Berner Kühl, Bonnetje, Caro Editions, and O. Files are the 2026 finalists for the Wessel & Vett Prize, Scandinavia's largest award supporting Danish designers. Each received 75,000 DKK, with the winner set to claim 300,000 DKK at the end of Copenhagen Fashion Week's spring 2027 edition. The prize, established by the Wessel & Vett foundation, honors emerging talent amid challenges facing independent brands.
The Wessel & Vett Prize, named after the founders of Magasin department stores Emil Vett and Theodor Wessel, has previously supported brands like Cecilie Bahnsen, Saks Potts, Anne Sofie Madsen, and 2025 winner Nicklas Skovgaard. This year marks changes: instead of one recipient for the full amount, finalists each got 75,000 DKK (about $11,000). A 14-member jury, including fashion experts, visited each brand's space for personalized evaluations, emphasizing mentorship. The winner will be announced next spring during Copenhagen Fashion Week. Berner Kühl, founded by Frederik Berner Kühl in 2019 after studies at Polimoda in Milan, focuses on minimal menswear. “We are always about evolution and not revolution with what we do. And we spend a lot of time talking about restraint and refinement,” Berner Kühl said. Bonnetje, launched by Anna Myntekær and Yoko Maja Hansen—both Gerrit Rietveld Academie graduates—deconstructs men's suits into feminine pieces, prioritizing sustainability. “The suit is very much the core,” said Hansen. Caro Editions, started in 2022 by former model Caroline Bille Brahe, emphasizes vintage-inspired, made-to-order designs. “For me, making the clothes is also a lot [about] how wearing the clothes makes you feel,” she noted. O. Files, by Oscar Jardorf since 2018, follows a streetwear drop model with traditional tailoring and playful details. “We take daily life situations and feelings into consideration and basically translate them into the garments,” Jardorf explained. These niche brands share struggles to reach buyers and scale while preserving authenticity.
