Ganni

DESIGNER NAME: Ditte Reffstrup

BACKGROUND: Ditte lives in central Copenhagen, Denmark. She grew up in an industrial fishing town facing the North Sea and still misses the rough winds and endless beaches that cover the Danish west coast. Ditte has no formal design education, but has somehow always worked in fashion. She started her career as an intern at the Danish fashion label Bruuns Bazaar, just as they were taking off in the mid-nineties. Then she went on to work as a head buyer for Copenhagen boutique Pede & Stoffer, and her last stop before she went into creative direction was another Copenhagen retail classic, Flying A.

SIGNATURES: “Our collections always feature stripes, lots of prints and historical references and strong icons like 1980s power suits or 1950s ladylike chic.”

IDEAL CLIENT: “Jean Seberg in A bout de souffle meets Kirsten Dunst in Virgin Suicides.”

THE COLLECTION: “Everything English, which is another reason we are so excited to be at London Fashion Week. Virginia Woolf and her strong sense of aesthetics and unconventional yet sophisticated life was also a major inspiration.”

CULTURAL INFLUENCES: “Music, art and cinema in particular are huge sources of inspiration for us. So much so, that every collection we do is designed with a concrete movie, book or work of art in mind. Whichever we choose, it’s always a reference that epitomises the decade it was made in. To me fashion cannot be separated from the rest of the cultural scene that surrounds us and informs our lives.”

PLANS FOR 2013: “Definitely to get a driver’s license before it’s too late. To get out there and dance some more.”