She stands there, disrobed, gripping her clothes with one hand and an apple with the other. As I sit there waiting for the show to start, my eyes smooth over the soft drape of fabric and the delicate curls on her head. It’s difficult not to be awed by the work of Bertel Thorvaldsen, a 19th-century sculptor, one of Europe’s greatest, to whom the museum is dedicated. It’s hard to look away from the ornate barreled ceilings and mosaic floors. From the striking reliefs lining the walls. From the soaring windows and the heavenly light pouring through them. But as soon as the percussive soundtrack kicks the day’s event off, Cmmn Swdn’s fall-winter 2025 collection quickly becomes the object of all attention. 

In this intimate space (I’m seated in one of the many smaller gallery rooms at the museum), the opening look sticks to the foundational necessities of formalwear: a black tailored blazer and loose-fitting trousers, teamed up with a crisp white shirt, collars pointed and elongated. It’s disarmingly simple and yet clearly constructed with immense care. You can tell. The pink fur clutch it’s paired with is exquisite. So is the following look — another two-piece with fuller shoulders and a curved, nipped-in waist. It’s presented in a warm, buttery yellow shade that perfectly complements the museum’s ochre-colored walls. This is tailoring at its finest — of form, cut, and drape. 

But First, Let’s Rewind

Husband-and-wife duo Saif Bakir and Emma Bakir Hedlund met while studying at Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion, and after cutting their teeth working at French high-street label COS and Paris-based Korean label Wooyoungmi and holding the design helm at a well-known studio, they decided to strike out on their own. “We felt we did it for someone else and now we wanted to do it for ourselves,” Saif told The New York Times almost eight years ago. They founded their menswear label, Cmmn Swdn in Malmö, Sweden, and very quickly started racking up several prestigious awards. 

Their ethos? Playing with contrasts and recontextualizing tried-and-true garments in fresh new ways. “While we do research separately, with the design process it’s a collaboration all the way,” Emma told The New York Times. “I bring in feminine textures and materials while Saif is the one focusing on the cut.” So it was a matter of time really — 13 years, to be more specific — before the pair would dip their toes into womenswear. Their first ever outing at Copenhagen Fashion Week felt like that right moment. 

Titled “In Between Spaces,” the collection not only embodies the coming together of Saif and Emma’s expertise, but also the difference and sameness of their two worlds: Scandinavia and the Middle East. In wading through that “in-between” — where tradition collides with modernity and two cultures intersect — the designers sought to create something new. To start, subtle nods to their diverse heritages are found everywhere. Scarf-collared button-ups, for example, remind me of the breezy, long-line shirts (or an abbreviated “thawb”) I’ve seen people wear in my many years of living in the Middle East. This is balanced with straight-lined, sharp-shouldered Scandinavian tailoring. 

Between Two Worlds

“So it’s two geographies, two cultural heritages … the Scandinavian simplicity that meets the sort of opulence and the embellished Middle East,” Emma told Vogue in reference to the collection. This opulence is translated through fabric and texture. Simple knits are rendered in metallic lurex with a copper-colored gleam. Layers of clear sequins on striped button-ups and several glen plaid pieces lend them a kind of a cool iridescence. An unexpected fringe on a calf-grazing dress livens up its hemline. The materials themselves — bonded wool, sensual fur, and the aforementioned metallic lurex — have a quiet, unboastful opulence. 

Speaking of fur, the designers also make a statement with large clutches and extravagant headwear. Most impressive are the fur-printed technical fabrics, which are showcased via some lovely outerwear, including a cocooning puffer and a long coat finished off with silver opera gloves. “Traditionally tied to luxury, power, and survival, here fur represents a bridge between heritage and contemporary functionality — combining opulence with practicality,” the brand’s show notes mention.

Striking a Balance

So, let’s talk about balance then, which the designers handle masterfully. Serving as a counterpoint to that hushed extravagance is the kind of practical minimalism that’s come to define the Scandinavian aesthetic. As I mentioned earlier, we see this in the silhouettes, yes, but most notably, it manifests in the collection’s refined color palette. There are lots of desert sands, chocolate browns, lush creams, and grays. It’s worth repeating just how beautifully this palette harmonizes with the museum’s gallery rooms, painted in alternating hues of burnt umber, sienna, and ochre. 

As models walk through the museum, room by room, the doorways frame each look like moving artwork. One model breaks the format (intentionally) and steps further into the room for us to get a closer look. Watched by Venus, she poses this way then that — shifting in the dance of shadow and light. This might be Cmmn Swdn’s first foray into womenswear, but Emma and Saif already have it down to a fine art.