It was 1999, and Frans Truelsen was selling a few “Ganni-labeled” t-shirts in his art gallery. The Danish brand was then far from the globally famous mid-luxury icon adopted by the world’s coolest girls from the 2010s onwards.
As Nicolaj and Ditte Reffstrup (Ganni’s up-to-date creative director) took the brand over in 2009, they set up Ganni with a precise customer profile in mind: the average Danish consumer who is interested in fashion but would not pay 800€ for a basic dress. Nicolaj’s experience in the tech industry and Ditte’s creativity set a path for Ganni’s very own business approach, ethics and potential for the future.
Ganni’s first SS10 and AW10 collections confirmed Ditte and Nicolaj’s clear vision: easy but still fashionable ready-to-wear. With simple but exceptionally commercial black tulle dresses and light denim shirts, Ganni was already worn by Denmark’s very own Helena Christensen, along with Caroline Issa and Claudia Schiffer. But Ditte and Nicolaj wanted Ganni to be set apart by another differentiator: its responsibility.
From 2010, Ganni’s openness regarding production processes and dedicated efforts to reduce transportation and resource depletion made it a trendsetter for the future arisal of consumer desire for transparency. In 2011, Elle Norway called Ganni an ethical brand, and the two founders decided to continue building on the brand’s image by participating in philanthropic activities and spreading awareness about climate change through eye-catching slogans and statistics on its website.
Ganni’s success can also be attributed to the values Nicolaj and Ditte tied to the brand’s core. By choosing to keep presenting its collections during the Copenhagen fashion week even though Ganni would have easily found its place amongst Paris, New York or Milan’s coveted runway shows, the brand avoided alienating its first Danish customer, reinforcing its positioning as an ethical and mindful one. The choice to stay in Copenhagen also allowed Ganni to gain significant market share as a leading mid-tier brand: gaining status as a “big fish in a small pond” strengthened its bridge position in between mid-market and luxury, a segment of the fashion industry relatively less saturated than the former and the latter ones.
Although Ganni has always been a worldwide renowned brand, their recent popularity surge can be attributed to the post-acquisition re-branding by L Catterton in 2018, sparking a fresh wave of Scandi fashion. In bringing this vision to life, multiple changes took place in the strategy and structure of the company.
Nicolaj Reffstrup, the founder, took on an advisory role focusing more on technological and sustainable innovations, long standing pillars of the brand’s identity. With initiatives such as circular fashion, recycled materials, and carbon offsetting, Ganni implemented 44 sustainability goals, not leaving anything to chance. Their commitment to environmental responsibility has always been woven deep into their ethics, sometimes manifesting itself into difficult choices. For instance, despite the 2023 $825 cowboy boots’ popularity, the environmental harm caused by the virgin leather and dyes in the cherry red and brown versions, led to their removal without offering any substitutes.
Ganni, renowned for its unique and playful aesthetic, has moved away from the minimalism of Scandinavian designs incorporating signature pieces such as leopard prints and grunge inspired silhouettes. Their logo has gained recent traction due to the perfect mix of modernity and simplicity, fitting into the recent trend of “quiet luxury”. By combining unexpected elements, Ganni’s designs offer versatile options for those seeking authenticity, self-expression, and individualism. Under Andrea Baldo’s leadership, former Balenciaga CEO, there is a new edge to Ganni’s already bold identity, as he navigates the brand through the intersection of high fashion, accessibility, and sustainability.
The re-branding has also manifested itself in a global expansion. By leveraging influencers, celebrities, and a strong social media presence, Ganni’s efforts built a visually impactful connection with their consumers. Wearing Ganni means embracing a culture of loyalty and disruptiveness, the same “vibe” seducing #GanniGirls all around the world, who help carry the brand’s scandi style by adopting its very own feminine grunge (to cite only a few among Kendall Jenner, Alexa Chung, Dua Lipa and Caroline de Maigret, all enhancing the visibility of Ganni’s eclectic chic).
When we talk about the future at Ganni, we are obviously thinking first and foremost about the brand’s ecological responsibility. At Copenhagen Fashion Week 2022, the company explained its absence from the catwalks by announcing its “Fabrics of the Future” initiative, aiming to research and develop innovative, lower-carbon preferred materials that are alternatives to conventional ones. As you may have understood, the future at Ganni is being built with one main goal: playing a crucial role in making fashion more responsible.
However, the brand has not forgotten its core audience: Ganni’s “cool girls”. Through its third capsule collection in collaboration with Barbour, out on the 30th of October, the brand offers us a glimpse of the globalization of this aesthetic. The purpose here is not to duplicate its fresh, modern Danish style in each new market, but to adapt it to the trends and fashion insights of the specific country and targeted customers. The famous Barbour jacket, known for having been an iconic piece of Lady Diana’s wardrobe in the 90s, is therefore reworked with velvet and Ganni’s emblematic leopard print. That is what makes this brand so special and promising for the future: its ability to pursue new paths of creativity without setting its DNA aside. This perfect balance was also maintained when the brand explored streetwear through the New Balance x Ganni sneakers released in September 2024.
Not only is Ganni opening up to new markets, but it is also entering new industries. On July 24, Nicolaj and Ditte Reffstrup announced a collaboration with three
female Chinese interior designers to work on three of its innovative “fabrics of the future”: VegeaTM, CeliumTM, and Oleatex. The project is called “Co-Made” and, featured in Wallpaper magazine’s “material performance” section, enables Ganni to experience homeware, creating pieces inspired by the fabrics they are made from.
These projects suggest that Ganni is not closing any door on further collaborations with other fashion houses, artists, or communities as long as they reflect the same responsible, ethical values and styles complementary to its own aesthetics. Ganni’s rising success is without any doubt related to its leading position in terms of innovations: the ones linked to the environment, especially through the re-branding of the company, but also the ones regarding fashion and their position between mid-market and luxury. Its audacity in offering ever more versatile pieces that embrace different styles, while maintaining an aesthetic line, has enabled the brand not only to expand but also to maintain the loyalty of its customers, seduced by this constant renewed creativity, and who can only wonder what will be the next chapter.
