In the style business, the place types are cyclical and the similar developments are repeatedly served up in TikTook and Instagram feeds, developing with a novel and identifiable look is not any small feat. Yet, it’s what Danish style designer Cecilie Bahnsen has achieved, with puffy sleeves, lace-up particulars, organza frills and textured jacquard being amongst the visible signatures of the namesake model she based in 2015.
For Bahnsen, creating that aesthetic has been an natural course of — one that attracts from her Scandinavian heritage (she was born and raised in Denmark, simply exterior of Copenhagen). While she later hung out working with style designers Erdem Moralıoğlu in London and John Galliano in Paris, rising up away from conventional style capitals enabled Bahnsen to “really find my voice and creativity,” the 41-year-old designer stated over a video name from her studio in Copenhagen.
Danish design sometimes locations better emphasis on performance and luxury, reasonably than being form-fitting or cluttered. Those traits may be seen in Bahnsen’s work, which is fanciful but wearable, marking a departure from previous concepts of femininity the place clothes needed to be tight and quick (and subsequently uncomfortable).
“The starting point was creating something you could move in, but also something that was easy, that you could just throw on — on a Monday,” Bahnsen defined. That strategy, and a liberal use of the shade white, has additionally made the model a favourite amongst brides wanting for one thing modern but unconventional to put on to weddings.
Indeed, Bahnsen has lengthy expressed a need for her designs to be worn each day, reasonably than be cherished and stored for particular events. For some, it might appear to be a giant ask, provided that the garments include a hefty price ticket — a protracted gown with billowy sleeves and an open again prices £3,378 (about $4,487).
Ali Fitzgerald, shopping for supervisor at on-line luxurious website Net-a-Porter, stated that the label continues to enchantment to clients “drawn to an avant-garde yet feminine style, who values craftsmanship and unique designs.” The retailer has stocked the Cecilie Bahnsen label since 2018, “when Copenhagen-based brands were rising in popularity in the luxury market,” Fitzgerald recalled. Today, amid renewed interest in maximalist fashion, Cecilie Bahnsen continues to be “a standout in this movement and a firm favorite among the fashion set,” she famous. Celebrity followers embrace mannequin and actor Emily Ratajkowski of “Too Much” and Blackpink singer Jennie.
Among certainly one of Bahnsen’s most recognizable clothes is her tackle the babydoll gown — whenever you see such a bit on the rails of a high-end retailer like Dover Street Market in Tokyo or Nordstrom in New York, it’s usually, unmistakably, certainly one of Bahnsen’s creations.
Yet, the garment has deeply political roots: The babydoll is synonymous with feminine liberation, because it marked a shift away from corsetry and restrictive hemlines at the flip of the twentieth century — a time that marked better private freedom for girls, notably by way of bodily motion and social expression.
That historical past, it seems, aligns with Bahnsen’s beliefs. She described her garments as “hyper-feminine,” however famous that it additionally makes its wearer really feel “strong” at the similar time.
Bahnsen’s first devoted bridal edit — a curated collection of new and older types, which included a number of child doll clothes — launched in early 2024. The designer noticed a possibility in weddings after seeing girls “coming to us who have saved a catalog of pictures from back in time of our white dresses,” she recalled. “I always have a lot of white in my collections, so it came very naturally.”
Today, the label has grow to be a preferred selection for bridalwear, alongside established manufacturers like Vivienne Westwood and Vera Wang, and newer contenders corresponding to Simone Rocha and Molly Goddard.
The greatest shift in bridalwear, Bahnsen noticed, is rising demand from her clients for “separates” that is also worn exterior of the large day. “It began around five years ago where people were buying into looks that they could also wear after the wedding and have a second purpose for it.” In addition to clothes, Bahnsen’s bridal collections embrace flowing skirts and bralettes.
To mark a decade in enterprise, Bahnsen plans to open her first boutique in Copenhagen and stage a runway as a part of the metropolis’s style week in August. (Over the previous few years, she’s grow to be an everyday at Paris Fashion Week and nonetheless plans to point out there in the fall).
The new boutique, positioned on Store Strandstræde 19 in the middle of the metropolis, is “the first place to have our full universe and display the full collection of clothes,” stated Bahnsen. The retailer, she famous, will “have a gallery vibe,” indicating her hope that it gained’t merely be a spot for transaction that showcases new merchandise to purchase, however it can additionally introduce followers — and potential clients — to her different pursuits, like discovering artwork and crafts by native artisans, which might be on show.
For Mie Marie Ejdrup, CEO of Cecilie Bahnsen, the new retailer is a part of a “broader growth strategy,” she defined in a press release. While Copenhagen was chosen as “a tribute to our home market and heritage, the long-term vision is to expand within our key international markets,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Bahnsen’s Copenhagen present will act as a one-off celebration that appears again at the label’s final ten years. “We decided to create a fully white collection that trickles into silver. It’ll feature many of the silhouettes or fabrics shown before, some put together in new ways,” she teased, describing the end result as “a collage of everything we’ve ever created.” Guests attending the present are additionally invited to put on their favourite Cecilie Bahnsen items, she added.
The undeniable fact that the label stays independently owned is important. The present financial local weather, rise of quick style and shifting retail panorama has made it a tricky setting for the survival and progress of many style manufacturers.
Yet Bahnsen’s savvy strategy to collaborations has helped to spice up her monetary lifeline. While business collaborations have lengthy been used to broaden audiences and construct hype, her knack for selecting the proper companions has persistently led to industrial and artistic success. The designer revealed to NCS that she’s going to crew up with Alpha Industries, an American military-style outerwear and bomber jacket specialist, subsequent.
“When we add a collaboration to our universe, it’s usually because I’ve seen a friend or someone in the studio wearing something interesting,” defined Bahnsen. The thought to work with Alpha Industries got here after she noticed “many girls, especially in Japan, styling bomber jackets over dresses.” Bahnsen felt that she may put a softer spin on an in any other case tough-feeling model. For instance, the signature MA-1 silhouette is cropped and reworked with layers of laser-cut cloth that seem to blossom outward, whereas the N-2B types, which usually characteristic military colours like darkish inexperienced, will include blush pink detailing.
Releasing in January 2026, it follows on the reputation of Bahnsen’s collaborations with the Japanese sportswear firm Asics and US outside attire agency The North Face. When her collaboration with Asics first launched in 2023, “everything sold out in under two minutes,” she stated. “It’s new to have female voices in the sportswear field, so to come in at Asics and The North Face and add a feminine lens, I think, is what has made it so strong.”
That pondering is arguably emblematic of Bahnsen’s success up to now. “As a creative, independent founder, you have to grow with the business and learn to be part of a bigger fashion industry than yourself. So, you need to surround yourself with people who can complement your skills and make you grow,” Bahnsen mirrored. “But what I have also learned is that you need to stick to your instincts and hold onto your beliefs, because that is going to be what makes you stand out.”