Copenhagen Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2023 edition wrapped on February 3, 2023, after a week full of new collections, street style, and emerging designers proving that style and sustainability coexist.

On our “CPHFW Leads With A Green Rule Of Thumb” Tulerie Talks blog, we highlighted CPHFW’s sustainability strategy that required all participating brands to meet a minimum of 18 sustainability standards. We felt it was only right to follow up with this fashion week to see if it lived up to its green rule of thumb.

Brands, including Ganni, Rotate, Saks Potts, and Holzweiler, had to meet a minimum of the 18 standards for responsible fashion production to be included on the schedule. CPHFW was not shy in holding the brands accountable for their efforts to ensure their goals of making sustainability not a choice but a requirement in fashion.

Vogue Business said that “guests were driven in electric cars, invitations were recycled or reusable, and the food served at official dinners was vegan. Confetti used during Ganni’s show was recycled, while the Stine Goya and Rotate sets could be deconstructed and reused.”

Although these seem like small changes, every effort works toward the bigger goals. “That said, we need to focus on implementing solutions that drive significant change proportional to the ecological challenges that we’re facing. For brands, that means addressing the impacts of their supply chain's sourcing of raw materials, where 90 percent of their impact currently lies,” said Nicole Rycroft, founder of environmental nonprofit Canopy.

CPHFW CEO Cecilie Thorsmark said one of her favorite impacts of sustainability standards on the week is that it proves that the brands don’t have to sacrifice their innovative designs and aesthetics for responsible fashion. They can coexist, allowing the designers to express their creativity while still practicing responsible production fully.

Another part of this week we were excited to follow up with was the Zalando Sustainability Award, which gives the winning brand a partnership with Zalando to create a capsule collection with a sustainability focus and a 20,000-euro cash prize.

This year’s AW23 winner was Stamm, a Scandinavian brand launched at CPHFW in August 2022. “Energy, empowerment, and expression goes before any Stamm creation. The designs are created with an openness and approach of gender-fluid styling.”

Danish designer Elisabet Stamm founded Stamm, and her approach to her creations is described as ‘truck poetry.’ A natural human connection inspired the collection showcased during the CPHFW AW23 show. The combination of futuristic elements such as graphics from Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and rubberized footwear and more organic elements like the use of leather, suedes, and the model’s bare torso’s told the story beautifully.

For their sustainability approach, CPHFW highlighted that “Stamm incorporates materials and practices in the structure where crafted handmade, naturally processed Indian fabrics meet recycled man-made fabrics - an approach and expression of crossways. Stamm works only with RDS-certified goose down filling, and as a new initiative, natural kapok fiber is introduced as filling.”

To see the complete collection that reflects Elisabet Stamm’s journey through her artistic limitations and the blocks she has faced, visit the gallery found in Kolar Magazine.

Fashion United said Zalando’s Sustainability Award jury was impressed by Stamm’s inclusion of recycled down in their puffer jackets, Indian Khadi, a heritage textile made with organic handspun cotton, and overall craftsmanship.

CPHFW served as a magical space for creativity, inclusivity, and sustainability to work together and live in harmony. With the clothing aside, this fashion week amplified the voices of designers like Stamm. It leveraged their capabilities to understand and vow to be more environmentally responsible in fashion, ultimately motivating other designs and consumers to do the same.

-As always, elevate your wardrobe with respected fashion and embrace the shift in style