Highlights of Copenhagen Fashion Week 2 SS25

Joao Maraschin

Joao Maraschin’s “ROAD TRIP” collection, unveiled at Copenhagen Fashion Week, is a testament to the designer’s commitment to responsible fashion and cultural exploration. This latest offering seamlessly blends Maraschin’s signature artisanal approach with a renewed focus on sustainability and global citizenship.

My brand has always been a personal exercise of my creativity, evolving as I grow as a designer and as a person. It is a living organism. Many things have happened in the last year that set me on the road to travel. I love traveling by car, and that inspired me to create ‘ROAD TRIP.’ –Maraschin

The collection’s ethos is deeply rooted in the concept of mindful travel, both literal and metaphorical. Maraschin incorporates pieces from his previous “Home” collection, symbolizing the familiar items we carry on our journeys. This clever reuse not only adds depth to the narrative but also speaks volumes about the brand’s dedication to reducing waste and promoting longevity in fashion.

Sustainability is woven into every fiber of “ROAD TRIP.” The designer’s partnerships shine a spotlight on eco-conscious materials and processes. A capsule of luxury basics features REPREVE, a fiber made from recycled bottles, while denim pieces utilize TENCEL™, known for its reduced environmental impact. Maraschin’s collaboration with Brazilian artisans for handmade oversized pullovers in resined wool and intricate macramé pieces not only supports local communities but also showcases the beauty of traditional craftsmanship.

The collection’s color palette, expanding on Maraschin’s signature hues with the introduction of blue, is brought to life through exquisite jacquards and innovative textile manipulations. From feathery knitwear to cord-woven dresses, each piece is a celebration of texture and technique. The styling, which playfully mixes swimwear with tailoring and pairs sneakers with chunky knits, embodies the free-spirited, global citizen Maraschin designs for.

Stamm

STAMM hosted its fourth runway show this week since the eponymous brand launched two years ago. The designer has been a staple of Copanhagen’s sustainable fashion scene, having previously earned Zalando‘s annual sustainability award while holding her first independent showcase in the 2023 season. In the press letter for the collection aptly titled “Best Wishes,” designer Elisabet Stamm describes her feelings of loneliness, love, and empowerment within the industry that inspired this recent collection.

“I’m really walking the line and although I sometimes feel that it’s a lonely line, then today and the days ahead of the show I feel empowered by all the people around me walking it with me. Since my ambition with STAMM is that it must always be bigger than me, then naturally I hope people will feel something. Uplifted, empowered, reminded to sent out their own wishes perhaps and to also make those wishes happen. I have worked with an equal balance of ‘BLESS YOU / FUCK YOU’ energy and in this writing moment I find peace right there.”

This deeply personal collection touches on the duality of life and how there are positives and negatives in everything. This duality can be seen in many different ways within the collection, whether it be the colors, the construction, the fit, or the embellishments on the pieces themselves.

The collection features a mix of oversized and more form-fitting pieces made of what she describes as “calming and wonderful fabrics.” Standout fabrics include banana linen, Japanese paper dyed in charcoal, GOTS-certified Tencel and wool, and organic twill, many of which the designer herself found while deadstock shopping in Paris. Bright pops of Barbie pink, bright red, and pale blue complement deep neutrals like black, olive green, and rust.

There is a series within the collection called ‘Guilty’, which represents the designer’s own guilt of loving too much and being unstoppable, represented by a bleeding heart on several of the collection’s pieces. There are also several nods to her father, including relaxed denim trousers with oil stains to resemble her father’s clothes as a truck driver. She took a loan from him for her collection this season, which covered a vital fabric order.

Her fun yet heartfelt approach to fashion creates a striking SS25 collection that proves fashion and storytelling go hand in hand and that life is a journey we all experience alone yet together.

STEL

Tailoring you can skate in, denim you can dance in, and shirting you can travel in.

For over a decade, Danish designer Astrid Andersen has been reshaping and broadening the definition of contemporary menswear with her namesake label. Her brand found fans in both the fashion and music scenes, earning a loyal following that includes celebrities like A$AP Rocky, M.I.A., A$AP Ferg, and –now collaborator–A$AP Nast. In 2021, Andersen took a break to focus on family time. This week, she marks a celebrated comeback at Copenhagen Fashion Week, introducing her latest venture, the womenswear brand STEL.

If you were only looking at the runway schedule, you would have missed the highly anticipated debut of Astrid Andersen’s STEL. Known for her menswear designed under her own name, she brought her expertise in precision tailoring to womenswear.

It feels so refreshing—and needed. I’ve recently been binging a series that supposedly takes place in a New York law office. All the women—from the secretaries to the partners—wear skin-tight bodycon dresses and Louboutins. Just watching them makes me physically uncomfortable. STEL is the opposite of that.

Andersen’s philosophy is to create clothes you’ll want to wear forever. To that end, there are adjustments so the size can change: ties are adjustable, side seams are open, and tailored trousers are finished with an adjustable waistband. The overall aesthetic is slightly oversized but still sharp. Intelligent. And already available on her DTC website.

Sinéad O’Dwyer

Founded by Irish designer Sinéad O’Dwyer in 2018, the brand intentionally creates designer garments for women, femmes, and gender non-conforming individuals of diverse bodies. In conjunction with Zalando’s ongoing partnership with Copenhagen Fashion Week, this runway show was the brand’s debut as the latest winner of Zalando’s Visionary Award 2024.

At the show in Copenhagen’s scenic Opera Park, sculptures based on 3D scans of O’Dwyer’s cast works of artist Jade O’Belle lined the runway. The brand also collaborated with the Hair and Care Foundation, to bring the experience to life for blind and low-vision guests and even saw blind activist Lucy Edwards walk the runway with her guide dog, a monumental first for a fashion week.

The collection, titled “Everything Opens To Touch,” flaunts O’Dwyer’s signature form-fitting pieces and detailed latticework across the designs. Keyhole cutouts, ruching, and slits can also be seen throughout the collection. The collection featured indigo denim, jade, and brat green accents, as well as neutral browns, beige, and white colors.

The show was truly a celebration of diverse bodies, showing the brand’s unwavering dedication to inclusivity and the idea that fashion is made for everyone.