CPHFW AW/26 / Quiet Radicalism

Our reportage from Copenhagen Fashion Week this season

Copenhagen Fashion Week A/W26 once again proved why it remains one of fashion’s most quietly radical stages. This season, experimentation unfolded through an ongoing commitment to rethinking how clothes are made and why they exist at all. Upcycling and secondhand materials weren’t positioned as statements so much as givens, woven seamlessly into collections that balanced political urgency with emotional depth. Across the city, designers tested form and narrative while leaning into something gentler: softness as strength, vulnerability as intention. From ghostly tailoring and introspective silhouettes to absurd preppy subversions and hazy, outdoors-coded nostalgia, CPHFW moved easily between ideas, with sustainability quietly built in.

Anne Sofie Madsen “Ghostly Matters”

The show took place inside a setting that didn’t feel forgotten, but rather reminiscent. In an abandoned Renaissance theatre reimagined for the present, classical interior details were fractured, their historical weight reworked into something sharper and more contemporary. Within that atmosphere, Anne Sofie Madsen presented a collection preoccupied with absence, with futures that feel increasingly out of reach. Precision-led skirt suits and sculptural tailoring anchored the lineup, while shapewear appeared not as enhancement but as armor — pieces designed to contain, obscure, and protect the body. Roses surfaced repeatedly in fine appliqué, offering moments of fragility against the severity of the silhouettes. A collaboration with UGG saw familiar shapes distorted and integrated into the looks, reading less like footwear and more like a continuation of the clothes themselves. With a live performance by Copenhagen band Wedding underscoring the show, the collection landed as controlled yet restless — elegant, tense, and quietly combative.

Fine Chaos “Ara Solis”

Fine Chaos staged its AW26 collection directly on the CIFF floor, grounding its most ambitious narrative to date in the heart of Copenhagen Fashion Week’s trade environment. Titled Ara Solis — Latin for “The Altar of the Sun” — the collection imagines the year 2075, transporting us to the Dome, a man-made city controlled by a mega-corporation, as the world’s natural resources collapse. It’s bleak, but pointed: a mirror held up to our current state, where technological advancement accelerates alongside social and environmental despair. Against an industrial ceiling threaded with exposed wires and a pulsing techno soundtrack, the brand leaned into a darker, more refined direction than previous seasons. Silhouettes felt sharper, fabrics more elevated; buttery black latex, boxy jackets, slouchy blazers worn with ties, cargo trousers and halter dresses punctuated by metal hardware. Styling nodded to the ’90s with spiked slick-back buns, long sleeves layered under t-shirts, and ties jutting out from distressed tops. Harnesses, spikes and armour-like accessories threaded throughout, framing the collection as uniform rather than costume. Clothing built for survival in a world on the edge of a humanoid takeover.

Studio Constance “A Journey Through Emotion and Form”

Studio Constance staged its Copenhagen Fashion Week show inside an industrial building where floor-to-ceiling windows opened onto water, and rows of candles flickered across a concrete floor. The setting felt ceremonial, unveiling a collection rooted in introspection and emotional intensity — what the brand described as “the darkest depths of our persona.” Exaggerated, elongated silhouettes, and layered textures translated inner states into something wearable: vegetal leathers, curly shearling, sheer knits, and snake-effect leather. These textures took shape as dramatic trench coats, wide-shouldered red blazers, distressed maxi dresses, and low-slung trousers with visible thongs and fallen straps. Religious imagery ran through the collection, but it was subverted with a distinctly provocative edge. Floor-sweeping asymmetric dresses, bare skin, and a sense of rebellion. Models clutched crocheted puppies like emotional support animals, slung from bag straps and kept close for comfort, each one handmade locally from deadstock yarns. The result felt like a rebellious daughter walking into church and turning heads — deeply personal, lightly sacrilegious, and very aware of the stares it would attract.

Sson “The Fortunate Ones”

One to Watch this Copenhagen Fashion Week, SSON presented its AW26 collection inside an intimate gallery space, where guests were invited to drift through the room and examine the clothes. A dreamlike soundscape by Benjamin Lavén set the tone, while a mountain of discarded garments sat at the center of the space, a not-so-subtle nod to excess and the collection’s starting point. Crafted entirely from secondhand materials, the clothes leaned into a kind of knowing absurdity: crisp shirting paired with plush knits, and blush-pink skirts cut from cargo pants, felt very Connecticut mom — but self-aware. Polo tees, mini skirts finished with upcycled bag handles, and a persistent socks-and-heels combo gave the looks their edge, while sculptural, dangling earrings added a playful finish. Think perfectly preppy, unexpectedly woke, and just ridiculous enough to be cool.

Taus “Unerased”

Taus presented its fourth collection under CPHFW’s “One To Watch” program. Drawing on the lives of queer and trans individuals erased by history — most pointedly the destruction of the Institute of Sexual Science — the collection reflected current societal themes that were political, personal, and once erased. Tailoring was literally turned inside out: a two-piece suit cut from ’70s furniture fabric worn reversed, hand-bleached wool coats heavy with tension, and old suit trousers split open and reassembled into something quietly confrontational. These sharper moments were softened by draped silhouettes made from upcycled skirts, deadstock jersey, and burnout velvet scarves. Gestures of celebration for the queer icons who came before. Fringe moved freely, sometimes as embellishment, sometimes as entire garments, letting bodies take up space. Closed by Danish actress May Lifschitz in a zero-waste bridal dress, the show felt reverent and restless — archival, emotional, and very much of now.

Holzweiler “Preservation”

Holzweiler stepped into CPHFW’s Homecoming slot with an AW26 show of half-remembered moments and softened edges. Set inside a vast hangar washed in a red glow from hundreds of lamps filtered through sheer floor-to-ceiling curtains, the collection revolved around preservation — of clothes, of moments, of feelings you can’t quite pin down. There was an emotional fragility to it all, like the blur of the morning after a good dinner party, when everything feels slightly delicate but still intact. Sheer skirts styled with sheer socks, velvet-coated denim, leather paired with knits, and gauzy dresses moved easily alongside cream string-sheer wind jackets and a cropped black pony-hair jacket. Footwear ranged from Mary Janes to serious mountain and snow boots, grounding the romance in something practical. Closed by a Holzweiler bride in white, the collection felt made for outdoorsy people with taste — ready to wear, nostalgic, and dressed for whatever the weather (or mood) decides to do next.

CPHFW AW/26 / Quiet Radicalism

Credits:

Words: Shannon Enriquez / @shhaaannoon
Brands: @annesofiemadsenstudio @fine.chaos @studio_constance @ssonstudios @taus.studio @holzweiler

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