After a few days of nothing but rain of various intensity, we were promised sunshine — so where is it? Certainly not here under Knippelsbro, one of the two bridges that carries vehicles across Copenhagen’s inner harbor into Christianshavn, where Ukrainian brand TG Botanical has chosen to host its second Copenhagen Fashion Week show.

Here, sharp wind hits hard, knocking over bicycles behind us, as though drawing its power from the water. Even the models are kept inside a covered boat docked by the water until go time. As they get ready, guests huddle together (the runway is short, spanning the width of the bridge) waiting for the first signs that mark the beginning of TG Botanical’s spring-summer 2024 show. Then it comes, a soundtrack of earth — the chirping birds, the rustling of leaves. Suddenly, the mood is lifted, brightened into something that resembles optimism.

Forces of Nature.

The canal’s steel beams and the surrounding glass-and-concrete architecture feel like a sharp contrast to TG Botanical’s aesthetic, which pulls its palette – and really, its entire DNA – directly from the earth. This has always been founder Tetyana Chumak’s mindset – creating garments that bridge, if you will, nature and fashion. In practice, it means using what the ground serves up to make and alter clothing, and being involved in every step of the production process.

It starts with seed and soil, grown in Tetyana’s homeland of Ukraine. “That is why I tend to call my creations ‘live clothing’ – the main purpose of TG Botanical is to embody this specific connection to the earth in each piece to let the wearer feel the sensation of ‘embrace’ with the purest form of nature,” She told Sleek Magazine back in May of 2022.

This season, the brand’s collection, titled “Frailty” explores nature’s destructive forces – how they continue to shape and reshape the earth, break it down and reconstruct it. This gradual sloughing of the planet is represented through texture – something Tetyana has a natural instinct for and never neglects to indulge. Fabric is gathered, smocked, twisted, ruched, and manipulated for dimension.

Straight From The Earth.

Hints of maroon evoke images of reddish soil and an eroded surface. Shades of tan, wheat, and tawny browns remind us of coarse-grained sand. Blacks perhaps indicate some darker geologic forces in play, and striking ocher and cyan blue mimic the sea waves smashing the shoreline. It’s no coincidence that TG Botanical’s colors remind us so much of nature – the pigments are literally plucked from its resources.

Tetyana’s experimental approach to dyeing makes good use of botanicals. Buttons of tansy flower can stain fabric a soft yellow or an earthy green, depending on what it’s mixed with. Golden browns can be pulled from acorns, and even more dusty palettes can be achieved by simmering onion husks. Coffee beans can lend garments a time-worn, weathered look. And that distressed, paint-brush blue? Tetyana achieved that through cyanotype, an old print-making technique.

Certified batiste, cottons, silks, organic nettle and linens are woven together to make garments that look so easy, light, and – for the lack of a better word – natural. Whether worn loose and airy or fitted closer to the body, these garments exude the same kind of ease. Even today, instead of falling prey to the wind, TG Botanical is in harmony with it. Everything moves so beautifully, as though it were designed with today’s exact wind speed in mind.

Here Comes The Sun.

As the models line up side by side for a final look, something magical happens. The sun appears at last, drenching everything in gold. The fresh light slides across the water before fading out again, as if right on cue. And perhaps there’s no more wholesome, poetic, and fitting ending to a show that puts nature as its focal point, knitting important ideas together, and giving them shape. And when you build this kind of relationship with Mother Nature, she’s bound to throw you a bone.