The beautiful young model Ganni is currently ruling the Instagram-approved brands game, with an instantly identifiable aesthetic, scores of the most stylish Scandi social media stars as unofficial ambassadors aka #gannigirls and ever-growing international popularity that shows no sign of abating.
Founded in 2000, the cult Danish label was completely revitalised in 2009 when it was taken over my husband-and-wife duo, creative director Ditte Reffstrup and CEO Nicolaj Reffstrup, who have transformed the brand in the past few years with a curated edit of print dresses that are worn by all your favourite dressers, playful denim and affordable accessories. Ganni is now available in more than 400 retailers around the world as well as 21 Ganni concept stores across Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
One of the final shows on the last day of Copenhagen Fashion Week, the Ganni Spring/Summer 2019 collection, entitled 'Paradis', was a final hoorah to summer as rain clouds quickly gathered over Denmark, following 69 consecutive days of sunshine. The carefree, paradisiacal mood of adventure and freedom was inspired by the Scandinavian tradition of wild camping.
“For me this season was about chasing a feeling... of being outside at sunset, barefoot on the grass listening to dogs bark and friends cooking and laughing around the fire. In Copenhagen in summer it’s tradition that friends get out to the forest or the beach at the weekend. It’s about being in nature with friends. By the end you want to live in the woods," creative director, Ditte Reffstrup explained. "And clothes for camping is exactly my aesthetic. I like to mix it up, to put a nice dress with a too-big sweater or chunky sneaker. Like when you’re pulling out clothes out of your back-pack, it’s unpredictable... and that’s how Copenhagen girls dress."
Having grown up in a small fisherman town in Denmark, throughout the collection, Ditte reflects on nature being at the centre of her upbringing but also how it was something she took for granted. Soft pink flower prints symbolise the naivety and romanticism of her childhood mixed with blouses and dresses in black broderie anglaise which hint at Ditte’s ominous thoughts about the future of the natural environs she adored in her youth. ”The collection gets a little darker too, paradise as a concept of the past. It’s hard to think about nature and the future and feel positive. I have three small kids – I don’t think they will have experiences like I did. The wilderness is disappearing.”
In the signature Ganni mix-and-match way, Ditte clashed prints, pairing familiar slip dresses with anoraks, hiking boots, bucket hats, fleeces and gilets. Vests were emblazoned with the word ‘Nature’ and tie-dye denim was a highlight of the collection, rebellious and fresh with modern touches, such as tri-colour jeans.
With a front row including global press and many of the most powerful fashion influencers in the world right now (from Pernille Teisbaek and Veronika Heilbrunner to Susie Lau and Linda Tol) as ever, the Ganni show was all about starting Danish micro trends that will quickly proliferate through the fashion chain, courtesy of the ever-engaged audience.
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