The Ganni girl, a symbol of Scandi cool, has been making waves in the fashion world for years. From its iconic Peter Pan collared shirts to the coveted checked dresses that dominated the Vogue offices, Ganni has become a global phenomenon. Now, the Danish brand is embarking on a new chapter, taking its runway show to the fashion capital of the world: Paris.
After skipping the past two seasons of Copenhagen Fashion Week, Ganni is making a deliberate shift. “For some time, we’ve been thinking of what’s next for Ganni,” explains creative director Ditte Reffstrup. “We’re becoming more and more of a global brand – it felt like we needed a change. Paris is maybe every designer’s biggest dream; it’s still the mother of fashion. It makes sense.”
While the move away from Copenhagen – where Ganni was the reigning queen – is a bold one, it’s a calculated risk. With new CEO Laura du Rusquec, formerly of Balenciaga, at the helm, Ganni is confident this transition will open doors to new audiences while holding onto its loyal fanbase. “We’re not trying to be someone we’re not,” Reffstrup clarifies. “It’s talking to our community that has been with us for many years, but also welcoming newcomers to the brand.”
This new chapter in Paris is accompanied by a more mature and elevated design direction. Ganni’s signature playfulness is still present, but with a refined edge. There’s a renewed focus on tailoring, classic staples reimagined with a distinct Ganni twist, and a muted color palette punctuated by pops of vibrant hues. “It’s a little more mature; it’s an elevation of the brand,” shares Reffstrup. Even the prints have undergone a subtle transformation, with the brand’s iconic leopard spots appearing in a sophisticated grey tone.
Despite the move to Paris, Ganni remains steadfast in its core values, particularly its commitment to sustainability. The brand continues to adhere to the Copenhagen Fashion Week’s 18 minimum sustainability requirements, while also pursuing its own ambitious goals, including reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2027.
In a bid to minimize its environmental footprint, Ganni has stopped using virgin leather in its collections and actively promotes innovative, lower-impact materials through its Fabrics of the Future initiative. The spring/summer 2025 collection, aptly named “The Craft,” pays homage to the craftsmanship needed to develop these groundbreaking technologies, as well as the element of “witchery” involved, as Reffstrup describes it. The show’s set, featuring a giant cauldron at its center, perfectly encapsulates this theme.
“[It’s a] whole community that we have been trying to build up around the brand,” explains the designer, highlighting the presence of many innovators at the show. These include denim containing Circulose, a fiber made from 100% recycled textile waste; the baby-blue blazer crafted from Celium, a bacteria-grown leather alternative; and the lace-up heels – a contemporary update on the brand’s popular ballerina flats – made from Oleatex, another faux leather derived from olive oil waste.
No Ganni show would be complete without a collaboration, and this season is no different. The brand has partnered with two rising designers: Copenhagen’s Nicklas Skovgaard, whose designs have already captured the hearts of style icons like Alexa Chung and Tracee Ellis Ross, and New York-based Claire Sullivan, who has created pieces for the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and Chloe Sevigny. Both designers have infused their unique styles into Ganni’s signature pieces, with Skovgaard incorporating his signature bubble-skirt silhouette into the brand’s collared dresses, and Sullivan using Cycora, recycled polyester textile waste, to create baseball-inspired designs.
While Ganni has flown the nest, it’s clear that the brand’s effortless, yet inclusive, Scandi DNA still remains. After all, you can take the girl out of Copenhagen, but you can’t take the Copenhagen out of the girl. “As a human being you grow, you learn, [but] you’re still you; you’re how you’ve always been,” concludes Reffstrup. “The new Ganni is still Ganni – [that] will never change.
