It’s not every fashion week that you walk into a show that could easily be confused for a rave. But in her runway debut Alectra Rothschild’s Masculina brought that very energy, soundtracking the space with a live set by disruptive Dane dj g2g. With models strutting into the pink neon-lit space wearing her tiny, cinched minis, harness tops, and towering patent boots, unsuspecting guests on the front row were left shocked by the fabulous chaos of it all as they yanked handbags off each others’ arms and tripped over on the runway.

Rothschild is one of four designers taking part in Copenhagen Fashion Week’s NEWTALENT program, which supports emerging Nordic talents for their first few seasons. Right now, she’s joined by rising star and Dazed 100er Nicklas Skovgaard, Rolf Ekroth, and Stamm, and though the AW23 schedule offered many highlights, including the triumphant return of local menswear label Mfpen, it was these emerging designers that quite literally stole the show.

Nicklas kicked off CPHFW with a theatrical ode to Working Girl and 80s power dressing, complete with blown-out big hair. All eyes were on the young designer who followed up his buzzy SS23 debut with a much larger production, choreographed by his friend and collaborator Britt Liberg. This time around, his  “classic, cosy, chic” aesthetic was propelled into a new era, where puffed-up sleeves, slouchy drop waists, and metallics reign supreme. 

Though we didn’t expect anything less from the NEWTALENT designers, Sophia Khaled’s off-schedule debut, which explored fairytales and nightmares through colourful felted knits, also proved to be a highlight of the week. We caught up with all three to tell you everything you need to know about these standout Danish designers.

NICKLAS SKOVGAARD

For his AW24 collection Working Girls, Nicklas Skovgaard paid tribute to three of his muses: Tess McGill, the ultimate working girl from the 1984 film of the same name; the iconic lead-singer of 1980s Danish pop-duo Laban; his mother, Annie, who trained as an aerobics instructor in London in the 80s, and each of their singular ways of dressing. If you’re sensing that the collection took on the era’s outsized silhouettes, you wouldn’t be wrong. In his second show with CPHFW, the buzzy newcomer sent bulbous, tiered gowns, draped jersey tops, and big-shouldered drop-waist dresses down the runway. There was a sense of sensuality in the exposed shoulders and shirred waists, with the looks all topped off with leg warmers and bright, punchy heels. Sequined skirts, a handful of impeccable leather coats, and workout-ready playsuits with Baroque ruffles were seen on a stunning cast curated by Emma Mattel. 

The show itself was an extension of Nicklas’ SS23 debut, a theatrical performance in collaboration with the Dutch performance artist Britt Liberg, who worked with the designer as a movement collaborator this season. Models stepped into a series of nine circles set up in the historic Helligåndshuset and twirled around to 80s bangers “All Cats Are Grey” by The Cure and Laban’s “Kun Et Sekund”. The spirited show was without a doubt one of the highlights of the week, thanks to the designer’s close friends and community, who’ve played an integral role in building his brand and continue to inspire him. Of his ultimate muse – his mother, and her influence, Nicklas explained: “When looking at pictures of her from this part of her life, a few years before I was born, I see them as small ‘window-frames’ into her way of living, working, and dressing in this time of her life.”

MASCULINA

A favourite of Arca, Michéle Lamy, MØ, and Zara Larsson, Alectra Rothschild has been making waves since showing her graduate collection at CPHFW SS23. An extension of her first showcase RIP Masculina, in which the designer staged her own funeral, her AW24 collection The Rebirth Carry explores transformation through the lens of her own medical transition. “It’s a process in which you shed so many layers to then bring out the essence of oneself,” Alectra tells us. “[You] kill off the shield that one builds to be able to survive in the world so to speak. Since all life begins with water, I used that as a term for draping, [with] high shine fabrics such as latex and lycra.” There was also swimwear, trenches, and stretchy, bodycon dresses with “fringes that resembled rain”.

Set in a neon pink box of a room – “a womb from which all my models were reborn,” Alectra explained – to a live set by dj g2g (tune in here), the cast of models emerged and literally fought for your attention. They posed throughout the space, stole each other’s bags, and one in a silver, New York Post graphic dress by Bella Sky High featuring the headline ‘Splat!’ dramatically fell to the floor before serving once more. “It’s for the dolls!!!,” Alectra says. “I hope they can feel just how much I love what I do and that they feel encouraged to have fun with what they do! Also stay glam, muah!”

SOPHIA KHALED

While Sophia Khaled was designing her second ever collection, the words that kept running through her mind were “fairytale meets nightmares”. Her colourful, felted knits are a form of figurative storytelling, inspired by all the “crazy feelings” inside of us – sadness, humour, nostalgia – and the duality of it all, she says. They feature sad-faced ghosts, enchanted roses, and pointed harlequin collars in saccharine shades of purple, pink, and blue. On the runway, the playful knits were joined by graphic thigh-highs and fuzzy garters, a shimmering, devil-horned hoodie and frilly knit dresses, designed with her best friend Katrine Nørskau. The entire show was put on by her close group of friends who filled a room of her elementary school with some of Copenhagen’s most fashionable youth.

Sophia would draw a lot growing up, and went on to study at the Royal Danish Academy. Paper wasn’t enough for the designer, and she wanted to bring work into new dimensions, turning to knitting during the pandemic. “I think the most important thing for me is to make a fantasy that people can hide in when the real world is too much,” she says. “I want to make fashion that feels like the way I felt when I read Harry Potter the first time.” Luckily, you can buy into the fantasy on APOC STORE.