Founded in 2000 by the Scandinavian gallery owner Frans Truelsen as a niche cashmere label, Ganni’s real breakthrough came in 2009 when Ditte Reffsturp and her husband Nicolaj took over the brand, changing the direction and aesthetics of the collections, turning it into what we know today: one of the most relevant total look brands for insiders, trendsetters and fashionistas.
The use of bright colours, bold prints, easy-to-wear styles, the sophisticated but ready-to-wear tailoring, the invitation to mix and match and the free combinations break the dogmas of traditional Scandinavian minimalism to make room for each person’s personality, contrasts and experimentation.
Over time, the Copenhagen-based brand has created collections of seasonless pieces that are always fresh and fun and that are able to fuel the desire of its followers by offering for sale a very limited series of best-selling pieces. The #gannigirls have gradually earned a hashtag and have become a community: they wear the brand’s clothes and accessories, but always do so according to a very free and personal taste and styling.
The brand is now headed by an Italian CEO, Andrea Baldo, formerly of Coccinelle, who in 2018 took over from Nicolaj Reffstrup, who now deals in the company entirely with sustainability: the SS21 collection is in fact 70% “green”.
In parallel with its conscious philosophy and irreverent aesthetic imagery, Ganni has also developed an innovative marketing strategy that has made the best use of social media, the it-girls and street style, making them the key levers of its expansion plan, through events, parties and special launches. This has fuelled the viral grapevine, demand and desire on an international level, which in turn has led to an exponential growth consisting of staggering profits and a series of new store openings planned all over the world, which will undoubtedly further increase the hype.