Zeda the Architect takes us inside a day working on a production and styling team at Copenhagen Fashion Week. When she’s not busy in Ireland styling shoots, directing fashion projects, or fuelling her day with an alarming amount of Red Bull, Dublin-based creative Zeda the Architect is in Denmark as an assistant fashion producer, stylist and co-ordinator. She was in Copenhagen this season to work behind the scenes on one of the most anticipated shows of the week by Zalando Visionary Award winner, IAMISIGO, coordinating looks, wrangling models and volunteers while keeping the chaos stylish. Here, she takes us inside a day (and night) in the life at Copenhagen Fashion Week.
4.30am – Call Time
My self-imposed call time is 4:30am. My arrival time? 5:01am. I’m just a girl, albeit one with an imaginary headset, a clipboard, a dream and 34 confirmed looks to wrangle before sunrise.
I wake up in my hotel room in Cabinn Copenhagen, groggy after a late finish prepping but already mentally running through my to-do list. Last-minute coordination messages from my lead producer, Tushar Hathiramani, fly out of my phone before I’ve even put my feet on the ground. Make-up wasn’t on the cards until I remembered the inevitable backstage cameras. A slick of concealer and mascara later, I’m in my all-black uniform (the official camouflage of backstage crews everywhere) and out the door.
I grab a taxi, clutching the last of my Danish Krone like loose change in a Monopoly game. The streets are still quiet, the air cold, but I can already feel my adrenaline building. I crack open my first Red Bull of the day (the unofficial fuel of Fashion Week survival) and mentally prepare for the shift from the calm of the streets to backstage fashion chaos.
5:30am – Straight Into the Storm
The second I step into the venue, I’m hit with the energy: lights flickering on, rails and tables squeaking across the floor, everyone darting about like a hive of busy bees in all-black uniforms. The questions start before I’ve even taken my coat off, yes, the boards are ready; yes, the rails are labelled; no, we cannot change the set-up again. Over in the corner, our PR lead, Arieta M Barg, is already corralling interviewers and backstage press, making sure the right people get access without tripping over any rails.
Yesterday, we prepped the space and confirmed all 34 looks. I’ve got three incredible backstage lead dressers: Ngozi Elobuike, Benn Waigand, and Clara Murphy, each with a team of backstage volunteers. My first task is finalising the polyboards: each model’s look, a reference image, and their polaroid lined up like a visual bible for the day ahead.
6:30am – Models, Hair, Make-up… and Rehearsal Panic
Models start arriving in waves, some fresh-faced, others still carrying the energy (and hairspray) from the show they’d raced from the day before. I liaise with the casting team led by Emma Mattell and model coordinators, Thiravigah Thiraviarajah and Thiravisha Thiraviarajah who help with funnelling them straight into hair and make-up, led by Sara Mathiasson and Tina Khatri, respectively. The show is at 10am, which in backstage terms might as well be five minutes from now.
7:45am – Runway Rehearsals
The models are pulled for runway rehearsals by Texas Olsson and my heart rate spikes. Glam is nowhere near finished. I reallocate volunteers to stand in during rehearsals so the models can get back into the chair. Hairdryers whirr, make-up brushes sweep across faces, and I’m darting between stations like a traffic warden running on equal parts Red Bull and adrenaline.
9:10am – The Final Countdown
Rehearsals wrap and we go into hyperdrive. Dressers and volunteers start getting models into looks. Our stylist, KK Obi, and creative director, Bubu Ogisi, with creative assistant Maissa De Oliveira, finesse final details, a belt tightened here, a hem steamed there. Decisions are made!
By now, the backstage monitor is showing guests filtering into the venue. We’re gifted a precious 15-minute delay, the show now starts at 10:15am. I praise the Lord, then I use the time to line everyone up, triple-check the running order and send the last models to the glam team for final touch-ups.
10:15am – Go Time
Music and smoke spill through the curtains as the first model steps onto the runway. Backstage, we huddle around the monitor, watching months of work come to life. As each model returns, I keep them in order for the finale, dodge backstage photographers, and coordinate quick fixes and touch-ups with the precision of a drill sergeant.
Bubu takes her bow to roaring applause. But there’s no time to bask, we dive straight into shooting the lookbook. Some models have other shows, so it’s a lightning round of styling adjustments, camera clicks, and “hold still for just one more.”
12pm – The Comedown That Isn’t
Models are undressed, wigs removed, make-up wiped away. My team carefully repacks every look, logging each piece to make sure nothing’s missing. With Bubu, we separate the next day’s re-see looks and tidy the space. Only when I’m returning the polyboards and equipment does the adrenaline finally start to fade.
7pm – Glam, Round Two
After a quick recharge at the hotel, I stepped out in my custom Izabela x Zipyard Swords creation for the post-show dinner. The atmosphere is buzzing, we’ve pulled it off, and we all know it. Between bites, I chat with my colleagues, bump into the lovely Irish stylist, Corina Gaffey, and nearly spill my drink when American artist Kelela appears for a surprise performance.
11pm – From Dinner to Drill Mode
When the guests leave, the music drops but the work ramps up again. Our small but mighty crew transforms the venue for the next day, moving furniture, resetting rails, and restyling the space until 3am. There’s just enough time for a lightning visit to the after-party before I finally collapse into bed.
8am – And Again
The next morning, it’s straight to the re-see, followed by a much-needed wine-down with the team and guests at Soho House. I’m running on little more than Red Bull and sheer passion at this point, but honestly? I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Fashion Week may be relentless, but so am I.
Photography by Polina Vinogradova and Zeda the Architect.
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