Fashion & Founders The Podcast · Victoria Smith

Copenhagen Fashion Week Trends and Takeaways

·28 min·2 clips

Copenhagen Fashion Week bans brands that don't meet its sustainability standards.

Victoria Smith hosts this solo episode recapping her first-time experience at Copenhagen Fashion Week. She highlights the event's unique blend of high fashion and stringent sustainability standards. Smith is a fashion entrepreneur and podcaster who provides insider perspectives on the industry. Copenhagen Fashion Week celebrated its 20th anniversary, having started in 2006. The event mandates that all participating brands meet specific sustainability requirements to show. Partners like Zalando offer a visionary award and incubator program for European brands. Smith attended the opening cocktail where the president, Cecily, discussed global affairs and the impact of U.S. policies on European businesses. She discovered Substack is actively recruiting and hosting dinners to onboard European fashion influencers onto its platform. Notable breakout designers from Copenhagen include Ganni, Stina Goya, Rotate, and Saks Potts. The official schedule is fully public, listing show locations and press contacts—a stark contrast to the gatekept New York Fashion Week schedule. Street style photography receives more magazine coverage than the actual designer collections at this event. Smith found it surprising that many European influencers at the Substack dinner were unfamiliar with the platform, signaling a major growth opportunity. She was struck by an emotional moment when a friend realized her own bias in expecting a male creative director at a show. All three shows Smith attended—Opera Sport, (b)old, and Skall Studio—were helmed by women creative directors. A key insight was the dominant trend of "fashion meets function," designing for practical needs like biking in winter weather. She notes this contrasts with purely technical outdoor gear, pointing to brands like Halfdays that merge design with functionality. Smith bedazzled her own gloves with sewn-on gems, which caught the attention of street style photographers. She conducted an upcoming interview with Ganni's chief sustainability officer, who has an unconventional background without formal fashion or sustainability schooling. The tone is conversational and educational, blending personal anecdote with industry analysis. Smith’s style is enthusiastic and detail-oriented, offering practical advice and behind-the-scenes revelations. This episode is perfect for fashion entrepreneurs, sustainability advocates, and anyone curious about breaking into fashion weeks. Listeners seeking pure designer runway reviews or high-drama industry gossip might find it less aligned with their interests.

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