Following Prolonged Debate: Leading Danish Players Confirm Dates for Spring Summer Fashion Week

How can Danish fashion best coordinate its showcase taking international buying patterns and events into account? This discussion has been ongoing for years, and even though opinions have been divided, the ultimate goal has always been the same: Copenhagen Fashion Week should be scheduled to support the most robust collective showcase for exhibitors, buyers, and press alike.

In an effort to replace speculation with facts, Copenhagen Fashion Week, Danish Fashion & Textile, WEAR and CIFF x Revolver conducted surveys among their respective members, customers, and brands. As expected, desires vary, but they can be categorized into four clear groups:

• The majority of menswear brands wish to move to week 26.
• The majority of womenswear brands want to maintain their placement in August.
• The majority of show brands want to keep their placement in August.
• The majority of kidswear brands prefer to coincide with Fashion Week regardless of the timing.

Considering the volume represented by each brand category in terms of show and trade show presence during a given Fashion Week, approx. 75% wish to maintain their placement in August.

CPHFW and DM&T: Essential for the Continued Success of Danish Fashion

At Copenhagen Fashion Week, the firm stance is that a significant portion of international attention on Danish fashion and Copenhagen as a destination is linked to the show calendar and its brands:

"We clearly see that these brands do not wish to move, as it would be associated with significant logistical and practical challenges, as well as a potential loss of momentum in relation to the international fashion weeks we are increasingly aligned with, taking place even later in the season—specifically in September, immediately following Copenhagen Fashion Week. So, we must listen to this if Danish fashion is to continue making an impact beyond our borders," says CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, Cecilie Thorsmark.

Thomas Klausen, Director of Danish Fashion & Textilel, supports this perspective:

"The list of stakeholders in a debate like this is long: we are talking entire markets, buyers, trade shows, fashion shows, brands, partners, the press, and competing fashion weeks. Despite it being a complex conversation with many viewpoints, we support Copenhagen Fashion Week and, as an industry organization, see significant value in maintaining August as the frame for Fashion Week."

CIFF x Revolver: Exploring New Supplementary Initiatives

The multitude of perspectives is particularly felt at CIFF x Revolver, an internationally oriented trade fair encompassing a wide range of womenswear, menswear, and kidswear brands, both for bi-annual trade shows and among its hundreds of permanent showrooms. Therefore, for CIFF x Revolver, it has been crucial to establish date stability for the summer term so that all efforts can be focused on hosting two major trade shows annually. As an additional measure, they are now exploring alternative solutions that can best support all categories.

"The merger between CIFF and Revolver was driven by a strong desire to create a unified platform: One Copenhagen. Therefore, we have a hard time envisioning a showcase with international outlook, such as ours, not aligning with the strong exhibition window that Copenhagen Fashion represents," says Director of CIFF x Revolver, Sofie Dolva, concluding:

"With that said, we need to consider how we can best support menswear, as their order opportunities are subject to significantly earlier budget deadlines among international buyers. Therefore, we are looking into the possibility of facilitating order days for menswear brands in our permanent showrooms on the June dates that this particular industry category so clearly demands."

WEAR: We Respect the Decision

At industry organization WEAR director Nikolai Klausen acknowledges the need for unity across the value chain, although there is still work to be done in supporting menswear and childrenswear moving forward:

"For WEAR, it's crucial that Fashion Week's key stakeholders unite, meaning CIFF and CFW should share the same dates. We view the merger of CIFF and Revolver, with both events hosted at the same location, as a positive development. This change would support larger purchasing budgets, enhance international relevance, and benefit the men's, children's, and a part of the women's clothing industry, all of which grapple with challenges tied to the mid-August deadline. There has now been a dialogue between the Fashion Week actors and the exhibiting brands, which WEAR, of course, respects."

Facts:

• The debate about possibly moving the spring summer edition of Copenhagen Fashion Week from August to week 26 has been ongoing for several years.
  
  
• The discussion revolves around how the industry and Fashion Week position themselves concerning, among other things, the timing of international fashion weeks, order deadlines, local factors, and purchasing budgets.
  
  
• Industry events and organiozations CIFF x Revolver, Copenhagen Fashion Week, WEAR, and Danish Fashion & Textile conducted surveys to provide a clearer data foundation for the debate.
  
  
• The four now jointly declare that SS Fashion Week will be held in August for the next three years.
  
  
• Learn more about the organizations at www.copenhagenfashionweek.com, www.dmogt.dk, www.weardenmark.com and www.ciff.dk