Aknvas References Another Hans Christian Andersen Tale for Spring 2027

Aknvas presented its Spring 2027 runway show on Friday in a whirlwind of three acts: “Eleven Shirts,” “Forest Nymphs” and the climactic closing, “Wild Swans.”

“I decided to name the collection ‘Swans Before Innocence,'” Founder and Creative Director Christian Juul Nielsen told Fashionista in a backstage interview. The story unfolded as a chronological saga, beginning with classic shirting, continuing into utility wear and then culminating in sweeping high-low skirts — inspired, for the second season in a row, by a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. This, time, it was “The Wild Swans.”

The story follows a young princess with 11 brothers who are transformed into swans; the only way to save them? For the princess to sew together 11 shirts out of stinging nettles, all while staying silent, unable to speak until the spell is broken. Hence, the first act of the show incorporated mixed-striped cotton shirt sleeves, in some instances wrapping around the garments’ waists. Themed details like embroidered swans and florals appear throughout, a reminder of the spell to be broken.

The second act of the show melded utility with fantasy, drawing on the moment a prince discovers the princess in the forest and falls in love with her. “The forest finds its way into the wardrobe,” read the show notes, describing this moment. For the collection, this translates to blue utilitarian jackets and sculpted denim. Nielsen also brought in florist Putnam Flowers to design bountiful floral arrangements that sprung from the bags models carried, a literal nod to the enchanted forest’s greenery. “She goes to the graveyard to pick up flowers in the night; it’s why we had all the flowers in the show that [the models] carry,” Nielsen explained.

For the third and final act, hysteria breaks out that the princess is a witch — until her brothers arrive in swan form to save her. Nielsen explained the moment: “The swans come on top of [the princess], and she throws the shirts on them,” effectively breaking the curse. The collection closed dramatically with asymmetrical-cut lace gowns drawn up with ribbons and ruffles. By the final look — a black high-low skirt and panel top — the spell was broken, and the story was complete. As Nielsen put it, “Everyone needs to read books, fairy tales and stories” — and on this runway, he made sure everyone did.

See every look from Aknvas’ Spring 2027 show below.