The Wessel & Vett Foundation has been helping foster a thriving fashion scene in Denmark since its fashion prize was first established in 2012. Past recipients include buzzy names like Cecilie Bahnsen and Saks Potts, and this year, menswear designer Frederik Berner Kühl took home the top prize. He “has built a brand defined by confidence, exceptional craftsmanship, and a long-term approach to design,” said founder Nina Wedell-Wedellsborg when awarding the prize. “Since founding the brand, [Kühl] has developed a clear and consistent design language that combines Scandinavian simplicity with tailoring traditions. [Frederik’s] work reflects a deep respect for quality, functionality, and longevity, creating garments that are made to endure rather than follow the pace of trends. [He] impressed the jury not only with the strength of the collections, but with the clarity of his powerful approach to building a modern fashion business.”
“It takes sacrifice, it’s a lot of hard work, you need grit and dedication to keep it going,” the designer said upon accepting the award. “Sometimes you ask yourself if it’s worth it, but on days like this, it is.”
A Polimoda alum, Berner Kühl established his label in 2019 and opened a small white-painted shoebox of a store in 2021. The physical space clearly aligns the designer’s passions for fashion with architecture and design, métiers which affect his process almost subconsciously. “Growing up and being very passionate about fashion in Scandinavia, you seek out the fashion brands you like; maybe they’re not in Denmark. But with interiors and architecture, you grow up within it, so that’s not seeking out or finding out what it is, it’s just being immersed in it.”
Berner Kühl clothes arrive at their simplicity through deep consideration. If silhouettes are clean, the fabrics used, sourced primarily in Japan and Italy, add a luxe sense of tactility and texture. Rather than do a show this season, Berner Kühl collaborated with the furniture company Feld, creating a new covering for their modular sofa.
The Wessel & Vett Prize changed things up this year, too. For starters, each of the four 2026 finalist brands, Berner Kühl, Bonnetje, Caro Editions, and O. Files, each received €10,000 while the winner was awarded another €40,000.
And rather than have the designers come to the jury (of which this editor was a member), the jurists spent several hours with each designer in their own space. The Foundation also commissioned a polished bronze statuette from Danish artist Esben Weile Kjær, which was presented to the Kühl.
