Paris, Milan, New York, London - anyone who knows fashion knows the importance of these capitals. Every few months the tastemakers of the industry descend upon each city; where it was once limited to buyers and a few select clients, the Big 4 now attract a whole crowd of journalists, celebrities, influencers, street style photographers and, recently, the added chaos of TikTokers looking to sneak into shows. As the guest list and public awareness of each fashion week have grown in recent years, so too has the environmental impact.
Runway shows are historically synonymous with excess. Just like the rest of the fashion industry, their model is based on take-make-waste, and historically little thought has been put into sustainability efforts.
The pandemic forced fashion weeks to stop briefly, and many industry leaders used the opportunity to call for the fashion system to slow down - to no avail. These days, most shows are just as wasteful as ever, from the elaborate process of making the clothes walking down the runway, to extravagant invites and set designs (often just plastic and plywood creations) that are torn down and thrown out immediately.
Whilst Copenhagen doesn’t have the same recognition of the Big 4, it’s managed to make a name for itself as the ‘Sustainable Fashion Week’. There’s a certain optimism that sets CPHFW apart; whether that’s the result of strictly-enforced sustainability requirements for designers or the open mindedness of the residents, the result is a breath of fresh air during fashion month.
How does Copenhagen Fashion Week encourage sustainability?
Introduced in 2020 and recently brought into effect, CPHFW is the first destination to set strict minimum sustainability requirements for brands showcasing there - and anyone who doesn’t meet the requirements can’t show. The idea behind the new system is to set a “new industry standard” when it comes to fashion weeks; less impact, more focus on the future.
It’s resulted in a smaller offering of brands than you may see in other cities: compared to NYC’s 74 designers scheduled for AW24, CPHFW is showing only 29. Rather than decrease the cultural impact of the city’s fashion offerings, it’s created a buzz around the labels that are allowed - brands like Han Kjøbenhavn and GESTUZ are now seen as leaders of the sustainable future, and their shows are eagerly awaited.
The sustainability requirements span six key areas, with a particular focus on promoting circularity and eliminating waste. Brands showcasing must ensure their clothes are made of at least 50% “certified, upcycled, recycled, deadstock, preferred materials or next gen materials”, and do not include “restricted substances”. Responsibility is placed on brands to ensure their suppliers conform, another example of how Copenhagen is leading the change in an industry known for using opaque supply chains as a scapegoat.
The list goes on: shows must be zero waste, including set design, and there’s a ban on single-use plastic backstage and the destruction of unsold clothes from previous collections. Requirements also go beyond the runway. Ranging from diversity and equality hiring requirements to educating consumers on sustainability topics, brands must prove they are doing their part to further the sustainable fashion conversation.
Also off the runway, the city takes advantage of the gathering of the sustainability-conscious fashion elite to host events and workshops aimed at discussing the future of the industry. This year is set to include talks about industry hottopics, including ‘Innovations in the Supply Chain’ and ‘The Power and Urgency of Inclusivity’, alongside exciting events such as the launch of Clare Press’ long-awaited new book “Wear Next: Fashioning the Future”
It’s time for the other cities to take notes from Copenhagen and address the impact physical shows have on the environment. Fashion can never be truly sustainable unless we slow down and reevaluate the way clothes are presented as well as produced, and this may offer an important model for conscious consumerism.