Reporting live from Copenhagen Fashion Week, find here a stream of reviews from DANSK’s favorite Danish fashion talents. First, rising star Cecilie Bahnsen, DANSK Design Talent alum, who in just a few seasons have garnered international attention and stockist.
Last Tuesday, the daily primetime news on DR1 praised how Denmark’s fashion industry has become one the major forces for the country’s economic growth. The next day, Cecilie Bahnsen’s SS18 proved that fashion, driven by dedicated craftsmanship and passion, expands beyond what critics may call economics. As the finalist of this year’s prestigious LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, Cecilie Bahnsen is clearly Denmark’s best export for 2017.
The designer, who also won the DANSK Design Talent Award last year, paid homage to the ever-evolving nature of contemporary femininity: Crisp white frocks, embroidered with the signature lace that narrates the continuation of her AW17 collection. Such design progression excites the sartorial savvy of an upcoming “midsommar” through soft layering materials that one may refer to as the so-called “Scandinavian caftan.” After all, wearability is the designer’s true essence as reflected in her international success; from Ginza in Tokyo to Dover Street Market. To quote one of her aides just minutes before the show: “You’ve made it once you convince the whole fashion crowds all the way to Nørrebro!” referring to the show’s venue at Nicolai Wallner Gallery. Industry insiders from both sides of the aisles should agree that the best is yet to come.
The SS18 ensemble is also a reminder of her Parisian tenure at John Galliano as well as her contribution to the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. What a better way to take a trip down the memory lane than bringing theatrical drama throughout the collection: The interplay of fabrics and coloring to please the eyes embedded onto ruffled neck-collar blouses: En garde!
