With the World of Wearable Art show coming next month, and yet another of our latex designs earning a nomination as a finalist (yes, we are bragging a bit), our eyes are peeled more than usual (although they always are) on present world fashion events. And we recently happened across some news about Copenhagen Fashion Week, where it seems it’s been a bumpy ride at the recent ‘week’ in the Danish capital.
Called the “greenest” fashion week on the globe, the CPHFW has always been regarded as a forward-acting grouping of designers and fashionistas. Five years ago, this fashion ‘week’ set the standard, as well as being the first to introduce nineteen mandatory requirements for the brands showing at their show. These requirements included the specific use of sustainable materials in designs appearing down runways, strict adherence to fair labor practices for brands, a ban on certain product construction, and guidelines on overall ethics to reduce negative environmental impact from fashion.
But this year’s S/S 2026 season of the CPHFW has been met with accusations of greenwashing (the propagating of misleading claims being made about the environmental benefits of a product) as well as a seeming pull-out of designer attendance for shows in other cities. There have also been claims that the CPHFW has fallen short in eliminating textiles like polyester, that the show’s “eco-messaging” could be clearer, and other communities are now being touted as stronger in their promotion of certain green highpoints that Copenhagen was most known for.
Surely, environmental issues are at the forefront of the global consciousness, not just in fashion, but across all industries. And with global fashion week competition on the rise post the COVID-shutdown, and sustained as much by increased celebrity attendance as social media reach, no fashion week can afford bad press of any kind.
Does any of what might be happening at the CPHFW sound a death knell for the Danish fashion week?
