“Usually, I don’t spend too much time dwelling on past collections, but instead focus on doing the next one. But lately, I’ve been thinking about the history of GANNI. In the early days of the brand, we were lucky Having a small group of GANNI girls who are loyal to the brand is what keeps us going. To me, GANNI girls mean the world and that will never change. When the brand started, I often I feel at a loss, and sometimes I even feel like an outsider, because I was not born into a fashion family. For the growth and development of GANNI, we have unlimited visions, but limited by factors such as human resources and organizational structure, many ideas were not available at the time. Unattainable. These words sound a bit like clichés, but now I want to pinch myself to prove that everything I have now is real, because when I look around the office, I see a talented The team. I feel motivated to work with them every day.
Therefore, when the team started to imagine a new brand identity, we felt that the butterfly was the perfect image to summarize the development of GANNI, because the butterfly symbolizes transformation, innovation and positive attitude. We first applied the butterfly logo to the new GANNI Bou handbag in Ohoskin material. Ohoskin is a luxurious leather alternative made from cacti and oranges. The GANNI Bou handbag embodies the essence of the GANNI brand, because it is a super versatile handbag that can accompany you wherever you go.
In my opinion, the style of the GANNI 2023 autumn and winter series is more mature and more practical, but it is by no means a style of clothing such as gray turtleneck sweaters. However, I am eager to create more styles of suiting this season, crafting fashion-forward, sharp and glamorous looks. I think this mood reflects my current state of being able to express my fashion aesthetic more peacefully and confidently. “
– Ditte Reffstrup, Creative Director, GANNI
For the GANNI 2023 autumn and winter series, Ditte Reffstrup hopes that GANNI girls will show a more mature and elegant side, while still retaining a sense of playfulness. Therefore, at the heart of the collection are suits, tailoring and wardrobe essentials. A three-piece suit in gray wool is sharp and feminine, while trousers feature GANNI’s signature ruffles at the leg seams, reminiscent of the ruffles on a jellyfish. GANNI’s new butterfly logo symbolizes the brand’s new vitality, quietly dotted with shiny buttons on suits and satin point-toe evening shoes.
As soon as the butterfly design appeared, Ditte instantly dreamed back to her girlhood in the 90s. At the time, she was living in a small fishing town in northern Denmark, watching MTV, obsessed with Britpop, and butterflies, like navel studs, were a ’90s fad. Ditte said: “When I was 22, I got a white ink tattoo of a butterfly on my wrist. Even though it looked corny, I still loved it.”
Fall dresses retain their timeless sophistication. Feminine femininity is contrasted with beige silk dresses and deconstructed lace trims. The velvet dress comes in a rich avocado green color scheme with ruffles for a casual yet sophisticated look. Boxy silhouettes of coats and blazers exude childlike elegance, while heavy coats in herringbone tweed with oversized lapels exude elegance.
The show also released a new GANNI Bou handbag with a modern style in advance. This is GANNI’s responsibility and commitment to sustainable fashion at the beginning of its establishment, that is, to phase out the use of raw leather in all products by 2023. The GANNI Bou bag features exquisite Italian craftsmanship and a playful hexagonal silhouette, inspired by the Copenhagen lifestyle. To create this handbag, GANNI teamed up with Ohoskin, an innovative Italian fabric supplier, to launch the first product using bio-based fabrics. Made from orange and cactus farming by-products and recycled plastic, the fabric will be available exclusively at GANNI offline stores until April 2023. Currently, GANNI has stopped using raw leather in its ready-to-wear collections.
Based on Ditte’s great emphasis on brand cooperation, GANNI not only joined hands with Icelandic outerwear brand 66°North again this season, but also opened its first cooperation with Veneda Carter. Veneda, a Danish-born, Los Angeles-based stylist and creative consultant, has designed a jewelry collection for GANNI featuring the brand’s new identity. Just like GANNI’s many brand cooperations, this new cooperation also began with a friendship. Ditte explains: “I’ve known Veneda for a long time. She modeled in one of our early shows and was the finale model in last season’s show. Her style is really GANNI. I really like her s work.”
Finally, Ditte teamed up with his long-time friend and artist Esben Weile Kjær to design the set for the GANNI Autumn/Winter 2023 fashion show to be held at the Arken Museum of Modern Art. The Ark Museum of Modern Art is a small but amazing museum in Copenhagen, just 30 minutes from the city. Built in the 1990s, the museum’s overall appearance resembles a giant ship. A few days after the show, Esben will hold his first major solo exhibition at the Ark.
Ditte recalls: “Esben and I met in a bar a few years ago. In the early days of GANNI, we would go back home after the fashion show and host parties, and Esben would often be the party DJ. Seeing his success now, I’m very proud. When we met last year, he told me he was going to have an exhibition at the Ark called ‘BUTTERFLY!’ and it was a wonderful coincidence that this theme and GANNI’s new butterfly logo.”