Our obsession with all things Scandinavian has never been greater. There’s their impeccable fashion taste (shout out to H&M, Acne and new favourite, GANNI), seriously covetable interiors (blame them for the recent influx of cactuses and minimalist furniture) and, of course, the food (cinnamon bun, anyone?).
In recent seasons a flurry of Scandinavian designers have started to flood our Insta feed, and one of our favourites is Cecilie Copenhagen. Combining a neutral colour palette and simple, flattering silhouette with unique prints and clever detailing, Cecilie Copenhagen is everything that appeals to us about the Scandi aesthetic.
Started by Cecilie Jørgensen, aged 21 years and studying at the prestigious Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, her story is the definition of an overnight success.
Jørgensen’s lightbulb moment came as she stood in front of her mirror before a night out in her Danish hometown. Faced with a wardrobe crisis and nothing to wear (an all too familiar scene), Jørgensen spontaneously fashioned a couple of scarves into a tunic. The morning after she was inundated with messages from friends asking where she bought her dress from.
A tale that will surely go down in fashion history, Jørgensen took this as a sign, and started to build her first collection right there and then, alongside her last term of studies.
The old keffiyeh scarf pilfered from her mother’s closet that night is at the core of the brand’s DNA. The signature keffiyeh print - a woven checkered print of Middle Eastern origin- appears in different guises throughout the collections, and the scarf style designs are some of the brand’s most popular.
Four years later the hype has not subsided, and Jørgensen’s success sees no signs of slowing down. Her collections are stocked in Liberty and Matches, and next on the agenda is a secondary line, Cecilie Copenhagen studio.
Who better to talk to about our favourite Danish brand, than Cecilie Jørgensen herself. Here she chats our Scandi obsession, the Insta influence and her favourite Cecilie Copenhagen pieces.
Who is the Cecilie Copenhagen women?
A confident, independent women who isn’t afraid of something a bit different.
You were originally inspired by one of your mother’s keffiyeh scarves - how and where do you find inspiration now?
In general, I find inspiration from people all across the globe. When I’m traveling, especially to the metropolis, I love to just sit and observe local people, tourists or who ever walk past. Exploring art, listening to music and other creative designers are also a huge inspiration to me.
Are there any particular designers whose work you admire?
I think it's difficult to pick one, as I believe every brand is different and has it’s own identity. Whether you’re into that identity or not I still find brands and their individual identity very impressive. If I have to name one in particular I would say Phoebe Philo (of Celine).
We’re obsessed with all things Scandi here in the UK - what do you think it is about the Scandinavian aesthetic that appeals in such a big way?
Probably our minimalistic expression – not just in the fashion industry but also in interiors. For the CECILIE Copenhagen brand I believe the combination of a strong, colorful pattern combined with easy-to-wear, chic and minimalistic styles have worked very well for the brand.
You have a large Instagram presence. Do you think this has played a part in your success?
It did in the beginning, no doubt. It was a platform to communicate the brand with the rest of the world. Very quickly, on the Cecilie Copenhagen account, we had a lot of followers from abroad, when that’s the case it’s brilliant to have a platform such as Instagram where you can communicate and share your brand with the rest of the world.
Do you have an all-time favourite Cecilie Copenhagen piece?
What’s next for Cecilie Copenhagen?
Our AW16 collection drops in August and we are presenting our biggest collection, SS17 in Paris. Stay tuned as there is a lot of new exciting things coming up!
Can you tell us more about your new line, Cecilie Copenhagen Studio?
The Studio line was introduced with our SS16 collection and will continue with our AW16 collection. The Studio name was invented because we started creating clothes in other fabrics under the Cecilie Copenhagen name. The SS17 collection, as I mentioned is much bigger and includes new fabrics, silhouettes and styles.