Copenhagen: Can Sustainability Become a Brand Language?

I have seen many moodboards talk about nature while the collections behaved as though that value had never entered the meeting room.

From 3 to 7 August, Copenhagen Fashion Week will present the Spring/Summer 2027 collections. Brands on the official schedule are also selected according to 19 minimum requirements covering environmental and social considerations throughout the value chain. The framework supports the selection process and does not constitute a certification or an audit. This distinction matters because no requirement can automatically turn an entire collection into a sustainable product.

It can, however, force a brand to make its intentions verifiable.

When I developed On The Side Of Nature, I wanted environmental responsibility to begin with the fabric and continue through the dyes, prints, embroidery and packaging. The idea appeared straightforward. The search for materials soon revealed how difficult it would be to keep it that way.

The first constraint involved GOTS-certified fabrics. They had to fit the concept, work for the collection and be available at costs that would not price the product out of the market. Certification alone could not resolve the project. Handle, performance, processing and price still had to be considered. A material can be correct on paper and wrong for the garment it is meant to become.

Construction and production quantities caused no difficulties. Colour proved far more complex.

I found two dyeing companies, New Washing and Make in Italy, working with dyes of natural origin derived from food-based ingredients, berries and specific plants. Their processes were consistent with the direction of the collection, but presented a limitation I could not ignore. These dyes could not guarantee the same colourfastness to light and washing as conventional alternatives. Over time, the colour could fade through exposure and release during washing.

In conventional production, this result would be considered a defect. Customers buy a colour and expect, within reason, to find it unchanged after wearing and washing the garment. Durability includes this too.

I could have abandoned natural dyes to achieve greater consistency. Instead, I addressed the limitation within the concept. I interpreted the garments as living organisms. Their colour would not remain fixed at the moment of purchase, but would continue to mature and transform, like the berries and plants from which it originated.

This variation was neither concealed nor treated as an accident requiring justification. It became part of the product’s identity. Each garment would register light, time and washing slightly differently.

It was a creative decision, but it carried a precise responsibility. Turning what conventional standards consider a non-conformity into a collection value cannot mean simply renaming a defect. That characteristic must be compatible with the product, the way it will be used and what the brand promises. In On The Side Of Nature, the evolution of colour belonged to the same thinking that guided the selection of fabrics, dyes, prints and embroidery.

For the packaging, I chose hangtags made from FSC-labelled stock and printed with natural inks. This solution also addressed only one part of the issue. GOTS, dyes of natural origin and FSC respond to different criteria. Together, they do not certify the absolute sustainability of a collection. They were the tools available to make the project more coherent, without claiming a level of perfection that no industrial product can possess.

Sustainability in creative direction requires this degree of precision. When reduced to a visual atmosphere, it easily falls into the same familiar repertoire: raw surfaces, beige, sage green, recycled paper and photographs taken in meadows. The result may be recognisable as “green”, but not necessarily as belonging to a specific brand.

A certified fibre does not require a rustic garment. A natural dye does not impose a muted palette. Character comes from how the brand interprets these constraints through materials, proportions, colour, construction and its relationship with the customer.

This is why Copenhagen Fashion Week SS27 is interesting beyond the names on its schedule. By introducing minimum requirements, it asks companies to move sustainability out of presentations and into their decisions. The outcome will have to be assessed through the products and the differences between one brand and another, not only through their statements.

With On The Side Of Nature, I approved a colour knowing that it would change through exposure to light and washing. The most difficult choice was not finding the right words to explain it. It was accepting responsibility for treating that transformation as part of the garment.

Romina Tosi

www.linkedin.com/in/romina-tosi-tatastyle

Disclaimer

The views expressed above represent my personal interpretation of publicly available information and, like any interpretation, may be shared, debated, or challenged.

The information referenced comes from public sources available at the time of publication, including official documents, union communications, press articles, and materials accessible to anyone. I do not disclose confidential information or facts learned through privileged access. I do not reveal protected information, nor do I attribute unlawful conduct to individuals or companies.

Any reference to specific cases is intended solely to provide context and analyze dynamics affecting the broader industry. It is not intended to target individuals or particular businesses.

Observations regarding industrial strategies, financial decisions, and production models fall within the right to express opinions and commentary on matters of public interest. They remain personal assessments, not definitive judgments.

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The purpose of this reflection is to encourage discussion and debate, not to cause harm to individuals, companies, or organizations.