This week Copenhagen Fashion Week kicked off with the SS24 shows. CPHFW is continuing its collaboration with Fashion in Helsinki that was formed in January this year, with the aim to strengthen the Nordic network. This season, emerging Finnish fashion brands were showcased during CPHFW, including Latimmier, Rolf Ekroth, and Vain.
“Finland, traditionally known for architecture and product design, has become a hotspot for new fashion brands and young designers.” Miia Koski, CEO of Juni Communication and Fashion in Helsinki event. “This August, when Finnish brands host several showplaces out of the total 30 in CPHFW, we can say it is a historical moment for us and we are really excited.”
Rolf Ekroth and Latimmier are part of Copenhagen ́s Fashion Week ́s NEWTALENT programme, established to nurture, develop, and promote emerging Nordic talent on a global scale.
Here is a rundown of the Latimmier, Rolf Ekroth, and Vain SS24 collections…
Latimmier
Latimmier is a Helsinki-based ready-to-wear label launched in 2022 by designer Ervin Latimer. The brand is designed for anyone who wants to express masculinity with their clothing.
The brands’ 4th collection for SS24 was inspired by archetypes of men in power, such as lawyers, executives, and Wall St businessmen, and the way they are presented and idolized in North American film and TV. This was reflected in the soundtrack to the show, where dialogue from The Wolf of Wall Street was played. A film that centres around a greedy, narcissistic stock broker who still manages to be admired by those who watch.
The collection explores the perceptions of power that are attached to normative male attire. Traditional office codes were contradicted with shredded button-downs and tailored trousers that were torn to shreds. Pyjama-inspired co-ords accessorised with ballpoint pens and t-shirts with “MONEY POWER GLORY” text were standout looks from the collection.
The show was opened and closed by the designer’s drag queen persona, Anna Conda, who treated the audience to a performance of Shirley Bassey’s ‘Big Spender.’ The show celebrates the drag narrative and how it can be used to explore social norms through fashion. Latimmier challenges both who can perform masculinity, and what kind of clothing can be used to do that.
SS24 Best Looks
Image Credits: © James Cochrane
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Rolf Ekroth
Rolf Ekroth’s latest collection for spring/summer 2024, titled “Missing,” playfully explores various interpretations of absence, encompassing people, memories, and physical objects. The collection embraces the theme of nostalgia, drawing inspiration from the opening line of a Pixies song; “I try to think about tomorrow, but I always think about the past.”
Floral motifs were featured heavily in the collection, reflecting the beauty of looking through rose-tinted glasses that is so quintessential to nostalgia. The Finnish label continues to champion utilitarianism through oversized jackets designed with function first – a tribute to those hardworking generations that came before.
SS24 Best Looks
Image Credits: © James Cochrane
Vain
VAIN is an interdisciplinary Finnish fashion label, founded by Creative Director Jimi Vain and CEO Roope Reinola that has in its short lifespan garnered a cult following. The brand is a testament to what it means to be creative in the digital age. It’s sometimes easy to forget that what brings us together as humans is the love we have, and VAIN is all about love.
The VAIN SS24 “Social Avoidance” collection reflects Creative Director Jimi Vain’s mind amidst a turbulent world.
“When I started designing the VAIN SS24 collection, I was in a knot with my thoughts, it felt like everything was chaos. A pandemic, war, inflation, energy crisis, and depression raged outside. The safe world the naive child was born into had changed.” Designer Jimi Särmö says. “When the whole world goes into overdrive, I go with it. Because everything else felt like chaos, I started to live more and more in my own world and forget everything else. To be able to live with it, I had to adapt to it and find those beautiful things in the heart of chaos.”
The SS24 collection contains references from diverse subcultures, silhouettes from Jimi’s haunting nightmares, Finnish melancholy, anxiety, and VAIN’s characteristic heart motif. The collection provides a sanctuary to channel emotions and find clarity and resilience through craft in the heart of chaos. Each meticulously crafted piece invites wearers to embrace the world’s turbulence while discovering inner harmony.
SS24 Best Looks
Image Credits: © James Cochrane