BackStage

Henrik Vibskov | AW26 | CPHFW Add Your Heading Text Here Frog Carry Frog Autumn / Winter 2026 The AW26 collection begins with the frog: a modest, transformative creature deeply entwined with the living world. The journey started on a small Danish island known for its fire-bellied toads and unfolded through unexpected connections: the word criterium, the film Magnolia with its raining frogs, studies of frogs carrying one another, conversations about social structures, and even the company’s veteran van, Betty, which after eight years had to be carried out of a parking space by many hands. From the fire-bellied toad to the rare backpacker frog, where the female carries her mate, amphibian life became a poetic and human lens. Frogs exist between worlds, shifting from egg to tadpole to airbreathing being. They signal environmental change and populate myths and fairytales as symbols of metamorphosis, luck, fertility, and quiet wisdom. To look at the frog is to look at ourselves, interdependent bodies in constant transition, navigating thresholds and the weight of what we carry. images courtesy of Alastair Wiper Makeup Jenny Jansson using idunminerals Hair Amalie Holmqvist using Maginista What began as an interest in frog colors, habitats, and life cycles grew into a reflection on shared weight. Emotional baggage, collective labor, bumblebees improbably lifting their own bodies, fungal networks sustaining entire forests — all speak of cooperation beneath the surface. These ideas shape both the silhouettes and spirit of the collection. Earthy pond greens and soil browns are disrupted by flashes of warning orange, echoing nature’s own signals. Signature textiles distill this universe: etched toad-skin textures that honor imperfection; glowing mycelium-inspired patterns hinting at hidden cooperation; monochrome jacquards concealing tadpoles and dancing frogs; playful graphics of weightlifting frogs, swamp typography, and stacked creatures. The collection invites a shift in perspective away from the distant overview and toward ground-level intimacy. Tailoring plays a central role, with suits and structured pieces informed by frog faces, eyes, and webbed feet. Rounded volumes and fluid transitions echo metamorphosis, while layered garments suggest carrying, supporting, and sharing. Silhouettes interlock and depend on one another. The show takes place at Østre Gasværk Theatre in Copenhagen, where the audience looks down onto a circular stage, mirroring how humans often view frogs from above. This altered vantage becomes part of the story: an invitation to reconsider scale, hierarchy, and what we overlook. Performers carry towering ladder-like structures built around sculptural wooden spines, visualizing the core that supports the whole body. As these structures tilt, sway, and unfold, they form a shared pattern assembled collectively through loading, unloading, and redistribution of weight. In Frog Carry Frog the runway becomes a portrait of shared strength. A reminder that every height reached rests on many shoulders — and that together, we carry more than we ever could alone. Frog Carry Frog. HV Design Team – HV, Judith Klingenfeld, Lærke Engelshardt, Baptiste Comte, Jens, Clara and SwantjeManagement, Logistics, Accounting – Anja Gordon, Elvira von Wieding Development & Production – Joost Jansen, Anna De La Cour & Valerie BonnHV Installation Team – Baptiste Comte & Elvira von WiedingSales Team – VALD Agency & DUNE Japan Press – Nat Studio