Sustainable Fashion Shows - Scandi Style!

by Annabelle Andersen

Left: Look 24 of Jade Cropper SS2023
Right: Look 9 of Stine Goya SS2023

When first thinking of Nordic fashion, women in cozy knits, colorful dresses, and relaxed coats may spring to mind, but Cecelie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, wants something else to be front and center to the region’s rising influence on fashion: sustainability. Since its debut in 2006, Copenhagen Fashion Week (CFW) has slowly become the most prominent display of Nordic fashion and a source of great style inspiration for many. With Thorsmark’s appointment in 2018, the biannual fashion show transformed into something more ambitious, a fusion of fashion and sustainability that is most clearly articulated in their 2020-2022 Sustainability Action Plan. The plan sets standards that brands must reach in order to be considered for participation in the show and also considers the environmental impact of event production, which is discussed much less often in the industry (Copenhagen Fashion Week, 2022).

The Sustainability Requirements for brands hoping to be featured in Copenhagen Fashion Week include integrating sustainable practices at every level from the design process and the working conditions for laborers, all the way to the delivery of the garment to the consumer. The eighteen minimum standards emphasize circularity, inclusion, and zero waste as core brand principles, including agreements to “find second [lives] for our samples,” “consider diversity and inclusivity when casting models,” and that “our set design and show production is zero waste.” (Copenhagen Fashion Week, 2022)

While brands hoping to be featured need not yet fiercely adhere to every standard, they are required to fill out a survey so they can be considered for admission. A returned and scored survey is intended to serve as a point for self-evaluation and reflection, so the brands can grow further toward their sustainability goals. The Action Plan even outlines actions beyond the minimum standards that brands can take to earn additional points, including ensuring their supply chain is deforestation-free or having systems in place to monitor and reduce work accidents.

Cecelie Thorsmark, Copenhagen Fashion Week

These clear goals outlined by CFW are something missing from other fashion shows and the industry in general, leaving it up to individual brands to drive sustainability initiatives with no objective baseline across the industry. While brands like Stella McCartney, which has long centered alternative eco-conscious fabrics, will continue to develop sustainable fashion, other brands may feel content to simply use “vegan” fur and leather substitutes, which are rarely environmentally friendly, relying on petroleum-based plastics. Copenhagen Fashion Week’s approach not only addresses less-seen aspects of sustainability such as labor and diversity, but its clarity in this goal sets an example for other fashion weeks and conglomerates to follow. 

Copenhagen Fashion Week does not expect only the brands to reach for sustainability; they have implemented standards for themselves as well. As Ceclie Thorsmark said, “all industry players – including fashion weeks – have to be accountable for their actions and be willing to change the way business is done. [..] Put simply, there can be no status quo.” (CFW Sustainability, 2022) This different approach to fashion shows is shown in their commitment to running a more sustainable operation.

Fashion weeks can be wasteful ventures, but Copenhagen attempts to cut this down with the use of electric cars and shuttles to transport guests and choosing primarily vegetarian food and plastic-free refreshments.(Womenswear Daily, 2022) Their Sustainability Report from 2021 sets forth their operational goals, which include eliminating single-use plastic garment bags and clothing protectors as well as partnering with companies which collect and recycle plastic waste from shows. In addition to these partnerships, they also are sponsored by e-commerce site Zalando, which gives a prize of 20,000 euros to the winners of a sustainability innovation award presented during CFW. The most recent winner was English-Icelandic brand Ranra, which has prioritized seasonal adaptability in its designs.

Look 8 from Ranra SS2023

While Thorsmark and Copenhagen Fashion Week have been able to achieve many of their goals, the nature of the fashion industry can sometimes get in the way of sustainable endeavors. For instance, the transport of thousands of guests to fashion weeks creates huge carbon emissions, but the presence of journalists and the media at shows is incredibly important for the industry and unlikely to change soon. Nonetheless, their accomplishments mark a turn that will hopefully be replicated in the next few seasons by other fashion weeks, changing the environmental concerns of more prominent and heritage brands.