoors or virtually, as mask-wearing is not mandated in Denmark.

From a fashion perspective, versatility and easy silhouettes dominated the runways, as the labels that came out on top weren’t the ones that succumbed to using nostalgia or 1920s decadence as inspiration — a predicted Fall 2021 trend that is coming off as a bit forced and has yet to catch on — but those who embraced a quieter confidence.

Below are designers from the Copenhagen Fashion Week SS22 shows who understood the assignment and have us wanting to book our trips to Denmark pronto.

Brøgger

It’s no secret colours affect our mood. Case in point: Brøgger’s soft sorbet hues. The London-based luxury label by Danish designer Julie Brøgge presented a mélange of feminine and masculine silhouettes in shades of mint, lilac and lemon in what can only be described as a very optimistic collection. As with all their pieces, for their Spring 2022 collection Brøgger combined high-quality fabrics with organic, recycled and repurposed materials to create a sustainable and innovative assortment.

(di)vision

Founded in 2018 by the brother and sister team of Nanna and Simon Wick, (di)vision has become synonymous with a DIY and punk aesthetic. Housed on the rooftop of a parking garage, local rock band Woodpecker provided an edgy soundtrack as the brand explored patchwork and seaming on both men’s and women’s designs for their SS22 collection.

Ganni

Perhaps the most instantly recognizable name on this list, the Danish designer credited for kick-starting the oversized collar trend of the early pandemic staged their runway 278 feet above the ground on the capital’s artificial ski slope/recycling factory CopenHill. Soft pastels and relaxed silhouettes were the perfect marriage between comfort and style, with creative directors, Nicolaj and Ditte Reffstrup saying they were inspired by “self-love.”

Saks Potts

What is fashion week without a surprise? A rebel with a cause, Saks Potts presented its Fall 2022 collection during Copenhagen’s Spring 2022 Fashion Week, unveiling a curated closet of crisp shirts, wide trousers, and leather accents. Using the garden of the late architect Arne Jacobsen’s private home in Charlottenlund, guests were able to enjoy the statement coats (and there were many!) in the safety of the fresh air.

Soulland

Ready or not, the future is here, and Soulland is leading the charge. Not only did creative director Silas Adler use exclusively deadstock, recycled, and organic materials for his Spring 2022 collection, the last look was released in the form of a Non-Fungible Token (NFT), which according to Forbes, is “a digital asset that represents real-world objects like art, music, in-game items and videos” that is “bought and sold online, frequently with cryptocurrency.” Androgynous silhouettes dominated the runway and played with dichotomies in the collection that was fitting titled “Love and Tragedy.”