🇩🇰 Du finder den danske version af denne artikel her.

Last week, Amsterdam Fashion Week (AFW) announced that it will implement a series of sustainability measures in the fashion industry, inspired by Copenhagen Fashion Week.

Specifically, this means that AFW – in collaboration with Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) – will adopt the sustainability requirements developed by CPHFW into their official show calendar. Additionally, they are forming a partnership aimed at promoting these initiatives across the Nordic and Benelux markets.

Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO of Copenhagen Fashion Week, says:

“We are excited to announce our partnership with Amsterdam Fashion Week, especially so soon after our collaboration with the British Fashion Council. With this new alliance, we further anchor sustainability requirements in Europe and work more closely together on shared goals and a common language. This partnership is not only about creating a more unified industry – it also emphasizes the fashion industry’s unique role in driving positive change.”

Danie Bles, CEO of Amsterdam Fashion Week, adds:

“At AFW, sustainability is at the core of everything we do. Sustainability is not an option – it is the future of fashion, and we are already shaping it today. That is why we are incredibly proud to announce our partnership with CPHFW. By joining the sustainability requirements, we are aligning with other fashion weeks to support designers in taking concrete, measurable steps toward a more sustainable future.”

The measures will be fully implemented by September 2026, but already at the upcoming Amsterdam Fashion Week, around 30 brands on the official show calendar will be evaluated based on the sustainability requirements.

Iconically, the partnership with Amsterdam Fashion Week comes at a time when Copenhagen Fashion Week has recently been the subject of debate following DR’s broadcast “Jorden kalder: Klima på catwalken?” The program raised the question of whether fashion can even be sustainable – but it wasn’t necessarily the content that sparked the biggest debate.

In the broadcast, a journalist attempts to confront CPHFW’s CEO, Cecilie Thorsmark, in front of a fashion show – an approach that has been criticized for resembling a sensationalist pursuit rather than objective journalism. Thorsmark later expressed her surprise at DR’s methods and explained that she would have been open to an interview had she been contacted directly.

“I think it becomes a very constructed scene,” she told Berlingske, calling the incident “absurd” in an Instagram post. The criticism has since turned toward DR, who admitted they only contacted Cecilie Thorsmark directly after the incident at the Han Kjøbenhavn show – but denied that the pursuit in the broadcast was staged.

You can read more at Berlingske here.

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