The unofficial fifth fashion week city, Copenhagen, serves as the fashion industry’s kick-off to the spring/summer collections season. And there’s a reason to pay attention; known for its signature street style, what the Danish are wearing as they gather to see their homegrown brands in action is a key indicator of the trends set to truly take off.
Celebrating 20 years, Copenhagen Fashion Week saw key brands including OpéraSport, Marimekko, and Baum und Pferdgarten return to the calendar, alongside honorary debutant Collina Strada. Ganni and Stem revisited their collaboration through a fresh lens, with Stem creative director Sarah Brunnhuber upcycling deadstock Ganni fabrics into one-of-a-kind runway looks. These kinds of designers are the springboard for the sheer confidence in the looks you see on the sidewalk, especially where the influences of Cecilie Bahnsen, Mfpen or Malene Birger are concerned.
And no one gets peacocking right quite like Copenhagen show attendees, who have a certain taste for the new and fresh – even making long-running trends like lace, transparent, and crochet materials look entirely modern and supremely individual. Ranging from classic Scandinavian minimalism to texture-laden maximalism, the street style during CPHFW always delivers as the barometer for how to dress for contrast.
This season saw lace socks paired with Havaianas, pirate-style headscarves, sports jerseys with voluminous skirts, capri pants, fringing, primary colour clashing and a whole lot of texture play.
The takeaway? Scandi girls and guys are generally having more fun, and making the least-functional trends of the season feel effortless, even practical.
Frill-seekers
The Cecilie Bahnsen devotees originated in the designer’s homeland, so it’s no surprise cool-girl frills continue to be a mainstay on the streets of Copenhagen. Showgoers paid homage to the designer who recently hosted her tenth anniversary in her native city by donning puffy sleeves, voluminous skirts and delicate lace designs featuring feminine frills and flourishes. This signature brand of high-low styling is key to dressing in 2026; pairing dressed up or luxury pieces with sports-inspired layers and casual footwear.
Clash of the prints
Danish fashion enthusiasts appear to be looking to German print-clashing master, Dries Van Noten for tips and inspiration when it comes to mixing bold prints and vibrant patterns. Not only do plaids and animal prints consistently rank in popularity for trend analytics in 2026 (‘plaid’ spiked in search volume in January 2026 with 11 million searches, alongside a 43% rise in volume, and search interest in “animal print outfit” has increased +24% YoY) signalling sustained consumer demand beyond trend cycles, but it’s the fastest way for an influencer to get snapped for the social feed. Going big on prints is akin to going for social media engagement.
Today’s print trends are shifting from classic leopard to new-gen prints (zebra, cow, snake), broadening appeal and offering fresher, more directional alternatives.
A touch of sport
It’s been a big year for sport, so its natural emergence among the sartorially-inclined is particularly palatable at present. Layered streetwear featuring rugby polos, oversized hoodies, windbreaker jackets, and layered tops are coming through strongly as the street’s way of masculine-feminine self-expression.
Technical fabrics ring true to Scandinavian design, so while soccer jerseys, mesh flats, capris and funnel necks remain popular, utility pieces with feminine silhouettes are expected to evolve into even more sculptural and upcycled directions - as well as with more smart fabrics that respond to the environment while maintaining a high-fashion look.
Back to Bermuda
Turns out rocking a bermuda short isn’t just for the Australian resort set. Against the backdrop of Scandi minimalism and ‘classics with a twist’, the bermuda short was a key constant on the streets of Copenhagen, not just for warmer climes, but as a tailored alternative to oversized or loose trousers. As with the menswear runways, while micro-shorts are used to making the headlines, Bermudas are making the assortments.
According to Trendalytics July data, emerging silhouettes and consistent trends for the month included cropped bottoms, in particular cargo capris and culotte, harem-style pants. These trends are currently outperforming traditional basics. #BermudaShorts and #ShortSet content has surpassed 730 million TikTok views, while searches on Pinterest for Bermuda shorts are 68 index points above the same period last year, and have been on an upward trajectory since January.
Freaky flip flops
The feature-toe moment has snowballed into a significant trend chapter for 2026, and likely the summers to come. Havaianas hijacked the proceedings of the Studio Constance show, dropping an incredibly divisive half-toe kitten heel in the flip-flop brand’s signature rubber. The Danes do not shy away from taking on the ‘ugly shoe’ of the season, and it appears this one’s received the top nomination.
All sorts of flip-flops dominated the side-lines, where showgoers opted for fashion’s laziest footwear to supplement looks that ranged from the sleek and minimal to the loud and layer-happy. The proof is coming to light from the resort season’s trend predictions, where flip-flops are set to remain popular for Resort 27, though in new, elevated iterations, and particularly in leather and suede across both flat and wedge variations.
Swashbuckling swoon
Romance is going rogue. With the hype of Wuthering Heights winter, and the emergence of the balloon and barrel pant silhouette, comes the prairie and pirate-inspired. Fashion street-style has given way to off-cuff high-seas inspired looks, complete with booted and buckled gothic glamour.
The trend reflects a desire for escapism and fantasy dressing, as consumers gravitate toward romantic, theatrical aesthetics in contrast to everyday minimalism. Elements of period dressing are being deconstructed and integrated into separates (like head scarves, belts and capri pants), which makes the look commercially viable for modern wardrobes.
Image credits: Style Du Monde, WWD
