Ganni is the label worn by everyone from Beyoncé to the Royal family – that even has it’s own Instagram hashtag

The capital’s infatuation with Danish culture extends beyond novelty books about hygge and the perfect hairpin coffee table. Londoners are obsessed with the fashion too.

Certainly, it seems we are infatuated with Ganni, the Copenhagen-based label which, over the course of a decade, has evolved from an art gallery spin-off label to a global brand with an annual turnover of $60 million. It has garnered an army of faithful followers to boot.

For proof, search the hashtag #gannigirls on Instagram and you’ll find 35.6k posts from the women who fervently believe in its easy-to-wear floral dresses and surprisingly affordable jackets. Google it, and you’ll find that everyone from Beyoncé to Pippa Middleton is a mega fan.

For Ditte Reffstrup, creative director of the brand she began with her husband Nicolaj, it’s a determination to go against the grain of typical Scandi fashion that is the secret to Ganni’s success. “From the very beginning, it’s always been about breaking free from that stereotype,” she tells me. 

I meet her a little less than a week after Copenhagen Fashion Week — where she and her husband’s brand is headline news — and days before Ganni unveils its first store outside of Scandinavia, on Soho’s Beak Street (Ganni is currently available in 600 retailers, and will operate 30 stores by the end of this year).

Reffstrup is a striking beauty and has a serene presence befitting of a Dane who — I imagine — grew up wild swimming and frolicking by open fires. We’ve met for eggs: “What could be more British?” she asks with a smile.

Her infatuation with the UK started early. She grew up in Hirtshals, a sleepy, fog-tipped fishing village at the north tip of Denmark, but spent many of her teenage summers in Liverpool, where her sister attended a ballet school.

“My first trip to London was like an explosion,” she remembers. “I feel like that tripped something in me. I was so fascinated by the styles and the people. It was so different to where I was from.”

It’s from those adventures, plus years working as a fashion buyer, that Reffstrup’s desire to build a wearable and eclectic wardrobe for women like her was born. “I want to make stuff that people actually wear and feel good in,” she says.

There’s a deeply personal touch to the way Reffstrup and her eight-strong design team work. “We don’t fit on models, we fit on each other. We try stuff out,” she says.

It’s this intimacy that has attracted women of all ages to the Ganni label. “For me, it’s about an energy and a state of mind. Our girl doesn’t have an age or a personality,” says Reffstrup, citing 84-year-old Danish fashion journalist Lotte Freddie as a loyal customer.  

“Our distinct aesthetic is that we don’t have one,” she says of the label whose range spans everything from a green wrap dress with a following to rival David Beckham, to banana print T-shirts and recycled swimwear. “It’s about contrasts.” She believes that women should dress for themselves. “It’s about wearing what feels right for you. Women should never dress for a man and certainly not for social media.”

Somewhat paradoxically, it’s social media that is intrinsic to the Ganni success story, with the hashtag #gannigirls a form of guerrilla marketing that’s been more valuable to the brand than any ad campaign could ever have been.

Reffstrup cites influencers Pernille Teisbæk and Camille Charrière among the early and crucial ambassadors of the label. Instagram style leaders Pandora Sykes, Susie Lau and Lucy Williams are also avid supporters.

“When we were starting, the girls were just starting too — none of us knew what we were doing. They supported us in a really natural way,” says Reffstrup.

Unlike many of the direct-to-consumer brands which have looked to emulate its success, Ganni doesn’t court influencers for support.

“I’ve been in retail for many years and I know that you can’t fool people. If you pay people to wear something for two minutes then post a pic and take it off, it’s so obvious,” notes Reffstrup. She and her husband are equally cautious about growing too quickly and resist from reordering some of their bestselling styles – even when the demand is insatiable.

“We made a decision not to continue with the green wrap dress,” she says, referring to the SS17 style that was worn by everyone from Vogue editors to royalty and continues to change hands on resale sites like Ebay and Vestiaire Collective where Ganni is big business.

“As a buyer I saw so many labels being too greedy. One minute everyone wanted them, then they died overnight. It’s so important to take care of your brand.” 

It’s this sort of integrity that is crucial to Ganni. Certainly, it’s reflected in what Reffstrup describes as “honest prices” with the cost for the average dress less than £200.

“Some brands stick an expensive price tag on anything. It shocks me” she says. “Our pricing comes naturally to us. I think it has a lot to do with growing up with big furniture brands like Ikea. They started out designing furniture for the people”

Ganni isn’t cheap – “for some people that one dress is a lot of money” agrees Reffstrup – who, along with her husband, believes passionately in the democratic values harboured by Danish society.

“We run the business with a flat structure. The best idea always wins – it doesn’t matter if it comes from an intern or whoever”.

To the average strung out Londoner managing the daily grind with childcare and a demanding boss, Ganni’s office culture is worlds apart. Reffstrup talks of bringing her babies into the office (she’s had three since the business began), opening up her home to the team and describes some of her long term colleagues in the same breath as she does her own family.

It’s a retail idyll that sounds almost implausible – without a doubt, it’s a world away from the British high street with its archaic hierarchy and plummeting sales.

Ganni has always been about doing things differently. A determination to build a business that counts its environmental impact among its most important points of consideration is an example of exactly how. Their efforts include over 30 initiatives ranging from a packaging option which allows online customers to receive their goods in recycled plastic and a vegetarian canteen to a climate compensation scheme and numerous partnerships with SOEX, Ellen McArthur Foundation and The Global Fashion Agenda.

The Reffstrups appreciate that the fashion industry is at odds with the environmental agenda of groups like Extinction Rebellion which has announced plans to protest at London Fashion Week next month. “We are not perfect but we are trying” says Reffstrup. “If we were to do real good, we would just close the whole thing down. At the same time, we know that trying to do something is better than nothing.”

This environmentally compassionate approach plays out in the new store too with upcycled furniture and fittings made from recycled fabrics key components. “I hope it’s a place people want to come and hang out, I hope people feel welcome,” says Reffstrup.

Few will require convincing.