Copenhagen shifts funding

Copenhagen Fashion Week’s Danish fashion prize is changing course in 2026: the support will be spread across finalists instead of going to a single winner. (fashionforum.dk) The prize is the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize, launched in 2012 by the Wessel & Vett Foundation and described by the foundation as the Nordic region’s biggest fashion prize. Founder Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg said the new format is meant to get “closer than ever before” to how designers think, decide and collaborate. (wesselogvettsfond.dk ) (fashionforum.dk) The 2026 finalists are Berner Kühl, Bonnetje, Caro Editions and O. Files. Vogue reported that the finalists will receive a share of the support package rather than competing for one full bursary. (fashionforum.dk) (vogue.com) The judging is changing too. Fashion Forum reported that jurors were invited into the finalists’ Copenhagen studios on April 9, 2026, and the final assessment will take place during Copenhagen Fashion Week in August after that studio visit. (fashionforum.dk) That shifts the prize away from a one-day pitch and toward a longer look at how a label actually works. Fashion Forum said the 2026 format puts more weight on systems, reflections and working relationships behind a collection, not just the finished presentation. (fashionforum.dk) The change lands as Copenhagen Fashion Week keeps building other support tracks for young brands. Its NewTalent program says it offers three to five emerging designers per season monetary support, mentorship, partnership offers, advisers, schedule access and showroom exposure. (copenhagenfashionweek.com 1) (copenhagenfashionweek.com 2) The city’s fashion ecosystem already includes another high-profile award backed by Zalando. Zalando says its Visionary Award, established in 2023 with Copenhagen Fashion Week sustainability requirements built into eligibility, selected finalists in November 2025 and named INSTITUTION the 2026 winner on January 29, 2026. (corporate.zalando.com) Under the old Wessel & Vett model, one designer still emerged with the main prize. Copenhagen Fashion Week announced on October 24, 2025, that Nicklas Skovgaard had won the 2025 edition. (copenhagenfashionweek.com) This year, the prize is keeping the finalists in the frame longer. Instead of one brand taking the whole pot at the end, the 2026 round is set up to fund several labels while the jury watches how they build. (vogue.com) (fashionforum.dk)