26 Scandi fashion brands you should know

Ah, Scandi fashion. Minimalist, functional and understated on one hand, yet extremely edgy, unconventional and extravagant on the other.

Scandinavians manage to reconcile these two seemingly irreconcilable poles more harmoniously than almost any other fashion nation. And that is precisely what makes their specific flavour of fashion so exciting; the play with two dissonant elements and effortless vibes that they wear them with.

But which brands and designers make Scandinavian fashion what it is? These are some of the best Scandi fashion brands that need to be on your radar.

Copenhagen Fashion Week street style just announced the next ‘it’ accessory

16 Photos

By Rosana Lai

View Gallery

Everyone wants to be at Copenhagen Fashion Week these days, with the Nordic fashion week having found a place in the ranks of Milan, London and New York. Catch up on the biggest Scandi fashion brands showing this year:

Always in tune with the times and extremely effortless, Danish label Ganni is one of the best-known Scandinavian brands. In addition to nailing cool wardrobe essentials, creative director Ditte Reffstrup is known for designing extravagant ready-to-wear pieces such as dresses and skirts with eye-catching prints that can be worn in a variety of ways and are especially popular with celebrities, fashion influencers and editors. Think dreamy knitwear, effortless coats, graphic Tees and dreamy accessories. Plus, the brand also regularly does collabs, such as their recent partnerships with The North Face and New Balance.

Malene Birger offers elevated, feminine fashion that makes the most of clear lines, elegant cuts and unusual details and materials. In classic Scandi style, pieces are extremely easy to work into your wardrobe, with their dresses, jumpers, shoes, coats and jackets being particularly popular in fashion circles. Good to know: Malene Birger also founded another label, Birger 1962, in 2014, which sees her pursuing her passion for interior design and art.

Designer Cecilie Bahnsen's Danish fashion label combines couture craftsmanship with sculptural silhouettes in its collections, which are reinterpreted for a contemporary audience. Having already gained experience at Erdem and John Galliano, femininity and volume play a major role in every dress, skirt or shirt, and each item of clothing is also made by hand using traditional techniques.

Samsøe Samsøe was founded in 1993 when brothers Klaus and Preben Samsøe opened a small shop of the same name in the old Latin Quarter in Copenhagen. Originally, they only sold jewellery, though the label was soon expanded to include premium T-shirts. In 2000, Peter Sextus and Per-Ulrik Andersen took over the brand and transformed it into an international fashion house focusing on modern clothing, jeans, shoes and accessories for men and women. With a nod to its Scandinavian heritage, Samsøe Samsøe is defined by a simple aesthetic that combines typical Nordic minimalism with stylish street style pieces at reasonable prices.

Danish label Heliot Emil offers futuristic designs that focus on a monochrome aesthetic with technical details, breaking up classic pieces such as tops and blazers. Signature elements such as the large "HE" and silver-coloured carabiners can be found on most of their pieces, which unmistakably bear the signature of the founders and brothers Julius Juul and Victor Juul. Reinterpreting Scandinavian minimalism, each garment plays with form and function in its own way.

Danish designers Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Heste founded their label in 1999 after finishing studying in Copenhagen and have gone from strength to strength since then. Playful details on dresses, skirts and blouses, as well as high-contrast designs and eye-catching prints on jackets and coats, are part of the typical style of the Scandinavian fashion label Baum und Pferdgarten, which is popular with fashion fans worldwide.

The two Danes, Barbara Potts and Cathrine Saks, don't have much in common with the supposedly typical Scandinavian minimalism. The fashion that the two designers have been creating for their Copenhagen label Saks Potts since 2013 is extravagant and very colourful - including mainly colourful coats and jackets, but also a few pants, shirts and accessories.

Founded in 2012, Rains is a modern lifestyle brand for rainwear that creates waterproof designs for fashion-conscious men and women. Influenced by Scandinavian essentials, Rains takes an uncompromising approach to simplicity, rooted in both functionality and practicality. Rains believes that proper rainwear does not have to come at the expense of thoughtful design. Rather, rainwear, bags and accessories are designed to withstand the stormiest weather conditions and look trendy at the same time.

Colourful fashion, eye-catching prints and statement silhouettes that put you in a good mood and allow you to express your personality: That's Stine Goya. The designer founded her eponymous label in Copenhagen in 2006 and is now one of the highlights of the Scandinavian fashion industry. Anyone looking for an extravagant sweater, shirt or dress is guaranteed to find what they are looking for at Stine Goya. Incidentally, the label (like many other Scandinavian brands) attaches great importance to sustainability.

According to designer Denise Christensen, Remain Birger Christensen's creations are real wardrobe classics that you can keep in your closet for years and wear again and again. Each individual item of clothing created by the Copenhagen concept store can be combined to create a "seasonal uniform". The collections include cosy knitted sweaters as well as smart separates. Well-known fashion influencers such as Linda Tol and Pernille Teisbaek have long been fans of the brand.

Danish fashion label Birger Christensen has brought influencers Jeanette Friis Madsen and Thora Valdimars on board as designers (and free PR). The result is Rotate Birger Christensen, which offers great statement dresses for day and evening.

Gestuz was founded in 2008 by Sanne Sehested in Denmark. The label stands for fashion with clean lines, feminine cuts and a certain rock 'n' roll attitude. Reduced colours and minimalist cuts meet colourful prints to create the brand's exciting and unmistakable look.

Founded in 1994 and relaunched in 2014, Danish fashion label Munthe is one of Copenhagen's most sought-after fashion brands. Designer Naja Munthe's designs are known for their artistic hand-painted prints and dresses with feminine silhouettes that exude urban boho flair. Many Scandinavian influencers and fashion editors are fans and are often spotted wearing various pieces.

If you have a penchant for conceptual design, Henrik Vibskov is the right place for you. The abstract creations of the fashion designer, who also works as an interior designer and musician, are unconventional and thrive on the tension between architectural cuts and unusual prints and textures.

The Danish label Second Female was founded in Copenhagen in 2010 and has been designing timeless, easy-to-wear essentials with clean lines for women ever since. The colours are usually soft, the silhouettes flowing,and the fabrics look casually elegant. Typical key pieces in the collections are feminine blouses, dresses and knitwear pieces as well as leather skirts and pants.

It's hard to believe that the popular Scandi label Summery Copenhagen was born out of an acute outfit crisis for creative director Cecilie Jørgensen in 2011: she quickly sewed two kufiya-print scarves together to make a shirt for a night out with friends - et voilà: a new fashion label was born. In addition to the shirt in question, there are now various other tops, pants, dresses, jackets and kimonos in many different cuts and colours, but always made of 100% cotton. Summery Copenhagen has remained true to its distinctive kufiya print, and fashion fans all over the world love the Danish label for it.

BeckSöndergaard was founded in Copenhagen in 2003 with the vision of creating accessories for women who appreciate playful, individual designs that always allow for new styles. The brand quickly became known for its colours, contrasts and unique print patterns. Since February 2019, the Becksöndergaard design team has been under the direction of Katrine Larsø Jensen (formerly Baum und Pferdgarten), who has made the brand a one-stop shop for handbags, hair accessories and scarves.

If Danish fashion has a minimalist sister, then it's Swedish fashion. While people in Denmark like to go for colour, never shy away from a pattern and like to combine unconventional styles, materials, etc., in Sweden, the focus is on timeless, understated designs. The pieces are less playful and rich in contrast, but just as effortlessly cool in their own way.

The epitome of Scandinavian cool (and great jeans!) and internationally best known of the Scandinavian brands is the Swedish label Acne Studios. Founded in 1996 by Jonny Johansson, Acne Studios (short for "Ambition to Create Novel Expressions") stands for high-quality basics and avant-garde fashion for men and women. Definitely always worth an investment: the label's jeans, leather jackets and cardigans. The cool shoes and blazers from Acne Studios are particularly popular with fashion experts. Since its collaboration with Kylie Jenner as a campaign star, the brand has made it to the Olympus of the fashion world.

Toteme is the brainchild of style expert and former blogger Elin Kling, who specialises in elegant, luxurious basics for busy women. Her "uniforms", as she likes to call her collections, can be summed up as follows: muted colours, purist cuts, the finest materials and no frills of any kind.

Minimalist, functional, high-quality: Filippa K has been the epitome of Scandinavian fashion since 1993. Founder Filippa Knutsson started her label to create a curated wardrobe for women and men - timeless, durable and easy to combine. Classic trench coats and elegant blazers are just as much a part of the Filippa K range as uncomplicated tops, casual sweaters, jeans and cool sportswear. You can build on everything. Sustainability has also always been a high priority for the Swedes: production is fair and environmentally friendly, and clothing is also recycled. By 2030, all collections are to be produced 100% sustainably.

If you are looking for a real statement coat or jacket at an affordable price, you should definitely take a look at Stand Studio's online store. Since Nellie Kamras founded her label in Stockholm in 2014, Stand has been the epitome of extravagant outerwear made of leather and (fake) fur and is worn by Scandinavian fashionistas up and down the country. The collection has since been expanded to include accessories, pants, skirts and tops - but the colourful coats and jackets remain the Swedes' hobbyhorse.

After being approached several times about her self-designed outfits, Carin Rodebjer decided to found her own label in 1999 and make her wonderfully relaxed designs accessible to a wider public. The Swedish designer feels inspired by both her adopted home of New York and her hometown of Stockholm. Rodebjer's designs are feminine and suitable for everyday wear: casual suits, sweaters, caftans, dresses, and kimonos can easily be styled from day to evening mode.

The history of the traditional Swedish label Tiger of Sweden goes back over 100 years. It all started with off-the-peg men's suits. The founders, Marcus Schwartzman and Hjalmar Nordstrøm, then produced uniforms for the Swedish army. The label has succeeded in liberating the suit from the office and making it suitable for everyday wear as a relaxed, elegant item of clothing. Tiger of Sweden is often mistakenly perceived as a classic men's outfitter, but today it also produces Scandinavian clean chic for women, including cool dresses, skirts, sweaters and shoes. Plus: a great timeless jeans collection.

Behind the House of Dagmar brand, founded in Stockholm in 2005, are sisters Karin Söderlind, Kristina Tjäder and Sofia Wallenstam. The three of them combined their individual fashion backgrounds and have been running the label, named after their grandmother Dagmar, together ever since. Classic cuts and luxurious styles with a twist and attention to detail are typical of House of Dagmar. The heart of every collection from the Swedes: Statement knitted sweaters and the odd elegant dress. In addition to Pernille Teisbaek, Princess Sofia of Sweden is a fan.

Functional clothing can't be stylish? Not at all! Since 2010, the Swedish label Stutterheim has stood for fashionable and functional rain jackets and accessories, all of which are made by hand. In addition to classically timeless designs for women, men and children, the Scandinavian label also attracts attention time and again through designer collaborations (for example with Marni or Band of Outsiders).

The Swedish label J. Lindeberg has its origins in golf and tennis. The label's designs for men and women are correspondingly sporty, but in keeping with the current zeitgeist, they can also be ideally combined with jeans and the like for everyday wear away from the green and court. So it's no wonder that it is currently experiencing a real renaissance, as tenniscore in particular has been a hyped aesthetic in fashion for several seasons now.

Scandinavians are incredibly stylish. There's no doubt about that. But what exactly is the difference to French women, who are just as effortlessly cool? The answer is probably the importance of comfort and functionality in Scandi fashion. Anyone who has ever walked the streets of Copenhagen or Stockholm will know that you won't see high heels, uncomfortable straps or delicate materials here.

Think limited edition sneakers from New Balance, Asics & Co. meet striped T-shirts, well-fitting pants and cool workwear jackets. Depending on the season, there's layering, but one thing always remains: personality.

Read More

'Scandi hairline' colour is everywhere on TikTok, and Millie Bobby Brown is a fan

Face-framing highlights.

By Fiona Ward and Ali Pantony