Copenhagen Bamboo

Copenhagen Bamboo: Scandinavian basics in soft bamboo

Copenhagen Bamboo is a Scandinavian brand with a simple starting point: the clothes you wear every day and nobody else sees deserve as much thought as the ones you leave the house in. The range is therefore built around basics and underwear in bamboo viscose, held in a neutral palette that does not go out of fashion and does not need matching to anything.

The design is Danish minimalism in the practical sense: no large logos, no unnecessary details, no seams placed where they can chafe. Instead the work has gone into the fit and into the exact weight of the fabric, because that is where the difference is felt in a shirt you wear for fourteen hours.

Why bamboo viscose

Bamboo fibres are fine and round, and that is the whole explanation for the softness. A round fibre lies flat against the skin instead of pricking, which is why bamboo viscose feels silky rather than coarse, even after many washes. That makes the material an obvious choice if you have sensitive skin or eczema and notice immediately when a seam sits wrong.

The second property is moisture transport. Bamboo viscose moves moisture away from the skin instead of holding on to it, which is why the clothes feel cool in summer and warm in winter. It is also why a bamboo T-shirt smells less after a long day: odour develops in the damp, warm layer between skin and fabric, and there is simply less of that layer.

Copenhagen Bamboo in our range

Copenhagen Bamboo is the broadest of our brands and covers both men and women. The weight sits in three groups.

Socks are the largest: close to forty five items, from everyday bamboo socks for men and bamboo socks for women to tennis socks and footies. It is the item people come back for once they have felt the difference.

Tops take up almost as much room, with bamboo T-shirts for men, T-shirts for women and long sleeved versions in both crew and v-neck.

Underwear covers boxers and undershirts for men as well as panties and underwear for women. On top of that comes the soft stuff for home: jogging sets, hoodies and sweatpants.

The colours are chosen to be mixed

The palette stays in black, white, grey, navy and a couple of earth tones, and that is a deliberate choice rather than an unimaginative one. Basics are bought gradually, not in sets, and if the colours change from year to year you cannot top up what you already own. With a fixed palette you can buy three T-shirts today and two more in a year and still have a drawer where things look alike.

The same goes for socks. Most people end up with one brand and one colour in the drawer, precisely to avoid pairing them after the wash, and that only works if the brand keeps making the same sock.

About sizing

Bamboo viscose has more stretch than cotton, which means the clothes follow the body instead of hanging. If you are between two sizes, choose the smaller one for a close base layer worn under other clothes, and the larger if the shirt is to be worn on its own. Boxers and panties need to sit close to stay in place, so there your normal size applies, not one up.

How the clothes keep their shape

Bamboo viscose is best washed at 40 degrees without fabric softener. Softener leaves a film on the fibres that takes both the softness and the moisture transport, which is exactly what you bought the clothes for. The tumble dryer is fine on low heat, but take the clothes out while still slightly damp. That preserves the shape best, and you can skip the iron, since bamboo viscose creases less than cotton.

Where it fits in

Copenhagen Bamboo is the place to start if you want to replace your whole base layer at once, precisely because the brand covers so broadly. If you want to compare, Bamboo Basics and Boody are closest in both range and expression.

See everything under bamboo clothing for men and bamboo clothing for women.