A Return To Traditional Art Forms: The Sculptural Trend Is A Highlight At Copenhagen Fashion Week
Copenhagen Fashion Week kicked off this week, with people flocking from around the world to see the upcoming Spring/Summer ’24 collections. From the runways to the street style, we spotted a clear fascination with the principles of sculpture, where orientation, proportion, scale, articulation, and balance were all deeply considered. Playful interpretations of line, shape, texture, form, space, colour and materiality were presented both on and off the runway, and there was an evident sense of humour in the styling choices of designers and the front row alike.
Aluminium pore strips were moulded over the noses of models at Henrik Vibskov, and a 20-foot tall statue of a charging centurion glared over the audience at the ‘The Garment’ show. OpéraSport and Rolf Ekroth constructed flourishes of 3D florals; while Latimmier decorated its models in corporate attire and found objects like stationery; and Nicklas Skovgaard postulated mannequins dressed in his designs while a singular living model suggestively danced their way through the show, trying on multiple looks from the collection.
We’re living in a moment in time that has been marked by millennial grey, a world where colour is disappearing from the cultural zeitgeist, but as Copenhagen’s fashion week demonstrates, humans have a base desire to explore the many facets of artistic expression – be that with colour or other mediums. The keen physicality of such a medium also strikes a stark contrast against the myriad ‘meta’ trends that have been swelling in popularity over the last few years.
Gone are the influences of technological advancement that we’ve come to expect from fashion brands experimenting with generative AI or utilising robotics on the runway at Paris fashion week (see: Coperni).
Ahead, we explore the sculptural street-style looks that echoed the realised imaginings of the Danish runways using age-old techniques such as texture, draping, the accentuation of negative space, malleable forms and exaggerated silhouettes.
This maxi skirt combines elements of volume and negative space, articulating the waist with a drawstring toggle fastening and layers of ruffles. Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty ImagesA clash of diametric oppositions; the densely packed wool fringe of a navy bolero creates texture and movement against the organic shape of the form-fitted garment beneath it. Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty ImagesAn amalgamation of crocheted elements, this top creates an unexpected sheathed shape that plays with negative space, translucency and spiderwebs of texture.Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty ImagesBallooned, gargantuan sleeves add a caricaturistic element to the otherwise clean lines of this shift dress silhouette. Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty ImagesThe rosette trend is not just going strong, it’s getting bigger — literally. A few delicate applique petals have been replaced by flourishes of layered, textured plumes. Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty ImagesWe’ve been seeing the slow but sure return of the bubble skirt that was so popular in the ’80s and again in the 2010s over the last few months, but we’re intrigued by the proportions of this particular take on the throwback trend. Specifically, the visual weight that’s been articulated at the hem of this dress. Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty ImagesThe malleable form of this pillowy, tufted Margiela clutch bag adds density and depth to an outfit that’s otherwise characterised by lightweight fabrics. Photo by Jeremy Moeller/Getty ImagesA stylistic dichotomy; delicate florals of cartoonishly large proportions as seen in the streets of Copenhagen. Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty ImagesFrom the thick knit to the clash of colours, there’s a lot going on in this ensemble, which is why the mathematically straight proportions of the angular floral earrings create a much-needed sense of balance and space. Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty ImagesDeconstructed tailoring was everywhere at AAFW, however, in Copenhagen’s case said deconstruction is a necessary step to elaborate newly constructed and conspicuous forms.Photo by Raimonda Kulikauskiene/Getty ImagesThe draping of this buttery-tailored overcoat is evocative of the juxtaposition present in Michaelangelo’s fabrication of soft textures within the structured medium of snow-white Carrara marble.Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty ImagesThe way these jeans incorporate texture, colour and shape allows their form to shift with each step, moving from a space of conventional streetwear to something more avant-garde by comparison. Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty ImagesThese earrings demonstrate an intentional injection of humour juxtaposed against the weighty and earnest seriousness of the material used to construct them. Photo by Raimonda Kulikauskiene/Getty ImagesAn anthurium — the familiar symbol of Spanish fashion house, Loewe — provided a plasticky burst of tropicana colour against the grey backdrop of Copenhagen’s historic cobblestoned streets.Photo by Raimonda Kulikauskiene/Getty Images
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