The sun is already blazing, so everyone has strategically claimed a spot beneath the striped umbrellas. Tables are crowded with cappuccinos, croissants, and tiered spreads of fruit and cheese. It couldn’t be a more beautiful morning. And for one of the four Wessel & Vett finalists waiting to hear their name called, it’s about to get even better. “As you all know, it was our great-great grandfather Emil Vett who founded the department store Magasin du Nord back in 1868 … ” says Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg, founder of the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize.

Magasin du Nord, one of the city’s major department stores, is impossible to miss on Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen’s largest public square. The Wessel & Vett Prize was founded in 2012, taking its name — and its inspiration — from Magasin du Nord’s founders, Emil Vett and Theodor Wessel. Its mission was to carry their legacy forward. Over the years, it has become one of Northern Europe’s most prestigious prizes for up-and-coming designers. (Not to mention, lucrative; the winner receives €40,000, and the finalists also take home €10,000.) 

“When we founded the prize more than a decade ago, our ambition was simple: to support the next generation of Danish fashion designers,” she says, dressed in a floral-embroidered poplin frock by Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen, a former Wessel & Vett winner and member of this year’s jury. “To recognize new and creative talents, yes — but also to give designers the opportunity to grow their businesses, develop their vision, and build lasting careers.”

But a lot has changed since then, including the industry itself, so it made sense that the prize would evolve, too. Today’s designers are expected not only to create beautiful work, but to lead, innovate, and make clever business decisions. So this year, the four finalists — Anna Myntekær and Yoko Maja Hansen of Bonnetje, Caroline Bille Brahe of Caro Editions, Oscar Jardorf of O. Files, and Frederik Berner Kühl of Berner Kühl — were judged not simply on their final collections, but on everything happening behind the scenes. 

A new format was introduced to take the judges deeper into the heart of how each designer works. A few months ago, the jury stepped inside the designers’ studios to see how and why they create — and just as importantly, how they plan on going the distance. The jury, which included creative directors, entrepreneurs, and editors like Cecilie Thorsmark, Henrik Vibskov, Rebekka Bay, and Laird Borrelli-Persson, had ample time to spend with each designer: talking face-to-face, meeting their teams, sitting in on live working sessions, and taking part in immersive workshops. 

“These conversations gave the jury a far richer understanding of each brand than a runway show ever could,” Nina says, pausing for breath. “Choosing a winner was no easy task […] The winner’s work reflects a deep respect for quality, functionality, and longevity, creating garments that are made to endure rather than follow the pace of trends.”

By this point, there’s no doubt who the winner is: Frederik Berner Kühl. A graduate of Florence’s Polimoda fashion institute, the designer founded his namesake menswear label in 2019 and quickly became known for his clean, understated style and rigorous attention to construction. This deft mix of Scandinavian simplicity with superlative tailoring and undeniable utility is clear in signatures like supremely crisp button-up shirts and relaxed, boxy outerwear. 

When Nina announces the designer’s name, the terrace erupts in applause. Phones rise into the air. A champagne bottle is popped open. Smiling from ear to ear, the designer makes his way to the makeshift podium to accept the bronze statuette and an enormous bouquet of flowers. It’s a well-deserved win. 

The brand opened its first Copenhagen flagship two years ago, and has tapped into something that feels increasingly important in today’s breakneck fashion landscape: longevity. Not only do the clothes have a point of view, but they’re also built to endure. Berner Kühl has stayed true to the vision it set for itself, and it has done so in a way that feels pure and honest to its craft — while having a clear, confident plan for the future. 

“It takes sacrifice,” he says. “It’s a lot of hard work. You need grit and dedication to keep it going.” It’s a sentiment shared by so many designers, both new and established, who are trying to build something despite relentless pressures. “Sometimes you ask yourself if it’s worth it, but on days like this, it is.”