Will activated established brand: – Very, much work
– We have always had an ambition to become a bigger brand, and think Sweden and Denmark have taken enough of the fashion world, says One and Other designer to MinMote.
In a stately villa in the middle of busy Bogstadveien, surrounded by shops that have stood steady for a long time, Lene Henriksen sits around a dark marble table. She is the founder of the brand One and Other, which was launched in 2017.
In October last year, amid the strictest restrictions of the pandemic, the final ones moved into the room as a space for a spacious showroom. And the venue’s predecessor was none other than Acne Studios. A Swedish brand One and Other now to challenge.
Lene has 15 years of experience from the fashion giant Varner, and says that this is where she first noticed and increased demand from customers for more sustainable and different products in quality. She discovered a market need for minimalist fashion that lasted year after year. She had long wanted to start for herself, so she followed her gut feeling, quit her job and got started.
– I started from the kitchen table without an investor. I had nothing in my back other than my own knowledge and great faith that customers would like products, she says and continues:
– We have grown from operating from home with warehouse in the outbuilding to becoming a fairly large international brand. We have 150 stores worldwide that we sell to.
Started at the kitchen table
While we sit around the table and talk about the brand’s start-up phase, cohabitant Vemund Antonsen comes in. On his arm he has their six-month-old son.
– When I started developing the brand, it took about a month before I found out I was pregnant. We now have a five-year-old daughter and a six-month-old daughter. So it has become a small family business.
Cohabitant Vemund joined the company full time in September last year.
He has extensive experience from the fashion industry, and this autumn he was able to work to take on various roles at One and Other.
– I help a little with design, find the right quality for the garments and make sure that it is the way we see it.
Despite the fact that the brand is doing well both at home and abroad to this day, the road here has been full of challenges and late nights.
– It is a tough choice to go from a well-paid job to your own brand, and in the beginning it was tough to live on a salary, says Vemund.
Lene looks at the cohabitant and not in agreement.
– We have invested a lot out of our own pocket, and had no investor. We would do it ourselves. So we have had to save on every penny.
– Did anyone think this would not work?
– No, I have had a steel will on this. There have been times when I have been tired, and thought the south rather, why do I bother this. But I never thought I would turn around, she says and continue:
– But when the eldest child was born, it was a tough period. Because then I was with her during the day, and worked at night. It’s a lot, a lot of work. And it’s fun that it’s gone as it has.
Minimalist
Lene and Vemund describe One and Other as «everyday luxury».
– When we started was very maximalist. Lots of prints, patterns and colors. It was either that, or it was absolutely basic. I thought it was missing in between. The basic clothes with the little extra that you want to use again and again, says Lene to MinMote.
Today they have expanded to Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium. And they have no plans to stop there. The goal is to challenge Sweden and Denmark’s position in the fashion market.
– We have always had an ambition to become a bigger brand, and think Sweden and Denmark have taken enough of the fashion world.
Sweden and Denmark have several major brands that are popular in the Scandinavian and international markets. The Danes are behind brands such as Ganni, By Malene Birger, Baum und Pferdgarten, Day Birger et Mikkelsen and Designers Remix to name a few.
Sweden, for its part, has brands like Acne Studios, Tiger of Sweden, Tôteme, Filippa K and chains like H&M, KappAhl, Lindex, Gina Tricot – and listen on.
In other words, the competition is tough in the Nordic market, but Henriksen also believes that Norwegian, smaller brands can do well.
– There are many Norwegian brands now, and it’s a lot of fun. That was not it when we started. We just have to do what we’re good at. I think it’s good we are many Norwegian brands that have their good qualities.
She believes there is room for all Norwegian players, and would like them to take over for Sweden and Denmark’s strong market positions in the fashion industry.
– You may be entering a market, but at the same time not. If you see all the Danish and Swedish brands, then there is so much to take away if you just remove them and rather take in Norwegian, she says, followed by the latter.
Focuses on sustainability
Lene says that they want to lead the way in sustainable fashion. She tells MinMote that she thinks this is expected of the customer.
– The customer is very aware of sustainable fashion. A few years ago, not many people made those choices, but now they do. And that’s a little expected today, I think. It’s not that it’s a sales ploy, it’s a matter of course.
Of sustainable choices use, among other things, residual substances from other brands.
– When it comes to the woven products, there are a lot of surplus fabrics from others. We do not make our own, but buy leftover textiles. We wanted to use what was. It was a more sustainable choice. It had not been an alternative to anything else, she says and continues:
– It is enough to take off, so we also use it today. We never throw anything away.