Danish and Italian Shoe Design Come Together at Copenhagen Fashion Week
An Ecco and RAL7000Studio Collaboration.
This season, Copenhagen Fashion Week turned heads not only for the strides and progressions in sustainability, inclusivity, and representation but also for the fun and colourful street style, where flip-flops and GANNI garments were the majority. With over 30 brands hosting presentations and shows, including up-and-coming and established Nordic brands like A. Roege Hove, Opérasport, Henrik Vibskov, and Marimekko, the humble city is slowly becoming a must-watch for fashion innovation and greener brand expectations.
Part of the fun of Copenhagen Fashion Week is the cross-cultural collaborations. To channel this integrated momentum for themselves, Danish brand Ecco partnered with the Milan-based RAL7000Studio, a creative collective of talented footwear designers, for a limited-edition Autumn/Winter men’s footwear capsule emphasizing comfort. Ecco’s signature styles and footwear technologies are repackaged to offer progression and futuristic touches. With an earthy-toned palette and a focus on multidimensionality, the minimalist Danish elements cross-pollinate beautifully with the urban streetwear aesthetics of RAL7000Studio. Fusing polarizing themes of tradition and futurism, it reimagines the expected silhouettes from Ecco, taking the brand to a new territory and expanding its creative possibilities. This is the second alliance in which the brands have joined forces, and following the success of the first drop, that creative relationship will only continue to expand.
Styles created for this collection include the Cozmo Sandal, a hybrid between a clog and slide that has been re-established as a streetwear hero. The Street Ace Boot and Shoe emphasize cutting-edge design and showcase the duality of the city and nature, and the Offroad Boot is RAL7000’s take on a hiking boot that is even suitable for navigating rough terrains. Through the designs, a common thread of chunkiness, volume, and padding becomes the collaboration’s signature ethos. As of August 16th, the Cozmo and Street Ace models will be available online and exclusively at Ecco’s newest Yorkdale location—Offroad is set to release in October.
True to Ecco’s DNA as leather experts and skilled craftsmanship, the materials prove this stance with new reflective leather, padded velvety Nubuck, and ultra-soft, tactile leather, elevating the offerings and confirming its luxury credentials. “It’s always a pleasure collaborating with Ecco. They believe in our team and our vision. Right now, our approach balances conservatism with progressiveness, producing casual products that still exude a strong character,” says Michael Cutini, Designer and Co-founder of RAL7000Studio.
Ecco x RAL7000Studio Autumn/Winter collection
The Danish brand also appeared in shows and presentations scattered across Copenhagen Fashion Week, making it hard to miss. The shoes at Nicklas Skovgaard’s 80s-infused presentation had simple black silhouettes from various Ecco collections but were adapted to match the retro theme. The exteriors of black leather were personalized with silver marker sketches, and gems were placed at the center of the shoes for a bedazzled flare. London-based womenswear brand Sinéad O’Dwyer’s showcase also featured Ecco bags & belts. But beyond the stylistic choices at Sinéad O’Dwyer’s Spring/Summer show, the representation of the models turned heads for their accessibility and representation strides. Specifically, Lucy Edwards, a blind content creator, walked the runway accompanied by her guide dog, becoming the first blind person to model at Copenhagen Fashion Week and the first-ever blind person to walk for a London brand.
As a branch of the Ecco brand, Ecco.Kollektive has emerged as a way to target the Gen-Z consumer through innovative partnerships. It’s Ecco’s way of unlocking insider knowledge of the world’s most innovative leather tanneries and sharing that with growing brands. It brings together leaders to foster a creative exchange, allowing designers like Peter Do, Kiko Kostadinov, and Nina Christen to explore their creativity with Ecco’s resources and industry reputation. Although it has only been around for six months, future partnerships are paramount, as this hub organically demonstrates the brand’s focus on fostering community and connection through its continuous commitment to championing talent.
What makes Copenhagen Fashion Week stand out is its non-negotiable commitment to sustainability. To participate in the events, brands must meet the outlined sustainability requirements to be included in the official schedule. This has been in effect since January 2023, where only show and presentation schedule applicants whose sustainability levels matched the minimum standards were considered for inclusion. The framework spans six focus areas: strategic direction, design, innovative material choices, working conditions, consumer engagement, and showcase. All of which are measured and quantified to ensure the synchronicity of values.
Copenhagen Fashion Week continues to grow and contribute to the international fashion stage. With its innovative progressions each season and more relaxed aura, the water-side views from the catwalks mirror the sea of possibilities for Nordic brands. It could soon be regarded as a fashion capital alongside its Paris, London, Milan, and New York contenders in due time.
