Lecture 6 : Danish Fashion

March 9th, 2010

Lecture by Marie Riegels Melchior 

Good design has a long standing tradition within the country of Denmark. Known primarily for their furniture designers, the smallest Scandinavian country has made a push over the last half century to strengthen their reputation as a fashion capital. The effectiveness of this campaign is debatable, however I'd like to understand why being recognized is so important for the country of Denmark and the city of Copenhagen? 

To fully comprehend this question we must first look back at the history of fashion in Denmark. During the 1950's Danish fashion simply didn't exist. Imports from France and Italy controlled the entire clothing market within Denmark. Local mass produced clothing certainly existed, however its impact on fashion was nothing in comparison to the Haute Coutures of Paris. However vernacular Danish clothing soon began to see a shift in the late 50's as a strong youth movement made it's way across waters and into the Nordic region from the USA and London.

Stores such as Deres and Nørgaard paa Strøget began infusing young peoples with a new sense of style; local fashion icons emerged and further progressed the movement. Quickly the trend caught on, and within the next decade the Danish government was using the fashion industry to bolster their image abroad. Finally Copenhagen was recognized as the Nordic Design Capital. So from an early start we see the government stepping in to make fashion an important part of Copenhagen and Denmark's branding. But why is this so important?

 

[http://www.deres.dk/] & [http://www.flickr.com/photos/16854488@N07/2857728323/] 

Much like any business, fashion began outsourcing their work to Eastern Europe in the 70's and 80's after the Cold War. Business that did not outsource closed because manufacturing costs simply became too high. The Danish government chose not to subsidize the industry and yet today, fashion has become the country's fifth largest export. Here we witness diminishing governmental support for the industry, however it has been able to remain somewhat strong despite no federal assistance.

The influence of Danish clothing extended beyond the movement in fashion and eventually gained respect from the well established design community. The Danish Design Council began awarding clothing design awards which have branded icons such as Jørgen Nørgaard's "Rip 101" t-shirt. But despite the country's best efforts, Copenhagen ranks as #26 for fashion design... a far cry from Paris, London, NYC and Milan. 

[http://multimedia.pol.dk/archive/00332/T_jhandler_J_rgen_N_332786c.jpg]

After understanding the history of Danish fashion, I still wonder why it is so important that Copenhagen put itself on the map as a cultural center for clothing design? Denmark is known for their furniture, lamps, etc. Why not stick to what you know best? I do understand their is an inherent power to championing multiple genres of design, but perhaps Danes are content with the #26 ranking. We can't all be good at everything. This situation also raises the question of wether Copenhagen should try as desperately as Antwerp to put themselves on the fashion map? 

Japanese advertisement for a runway show featuring "Antwerp Fashion."

[http://www.superfuture.com/supernews/?tag=walter-van-beirendonck]

Antwerp decided it wanted to be a fashion hub and so people went to great lengths to try and establish its place among clothing's top locations. Museums, tours, etc all focused around fashion popped up over the city and in their defense it's worked for the most part. But despite Antwerp's success, I still don't see a reason why Copenhagen should feel so compelled to enhance it's fashion status around the world. Why not try and produce the best cars? The decision to choose fashion seems somewhat arbitrary to me. My advice to Copenhagen: stick with what you know. Furniture. If the city is meant to become a fashion hub it will happen, much like furniture's golden age. So, embrace what you have and don't be too greedy!