Ditte Reffstrup doesn’t like to admit that she has a favorite Ganni show, but she does. It was the fall 2018 collection, which was dedicated to her hometown of Copenhagen. That season, she commissioned artist Ana Kraš to wander around the city and capture snapshots of surprising faces and places, many of which Reffstrup said she’d never even noticed. The photos covered the runway and the show was soundtracked entirely with sounds by local Danish musicians. The clothes were designed to highlight Ganni’s signatures: the exaggerated pilgrim collar, subtle embellishments, floral prints, and effortless silhouettes. With the COVID lockdowns, Reffstrup has been in Copenhagen for the last six months straight and she’s been reminiscing about that collection a lot lately. Unable to travel for an inspiration trip, she decided to create a nostalgic ode to fall 2018 for her new pre-fall collection, updating some of those recognizable Ganni codes.
Cleverly, Reffstrup photographed her new wares inside of a well-known bike shop on the outskirts of Copenhagen. Pretty, well-dressed girls on bicycles may have been some of the original muses for the Ganni brand, but Reffstrup has brought that Scandi-cool aesthetic to a whole new level over the last couple of years. This season, that elevated but effortless look came by way of a striped-tent dress with fitted sleeves and a pilgrim collar. Tie-dye prints and sharp knits also stood out, as did the scallop edge cutouts on the hemlines of skirts, tunics, and dresses. According to Reffstrup, that detail was meant to mimic waves, which served as a quiet nod to Copenhagen’s waterfront. The designer and her team are doing their city proud, and even amid new lockdowns they’re continuing to build bridges around the world.
