Breaking the Fashion Rules in Copenhagen: AI, Gender & Innovation
AI Ganni Girl was the name of the game for Ganni S/S 24, with designers Ditte and Nicolaj Reffstrup putting the technology at the heart of their runway show. Brought to reality in collaboration with the Copenhagen-based artist Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm of the studio ARTificial Mind, the runway show merged into an interactive tech experience - a pattern in fashion we're seeing come back around following Coperni's A/W 23 robot show. With SHOWstudio having launched our AI fashion editor, Ebury Grace, earlier this year, the evidence for AI's creative capabilities in fashion is becoming increasingly clear as it evolves.
For the S/S 24 runway show, the Ganni team trained their own 'female' AI using information from the Ganni community and the brand's history. The Ganni AI wasn't unveiled with a visual appearance, instead their voice came from the trees which were planted along the runway - in future it would be much more interesting to see what 'she' looks like. Instead the Ganni AI took on on an ethereal presence which did pose the risk of coming off as aloof and disjointed from the human experience, despite the fact it was interacting and talking to models like Paloma Elsesser as they walked. Although it's exciting to see a brand of Ganni's stature and reach engage creatively with the technology, there needs to be greater consideration for how this creatively functions and impacts our understanding of the clothes and fashion in a wider context.
Other surprises this season included a new collaboration with Elsesser on a capsule collection, alongside a second edition of the brand's tie-up with Amsterdam-based eyewear brand Ace & Tate, and fresh takes on the New Balance 1906R and the RC30 sneakers.
For designer Ervin Latimer, Latimmier S/S 24 was all about Positions of Power. Continuing to use the structure of tailoring to underpin a sartorial investigation of sexuality, gender and coded dress, this season took the previous collection's idea of release and flipped it on its head, instead presenting restriction. Having previously done shirting featuring adjustable straps to constrict or expand the garment, referencing chest binders - the designer explained to SHOWstudio at the time that it was about encouraging the consumer to perform their own definition of masculinity - for S/S 24 Latimer bandaged the models, entrapping them in suiting and shirts. Opening the show in full drag with accompanying lip sync - as per tradition given their previous two runway shows and Latimer's presence in the Helsinki ballroom scene - Latimer is challenging the rules of the old-masc world of the office. One shirt featured red biros hanging from the neckline, emblazoned with the graphic 'Money, Powder, Glory', and elsewhere oversized jackets were styled with thigh high boots, giving new attitude to seasoned wardrobe staples.
At Stine Goya, looking close to home defined the S/S 24 offering aptly titled Homecoming. With set design by Spacon & X, the show's centre piece was a communal table inspired by street dinners in the city. In-keeping with the localised feeling that underpins CPHW, the table was decorated with waste-free borrowed and edible items including seasonal food and tableware. A personal touch came from the residents of Eckersbergsgade, with napkins by local Georg Jensen Damask and crockery from nearby families. These circular values were mirrored in the collection, which included innovative, sustainable materials such as apple leather and recycled polyester, with 93 per cent of the collection made from responsibly sourced material. Although community was the star of the show, supermodel Helena Christensen - who calls Copenhagen home - was on hand to walk the runway, presenting the ultimate embodiment of the Stine Goya woman.
'My desire for this show is to encourage our audience to contemplate the significance of ‘home’ as an emotional anchor in our lives. It’s a place where we find belonging, solace, and support. ‘Home’ is not confined to a specific location; it can manifest in the arms of a loved one, the laughter of family and friends, or the embrace of a community. ‘Homecoming’ is an invitation to cherish the meaning of home in all its facets - a physical shelter and a heartfelt emotional connection', Goya told press.