24 Hours With… VENCZEL

Iconic, almost abstract bags with forever appeal is VENCZEL's forte. The cult Copenhagen-based brand is loved by everyone from Kylie Jenner to stylist Nicole Walker thanks to covetable designs that suit every mood and occasion, whether smart, sultry or cool. As the exclusive capsule of sure-to-sell-out creations lands at Browns, we talk to founder Matilda Venczel to get a glimpse into her day-to-day...

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"6.30 sunrise in Copenhagen."

“My boyfriend's work of art (Dutch pancake) for breakfast.”

Morning

What time do you wake up and where?
Between 5.30 - 8.30 am: my baby decides when to get up! Probably in Copenhagen, Venice or Paris!

What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
Feed my baby + drink coffee.

Where are you usually based?
Copenhagen, and a little Venice and Paris.

What does your average day look like?
Workday: I have breakfast with my boyfriend and head to the studio by bike. Then I try to finish my never-ending to-do list, which includes anything from designing something, planning a shoot, answering emails or sending bags to Italy, or receiving some new samples of hardware. Either I have a quick lunch while scrolling my phone or I bike home to my baby and boyfriend and have lunch with them. I finish work around 5pm, eat whatever delicious thing my boyfriend cooked (he’s a brilliant chef) and then spend the evening with my baby.
If it’s a day when I’m on maternity leave it looks very different: I just hang out with my baby all day – maybe doing some work when he is napping!

Do you have any morning rituals?
Coffee in bed!

Where is your office located and how do you get there?
It's 10 minutes away from my home, both in the centre of Copenhagen. I bike there!

“Fave sculpture by Yioryios Papayioryiou.”

“Quick stop to Italy to check on production.”

Daytime

How would you describe what you do?
I make bags! And everything around that, production, development, sourcing materials, and a lot of other things, write emails, plan shoots etc etc, I run my brand Venczel and work as a consultant of leather goods for a Parisian house!

How has your background influenced who you are today?
I grew up in a smalltown, Olofström, in the middle of nowhere in the south of Sweden. They say growing up in boring surroundings might create a rich inner life - I don’t know if that’s true but there wasn't much to do, so I moved away when I was 16.

How did you get your start in fashion?
As long as I remember I’ve been really interested in what I was wearing: even as a kid I was quite specific. At some point I insisted on wearing my Dad’s cap with a motor saw brand for like 6 months, so not aIl good. I made a lot of things myself and knew I wanted to do something creative, so I applied for a textile and clothing course at upper secondary school.

“Always car spotting for colour references.”

“Winter squash soup + anchovies salad + garlic bread for lunch.”

How do you get into a creative headspace?
It’s my job but it’s also a massive interest. I always collect ideas, writing down little notes and quick sketches that later on might become something or might not. If I need to focus on something I like to be all alone or at least with noise cancelling headphones so I don't have any disturbing sounds around, so I can really think. I also cannot design too long at a time (which can often include sculpting something in paper or salpa), as it’s very energy consuming. I need breaks to be able to take it further, normally 30 mins at a time, then come back to look at it.

Do you have a favourite piece from your exclusive capsule with Browns and who would you most like to see wearing it?
I personally love the VEIRON bag – it’s soft, sculptural, large and fits anything you need to bring with you on a daily basis - I would love to see Rei Kawakubo wear that, or any of my bags for that matter!

“AW22/23 shoot - behind the scenes.”

“Io stopped by to “help out.”

Evening

What’s on your bookshelf right now?
The books right now on my shelf are on motherhood – I have just started reading Mit arbejde by Olga Ravn.

What do you usually do for dinner?
My boyfriend is a chef so he cooks dinner 95% of the time. The trade off? I do the dishes.

What time do you go to bed?
Between 9pm-12pm - I try to get 7 hours of sleep at least.

Last thing you do before you sleep?
Make sure I put an alarm on.

Do you have any evening rituals?
Not really except trying to not work after 8pm – which is proving very hard!

What do you dream about?
I have either very lucid dreams at night or I don’t remember them at all.

“My apartment in Copenhagen.”

“Homemade pasta for dinner. It’s genius to marry a chef - I recommend it to everyone!”