Since its inception in 2012, the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize has championed Danish designers by identifying and nurturing unique talent. Always seeking to innovate and adapt to the changing demands of the fashion industry, the Prize is reinventing the competition format for 2026, offering the jury an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the vision, creativity, and personalities driving each brand.
The prize and the new format
Each designer was chosen based on the belief that they resonate with the values of the prize and represent the Zeitgeist and modern ethos of Danish fashion. Awarded in recognition of exceptional creativity, vision, and entrepreneurial potential, the winner receives a DKK 300,000 (approximately €40,000) cash prize to support the brand’s continued growth and development. Another important change this year, each of the four designers will receive DKK 75,000 / € 10,000 for their participation.
The finalists and the jury's members
The finalists of the Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize 2026 are Berner Kühl, Bonnetje, Caro Editions, and O. Files.
This year's jury members include Cecilie Thorsmark, Ceo, Copenhagen Fashion Week; Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg, founder, Wessel & Vett Fashion Prize; Ulrik Garde Due, Ceo, ArdAzAei; Henrik Vibskov, founder & creative director, Henrik Vibskov; Carla Christine Bruus Aagaard-Strube, editor-in-chief, Fashion Forum; among others.
The winner will be announced on August 6 at Copenhagen Fashion Week.
BERNER KÜHL
@bernerkuhl
Danish designer Frederik Berner Kühl founded his namesake menswear label Berner Kühl in 2019. Inspired to educate a new generation of consumers about quality garments and thoughtful design, the brand focuses on creating a modern wardrobe that bridges everyday wear with elevated tailoring, emphasizing durability, functionality, and longevity. Believing that fashion industry often moves at an unsustainable pace, Kühl’s work encourages a more considered, long-term relationship with clothing. Having studied at Polimoda in Italy, his designs combine Scandinavian minimalism with Italian craftsmanship and traditional tailoring methods.
BONNETJE
@bonnetje.official
Bonnetje is a Copenhagen-based brand founded in 2021 by designers Anna Myntekær and Yoko Maja Hansen. Bonding over a shared interest in craftsmanship, sustainability, and experimental pattern-making, the duo developed a technical approach to garment construction informed by experience at fashion houses including Maison Margiela and Cecilie Bahnsen. Working primarily with existing garments, especially classic menswear suits, Bonnetje cuts apart and reconstructs vintage pieces into new silhouettes. By turning garments inside-out and exposing seams, pockets, and linings, the brand highlights the craftsmanship of traditional tailoring while revealing clothing’s hidden structures.
CARO EDITIONS
@caroeditions
Caroline Bille Brahe is the founder of Caro Editions. As Caroline Brasch Nielsen (her maiden name), she has been a top model for almost 15 years. From her first fashion week in Paris in 2010 when she was named one of the top ten newcomers, Caroline walked for all the big names of fashion along with being the face of many campaigns. After a stellar modelling career, she set up Caro Editions in 2022, a family business owned with her husband Frederik Bille Brahe and Business Partner Bjørg Finsen. The Copenhagen-based clothing label is rooted in intuition, playfulness, and great craftsmanship. With a hands-on, impulsive approach, the brand blends rich nostalgia and modern ease. From their atelier in Borgergade, each garment is imagined, designed, and shared with deep personal involvement, often in limited numbers.
O. FILES
@ofiless
Oscar Jardorf founded his contemporary menswear label O. Files in 2018, initiated by an early interest in archival garments and the notion of clothes as tied to certain contexts and feelings. O. Files creates garments that balance functional clarity with refined tailoring and meticulous construction. Origami, in particular, informs the design process through a sensitivity to fold, line, and imperfection, translating the logic of paper-folding into subtle constructional gestures.
Photo: from left, Berner Kühl, Bonnetje, Caro Editions, and O. Files collections
