Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) is officially entering its twentieth year. The Danish event has its roots in commercial trade. It has become an influential player in the global fashion industry and has achieved the status of the “fifth fashion capital”.
Through her positioning, she has promoted environmentally conscious values throughout the industry. Broader collaboration has also enabled her to involve more designers. The upcoming edition will take place from January 27th to 30th, 2026. It aims to highlight fashion week’s progress over two decades. A record number of visitors and a festive cultural program are expected that will extend throughout the year.
“The twentieth anniversary is, first and foremost, a moment to recognize the strength of the Nordic fashion community,” said Cecilie Thorsmark, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CPHFW in a statement. “CPHFW has grown with the industry. Our role has always been to create a platform that brings people together, supports new voices and helps position Nordic fashion in a global context. Looking to the future, our focus remains on how fashion can evolve responsibly, creatively and collaboratively.”
According to Danmarks Statistics, the local fashion industry’s sales have increased by 24 percent since CPHFW was founded in 2006. This makes fashion the country’s third largest export good. International demand has influenced this increase. Exports grew by 84 percent and account for two-thirds of the Danish fashion industry’s total sales.
To kick off the FW26 edition, FashionUnited looks back at some of the defining moments of CPHFW. This ranges from its founding to its status as a driving force for sustainable fashion.
2006: The start of Fashion Week
The first CPHFW emerged from the merger of the Danish trade fairs Dansk Modeuge and Dansk Herremordeuge. These go back to the 1950s. The consolidation resulted in the creation of a semi-annual event. This takes place in January/February and August. The schedule included catwalks, exhibitions and presentations.
The first editions were led by founding CEO Eva Kruse. She oversaw the construction of the event’s initial foundations, cementing the fashion week’s global reputation.
2018: Strategic realignment under new management
The CPHFW underwent a strategic realignment in 2018 when Cecilie Thorsmark took over as CEO. Under her leadership, an advisory board made up of industry experts was founded. In Futurum was also brought in as a knowledge partner. The goal was to develop a sustainability strategy for the fashion week.
2020: First introduction of sustainability requirements
This strategy was then presented in 2020. A sustainability action plan introduced minimum standards for brands to be included in the event’s schedule. This framework was the first of its kind for a major fashion week and was celebrated by the entire industry.
To underline the CPHFW’s intention, the event launched the ‘Sustainability Award’ together with the German online retailer Zalando. Through the initiative, which also supported Zalando’s green strategy ‘do.More’, the CPHFW wanted to bundle eco-action plans to expand its influence.
2021: Broader industry involvement
The CPHFW sought relationships with other industry leaders. So she started building relationships with Nordic organizations. This served to both expand their program and extend the reach of their sustainability requirements. She entered into partnerships with the Oslo Runway and the Danish trade fair CIFF.
2022: The launch of NewTalent
An important change occurred in 2022 with the introduction of CPHFW’s NewTalent program. The talent incubator, which still exists today, aims to support Nordic talent in the early stages of their business. The initiative supports selected participants through funding opportunities, mentoring and exhibitions. The program has now been expanded to include a funding program. This allows companies such as Danish fashion brand Ganni, Danish jewelry maker Pandora and UK-based Vanguards Group to support emerging brands.
2023: Revision of sustainability requirements
From the January 2023 edition of CPHFW, its sustainability standards became mandatory for all brands in the official show schedule. Internal guidelines were then set out in an action plan for 2023-2025. It defined 220 goals for minimizing the ecological footprint. Part of the strategy was to measure greenhouse gas emissions from event-related activities. The organization wanted to establish measures to reduce their impact.
CPHFW also expanded its partnership with Zalando. She added the ‘Zalando Visionary Award’ to her program for the SS24 season. The new award was intended to recognize emerging talent and their efforts towards social impact and sustainability through design and innovation.
2024: Revision of standards
By 2024, the CPHFW sustainability standards had been introduced. This meant that revisions became necessary as the industry and participants responded to the implementation. In March, the organization published updated and stricter requirements that would be introduced in 2025. Many of these were aimed at adapting to new EU directives.
In order to promote the implementation of these standards, the fashion week received funding from a joint funding pool from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The focus was on expanding international partnerships.
2025: Sustainability challenges
CPHFW’s approach to implementing sustainability began to inspire other industry events. After establishing a relationship with Berlin Fashion Week, the fashion week partnered with the organizer of London Fashion Week, the British Fashion Council and Amsterdam Fashion Week. The aim was to anchor their minimum standards at other events as well. She also hosted a panel during New York Climate Week, suggesting a broader rollout. Their updated sustainability requirements were then implemented into the FW26 edition following a pilot phase in previous seasons.
Despite its efforts, CPHFW could not escape industry scrutiny. The organization was investigated by the Danish Consumer Protection Agency for its sustainability framework. Previously, brands such as Baum und Pferdegarten, Herskind and Stine Goya had been accused of greenwashing because their eco-messages were flawed. Experts accused the fashion week of failing to enforce its standards. Some brands called for stricter standards, for example for animal products.
In the second half of the year, it was decided that the market regulator would not take legal action against the fashion week or several of its participating brands. Thorsmark said the CPHFW has “put a lot of effort into developing an ambitious and thorough system. This primarily serves as a framework tool to further develop the brands we work with, but it also represents an important inclusion criteria for our official calendar.”
2026: Continuation of international partnerships
The CPHFW has introduced a new ‘Homecoming’ slot for 2026. This is intended for established Nordic brands returning to the schedule. This year, Norwegian brand Holzweiler will take on this first role, having shown in London in recent seasons.
The fashion week will also expand its international horizons. In addition to a new partnership with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid, Nazzal Studio will be the first Palestinian label to make its debut in the official program. Copenhagen-based British designer Sarah Brunnhuber will also take part in the NewTalent program. Swedish labels Sson and Studio Constance have been selected for the ‘One to Watch’ program.
This article was created using digital tools translated.
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