For Forza Collective’s second Copenhagen Fashion Week show, designer Kristoffer Kongshaug leaned into what the people want: minimalistic, unexpected evening wear
Forza Collective isn’t afraid to give the people what they want. For spring/summer '25, the brand’s second Copenhagen Fashion Week outing, founder and creative director Kristoffer Kongshaug leaned into what was working (namely, the pieces desired by buyers and, ultimately, the brand’s emerging fans). “We are on the right track. So it’s partly building on top of what really works for the brand and expanding that vision,” he says. Quiet luxury and elevated basics be damned, because what’s working for Forza is evening wear. “The evening wear is really pronounced in this collection,” says Kongshuag. “I want to see how far we can take it.”
It’s a thrilling proposition, especially given the low-key, casual aesthetic favoured by many of Forza’s Danish contemporaries. Drawing on the opulent details of 1970s and 1960s couture, Kongshaug crafted a string of show-stopping after-dark-appropriate frocks. There’s a dusty pink number, with a full skirt of ruched jersey, mirroring sweet rose blooms. There’s a floor-sweeping pale blue and white gown, backless with subtle grecian draping. There’s a white, strapless floor sweeping dress with signature cut-out cups — a futuristic Forza bride.
But despite the red carpet-readiness of the offering, there’s something very Scandinavian in what Forza does. Perhaps it’s the sporty stretch of the material, or the underlying minimalism. “There’s an easiness to it,” says Kongshaug, who’s quick to mention that Forza is not an “evening wear brand”, but rather just a brand that’s great at doing evening wear. To emphasise this point, there are sharp shouldered statement coats (most notably an unmissable neon green iteration – very brat), sharp white shirts with net overlays, drapey cut-out tops that would look right at home with a pair of jeans and Barbarella-esque metal corsets, made in collaboration with jewellery brand Räthel & Wolf. “I’m not an evening wear designer,” says Kongshaug. “But I know those pieces get a lot of attention.”
See all the looks from Forza's spring/summer 2025 collection below:
