Copenhagen's Fabrics of the Future
Vegetable fur and jackets made from olive oil: a visit to the Nordic capital for Copenhagen Fashion Week.
SAVIAN by BioFluff
Hi all,
It’s been a minute, so I wanted to say a quick hello to all the new subscribers. Whether you came in through a Substack rec, a friend, or your own curiosity, we’re happy to have you here. A little about me: I’m a writer based in Brooklyn and Kickstarter’s Design & Tech Editor, where I help creatives launch innovative projects. I am also an Office Hours mentor this year at New Inc, the New Museum’s Art + Tech Incubator, so say hi if you’re working on anything new and daring (old and weird also okay!): slowghost@substack.com.
Since we last talked, I had the pleasure of chatting with novelist and Atlantic staff writer Xochitl Gonzalez on turning your art into a career and “finally going for it” after 40 for The Creative Independent; did some digging into the best beauty tech at CES 2024, from nail painting robots to AI-enhanced skincare, for Wallpaper Magazine; interviewed radical performance artist Narcissister for Berlin Art Link; explored the workplace of the future for Metropolis Magazine; and won this fun award from the Society of Professional Journalists for my piece on Montreal’s Women of Wine.
There is a real danger that VICE.com may wipe its archives in the near future, so I’m also going to shamelessly plug some of my favorite pieces I’ve written for them over the years, including an investigation into the world of addiction apps for Motherboard, a visit to Torah Animal Kingdom for VICE, and Pedro Reyes’ transformation of Mexico’s weapons of destruction into musical instruments for The Creators Project. Whatever you may think of the company and its imminent demise, there is no denying its critical role in 21st-century journalism, and we all will be worse off if its resources are lost to internet history.
On a lighter note, I just returned from Copenhagen, where I attended Copenhagen Fashion Week and met with dozens of creators, professors, journalists, and designers. It’s been written on extensively, but the Danish capital is truly at the vanguard and a destination where design thinking and the now suddenly contentious 15-minute city have been implemented. Where function and sustainability are considered at every level. As a New Yorker, I found it shocking that in summer, you can essentially dive off a sidewalk into clean, swimmable water, and in winter, you can book one of the sauna boxes that line the river to warm up before dipping your toes in. Can you even imagine doing that in the East River? But more than anything, I found a city overflowing with creativity and an openness to collaboration that was inspiring, to say the least.
Hope you enjoy~
Laura Xx
Vegetable Fur and Jackets Made From Olive Oil
At CPHFW 2024, GANNI championed innovative materials while still creating ultimately wearable designs.
Polybion jacket grown by bacteria, Photo: Madeleine Carstensen
I could write a thesis about the evolution of wonder materials, from spider silk’s miraculous versatility to the superconductive abilities of graphene. Still, the truth is that the place where most of us will eventually encounter these futuristic ideas is right in our closets. In recent years, Stella McCartney has embraced grape leather and sequins made from trees, while stars have begun wearing dresses made from pineapple leaves on the red carpet. Few companies are embracing these sustainable materials more than Danish label GANNI, which has been cycling many of these innovations into its line since 2019.
For CPHFW 2024, the brand decided to forgo a big splashy (and ultimately resource-intensive) show and highlight a few of these such creators in a multi-day activation at the St. Nikolaj Church called Fabrics of the Future, which included Celium from Polybion, a synthetic fabric alternative to petroleum that utilizes fruit waste, and Savian from BioFluff, an impossibly soft plant-derived fur.
Bags made from Polybion (left) and BioFluff (right) courtesy of Ganni.
The brand also commissioned wearable works from several regional creators to make use of waste and wonder materials, including CPHFW NewTalent Alectra Rothschild/ Masculina, who utilized Oleatex bio-based leather and Circulose, a material made from recycled denim pulp, to create bondage-inspired looks that are friendly toward the environment.
Image via GANNI
CIRCULOSE®, a branded dissolving pulp created by Renewcell made from 100% recycled textiles.
While in the city, I met with several designers to learn more about how these fabrics are made (which can range from ultra-high tech to a process akin to producing extremely durable fruit leather). A lot has been said about the introduction of petrol and rubber into synthetic leather and how truly “sustainable” most sustainable fabrics are, but there’s no doubt that the industry is on track for disaster without some kind of meaningful change. The United Nations Environmental Programme has warned that “a truckload of abandoned textiles is dumped in landfills or incinerated every second,” while many of the materials used in fast fashion cannot break down, in some cases, forever. These new materials aren’t necessarily a cure-all, but they certainly would break down better over time and be gentler to the earth and its inhabitants (including its four-legged friends).
However, one of the most exciting things about Copenhagen Fashion Week is its commitment to eco-consciousness — something that is not necessarily a central selling point at other high-profile fashion events and trade shows. Since 2020, CPHFW has unveiled a Sustainability Action Plan to put theory into practice. Today, all participating designers must undergo a screening process and meet 18 minimum standards to walk the runway, including a commitment to using 50 percent upcycled or recycled materials to greenhouse emissions reduction targets to demonstrating a more transparent supply chain. As CPHFW CEO Cecilie Thorsmark told Vogue UK, “Two years ago, not all brands on the schedule met the requirements. Now we can see this framework does accelerate change in the industry – a lot of progress has been made.” This is incredibly timely, given that the EU has begun rolling out legislation that hopes to change how the continent does business.
I’m reluctant to paint CPHFW and all of Denmark as some utopian ideal (though let’s be real, we love to see it) but they ARE making genuine strides in an industry that has long been resistant to change.
Also, look how beautiful GANNI’s pop-up cafe was:
Finally, some quick CPH reqs:
Shopping
GANNI Postmodern store features past season favorites, deadstock, and up-cycled treasures.
Wood Wood Museum is one-part Scandinavian closet sale, one part rare designer archives.
Reseller Consignment. I’m hesitant to share this with the world, but likely one of the best consignment stores I’ve ever visited.
See
Design Museum Danmark for iconic Danish design and modern art (they also have a fantastic lunch area).
Tivoli Gardens — the second oldest amusement park in the world.
Charlottenburg Kunsthall for up-and-coming artists and experimental works.
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek for your classic museum experience.
Visit
I was in town just in time for the Copenhagen Light Festival, created to help pass the long Scandinavian winter, but there are fantastic festivals throughout the year.
Eat & Drink
CPH BEC, which has a pop-up with ultra-chic vegan restaurant September Atelier this Sunday.
Den Vandrette for natural wine in a rare, chill setting just off the main tourist area.
Parterre coffee and brunch offers great breakfasts a quick walk from Christiania, the autonomous arts commune.
Stay
NH Collection Copenhagen. This is not sponcon. I’ve also stayed at their Barcelona location. What the line lacks in handlebar mustachioed baristas it gains in location, spacious rooms, comfort, and, in this case, a stellar buffet breakfast of fresh salmon, cloudberry jams, and endless bread crisps.
Read:
Bee hive-inspired ventilation, sequins grown from cellulose, paint that absorbs pollution — just what is biodesign?
Speaking of, here are Glastonbury’s plans to build a stage from mushrooms.
Algae Cooking Club hopes to “unleash the benefits of the mother of all plants” with some help from Eleven Madison Park’s Daniel Humm.
Making art in an unstable Ukraine.
Check out:
Courtesy of Adobe x Christian Cowan
Christian Cowan’s wearable, morphing electronic garment crafted with Adobe Project Primrose. For the real ones: the dress is made with laser-cut polymer crystal petals that can electronically change appearance. Real Paco Rabanne in space vibes.
See:
Image: Refik Anadol, Artificial Realities: Coral, 2023.Courtesy Refik Anadol Studios.
If you are in the UK, check out AI arts pioneer Refik Anadol’s Echoes of the Earth at Serpentine North until 7 April.
And if you are in New York see:
Godspeed You Black Emperor! at the Knockdown Center for the Outline festival, along with Alan Sparhawk of Low.
The incredible work of Pipilotti Rist (you may remember her from Beyonce’s 2016 “homage”) now on view at Hauser & Wirth.
Finally, if I’ve piqued your interest in all things nordic, Scandinavia House has an excellent film schedule set up for the spring, including this gem on lost first loves.
If you’ve made it this far, stay tuned because I have some great interviews rolling out in the coming weeks.
Slow Ghost is a newsletter covering creativity now, brought to you by writer and editor Laura Feinstein.