Trans Activism at Copenhagen Fashion Week
Alectra Rothschild – Masculina presented their Fall 2025 collection on the opening day of Copenhagen Fashion Week. It was a call to arms to acknowledge the brutality and mistreatment of Trans persons. The runway shows title was “Give the Girl a Gun” inspired by a spoken word poem by Miss Amy Assakf.
Miss Amy Assakf’s spoken word poem inspired the collection’s message. The poem, raw and unfiltered, demanded survival and justice. Its intensity set the stage for an unforgettable showcase.
“Give this girl a gun and let her sleep with it at night and let the sun carve memories in her face and let her walk into the unknown depths with rage as her fire and sincerity as her weapon and let her shoot those who carved away her wings and let her take them back and let her walk and give this girl a gun and do not condone a survivor for not only surviving but bringing life and let her eyes unsee what the child saw and give this girl a gun and let her fire it into the inner depths of the hellish chambers that are his heart and let her fly again and gift her wings and give this girl a gun.”
A Runway That Demanded Attention
Masculina effectively turned the Copenhagen Fashion Week runway into a striking narrative of resilience and defiance. As a result, models walked with bruised cheekbones, battered shoulders, and haunting expressions, exposing the harsh realities trans individuals face worldwide. Furthermore, the collection notes highlighted devastating statistics, revealing that trans people experience the highest suicide rate of any minority group, with between 30% and 50% attempting suicide. In addition, discrimination continues to drive homelessness and joblessness, forcing many into survival mode.
The collection didn’t just acknowledge these issues—it confronted them head-on. Masculina used fashion as a tool for advocacy, ensuring these urgent conversations remained impossible to ignore.
The Symbolism Behind the Color Palette
The color story channeled the imagery of weapons and survival. Shades of silver, gunmetal, and black conveyed power, resistance, and the daily battle for existence. Red latex elements symbolized bleeding wounds, forcing the audience to recognize both trauma and empowerment.
Masculina balanced destruction with beauty. Shredded dresses slipped off the body, representing the fragility of trans lives, yet their luxurious textures and bold silhouettes asserted strength and self-ownership. The contrast between rawness and refinement created an aesthetic that felt rebellious, triumphant, and impossible to ignore.
Sustainable Fashion Meets Activism
Masculina ensured that this collection wasn’t just politically powerful—it was also sustainably crafted. The brand relied on upcycled and deadstock materials, reinforcing its commitment to responsible fashion. Many pieces featured TENCEL™ fibers, sustainably sourced from managed forests and produced through a closed-loop system that minimizes waste.
The brand also partnered with Mikkel Schou to upcycle fur and leather, avoiding unethical sourcing while maintaining high-quality craftsmanship. Masculina proved that ethical fashion and activism can go hand in hand, refusing to compromise on either.
Standout Pieces and Bold Statements
Masculina’s designs commanded attention. A tailored trench coat with fluid, cascading panels created a striking contrast between structure and movement. Liquid-like dresses in translucent jersey embodied softness and vulnerability, while at the same time, armor-like outerwear emphasized protection and defiance.
Structured coats with bold, imposing silhouettes captured the collection’s warrior-like sensibility. Masculina fused distressed glamour with radical activism, subsequently ensuring each piece communicated both resistance and empowerment. This collection didn’t just dress its audience—it armed them.
The End of an Era for Masculina at CPHFW NEWTALENT
This season marked Masculina’s final participation in the CPHFW NEWTALENT initiative, a program that has nurtured groundbreaking designers through mentorship, funding, and global visibility.
Masculina closed this chapter with its strongest collection yet— visually stunning and politically fearless. The brand has consistently used fashion as a platform for activism, refusing to dilute its message. As the runway lights faded, the impact remained. Masculina made one thing clear: this was more than just fashion—it was a revolution.
Patrick Michael Hughes Senior Fashion Editor Men’s Fashion Writer
Photographs by James Cochrane
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Patrick Michael Hughes is a fashion and decorative arts historian. He writes about fashion culture past and present making connections to New York, London and Copenhagen's fashion weeks with an eye toward men's fashion. He joined IRK Magazine as a fashion men's editor during winter of 2017.
He is often cited as a historical source for numerous pieces appearing in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, CNN, LVMH, Conde Nast, Highsnobiety and others. His fashion career includes years as a fashion reporter/producer of branded content for the New York local news in the hyper digital sector. Patrick's love of travel and terrain enabled him to becoming an experienced cross-country equestrian intensively riding in a number of locations in South America Scandinavia,The United Kingdom and Germany. However, he is not currently riding, but rather speaking internationally to designers, product development teams, marketing teams and ascending designers in the US, Europe and China.
Following his BA in the History of Art from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York he later completed graduate studios in exhibition design in New York. it was with the nudge and a conversation in regard to a design assignment interviewing Richard Martin curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art he was encouraged to consider shifting his focus to the decorative arts with a concentration in fashion history and curation.
Patrick completed graduate studies 17th and 18th century French Royal interiors and decoration and 18th century French fashion culture at Musée Les Arts Decoratifs-Musée de Louvre in Paris. Upon his return to New York along with other classes and independent studies in American fashion he earned his MA in the History of Decorative Arts and Design from the Parsons/Cooper Hewitt Design Museum program in New York. His final specialist focus was in 19th century English fashion and interiors with distinction in 20th century American fashion history and design.
Currently, he is an Associate Teaching Professor at Parsons School of Design leading fashion history lecture-studios within the School of Art and Design History and Theory,
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