AW23 brand line up shaped by Minimum Standards

The AW23 edition of CPHFW marks a milestone, as it is the first edition where all participating brands have had to live up to 18 Minimum Standards in order to be admitted to the official show schedule

Today, Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) is proud to announce the line up for the AW23 edition encompassing 29 brands that have been approved not only by the CPHFW Show Committee, but also by the CPHFW Sustainability Committee. As a result, the line up of the forthcoming fashion week presents brands that have been selected both from fashion design criteria as well as a full value chain perspective, as they all live up to Copenhagen Fashion Week's 18 Minimum Standards having noteworthy efforts in the areas of Strategic Direction, Design, Smart Material Choices, Working Conditions, Consumer Engagement and Show.

CEO Cecilie Thorsmark states:
"Three years ago, we announced that Copenhagen Fashion Week in 2023 would introduce mandatory Minimum Standards for brands to comply with in order to be admitted to the show schedule. We simply wished to rethink our platform and use our position to contribute to accelerating the sustainability efforts of the fashion brands that make up Copenhagen Fashion Week. Ever since, we have been working closely with the brands to support them through various knowledge sharing activities and to prepare them for an extensive application process this season, and I am utterly impressed by the dedication the brands have shown in making the necessary strides to live up to the Minimum Standards."

Read more about the Minimum Standards in the background section below.

CPHFW NEWTALENT supported by Circulose, a 100% recycled material for fashion

For the AW23 edition, CPHFW NEWTALENT supported by Circulose® will include three brands in the talent support scheme: Latimmier from Finland, P.L.N. and Iso.Poetism by Tobias Birk Nielsen from Denmark. The latter joins as part of the partnership with Wessel & Vett Foundation, being this year's winner of the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize.

Brands part of CPHFW NEWTALENT supported by Circulose® will be supported for three consecutive seasons through monetary support, mentorships, partnership offerings, professional advisors, onboarding to the official CPHFW show schedule, event participation, showroom activations, alumni network, and extensive PR through CPHFW's international community and channels. Subsequently each designer will graduate on to the alumni scheme.

CPHFW is proud of the immense support the CPHFW NEWTALENT scheme is receiving from contributors and partners, as well as an impressive list of mentors offering their expertise to brands part of the scheme. Find out more about CPHFW NEWTALENT supported by Circulose® and its dedicated partners.

Zalando Sustainability Award Finalists

The Zalando Sustainability Award, celebrating brands that drive positive change and contribute to a more responsible fashion industry, is marking its fifth iteration in partnership with Copenhagen Fashion Week for AW23. This season Zalando welcomes Selam Fessahaye (Sweden), TG Botanical (Ukraine) and Stamm (Denmark) as finalists for the award which will be presented as part of the official show schedule at Copenhagen Fashion Week.

Selam Fessahaye has cultivated a dedicated and visionary perspective on design, telling an inclusive story while honouring the creations as artworks in their own right. For Stamm, the brand’s principle in designing clothing relies heavily on the cross-over between creativity and functionality where responsibility is the key ingredient. TG Botanical focuses on contemporary womenswear crafted using mostly locally grown, natural materials and aim to lead with their conscious, explorative and impactful approach to design.

Each finalist will be part of the official brand line up this coming season, showcasing in the official Zalando Sustainability Award venue. The winner will be announced at a ceremony during AW23 that will welcome the international industry that has worked with the Zalando Sustainability Award for the coming season. The winner will receive a prize of 20,000 euros and a partnership with Zalando to develop an exclusive capsule collection, while the winning collection will be made available to all Zalando customers across Europe.

Find out more about the Zalando Sustainability Award.

AW23 brand line up

Background on the Minimum Standards

The Minimum Standards are a part of the Sustainability Requirements framework which was developed in conjunction with CPHFW’s 2020-2022 Sustainability Action Plan. The Minimum Standards are mandatory for brands to comply with from the AW23 edition and onwards.

The Minimum Standards are not a new industry audit or certification but a screening framework developed by CPHFW. The screening, executed by the CPHFW Sustainability Committee which is led by Rambøll and supported by Dansk Fashion & Textile and In futurum, ensures that the brands showcasing at the CPHFW AW23 edition are taking action on six focus areas: Strategic Direction, Design, Smart Material Choices, Working Conditions, Consumer Engagement and Show.

Prior to introducing the Minimum Standards as a mandatory criterion, CPHFW has hosted several webinars on the framework, covering each Minimum Standard in particular as well as the six focus areas. In addition brands have access to a toolbox that covers relevant organisations and solution providers to engage with when working with the framework next to an extensive guide explaining the requirements with detailed examples. CPHFW has also conducted brand individual 1-1 meetings to guide them and provide concrete input and feedback.

Acknowledging the actions laid out by the Minimum Standards requires a developed sustainability strategy and extensive preparation: as such CPHFW welcomes newcomers and talents part of CPHFW NEWTALENT supported by Circulose® and does not require them to live up to the Minimum Standards until after one year. Nevertheless, these brands do commit to work on the implementation of the Minimum Standards and commit to go through an onboarding process and can partake in the CPHFW Minimum Standard Accelerator Program. The Accelerator Program is supported by the consultancies In futurum, Sourcing House, Transition and Tekstilrevolutionen who lay out an individual action plan on how to reach the Minimum Standards providing hands-on guidance to the brands. It is worth noting that some of the AW23 newcomers, Aeron and OpéraSport, already live up to the Minimum Standards.