Mary @ Malene Birger's 2009 Fashion Fair show

Crown Princess Mary attended the CIFF show By Marlene Birger at Docken on 6 February 2009. Over the years Malene Birger has proven to be one of Mary's favourite Danish designers. Countess Alexandra was present too and the two chatted together after the show. Also there were Tanja Doky, Mary's friend and stylist, Anja Camilla Aladji, Frederik's and Mary's Chief -of-Court Per Thornit and his wife, and friend Helle Reedtz-Thott. Along with chatting with Alexandra, Mary also encountered other friends.



Politiken - a report on anti-fur activists who protested outside the show
Billed Bladet gallery - shows guests at the Malene Birger show
By Malene Birger

Thanks Valentine <3

Mary @ CIFFKIDS 2009

Crown Princess Mary attended the premiere of the CIFFKIDS Trend Show at the Bella Centre in Copenhagen on her birthday. Mary is the patron of Denmark's fashion industry, one of the country's biggest economic sectors. A crowd broke into a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ in recognition of Mary’s 37th birthday as she arrived at the Bella Centre. The little girl who presented a bouquet of flowers to Mary was so overwhelmed by the occasion that she burst into tears. Mary took a few minutes to comfort and reassure the young girl before warmly accepting the flowers. Mary was presented with a birthday cake in honour of the day.

Copenhagen Fashion Week rolled out last week but was in the shadow of a sombre bottom line because of the global economic crisis. There were fewer shows, beer was served in some cases instead of champaigne, but the collections were more serious (and sexy!) according to fashion observers. There was some humour and the unusual as well, but generally more serious. The financial situation did overshadow the trade fair however.

The Faroese knitwear brand Gudrun & Gudrun is example. During last year's fashion week they flew the international press from Copenhagen to Torshavn to present their collection. But not this year. Gudrun & Gudrun was content with with a more humble launch of their book, Slow Clothing, featuring their handmade knitwear.

Copenhagen Fashion Week, held twice a year, has een growing in recent years. The official goal of CIFF is to become the world's fifth fashion metropolis after New York, London, Paris and Milan. But the financial crisis definitely impacted the number of shows and parties.

Some fashion week facts:

• Fashion week is held twice a year, in August and February and attracts more than 50,000 buyers, designers and press from around the world.

• The textile and clothing industry represent Denmark's fourth biggest exporter, which makes Denmark the OECD's ninth-biggest exporter of clothing.

• For the last five years fashion trade has risen by 37.7%, but had a more modest growth of 5.6% in 2008.

• In the same period Danish fashion companies have created more than 1,600 new jobs.

• Employment in the fashion industry has risen 17.3% since 2004.

• In the same period exports of clothing rose by an incredible 7.7% from 18.9 billion DKK to 20.4 billion DKK and the Danish fashion trade makes 89.3% of its overall turnover on exports.

• The forecast for 2009 is more cautious, with a prospective turnover of just 0.1% with a growth in exports of 0.2%.

• The fashion industry is Denmark's fourth largest employer with the Danish Fashion Institute putting the fashion industry onto the political agenda.

Designers and fashion industry luminaries met with the Prime Minister last week to discuss ways the governemnt can support the industry. (extra fashion FYI from information.dk)



Photos © Hasse Ferrold/CIFF/Bella Centre, Bella Center Fotoweb

B.T. 'Se BT TV: Her trøster Mary den grædende blomsterpige' - (includes BTwebTV - 1:135 - of Mary's arrival and guests singing to Mary for her birthday)
Hello! magazine
The Copenhagen Post 'Flags fly for royal birthdays' (refers also to Princess Marie's 33rd birthday)
Friday, 6 February 2009
Buses across the country are festooned with flags in honour of the two royal birthdays] Both Crown Princess Mary and Princess Marie celebrated birthdays this week, with Mary turning 37 yesterday and Marie celebrating her 33rd birthday today.
The red and white of the Danish ‘Dannebrog’ flag fluttered from roof tops and public buses this week in recognition of both Crown Princess Mary and Princess Marie’s birthdays.
Members of the royal family are honoured with an official flag day on their birthdays and the ‘Dannebrog’ is also brought out for Constitution Day and Ascension Day among others.
The Australian-born Crown Princess didn’t have the whole day to celebrate with her husband and two children as she had an appointment to keep as patron of the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair yesterday. A crowd broke into a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ in recognition of Mary’s 37th birthday as she arrived at the Copenhagen Bella Center.
However, a young girl due to present flowers to the Crown Princess was so overwhelmed by the occasion that she burst into tears. Mary took a few minutes to comfort and reassure the little girl before warmly accepting her flowers.
Meanwhile, French-born Marie is celebrating her first birthday as a princess today as she turns 33. It is reported that she will spend the day at her Schackenborg Castle home in southern Jutland, before embarking on a skiing holiday with her husband and his two sons.

CIFFKIDS on the runway - gallery
Bella Centre gallery
Madeleine Glindorf's gallery

TV2 news clip (00:33)

Mary @ Designer's Nest & Gallery

Crown Princess Mary attended the Gallery exhibit in Forum on Sunday (February 10) and after the Designers' Nest show, presented the 2008 Designers' Nest prize as patron to the most promising young Nordic design student in Øksnehallen, as part of the final events for this season in the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair. The recipient of the Designers' Nest February 2008 prize is Joonas Saari from the University of Art and Design Helsinki.

CIFF is the umbrella for a number of activities including the industry exhibitions, seasonal designer couture shows and encouragement of up and coming designers through participation of fashion schools. The textiles industry is also involved. Twice a year (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter) the CIFF events attract industry fashion buyers to Danish and other European exhibitors in the biggest fashion fair in Europe. This time 60,000 visitors have attended. The Danish fashion business has been expanding for nearly ten years straight and has become the fourth largest export earner for Denmark, with Crown Princess Mary as patron for the last four years. The next season CIFF is scheduled for next August.



The Copenhagen Post - The Fashion Week's new clothes (February 7 2008)
A festive atmosphere reigned at Copenhagen Fashion Week's grand opening, but designers can see storm clouds on the horizon.
Copenhagen Fashion Week got off with a bang on Wednesday, with dozens of shows at around the city pointing out new directions for trendsetters.
For people on the move with sporty, fashion houses predict graphic patterns and colours that ranged from raspberry red and curried yellow will be a hit. Designers also recommended mixing rustic woollen sweaters with a high-tech look. They even introduced a new black: dark fiction.
Green fashion's efforts to produce garments in a less environmentally destructive way have also gained attention. The Danish brand Jackpot, for example, has introduced 'a track and trade' system which allows consumers to follow all the production steps in their garment's creation - from where the cotton for a shirt was grown, to the factory it was processed in and to the store where it sold.
In addition to showing off upcoming collections, the weeklong showcase provides a chance to network and envision ways to expand the domestic fashion industry, which currently is Denmark's fourth largest export. Even though annual sales top about DKK 36 billion (EUR 4.86 billion), fashion exports predict there's room for even more growth through better co-operation.
Uffe Buchard, creative head of Style Counsel, criticised private and public institutions for gouging prices instead of providing exhibition space for smaller designers.
'It's a major problem that fashion isn't taken seriously,' Buchard told metroXpress newspaper. 'There are too few people who see opportunities in fashion. If we pulled together, our returns would increase tenfold.'
Signs of a global slowdown in retail sales have also given leading fashion houses reason for concern.
'We'll know a lot more when we see how much we sold at Fashion Week,' Jan Stig Andersen, president of BTX Group, the country's second-largest clothes producer. 'We can sense some reservation in stores after a holiday season that didn't completely live up to expectations.'

The Copenhagen Post - Copenhagen Fashion Week: a model of Scandinavian efficiency (February 11 2008)
When the nation's fashion industry draws attention to itself, it does so with professionalism and organisation - and dressed in black of course.
The organisers of Copenhagen Fashion Week - the semi-annual style extravaganza that wrapped up on Sunday - expect that attendance and interest in the event once again set a record for the number of participants.
An estimated 60,000 buyers and other industry insiders from around the globe travelled to Copenhagen for the five-day event. In all, buyers and fashion reporters from 50 countries were registered to Fashion Week activities, most of them from Scandinavia and other European countries.
While Copenhagen remains one of a host of cities vying for the title of 'fifth fashion capital' after New York, London, Paris and Milan, clothing exports have become the country's fourth largest export.
Foreign fashion insiders said that as the country's designs begin to appear on the streets of other major fashion cities, the show itself has also become more refined.
'Other fashion weeks are so chaotic,' Kathyrn Kenny, a reporter for international on-line fashion magazine WGSN, said. 'The attitude here is more professional, and I've been really struck by how well organised things are.'
Kenny said that while Copenhagen Fashion Week will never compare with the likes of New York or Paris, she said her first visit to Copenhagen had made an impression.
Searching to put the country's fashion look into words, she described it as 'streamlined and sophisticated'.
'Women here dress much more sophisticated than in London. You have a definite deconstructionist look that's characterised by layering, thin silhouettes below and oversized tops. And it seems as if black is the Danish way.'
Despite the interest in Danish design, many of the country's thick underbrush of small designers have had difficulty attracting the investors to fund their leap to the big time.
Business experts point out that many designers focus too closely on crafting the look of their creations and forget to build up a viable business.

Photo galleries:
Maledeine Glindorf Gallery
Madeleine Glindorf Designer's Nest and CPH Vision
Søren Steffen

TV2 video clip (00:56)
TV2 video clip (00:28)
DR.dk news clip (02:18)

Photos by Torben Stroyer © /Jyllands Posten:



CIFF press release - Crown Princess Mary wrapped up Copenhagen Fashion Week (10 February 2008)
The hectic fashion days have truly highlighted Copenhagen Fashion Week as a comprehensive event. With 40 fashion shows, the city has been abuzz with clothing, action and trends, and both CIFF and Gallery received a visit from HRH Crown Princess Mary.
Thousands of square metres of fashion wear. Foreign journalists with a flair for fashion. Forty creative fashion shows of all types.
Copenhagen was transformed into a true fashion Mecca this week. With bright sunshine and impressive temperatures for the season, the numerous events truly demonstrated that the Nordic region's fashion capital is located in Denmark.
The focus of Copenhagen Fashion Week is the three successful fairs: Copenhagen International Fashion Fair, CPH Vision and Gallery in Forum Copenhagen, the last of which made a strong mark as an important participant in the fashion week.
In this, the 30th time that Bella Center has hosted CIFF, there were 1,096 exhibitors and 32,285 visitors, of which 10,055 came from other countries. Gallery attracted 139 exhibitors and 11,308 visitors to Forum Copenhagen, of which 3,155 were from other countries.
Both CIFF and Gallery received royal visits during the fair. On Thursday, HRH Crown Princess Mary visited CIFF, where extra attention was paid to children's clothing and the TrendShow. On Sunday, HRH Crown Princess Mary wrapped up the fashion week by appearing at Gallery for the first time, visiting seven of its exciting exhibitors.

CPH Vision
Designers' Nest
Vision Lab
Copenhagen International Fashion Fair