Ganni, Everyone’s Favorite Scandi Label, Is Coming to America
Given its meteoric rise over the last few years, you’d be forgiven for thinking Ganni was a brand-new label. Not quite: It’s been around since 2000, when gallerist Frans Truelsen set out to create the perfect cashmere sweater. Nine years later, he brought in Nicolaj and Ditte Reffstrup to scale his little knitwear company, and the husband-and-wife duo have spent the past decade building Ganni into an international business, dressing a few influential women (Gigi Hadid, Beyoncé, Kendall Jenner, and Rihanna among them) along the way—all from the hygge-filled enclave of Copenhagen.
The Danish capital is, of course, central to Ganni’s charm: If you had to choose one look to define the #GanniGirl (it’s a thing), it would be a printed dress and “sneaks,” as Ditte calls them, all the better to bike around Vesterbro—a neighborhood populated by, arguably, the world’s most stylish cyclists.
“The Copenhagen girl would never wear a wrap dress with high heels,” Nicolaj, 45, says. “It would feel too girly and romantic.” She would, however, mix up animal prints, or pair a Victorian blouse with cowboy boots, two styling tricks we’ve seen on the Ganni runway. Ditte, 42, likes to call it “Scandi style 2.0,” a departure from the stark minimalism the region is so known for.
That Copenhagen girls can actually buy Ganni is key. Nicolaj says much of the brand’s success comes down to prices he calls “honest” (most items hover around or below $400), paired with a directional approach. “It’s fashion, but informal and effortless,” he says.
It’s little wonder that American women are drawn to it—and in a twist of serendipity, the Reffstrups have always been fascinated with the U.S. “I grew up in a small fisherman town where there were no magazines, but there was MTV,” Ditte says. “My window to the U.S. was Madonna—and of course those Calvin Klein and Levi’s campaigns. There was so much diversity and freedom.”
This month, the Reffstrups will experience America like never before on a cross-country road trip, starting in New York and ending in Los Angeles (Ganni stores are set to open on both coasts). They’ve rented a hybrid Volvo for the adventure and are bringing their children—Betty Lou, nine; Jens Otto, seven; and Rita Sophie, two—along for the ride. Their first stop is Richmond, home of their very first American stockist, Need Supply Co., followed by an assortment of cities—including Nashville, New Orleans, and Dallas—where they’ll visit stores and meet customers.
New York model Paloma Elsesser began shopping the label a few years ago and finds that it “embodies balance and ease, like a dress with a hiking boot—it’s playful but comfortable,” she says. “I’ve been gravitating toward brands that make getting dressed feel fun and malleable for all of the things I have to do in the day.” Another plus? “They’re having conversations about sustainability and transparency, which I love.”
Though the Reffstrups don’t shout about sustainability on Instagram or in their marketing, they have ambitious goals. They often use dead stock or recycled fabrics, and both their L.A. and New York stores will feature recycled and reclaimed building materials. Nicolaj is particularly excited about Ganni Lab, an experiment in carbon-neutral design supported by the United Nations, and this year the label will introduce its own clothing-rental platform, as well as a program for customers to return items for repurposing and recycling. They’ve also set a target to be carbon neutral by 2050—“but hopefully it will happen much sooner,” Nicolaj insists. Like we said: ambitious.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
