COPENHAGEN — Last week, fashion critics and buyers descended on Copenhagen to see the latest designs from local talent. But they’ll have to wait until Paris Fashion Week to see one of the Danish capital’s most exciting designers present her new collection.

Cecilie Bahnsen, whose namesake label has held catwalk shows on the official Paris schedule since 2021 but remains headquartered in Denmark, still found a way to showcase her work to visitors, staging a small concert by singer-songwriter Suki at a local townhouse where many of her guests wore the designer’s “everyday couture” the way she intended: marshmallow-like voluminous dresses layered over denim jeans and T-shirts; sculptural frocks in delicate fabrics paired with denim jackets, socks and chunky sneakers.

“I don’t want [my clothes] to be too precious. I want it to be something that you put on on a Monday and that you just want to live in and love,” said Bahnsen the following day in her atelier. “We talk about ‘everyday couture’ in the company; it has to have this relatability; it needs to feel like it’s part of your life.”

It’s a proposition that’s working — all the more as women return to dressing up but still crave the comfort they became accustomed to during quarantine. In addition to a slot on the Paris schedule, Bahnsen has snagged influential stockists like Dover Street Market and Matches and found success in Asia, where she generates significant sales.

To be sure, the label remains small: revenues are on track to hit $10 million this year, up double digits from 2022, said Ulrik Garde Due, the brand’s long-time operational chairman who is taking a more hands-on role while its managing director Kristine Hannah Loebner is on maternity leave. But the brand aims to double sales and, at the start of this year, raised funding from friends and family to help fuel growth by boosting brand awareness, growing direct-to-consumer sales and strengthening its presence in the key US market, where it remains underpenetrated.

In a fashion market increasingly dominated by major luxury groups, which enjoy considerable scale advantages in everything from retail to marketing, the path ahead won’t be easy. But, eight years in, Bahnsen says the label is ready for its next chapter.

With collections that now extend far beyond her signature frocks, spanning categories from denim and knitwear to footwear and bags, the label is much more than just a dress brand, she said. Hit collaborations with Asics and Suicoke have introduced the label to new audiences.

“Cecilie Bahnsen could have become a very girly brand as it has this dreamy princess vibe, however, the way Cecilie puts the items together challenges you to perceive it very differently,” said Ida Petersson, buying director at Browns. “This is also part of the universal appeal and success of the brand, as it truly is for everyone and can be dressed for any occasion.”

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Taking a Local Brand Global

After working for brands like John Galliano and Erdem, Bansen, who trained at the Danish Design School and Royal College of Art, started her own label out of Copenhagen in 2015. She soon went on to win the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize in 2016 and was a finalist for the LVMH Prize in 2017. After her debut show for Autumn/Winter 2017, Dover Street Market snapped up the label and other leading retailers were quick to follow.

Bahnsen’s approach marries couture-level craftsmanship (the label creates its own fabrics, a process that often takes as much time as developing silhouettes) with a relaxed feel that’s more typical of Scandinavian design. And it’s this knack for making complex and intricate pieces look and feel easy to wear that appeals to consumers, buyers say.

“The brand has a very unique point of view — the feminine, whimsical aesthetic combined with a more sculptural edge,” said Matches head of womenswear Liane Wiggins. “Pieces look effortless, by cleverly using a lot of relaxed, day fabrics from cottons, neutral cloques and denims. They style the pieces with a flat shoe so it feels more approachable.”

The diversification of Bahnsen’s product offering, which now includes categories like knitwear, denim and shoes, as well as the introduction of more streamlined silhouettes and separates and a wider range of price points, have broadened the label’s appeal, Wiggins added. She pointed to the popularity of pieces like the £420 Susan wide leg jeans, the £800 Joelle peplum cardigan, and the £1,500 Denice bomber.

The label has a significant reach beyond Scandinavia, where it generates just 5 percent of revenue. Asia — especially Japan and South Korea, where Bahnsen has top stockists from Restir, Takashimaya, DSM and United Arrows to Boon the Shop and Lotte, and has made savvy use of collaborations to grow brand awareness — makes up 41 percent of sales.

Scaling Up

Joining the official Paris Fashion Week schedule since Spring/Summer 2021 digitally and Autumn/Winter 2022 with a physical show was a key part of a plan to tap global growth, said Garde Due. “It’s a great way to engage with the international community.”

Now, the brand is preparing for its next chapter of growth. The label has beefed up its team, adding a new CFO, and a head of sales from Acne Studios. It’s the company’s first hire based in the US, where it aims to generate a third of sales, up from 22 percent currently, said Garde Due. Also key to growth are Japan, South Korea and mainland China, markets where the label is in talks with potential partners to launch physical retail.

Reducing its reliance on wholesale is a critical goal: Garde Due aims to develop the label’s direct-to-consumer business from 16 percent of total sales to about 40 percent by 2025.

As for Bahnsen, she’s currently focused on her next collection, building on the more mature approach to femininity that’s been working so well in recent seasons, while experimenting with new silhouettes, fabrics and prints, including streamlined looks in a recycled faille and a graphic gingham to complement her use of florals.

Her approach is more evolutionary than revolutionary. “I really like a timeless approach to how to design the collection,” Bahnsen said. “More than you running against this desire for newness, you use newness as a creative challenge to build on your universe.”

Editors’ Note: This article was revised on 18 August, 2023. An earlier version of this article states Cecilie Bahnsen moved to Paris Fashion Week schedule last March. The brand has been showing at Paris Fashion Week since Spring/Summer 2021 digitally and Autumn/Winter 2022 with a physical show.