The North Knows First: How Copenhagen Is Predicting 2026 Style

Words by Kate Hilditch

Edited by Rachel Hambly and Bailey Tolentino

Last week, in the blistering cold of a Danish January, Copenhagen Fashion Week celebrated its 20th birthday. The city was aglow as designers showed off their autumn/winter 2026 collections, and the equally dazzling street style proved just how versatile dressing in the Danish fashion capital can be. 

Affectionately referred to as the fifth fashion week, Copenhagen regularly delivers a mixture of charmingly quirky pieces with structured staples. Show-goers approached their looks with a sense of fun. The pattern often is as follows: an everyday wearable garment coupled with something eye-popping or energising. That combination of something simple and chic, but with matching accessories that add a layer of personalisation, gives a favour that is distinctly Danish. The pieces we saw in Copenhagen are championing the 2026 fashion approach of ‘more is more’ and are almost certain to shape the year's trends. 

The bigger the better, sunglasses had their moment in the street style of CPHFW. 

It seems quite the juxtaposition to read “January in Scandinavia” and “sunglasses” in the same sentence, but they were central to winter dressing at CPHFW. Oversized frames asserted themselves as a defining accessory, proving that eyewear can carry as much weight as tailoring or outerwear. They introduced a structure and personality to looks and, of course, a sense of drama that transformed minimal outfits into deliberate statements. From sharply angular black frames to chunky aviators in earthy tones, oversized sunglasses demonstrated that the right accessory can define a look with minimal effort. 

From the timeless look of a vintage hairpin to the elegance of a tortoiseshell headband, old-fashioned hair accessories seemed to be everywhere you turned in Copenhagen. The revival is heavily driven by the return of late 90s and early 2000s fashion trends and influences like Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. Danish girls, using their maximalist mindsets, were seen sporting interesting pairings such as  a chic hairclip with a wasabi green wool coat. CPHFW street style seemed to showcase the importance attendees held in their own individual personal styles, and a vintage-inspired hair accessory allowed that accent to their looks. 

A shaggy fur trim adds that extra warmth to a winter look. 

While heavy fur jackets seemed to dominate coat trends for the last few seasons, it seems like that is giving way to shearling collars and shaggy-trimmed coats. Fur, always associated with warmth and luxury, the modern fur trim variants allow for this aesthetic to be achieved in a playful and accessible way. Beyond style, fur trim on hoods served a practical purpose in the freezing temperatures of the Danish fashion capital. Less bulky than a fur but just as warm. 

Moving onto the runway looks, Copenhagen is known for foregoing the pomp and circumstance of a traditional fashion show. The labels of CPH are experimental and unconventional, but they also have real wearability in their clothes, shoes, and accessories.