The Tamesis
Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) turns 20 this year. In the two decades since its inception, CEO Cecilie Thorsmark and her predecessors have succeeded in what many smaller fashion councils have struggled to achieve: creating a “fifth fashion week” that can stand alongside the big four fashion cities of New York, London, Milan and Paris.
Over its 20-year history, CPHFW has launched some of Scandinavia’s best-known brands, from Saks Potts to Cecilie Bahnsen and, of course, Danish megabrand Ganni, whose 2024 revenue will reach DKK 900 million ($130 million). While the former has now closed and the latter two have relocated to Paris, CPHFW has expanded significantly since bursting onto the scene nearly a decade ago, defining Scandinavian style as a coveted aesthetic bolstered by Copenhagen street style, which has sparked global interest as Fashion Week begins to develop.
But many would agree that CPHFW’s impact extends beyond the runway. In 2020, it became the first fashion week to implement minimum sustainability standards for all brands on its official calendar. The standards, launched in 2020 and enforceable from 2023, uphold accountability in strategic direction, design, smart material selection, working conditions, consumer engagement and show production. Since then, similar initiatives have been implemented at Oslo Fashion Week, Berlin Fashion Week and even London Fashion Week, as more organizers take note of the positive impact of fashion councils on brand responsibility. But for Thorsmark and CPHFW, there is still a long way to go before Fashion Week becomes a permanent carrier.
Just days before Autumn/Winter 2026 kicks off, I sat down with the CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week to discuss how she is scaling and developing new types of fashion weeks and what the future holds.
Fashion: Hi Cecilie, how many days are left until CPHFW FW26, how are the preparations going?
It’s an anniversary edition, so it’s a bit like planning a fashion week and then doing a fashion week. We’re busy – but I’m excited.
Fashion: I want to go back to the beginning. CPHFW is 20 years old. When did you become involved in this activity?
I actually joined Copenhagen Fashion Week very early on, long before I became CEO. Specifically, I joined former CEO Eva Kruse in 2010 as a personal assistant. Eva Kruse is the founder of Copenhagen Fashion Week. She asked me to apply for an assistant position because I had just finished my master’s thesis on CPHFW at Copenhagen Business School and I interviewed her. [project]. Working closely under Eva’s leadership gave me a very practical understanding of how organizations and events work. So to be a part of this journey is incredible. It really shaped my understanding of the potential of this platform, but also the vulnerabilities and challenges that exist around fashion week.
This is what led me to apply for the CEO position in 2018 as Eva’s successor [Camilla Frank]stayed there for two years.
