Some of the best shows at Copenhagen Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009 included Julie Fagerholt Heartmade, Munthe Plus Simonsen, Rutzou and Vadum:
In 1998 designer Julie Fagerholt launched her pet child project Heartmade brand as an exclusive couture business but two years later the customers' demand got so heavy that she had to launch her first rtw collection which won her a "Golden Button"- the prestigious Danish Fashion Award.
Heartmade's design philosophy stands in providing exclusive, highly personal collections mixing haute couture's sophistication, detailing and quality with ready-to-wear's reproducibility and price.
Julie's demi-couture designs are airy, refined, romantic and highly textural with luxurious fabrics and details (French lace, exquisite embroidery). They don't lack practicality either, as they are destined for "a strong, independent and confident woman". The spring 2009 collection comprises feminine, fluid, voluminous shapes with nipped-in waists and svelte tailoring with slim boyish lines.
Award-winning design company Munthe Plus Simonsen was founded in 1994 by designers Naja Munthe and Karen Simonsen. Today it sells in more than 200 shops worldwide and has the Danish supermodel Helena Christensen and even Crown Princess Mary as constant customers.
The style forwarded (influenced by the aesthetics of 1940s and 1980s/90s) develops the look of a "new modernism": feminine, easy, layered silhouettes and top-quality materials (natural silks, wools, genuine leather) reinvented by draping, embroidery or printing effects.
Spring/summer 2009 Munthe Plus Simonsen collection exudes a romantic feel: silky and sheer volumes, soft neutrals and pastels, subtle orientalism (harem pants, tunics, embroidered boleros and short jackets).
Rützou founded in May 2000 by award-winning designer Susanne Rützou, is a Danish fashion label aimed at the determined, independent, cosmopolitan women eager to express themselves as individuals. Rützou clothes are perfectly suited for mix-and-matching, fitting any modern wardrobe but having, at the same time, a unique, recognizable look: sensuous eclectic.
The label's design philosophy is based on contrasts: romantic and sporty, modern and vintage or fine and raw fabrics as in cotton piping on a featherweight silk satin. Susanne's designs are feminine and sensual but at the same time easy and comfortable, using clean lines, lively prints, glossy fabrics and interesting details such as voluminous airy shapes and all sort of pleating and stitching.
This duality emphasizes an "independent spirit rooted in a modern esthetic". Its designs, influenced by modern art & music scenes and street style, have clean cut shapes, quirky details and strong graphical prints with a permanent focus on great comfort and a cool but feminine look.
Spring 2009 collection gathers functional pieces (many in denim) like jumpsuits, loose jeans, roomy tops, vests with strings, baggy trousers or ribbed-ankle-pants and also glamorous party dresses and sequined tops.
