COPENHAGEN — Up-and-coming Danish label Nynne was one of the only newcomers in this season’s Copenhagen Fashion Week calendar.
The COVID-19 crisis might have hit young, independent businesses the hardest, but Nynne managed to keep going by thinking more local — and doubling down on its vision of quintessentially Scandinavian style.
The brand was launched in London by 27-year-old Nynne Kunde just shy of two years ago. Response was positive from the get-go: With fashion going through a major minimalist moment of its own, Kunde’s flair for clean silhouettes, no-fuss leather separates and monochrome looks was embraced by street-style crowds and picked up by stockists like LuisaViaRoma and Le Bon Marché.
To hold on to that momentum in the midst of the pandemic, Kunde decided to shift her focus to her home of Denmark. She moved her studio to Copenhagen and has been working toward establishing the brand within the vibrant local fashion scene, starting with a spring 2021 film that made its debut during this week’s Copenhagen Fashion Week.
Copenhagen Fashion Week’s new hybrid format and lighter-than-normal schedule was in fact an opportunity for Kunde to get more air-time.
“With a big part of the schedule going digital, suddenly there’s more room for smaller brands,” the designer said. “We could make sure this worked in our benefit. By doing a film, we were able to control the narrative in a new way.”
The label joined forces with fashion photographer Hugo Jozwicki and presented a short-and-sweet clip showcasing models walking around a range of colorful, arty backdrops — no complex plot line or exotic location here, just a straightforward setting and plenty of close-ups on the details of the clothes.
“A catwalk show is quite quick, but here we were able to showcase the clothes better and give the viewer more interesting angles to really see what’s happening. That’s what I really care about and what we’re good at, the craft of the clothes and how they fit on the women,” the designer added.
It was a smart move and it helped highlight the label’s flair for no-fuss, timeless clothing that’s very much in line with the direction consumers are leaning toward amidst economic uncertainty.
There were cool oversize trenchcoats, roomy shirts and lots of tops and midi dresses with ruched waists — a feature that’s fast becoming a brand signature.
Kunde, who had practicality in mind and wanted to create a wardrobe that can transition from an urban to a holiday setting, also added a few more feminine touches in the form of pastel colors, abstract prints and voluminous sleeves.
“It’s focused and what I really wanted to present,” said the designer of the collection, which was edited down to 20 looks. “After the crisis, it’s not just us saying that smaller is better, it’s the whole industry starting to say it, too.”
That’s why Kunde is planning to keep going with the process of editing down collections and optimizing the brand’s processes: She is set on only producing two collections a year, working with family-run factories in Europe and a small group of mostly Scandinavian stockists, before seeking further growth.
“We were lucky not to have any order cancellations by our retailers, so we’ll stay focused in the Scandinavian and European markets to try and really establish ourselves here first,” she added. “You do what works for you. Especially during this difficult period, you need to make time to understand what you really want to do.”
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
