For several years now, curves have been absent from the Fashion Week runways. After sparking collective hope by diversifying its castings and showcasing more approachable models, the fashion industry quickly reverted to its old ways. It failed to keep its good intentions, and diversity once again became a distant dream. Copenhagen Fashion Week, which runs until August 7, is an exception to this prevailing thinness and a reminder that every body deserves to be represented.
In Copenhagen, models are taking a step outside the norm
The Scandinavian countries are always ahead of their time and regularly serve as model students, whether in the halls of parliament or on the catwalk. They confirmed this visionary status at the last Copenhagen Fashion Week. While it may be less widely followed and receive less media coverage than the Parisian or London editions, it offers valuable insights.
While in other countries hosting this fashion extravaganza, models have similar body types and rarely exceed the symbolic size 6 mark, in Copenhagen, they are more sophisticated. Their skin moves beneath the fabric, their stomachs sway behind the material, and their prominent breasts are the crowning glory of their looks. It's a world apart, where elegance isn't necessarily synonymous with thinness and where beauty isn't measured with a tailor's tape measure.
Because, despite some attempts at inclusion and body diversity, the fashion industry quickly reverted to its old ways and put thinness back at the forefront. It clings to this beauty ideal, bordering on a calorie deficit, in which no woman can identify. Moreover, the figures speak for themselves: there were only 0.3% plus-size models at Fashion Week 2026, according to a Vogue Business report.
The body positivity movement was as fleeting as fashion trends. It seemed like just a brief chapter, not a new story to be written. Fortunately, in Copenhagen, this positive revolution continues, embodied by models who don't aspire to become unattainable fantasies. They aim to reassure women of all kinds and to be like a mirror held up to them.
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A variety of silhouettes and unlimited sizes are celebrated.
Copenhagen Fashion Week paints a picture of a more authentic, genuine, and less calculated fashion. It offers a better understanding of what it means to "accept differences." While previous Fashion Weeks have accustomed us to exposed bones and slender figures, this one presents anatomy with greater candor. In Copenhagen, there is no single body type, nor are there any limited-edition silhouettes.
The Operasport brand presented its "Growth" collection on models of all shapes and sizes. Ruffles, lace, floral embroidery, and oversized orchids adorned realistic, dynamic bodies. Plus-size, mid-size, pregnant, and skinny models: every woman had her own ambassador.
The range of body types was equally diverse at Paolina Russo, who also didn't limit herself to a single dominant profile. In a beautiful display of sisterhood, models with contrasting skin tones and complementary body shapes brought to life vibrant pieces with Y2K influences. Gestuz shared this same open-minded approach, thoroughly refuting the notion that chic couldn't be achieved with curves or fuller hips.
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An inclusive approach that proves all is not lost
At Copenhagen Fashion Week, bodies don't simply copy each other; they form a whole, articulating themselves in a delightful jumble. In this city, which resembles an inclusive paradise, fashion isn't selective: it's a universal language that everyone can understand. Watching this beautiful choreography of bodies and fabrics, the spectators no longer feel like they were born in the wrong body. They can identify with the models on stage and find common ground with them.
And Copenhagen Fashion Week is particularly adept at restoring confidence. It's even its greatest specialty, its defining characteristic. Each time, it succeeds where other versions relentlessly fail. At the 2024 edition, for example, it rolled out the red carpet for models with disabilities, including Lucy Edwards , a visually impaired plus-size icon. It also celebrated models often disqualified or sidelined: women relegated to the "bottom" of the catalogs.
This Copenhagen Fashion Week should be a source of inspiration. It offers a healthier foundation for fashion and showcases bodies that speak to all women, not demigoddesses who breed personal guilt or self-loathing .
