DATE: 10th August 2025. LOCATION: Politikens Hus, TIME: 18.30
The Royal Danish Academy Class of 2025 is here to make you uncomfortable. This year’s graduates traded neutral palettes for political poetics, proving that Copenhagen is no longer the capital of "quiet luxury"—it’s the new headquarters for technical anarchy. From hair-woven couture to sculptural red armour, these 11 designers aren't just making clothes; they’re building the new northern resistance.
W:Maximiliano Dubois I: James Cochrane
The Royal Danish Academy 2025 Graduate Show felt like a fever dream staged in a minimalist bunker. Set against the industrial backdrop of the Politikens Hus basement during Copenhagen Fashion Week, the class of 2025 effectively buried the "Scandi-chic" trope of beige linens and oversized blazers. In its place, they presented a radical, multicultural manifesto that prioritized emotional durability over commercial trends. The runway was a clash of international identities—from Mengjie Hui’s aggressive, fire-engine red structural sculptures that challenged gendered silhouettes to Anya Belitskaya’s "Don’t Come Empty Handed," a loud, shimmering tribute to Russian village birthday parties. This wasn't just fashion; it was a high-calibre interrogation of what it means to create when the planet is in a state of permanent crisis.
Technically, the show was a triumph of "Earth Logic" and ancestral craft. Graduates moved beyond performative sustainability, integrating zero-waste digital knitting and upcycled heirlooms into the very DNA of their garments. Clémentine Ollivier stopped the room with her exploration of femininity using ethically sourced human hair, while Jan-Niklas Jessen dismantled masculine rigidity with a mix of sculptural leather and sweeping pastel silks. The collection’s "warm optimism"—noted by Dean Marcus Wilmont—was palpable, proving that the RDA remains the premier laboratory for designers who want to save the world without sacrificing the subversion. By the final walk, it was clear: the new Danish aesthetic isn't about fitting in; it’s about standing out in a world that’s already too loud.
Roses Are Red, Violets Are Gay
Rooted in memory & material, my work reflects on the quite beauty of early queer expression, curtains as gowns, tassels as dolls, fabric as identity. I explore our softness, play and transformation shaped not just my past, but echo a shared queer childhood imagination.
Don't Come Empty Handed
Inspired by my style icons - my grandmothers & and her girlfriends, this project explores their electric style & love of celebration through the love of a birthday in a Southern Russian Village, By highlighting their presence, I am ain to challenge Eurocentric ideas of good taste and expand who is seen and valued in contemporary fashion.
Compartments of Function
My graduate collection explores how modular clothing design can enable menswear dressers in explorin and tailoring their wardrobes through functional elements. The project is reliant on technical pattern cutting and tailoring, reverse engineering the archetypical and familiar constructions of the modern blazer.
