Meet the woman behind the Scandinavian brand loved by Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid
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21st Jun 2019
When Ditte Reffstrup took over the brand Ganni with her husband, Nicolaj in 2009, her intention was to fill a gap. “I remember feeling there was something missing on the fashion scene,” she says. “I wanted to create something that reflected the way my friends and I dress.” At the time, she saw Scandinavian style as adhering to two tropes–‘boho chic’ and ‘Scandinavian minimalism’–neither of which she could relate to. “I just didn’t relate any of that to my own style, or the way my friends dressed,” she shares. “So we decided to create Ganni, full of contrasts and personality – a Scandi style 2.0 if you will.”
Ten years later, Reffstrup has turned Ganni into a brand that the fashion community looks to in order to define exactly what Scandi style is. Reffstrup puts this down to authenticity. “I think it’s just that we try to be authentic – we always try to be ourselves and never try too hard,” she says. “I always go with my gut when it comes to design and follow the mantra if you’re not having fun with fashion, you’re missing the point. Every design has something eclectic and an element of the unexpected, to make you stop and think and keep things exciting and always evolving.”
Her pieces are now worn by the likes of the Hadids and the Jenners, as well as Emily Ratajkowski and any street style star worth knowing about. In April, Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner all wore Ganni to Coachella, which made for an exciting social media moment not even Reffstrup saw coming. “That was such a nice surprise,” she says. “I am always super grateful when mega stars wear our stuff, and it just so happened they all wore it at once! The tie-dye pieces are the perfect festival attire. But honestly, I still get such a buzz when I spot my designs out in the wild, on the streets around the world. That makes me feel so proud.”
Reffstrup agrees that Scandinavian style is certainly in the spotlight, but as to why it’s having a moment, she believes that comes down to a number of factors. “I think it’s a coming together of everything, the food, new designers, architecture and interiors and fresh talent coming out of Copenhagen,” she says. “And it’s definitely the girls of Copenhagen. They have something effortless and true about them, which I always look to when designing. Their sense of style matches their way of living. You see women with great style all over the world in Paris, New York and Seoul. But Copenhagen girls have something that transcends style.”
Speaking to Reffstrup ahead of the launch of a capsule collection with Matchesfashion.com, which dropped to great success, and was full of astrology motifs (“I’ve always loved the mystery of astrology – this idea that somehow everything in the universe is connected”), she already has her sights on the next project. “We love to continue collaborating with people we admire,” she shares. “We’re always trying to bring the feeling of Ganni to our amazing community of #GANNIGirls, so we are looking forward to opening some well curated stores in metropolitan destinations.” Yes, that means Ganni is going to be reaching even more stylish women across the globe. “We have always been set on creating an international brand with Copenhagen as the starting point since day one, so expanding into new markets is super exciting.”
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