Copenhagen Fashion Week scheduled to still go ahead in August

The organisers of Copenhagen Fashion Week (CFW) have announced that its SS21 edition is still scheduled to go ahead between 4 and 7 August despite ongoing uncertainty over how long the Covid-19 pandemic will last.

The news comes as scores of events both inside and outside of the fashion industry continue to be postponed or altogether cancelled due to the novel coronavirus.

Towards the end of March, France, Italy, and the UK’s respective governing fashion bodies - the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, and the British Fashion Council - all announced the cancellation of their fashion weeks through June and July.

Though CFW doesn’t garner the same clout or visitor numbers as those fashion weeks, the event is quickly gaining popularity as an hotspot for upcoming Scandinavian brands and an epicentre for sustainable fashion innovations.

CFW’s organisers said in a release: “The coronavirus crisis has hit the fashion industry hard, pushing all aspects of the industry to confront challenges of historical dimensions” adding that “uncertainty about how the virus will develop also makes it difficult to predict how this August’s CFW SS21 will turn out.”

Copenhagen Fashion Week aims to keep August dates

Accordingly, the organisation said it had joined forces with trade fairs Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) and Revolver, as well as with industry associations DM&T and Wear, “to embrace a unified strategy for the upcoming edition of CFW.”

So what does that mean exactly? Well, the show will be a little different to usual if it does go ahead, though the organisers didn’t specify exactly what that would look like. “Fashion Week must be adapted to suit the industry’s current situation. This implies that everyone must be willing to compromise about existing formats to accommodate the industry in the best way possible,” they said.

CFW CEO Cecilie Thorsmark said: “Now is the time we stand together and show that a coordinated effort can give CFW SS21 wings, despite the unprecedented situation we find ourselves in currently. CFW is devoted to lifting the Scandinavian industry and that’s a responsibility that binds – also during this extraordinarily challenging time.

“Most companies are affected by the coronavirus and simply lack revenue and liquidity. The best thing we can do in this time of crisis is to figure out how to create the best conditions in terms of sales, business and public relations. That’s why we’re all ready to adapt to the circumstances to give the industry the support, visibility and the boost it needs right now.”

Photo courtesy of Cecilie Bahnsen SS20