The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2024 - Issue 35

biteglasses Danish fashion brand Ganni was founded by Copenhagen gallerist Frans Truelsen in 2000 to create the perfect cashmere sweater. Nine years later, husband and wife duo Nicolaj and Ditte Reffstrup took ownership and focused on contemporary ready-to-wear with playful pops of colours and prints instead of the traditional Scandinavian minimalist and black look. Its unique, relaxed girl vibe attracted a wide fanbase among women and celebrities. Ditte trained in buying, retail, and design at Bruuns Bazaar and was a buyer at Pede & Stoffer and Flying A before working with Truelsen after he enlisted her to help design several styles. Nicolaj studied business, administration and philosophy at Copenhagen Business School and received an MA in Information Technology from the IT University of Copenhagen. After ten years in tech and recently shutting down a project of an early attempt at creating a Siri-like, chat-based robot, he took on the new fashion challenge. The duo has developed the brand exponentially with a Scandi 2.0 style sense full of personality and contrast. Ganni thrives on making the community who wears its clothes feel more confident and capable of anything. They have offices in Copenhagen, London, Paris, New York, and Shanghai and are represented in over 600 of the world’s finest retailers. They have more than 40 Ganni stores across Europe, the United States, and Asia, and they deliver internationally to 35 countries, including Australia, Canada, and South Korea. Last summer, Ace & Tate and Ganni collaborated to give the ‘Ganni girl’, a term coined by Helena Christensen after she and Kate Bosworth wore the same Ganni jacket to a drinks event, new directional sunglasses. The collection featured three eyewear designs in a boxy square shape, a slim silhouette and an oversized Y2K-inspired wraparound made from recycled acetate and acetate bio-renew. Trixie in Bubblegum, Havana, Haze, Matcha or Rødvin for wider faces has a sleek diamond-cut finish. This year, the brands reunited to co-create 16 new eyewear designs in Liquorice (Black), Kaffe (Orange), Cherry Bomb (Red), Moondust (White), exclusively available online, and Frosty (Blue), with two models exclusive to both entities debuted at Ganni’s SS24 ‘Hello World’ runway show. “For our SS24 show, we were looking into the future. I was thinking about a brighter tomorrow, focusing on more responsible choices and creating a range of eyewear that speaks to individuality and personality,” Ditte explained. “Collaborating with Ganni again was a dream come true! We blended Ganni’s signature softness and optimism with playful 00s-inspired details,” Ace & Tate’s head of design Torunn Gullaksen added. “We pushed the boundaries of craftsmanship by sculpting the frames. But that’s not all—each frame in this collection is made using our most sustainable materials yet: recycled and acetate bio-renew. We’ve got you covered from rectangular cat eyes to wraparounds, flares, and ovals!” Dakota in Cherry Bomb, Frosty, Kaffe or Liquorice has the smoothest oval medium frame with a soft ‘60s vibe and wrapped end pieces. For narrow faces, Kayla in Frosty, Kaffe or Liquorice takes flight from the iconic Ganni butterfly logo with winged end pieces inspired by the original silhouette, which swoops back with a robust and standout detail. Sadie in Cherry Bomb, Kaffe or Liquorice has a petite, rectangular-like cat-eye with middle-end pieces for a fun twist. Ganni’s fresh take on Ace & Tate’s original ‘60s icon- era Twiggy look in Matcha, Kaffee or Cherry Bomb for wider faces has a softened square shape with the correct quantity of look-at-me largeness. The futuristic space-infused Noel in Liquorice or Moondust has an aerodynamic shield-style frame with a flattering fit. The front shield is cut into a winged shape inspired by the Ganni butterfly logo and wraps back to where it meets the metal temples. With sensational designs in explosive colours, the Ganni x Ace & Tate sunglasses collaboration is available in select Ganni and Ace & Tate stores across Europe and the US and online on their websites. www.ganni.com/en-gb/ganni-x-ace-and-tate www.aceandtate.com/gb/collection/product- collaborations