Copenhagen : CIFF Kids and more

I visited CIFF Copenhagen for the first time last week – It was my second time in Copenhagen and a confirmation that it is a wonderful city to visit for pleasure and for work. It has just the right size, not too large yet buzzing. It is very traveler-friendly, well organised (the nordic way!) and attractive with a high number of independent cool stores and great restaurants.

CIFF Kids is a mix of commercial/mass-market brands and more independent/creative labels. Among the Scandinavian brands were Soft Gallery, New Generals, Petit by Sophie Schnoor, Ovitar, Ver de terre, all pretty well known abroad, Mads Nogaard, Danefae, Bock, Albababy, Ugly Childrens Clothing, Fub, Sprout by Gro, etc. A few brands from Italy, UK, France, US were also present : Pepe Children’s shoes, Caramel baby&Child, Pom d’Api, Petitbo, Esp n.1, Nico Nico. I will post more about the Scandinavian brands in the coming weeks.

There used to be two kids trade show in Copenhagen : CPH kids and CIFF Kids. CPH shut its doors last summer, and from what I heard, it was the most beautiful of all children’s trade shows. Everyone was raving about it. With the crisis around it got harder to keep the excellent level of brands and the organisers decided not to compromise on the quality of the show so they decided to shut it down. A probably painful decision, but a wise one.

CIFF is conveniently located at the Bella Center, a convention complex between the airport and the centre. It is easy to get there and from there to the city centre. The Bella Sky Hotel is quite amazing with its 800 rooms and direct entrance in the Bella Center, ideal for cold rainy days. The whole place is well thought, and more impressive, it doesn’t feel corporate. Pale Cloud had booked a meeting room in the hotel for their clients who could not make it to Pitti; a good size and agreeable spot.

While in town, Bianca Wessel of Little Scandinavian took me to a new show called Defining Scandinavia. A small, creative show featuring design, furniture, objects. Children’s brand Lucky Boy Sunday was there. Brands such as Helgo, HK Living, Louise Roe, Nomess, By Nord, caught my eye, and here again, I will write more soon about these brands.

Copenhagen is a great place to spot new items, unknown in continental Europe, to get a dose of inspiration and fresh ideas. All this without the stress you get in mega large cities.

Clic here for good tips about sleeping, eating, and shopping in Copenhagen …