These ten finalists will show their collections at the joint ALPHA show at Copenhagen Fashion Week in February: Desirée Bjurinder Fritzon, Marie-Louise Guldbæk Andersen, Hanna Hanhela, Sasha Heinsaar, Tuuli-Tytti Koivula, Elma Leminen, Hedvig Ljungström, Julie Lundgaard Christophersen, Kaapo Sinervi, and Samuel Westerberg.
In recent years, ALPHA has joined forces with heavyweight retailers and international fashion houses to support and internationalise Nordic fashion talents. From the upcoming edition, one designer will be selected for a paid internship at MM6 Maison Margiela in Paris. Another designer will be selected by Ida Petersson, buying director at Browns Fashion, to create and develop a capsule collection for Browns, which will be produced sustainably in collaboration with The Bear Scouts. Select designers will be featured in an upcoming exhibition at the Röhsska Museum of Design and Craft in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The ALPHA 2023 Award is a cash prize of 50.000 DKK, alongside a study visit to UEDA College of Fashion in Osaka in Japan and to take part in Copenhagen Fashion Week’s emerging designer support scheme, CPHFW NEWTALENT.
— It’s a strong, highly creative and diverse group that represents the height of Nordic talent, Ane Lynge-Jorlén, director of ALPHA, comments. The designers work conceptually and responsibly, and they are very dedicated to the craft of fashion as well as integrating their own personal experiences in their work. From exploring body shame, skiing and uniforms to masculinity and folklore characters, their work straddles the experimental and the functional. The show will bring together meticulously hand-crafted details, padded and voluminous shapes, as well as structured and tailored silhouettes, all with an eye to responsible practices.