It comes as no surprise that Copenhagen, a city mostly traveled on foot or by bicycle, has a shoe fetish.

At the spring 2026 edition of Copenhagen Fashion Week, shoes of all shapes and sizes were seen on the cobbled streets and shot by street style photographers.

The brands took note.

At OpéraSport, designers Awa Malina Stelter and Stephanie Gundelach collaborated with the Brazilian footwear brand Havaianas on styles in an array of colors: black, white and a special baby blue pair that was 3D printed with the company Zellerfeld.

The flip-flops mimicked the design of a spaceship with their curved edges and only teasing the top of the foot with two strips of material.

“We’ve always admired its universal appeal and strong identity. It was important for us that the collaboration wasn’t just visual, but also technological. A flip-flop reimagined for the future,” said Malina.

The famous summer staple was so much the rage that Lyst and Dot Dot Dot, an insights platform and consultancy, were giving out pairs of Havaianas at a breakfast event to celebrate their monthly insights series “Product Anatomy,” which this month is looking at the rise of Havaianas.

“Havaianas had a big wave of popularity in Copenhagen a few years ago and is making a comeback now. There’s even a bit of controversy, as some Brazilians feel the flip-flops’ rise is wrongly being credited to Scandinavian style rather than their Brazilian roots,” said Christopher Morency, chief brand officer at agency group Dogma and founder of Dot Dot Dot.

“In Copenhagen specifically, there’s a strong culture of minimal, functional dressing, and Havaianas fit perfectly into that relaxed, effortless summer uniform,” he added.

Flip-flops were all evident on the runways of Alis, Deadwood and Birrot for spring 2026, following the trend first seen on the men’s runways in Paris and Milan.

The fabrics company Tekla had other ideas in mind when it came to comfort. The company debuted a slipper collection set for a global launch from Sept. 2.

The slippers, which retail for 350 euros, have been designed with the home in mind, just like many of Tekla’s products, and are made out of soft wool shearling in shades of black, a rich purple, teal and white.

A few other brands extended into the category with the intention of growth.

Rotate said that launching footwear was a “missing puzzle piece” for the brand, which is synonymous with light party clothes.

“We had a vision: bold, playful, sexy, but wearable,” said the brand’s cofounder Jeanette Madsen, of the styles that included slingbacks, thong kitten heels, pumps, pointed flats and heels with sculptural flower details and crystal embellishments in shades of butter yellow, red, black, bright pink, as well as snake print and pony-like faux fur.

At Gestuz, designer Sanne Sehested relaunched footwear after a five-year break and paid tribute to the brand’s old designs with new subtle touches, such as making their two-toned boots comfortable enough for cycling.

“Our boots were quite a big part of the Gestuz spirit. As we always did, the focus is on wearability, and that is reflected in the heel height, for example. We are bike-riding Scandinavians at the core after all,” said Sehested.

Skall Studios, one of Copenhagen Fashion Week’s quietly profitable brands, also put its best foot forward with the debut of flat shoes in black and brown made from the byproducts of Sicilian orange and cactus.

The brand has started out slow, which reflects its ready-to-wear strategy.

“Our inspiration has always been about creating pieces that last, made with respect for the world around us, and these shoes are a natural, intentional extension of that philosophy,” said Julie and Marie Skall in a joint email interview.

Footwear has international appeal in Copenhagen. 

The luxury department store Illum invited the architect-turned-shoemaker Duha Bukadi behind the brand Duha to stage a month-long pop-up. Her new collection took its cues from the anatomy of bows without the girly frills.

“It’s a mix between femininity and nonchalance,” said Bukadi. Her designs when not worn on the foot can resemble buildings or sculptural cocktail glasses.

The brand has its eyes set on expansion and will be soon launching handbags. Bukadi added that Duha already has a “good market” in Paris, but her biggest market to date is the Middle East, where she’s currently based.

“We’re opening a pop-up in September in Paris and then we’re going to Antonia Milano. The doors of Europe are open to us and our DTC is more American,” she said.

Copenhagen Fashion Week has become a land of footwear collaborations, too.

At Cecilie Bahnsen, the designer continued her partnership with Asics, but this time in all-white for her special one-off show for her 10th anniversary.

“The shoes for the show are all existing white Asics styles that we’ve reworked by hand in the studio. Some were embroidered, others treated with foil or detailing, and a few had the tongue removed,” said the designer.

Stel’s Astrid Andersen used Dr. Martens Oxford shoes to create a uniform for her label’s practical approach.

“Dr. Martens create such forever shoes, they never go out of style and that’s what I aspire to have with Stel, so it felt like the perfect match,” said the designer.

Dr. Martens also got involved in the fun of Copenhagen Fashion Week by hosting a party to launch its new Buzz Hi boot.

“A key inspiration this season was bringing bold ‘90s energy into the now. We took the chunky platform sole that made waves back in February and elevated it (literally) into a knee-high silhouette that’s equal parts playful and polished,” said Bridie Husband, a footwear designer at the brand.

On the other side of the city, New Balance held an intimate café pop-up in the middle of a square with Atelier September to launch the brand’s 204L trainer, which launches globally on Saturday.