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As COPENHAGEN Fashion Week’s SS23 edition kicked off this week, hordes of international fashionistas swarmed the Danish capital to see what the Scandi set predicts will be big next summer.
Just as fashion week itself has grown in importance in recent years thanks to its impressive demands for sustainability and the addition of several international names to the schedule, the Scandinavian street style scene has also gained its reputation as a harbinger of upcoming trends.
And if the cool kids of Copenhagen, once known for their love of feminine florals and bold colors, have decided anything this week, it’s the ascension of a totally grungier Y2K-inflected aesthetic. Wraparound shades, acid wash denim, bomber jackets and belly chains have been as common as the city’s pastries, but the week’s standout style star, both on and off the runways, has undoubtedly been oversized baggy trousers.
Inspired by everyone from All Saints to Aaliyah, this season’s top is set to come wide-legged, pocket-covered and likely to have a drawstring waist. Danish brand Gestuz opened this week’s program with a collection inspired by nineties and early noughties LA that was chock full of oversized baggy cargo pants in everything from luxe lime green tailoring to thong-flashing silver and lace-up denim.
“We’ve been working on the silhouette for a few seasons now, but for SS23 we really went all out,” said founder and creative director Sanne Sehested, who was inspired by “late nineties/early Noughties It girls wearing really big cargo pants with little tops and bikinis. It became a representation of our collection and the kind of sexiness we wanted to embrace. Something really contrasted.”
And certainly, the oversized distressed leather low-rise cargo pants she paired with a cut-out silver swimsuit felt like a modern and totally sexy interpretation of the utilitarian, pastel cargoes of TLC, JLo and Destiny’s Child’s golden era. Gestuz cargos 2.0 may be a bit slimmer than their NSync-era forebears, but they’re no less fun. A pair of baggy denim with a drawstring hem paired with a swirling, heavy-shoulder bodysuit felt particularly gratifying and (thanks to a see-now-buy-now show format) is already available to buy online for £135.
Like many designers right now, Sehested’s collection was influenced by and partly addressed to the Y2K-obsessed TikTok audience: “I think it’s hard not to be influenced by the new voices that are emerging,” she says. “The pants represent a younger and more in-your-face addition to our brand.” And given the parachute pants trend currently has over a billion views on TikTok, and according to fashion shopping app Lyst, searches are up 362 percent year-over-year, brands aren’t surprising.
Among them is Jaded London, whose £75 technical cargo trousers have landed in Lyst’s top 10 ranking of the most searched for products online in the second quarter of 2022. For the small London label to appear alongside big hits such as Prada and Fendi is a testament to the runaway success of their parachute pants, which first launched in April and have already been worn by a number of Insta-superstars: Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber and Kaia Gerber.
“The parachutes have been incredibly successful. We have minimal stock and they sell out every time, says Jade Goulden, who co-founded the brand with her brother Grant in 2013. “Parachute pants are really in right now, so we used that as an opportunity to create the perfect pair to suit all genders and sizes. We have not yet decided when we will stop producing them as they are doing so well.”
TikTokers are wearing Jaded’s parachute pants as many of Copenhagen’s street style set have been this week – with cover-ups, crop tops and thongs on display. But for those who don’t feel like flashing their pubic bone, the streets of the Danish capital have also provided inspo for more conservative loading. For the second day of the show, influencer Emili Sindlev wore a baby pink pair of parachutes paired with strappy heeled sandals and an oversized black bomber, while others have worn them sharply pressed with chain belts, stilettos and white vest tops.
The beauty of cargos is that they also work in a higher-waisted fit, paired with a bandeau top or a light jumper, and the flattering wide-leg styles look just as good with a pointed kitten heel as trainers. Parachute pants are ultimately “quite humorous”, says Sehested. “And I like that. I like that they add something quirky and nostalgic. They don’t take themselves too seriously.”
