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In the animal kingdom, you have the Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino). In the fashion world, it’s the Big Four (New York, Milan, London and Paris), but over the past few years, one city has been creeping into the quadrumvirate: the Danish capital, Copenhagen.
What makes Copenhagen Fashion Week exciting is not only its ability to produce both new designers and billion dollar brands (hello Ganni), but also its remarkable achievements in the sustainability realm. In 2020, CPHFW introduced their first Sustainability Action Plan, which introduced a set of minimum standards for brands. Since January 2023, only applicants whose business practices meet those standards are eligible for the official schedule. Earlier this month, it was also announced that London Fashion week would be following suit and adopting these requirements.
One woman who’s been instrumental in all this is Isabella Rose Davey, my guest on today’s episode. Since joining the organisation in 2020, she’s risen up the ranks to become CPHFW’s Chief Operating Officer, working alongside CEO Cecilie Thorsmark to put Danish fashion on the global stage.
Isabella is someone who oozes enthusiasm; a hard worker with a cheeky grin and a relentlessly positive, can-do attitude. She’s a rare combination of left and right brain, meaning she can run a tight ship whilst understanding exactly what creatives need, and speaking their language.
To kick off a new season at CPHFW, we discuss Isabella’s path in fashion, from making hollandaise sauce, reading magazines after hours at a vintage shop, working at the British Fashion Council, and eventually making the jump to Denmark. I love her honesty: she’s not afraid to talk about when things went wrong, and she shares some great advice on dusting yourself off and trying again. (As she says, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going"). She also offers some valuable tips for anyone thinking of making a career in fashion today.
One more fun thing - Threads of Conversation is now on YouTube! You can watch Isabella’s episode below:
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Threads of the Week
Today I’m wearing the vintage military liner I bought in Japan last year (more on my failed Japanese shopping adventures here). Fastened with a chain link belt (similar here) and worn with an Ader Error skirt from Vinted over some Jacquemus wool trousers.
Loose Threads
Did you know Naomi Campbell released an album in 1994? Me neither. DJ CC:Disco! played her single ‘Love and Tears’ on her recent NTS Radio mix.
Another new thing I learned about this week was a putrid plant nicknamed Putricia (official name amorphophallus titanum—derived from the Ancient Greek for “giant misshapen penis”). An endangered species housed at Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, Putricia bloomed three days ago for the first time in over 15 years. Channel 9 News describes her: “unleashing a scent tinged with notes of wet socks, hot cat food and rotting possum”. As well as sending horticulturalists into a frenzy, the flower has also been an unexpected source of fashion inspiration, as noted by Vogue’s new News Editor (and one of my favourite writers), Anna Cafolla.
Mood by Louise Bourgeois.
3 Minute Threads
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Who’s your favourite Danish designer? Any favourite bits from Isabella’s episode? Other fashion weeks you’d like to see get more (or less?) attention? Let me know in the comments!
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