At Copenhagen Fashion Week this month, the unexpectedly sunny weather reflected the Danish city’s growing reputation and confidence as the capital of cool, ethical and forward-looking fashion.
Its 18-point sustainability criteria that each designer must meet to take part, its ongoing support and investment in young talent alongside brands like Stine Goya and Ganni that have achieved worldwide success, have made the city a powerhouse destination now keenly watched internationally.
The figures speak for themselves. Danish fashion exports have grown by 84 per cent in the past 10 years. A friendly and welcoming city, an air of confidence also shows in its design aesthetic which, though still rooted in an earthy practicality, is more colourful and playful.
The Irish presence was notable this season. One of the key figures in running Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) is Dubliner Isabelle Rose Celeste Davey, formerly director of communications and digital, but who has just been appointed chief operations officer of CPHFW and whose role will be to continue to promote its ambitious three-year sustainability action plan.
The winner of Zalando’s Visionary Award of €50,000 was London-based Irish designer Sinéad O’Dwyer from Tullamore, Co Offaly who presented her Summer 2025 collection called Everything Opens To Touch in a beautiful outdoor location: a recreational harbourfront evergreen park. Two massive silicone sculptures in dayglo green and brown, based on 3D scans of O’Dwyer’s early cast works, formed a dramatic backdrop.
The show celebrated the female body, challenging conventional notions of sizing and fit on the catwalk. Models included the broadcaster Lucy Edwards who walked the show with her guide dog while the grandmother of O’Dwyer’s partner closed the collection. The Irish designer’s signature approach from all-enveloping shapes to micro pieces designed for every silhouette was clear from the start.
Her cleverly composed fitted shirts were a strong feature in a deep blue denim as were her shibari-inspired harnesses, micro culottes and her familiar open stretch and colourful lacing. Her footwear – a collaboration with Grounds Footwear – was a new take on their bubble-soled shoes with laced-up uppers inspired by Irish dancing shoes and thong sandals. Attendees included her father, the silversmith and sculptor Kevin O’Dwyer, and her sister, the musician and violist Aoise O’Dwyer.
Other Irish designers who featured at CPHFW included Aoife McNamara and Megan McGuigan of Seeking Judy, who spoke about their work and showcased their collections at the Irish Embassy at an event hosted by Ambassador Elizabeth McCullough entitled Fabric of the Future: Circularity in Irish Textile Design, which was presented by podcaster PJ Kirby. Both designers are committed to sustainability in their work and practice.
The following day saw a discussion called Woolgathering between Chris Weiniger, manager of Donegal Yarns, and Copenhagen-based Irish designer Caoimhe Dowling who have been working together on tweed innovation. Dowling has a master’s degree in sustainability from the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen and is now starting a PhD in Denmark.
She has already designed a small collection of coats and separates in tweed and deadstock denim, and her next project involves a knitwear residency on the Faroe Islands funded by Kunstfond, the Danish government-funded arts foundation. Weiniger, who is passionate about wool and sells yarn directly to weavers and knitters all over the world, strongly believes the industry should be connected to designers, and their conversation reflected those ideas.
Another Irish fashion designer and LSAD graduate living in Copenhagen is Naoise Madigan, who works with Quirky Lane, a vintage and sustainable shop owned by Eimear O’Herlihy who likes to help young designers and whose shop, totally committed to vintage, has become a fixture on the fashion landscape.
The sense of collaboration generally in this friendly city is obvious everywhere, and even the uber-successful Stine Goya, now in business 16 years, attributes her initial success to a sense of community support and sustainability. Danish brands are popular in Ireland and a number of Irish buyers had a real treat that week at an event hosted by Bestseller, one of Denmark’s biggest fashion companies, where they were treated to dinner in a private airline hangar with special guest Diana Ross, belting out her favourites and still swinging at 80.
