T Magazine: On a Runway in Copenhagen, Dancing in the Rain
Ditte and Nicolaj Reffstrup, the husband and wife behind the brand Ganni, shuttle their children around the city — and find time to stage a raucous 10th-anniversary show.
Long after the scheduled start time, the show begins, and models circle the tennis courts during a gentle drizzle — which then becomes a downpour. But no matter: The show soon turns into a celebration, with guests joining in during the finale to dance.
A fireworks sign displays the words “Double Love” — the theme of the 10th-anniversary show. The slogan was chosen to represent how work and family life are intrinsically linked for the couple.
For Ditte and Nicolaj Reffstrup, the husband-and-wife team behind the Copenhagen-based fashion brand Ganni, the day before their spring 2020 show begins like any other: they are woken up at 6:30 a.m. by their youngest daughter, Rita Sophie, 2, who jumps into their bed. A few hours later, Nicolaj loads their two other children, Jens Otto, 7, and Betty Lou, 9, onto a cargo bike and takes them to tennis camp while Ditte straps a helmet onto Rita Sophie and drops her off at day care before heading into the office. “Our show tomorrow is called ‘Double Love,’ because for us, family life and work life are so tied together,” says Ditte as she cycles through the busy streets of Copenhagen.
Ganni was founded by the art connoisseur and entrepreneur Frans Truelsen in 2000 as a cashmere brand — in 2009, Ditte, 41, a former buyer for brands like Bruuns Bazaar and Flying A, and Nicolaj, 45, who previously worked in tech, took the helm. Since then, they have grown the company to include cult items like printed wrap dresses, leopard print bucket hats and two-tone cowboy boots. Now, it is one of the top selling contemporary brands at Net-a-Porter and is forecast to make $72 million this year. The brand is in the midst of expansion, with a newly opened store in London and two more planned for New York and Los Angeles later this year. But this week, the 10th anniversary of Ditte’s tenure as creative director saw her in an introspective mood. “It was natural to look back at the last 10 years but also to push it forward,” she says. “Designing is always super personal for me — it’s a way of therapy.”
Later in the afternoon, Ditte cycles to Central Copenhagen to check out the show venue: a tennis court located on the second floor of a hotel that was the site of the brand’s first runway show five years ago. “It’s very nostalgic” she says, tearing up a little. “The last time we showed here we weren’t sure who would attend. It’s almost an out-of-body experience coming back.”
The next day, the weather doesn’t appear to be on their side: Various Ganni team members patrol the open-air court, anxiously checking forecasts on their phones as intermittent thunderstorms derail the dress rehearsals. Dressed in a striped shirt from the Ganni Kiosk (a pop-up shop that launched the night before, selling clothes and accessories upcycled from previous Ganni collections, one of many sustainability ventures Ganni is currently involved with) and baggy jeans, Ditte looks unflustered despite late fittings the night before.
A soundcheck by the Danish electronic artist MØ, who will perform at the show, takes place during a brief sunny spell, but the clouds darken again as the guests take their places on the tennis courts. Eighty minutes after the scheduled time, the show begins, and models begin circling the tennis courts during a gentle drizzle — which soon becomes a downpour. But rather than let the rain dampen the mood, guests in raincoats join the models onstage for the finale, dancing alongside MØ — an unexpected surprise that delights Ditte, who quickly joins in. “It was incredible!” she says at a party to celebrate the show later that evening, “I loved it when the rain came out — so different from what you’re used to.”
