Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize Announces 2023 Winner

Saks Potts wins Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize 2023

The Wessel & Vett Foundation awarded a grand prize of 300.000 DKK to this year’s winner, Saks Potts. Furthermore, the Saks Potts winner will gain valuable advantages through a partnership between the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize and Copenhagen Fashion Week, which will provide extensive communication and inclusion in official activities and opportunities of Copenhagen Fashion Week, valued at 250.000 DKK.

“What I look for in a brand or what attracts me about a brand is a feeling. Saks Potts gives me a nice feeling. I would like to see people - our customers and community wearing their pieces. They create positive fashion and that is what we need.It’s fashion, it’s dreams, it’s creativity, and todays’ vote was exactly for that. Creation needs to come from the heart. Saks Potts has survived ten years while constantly renewing themselves and remaining relevant. I’m excited to see how winning the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize can help push them even further in the right direction.”
– Yasin Müjdeci, Founder of Voo Store, Berlin & Jury Member

The three finalists — Forza Collective, Heliot Emil and Saks Potts — presented their collections and business concepts to an international jury of industry experts holding a diverse range of experience and perspectives across the board. Each of the finalists were praised for their design talent, sustainable vision, innovation, creativity and business entrepreneurship – all of which were included as criteria in the jury’s decision for this year’s winner.

In a bold and forward-looking step for 2023, the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize, expanding its focus to also include established brands and experienced designers who have demonstrated their entrepreneurial and innovative skills, a decision that reflects the core values of the founders of the Foundation - Theodor Wessel and Emil Vett and their commitment to supporting sustainable brands and a responsible fashion industry.

"We are so honored and grateful to win the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize. It means a lot to us! We started this company when we were just 19 and 20 years old, and we grew up with it. It feels good to win after nine years. We have managed to build a brand that is much bigger than our business, by leveraging our community and by thinking internationally from the very beginning! Authenticity, craftsmanship and our community are at the heart of our work and winning the prize will allow us to continue to stick to our core values! With a small but passionate team, we dream big. This prize marks a significant step towards more exciting collaborations and sustainability improvements. We're on a mission to encourage our customers to buy products of even higher quality, keep their styles for many years, repair and care, and even resell after use, so someone else can cherish Saks Potts afterwards. Every day, we strive for improvement, driven by our commitment to being authentic and doing things in an unconventional way, both in our products and the way we communicate. We are proud to be two female founders and entrepreneurs, trust me it has been a struggle to be taken seriously, but this only fuelled our fires. This prize will help us a lot in making an even more positive contribution to the fashion industry.”
– Cathrine Saks and Barbara Potts, Founders of Saks Potts

Last year, Copenhagen Fashion Week and the Wessel & Vett Foundation entered into a partnership via Copenhagen Fashion Week’s talent support scheme, CPHFW NEWTALENT.

With their role as Bursary Partner of CPHFW NEWTALENT, The Wessel & Vett Foundation offers financial support to the brands part of the scheme via bursaries earmarked for their showcases during the August and February editions of Copenhagen Fashion Week. Their investment in emerging talent through their contribution to CPHFW NEWTALENT demonstrates their continued commitment in ensuring a vibrant and innovative future for the fashion industry.

The collaboration is a testament to both Copenhagen Fashion Week’s and the Wessel & Vett Foundation’s continued dedication to supporting, promoting, and nurturing Nordic design talent, as well as established Danish brands who are pushing for innovation - for domestic and international growth and impact.

“As the founder of the Wessel and Vett Fashion Prize, I'm delighted with our expansion, welcoming established brands alongside emerging designers. This reflects our commitment to recognizing not just talent but the potential to shape global fashion. Our mission is clear – empowering the next generation of Danish fashion entrepreneurs. This year's winner, Saks Potts, demonstrates remarkable growth with a clear vision of every business aspect. Saks Potts possesses the essential skills for success in today's fashion world."
– Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg, Founder of the W&V Fashion Prize and Board Member of the W&V Foundation

“All of the designers that presented as part of the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize today have been almost incomparable, all presenting incredibly strong potential and resonance within their respective brands, but the winner selected today was truly representative of Danish fashion.
Saks Potts has continued to flourish with their signature aesthetic and global community, reflecting their values across the pillars of entrepreneurship, fashion innovation and creativity. This is a big achievement that should be celebrated and recognised but it comes with an obligation to push themselves in sustainability so they can continue to inspire and set new industry standards.”
– Cecilie Thormsark, CEO, Copenhagen Fashion Week

About the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize

The Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize is Scandinavia’s most prestigious independent award for fashion design. The Prize was established by the Wessel & Vett Foundation in 2012 as an expression of its core values: entrepreneurship and creativity. The Prize reflects the Foundation’s commitment to nurturing Danish design talent and building on the heritage of Magasin du Nord as a historical fashion institution.

About the Wessel & Vett Foundation

The Wessel & Vett Foundation was created by the descendants of the department store Magasin du Nord’s founders, Theodor Wessel and Emil Vett. The foundation is incorporated and independent of Magasin du Nord, but primarily supports activities related to the department store, its history, and descendants.