Influencers breathe life into Fashion Week: Look inside Copenhagen with Elisa Zarzur.

“[At Copenhagen Fashion Week] the attitude is different. The city is full of people who live and breathe fashion. Creatives, young and old, who are truly in love with the fashion world and see Copenhagen as a space to exchange ideas and find new ways to express themselves. It’s just cool.” – Elisa Zarzur, New Generation Influencer based in Brazil. 

Last week, Elisa was invited to attend Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) with ROTATE: a Copenhagen-based brand that’s taking the fashion world by storm with its covetable party wear and radical stance on sustainability. But beyond their critical role in an important global movement, what’s really interesting us about ROTATE is that it was created by an iconic Danish duo, influencers and stylists Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimarsdottir, who Elisa has been following since the beginning. 

As a brand created by and with influencers, this partnership feels correct, full-circle and symbolic of a world where influencers are truly taking over. Everything. Everywhere. 

So come behind-the-scenes with us to explore CPHFW from Elisa’s perspective, and our strategists’ thoughts on the evolving role of influencers in supporting designers and amplifying their mission around the world. 

Copenhagen Fashion Week just hits differently. 

As Elisa was driven from Copenhagen airport to her hotel, she was immediately struck by an atmosphere she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Effortlessly chic figures strolled the streets. Gorgeous people, young and old, wore a mix of minimal and audacious Scandi looks, where t-shirts were somehow made glamorous, and outside the big venues, even the photographers looked cool. 

Sometimes, there’s no better word for it. Everyone just breathed… coolness. And the star of the show, not just according to Elisa but unanimously agreed by the CPHFW press, was ROTATE. Their show, held in the prestigious Hotel D’Angleterre, sang with a raw and rebellious energy that drew inspiration from 90s London – and of course, the musings of the brand’s well-known influencer-turned-designers. 

“It’s such an honour to be invited by ROTATE to see their show in Copenhagen fashion week. I love the brand, I’ve followed them since the beginning and I feel connected to their mission. Especially because it’s made by two very talented young women who are just as in love with fashion as I am. So when I was sent the lookbook, I had no idea what to pick because everything was so me.” – Elisa

Influencers amplify and invite new communities into Fashion Week. 

“Growing influencer participation is crucial as they play a vital role in industry promotion, supporting designers and amplifying our mission.” – Cecilie Thorsmark, CPHFW CEO

Cultural influencers have always played a huge role in Fashion Week. For a long time, a show’s triumph has been synonymous with the names and calibres of the celebrities sitting front row. But up until relatively recently, images of these tastemakers were confined to print and the pages of online tabloids – their reach was fairly limited. 

For a while now, by working with digital influencers who have built communities from their images, fashion choices and modes of self-expression, fashion brands have embraced the opportunity to connect with a far wider audience. “I believe fashion brands have now truly recognised the potential of influencers to gather large and engaged followings. They’re becoming crucial to fashion marketing strategies in all sorts of ways: collaborating with designers, participating in experiential activations and, of course, attending the runway shows. 

Over the past few years, the dynamic between influencers and Fashion Week has kept evolving. Numerous fashion brands collaborate proactively with influencers, aiming not just to advertise their collections in real-time, but also to offer an authentic outlook and a personal approach to their strategies. Doing what they do best, influencers have also helped brands expand their horizons, showcasing a more extensive spectrum of body types, ethnicities, and styles, thereby fostering greater inclusivity in the fashion sector.” – Maria Whittaker, Talent Manager at MG Empower.

Indeed, the role of influencers in fashion has evolved along with the general culture, which is more impacted by social than ever. As brands look beyond their social and digital channels, influencers are ready and waiting to help them can merge online with IRL moments and events. 

After all, Fashion Week isn’t just the shows – it’s the parties, the street styles, and the pop-up events, too. Inviting influencers to these moments can solidify your brand within the fashion space, across their communities and beyond. Because influencers, when truly inspired and connected with their work, make magic. And what’s more inspiring for an influencer than Fashion Week? 

“I use fashion week to get inspired, see what people are doing, what they’re wearing, how they’re combining clothes makeup and hair. All that serves as inspiration. But when you’re doing it for yourself, you have to do what you love and you have to feel yourself as well, not just the brand. And you have to feel good and be yourself – because when it’s a natural process, people feel that and resonate.” – Elisa

Elisa Zarzur is a new generation influencer based in Brazil. She has been in the fashion industry for the last seven years and is known for her creativity in producing digital content. At her young age, she has made her name by partnering with such iconic brands as ROTATE, Miu Miu, Dior and Tiffany and Co.