24 Hours With... ROTATE

The last time we caught up with two of our favourite sartorial tastemakers, Thora Valdimars and Jeanette Friis, we were celebrating their ROTATE ICONS collection at Browns Brook Street. Five months on, the best friends and co-founders are even more booked and busy than usual, preparing for their upcoming SS24 show at Copenhagen Fashion Week. In between the pre-show madness, they give us a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what a typical 24 hours in their working week looks like ahead of one of the most important moments in the fashion calendar.

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“As much as we love a lazy morning, it’s usually get up and go! Not before making the bed…”

“Before we get into the office, we love to grab a traditional Danish breakfast at Sonny.”

“How beautiful does our office look in the sun?!”

“Exciting fittings meetings for our new SS24 collection, which we’ll be showing at CPHFW.”

MORNING

What time do you start work and what's the first thing you do when you get in?
Our morning really starts once we get into the office. Whoever gets in the office first will do a coffee run. A brand-new coffee shop, Anderson Maillard, has opened nearby and it’s our new favourite spot.

Do you have any morning rituals at work?
Once we’re in the office, we always give ourselves 15 minutes to just catch up and debrief. It’s a great way to ease into the day and allow ourselves to reflect before the craziness of office life kicks in!

Where is ROTATE HQ and how long have you been based there?
We’re lucky that our offices are in the heart of Copenhagen, so we’re right in the centre of everything! We recently moved to a new space, just off the busy streets, so it’s the perfect balance of central but not too crowded.

Favourite thing about the area where you work?
We’re so close to the most amazing vintage stores, best coffee shops and lunch spots. We love to go to Sonny or Beau Marche for a quick and delicious lunch in the city.

What does your average work day look like?
We never really have one day that is the same. We have so many collections and capsules going at the same time so we’re constantly switching from designing, to sourcing, to fittings, to campaigns and shoots. We really can’t predict how the next day will look, but that is what’s so exciting!

Describe ROTATE in three words...
Bold, wearable and empowering.

“Planning the staging at the location of our show - Copenhagen’s most famous hotel, D’Angleterre.”

“It never stops at ROTATE. In the afternoon, we head to a shoot for one of our upcoming collections.”

“Lunch time! We head to Esmee, for some lovely artichoke and seasonal salads (not forgetting fries and wine!).

DAYTIME

What is your idea of a perfect office day?
We like to have a slow morning - going for a nice breakfast and setting up for the day with a great coffee and a bun with cheese. As we’re getting ready for our Copenhagen Fashion Week show of SS24 at the moment, life can be a bit unpredictable. Right now, our perfect day is when we see everything coming together for the new collection, seeing our samples come in and everything fitting perfectly.

On a dream day, we like to have time to take a nice long lunch break. It’s very important to us to take time in the day to breathe and reflect outside of the office. If the sun is out (or even if it’s not!), we would go and grab a glass of fizz at Sanders or Café Victor, before heading home to watch a movie with our families.

When you’re not working, what do you do for fun?
We both love to travel, so any opportunity to get out of the city is a must. Whether that’s to our summer house or adventuring abroad.

What did you do on your last day off?
We both just came back to Copenhagen from a nice long summer holiday, and so our last real days off were spent relaxing in the sun. Even when we’re on our days off, our minds are on the upcoming CPHFW show, and so we’re finding inspiration all the time, everywhere.

What do you need more time for?
Family, always. And inspiration. We’re on the go all the time, so it’s very important to have time to reflect and get inspired.

What was your route into design and how did you begin ROTATE?
Neither of us come from a traditional design background but we’ve been working in the fashion industry for a long time. We met whilst working as fashion editors at Costume magazine and immediately became best friends.

We bonded over a need for sexy daring dresses that looked luxurious but didn’t come with the heavy price tag or designer brands, and that was how the idea for ROTATE was born. We were lucky to be connected with Birger Christensen who saw our vision and trusted us with it… and the rest is history!

One thing you can’t live without?
Jeanette: It might be the obvious answer, but I truly can’t live without my family. I also have to say, I can’t live without my phone…

Thora: For me, I can’t live without being surrounded by love, however that comes: family, friends, colleagues. But if I’m going to pick something material, I LOVE great denim – we have some amazing denim pieces from ROTATE right now and have many more coming!

What makes you laugh? What makes you cry? What gives you goosebumps?
Jeanette: Being with my friends and family. Your friends and family are with you at the best of times and at the worst of times - you can laugh, cry and have goosebump moments all at the same time! They’re there to have fun and dance late into the night with, but also there for you the next day, and that’s the important thing.

Thora: Honestly, I get goosebumps when I think about how lucky I am to have the life that I have. It’s not to say that I’ve not worked hard to be here, but I’m so fortunate to have my family, my son, my boyfriend and this amazing job. It really gives me chills when I think of how grateful I am!

“A quick outfit change into something evening-ready before we head out for the night, wearing AW23 ROTATE.”

“First stop is Soho House for a glass of champagne outside in the evening sunshine.”

“We finish the day with dinner at Mangia, for a bowl of cacio e pepe and a glass of crisp white wine.”

EVENING

What’s on your bookshelf?
Jeanette: When I have the time to read, I love to read crime novels, but to be honest, my bookshelves are filled with fashion magazines (much more than books!). I’ve always loved print magazines, and continue to collect the most beautiful titles, picking up copies when I’m travelling and decorating my house with them.

Thora: I hate clutter and so I don’t actually have a bookshelf, but I do love to read and engage with books, so I often read them on my phone or listen to audiobooks instead. I’m currently working my way through the Classics.

What are you listening to at the moment?
Jeanette: I listen to music all the time, and it’s usually a mix of artists and genres depending on my mood. Right now, I’m listening to Stormzy’s new album.

Thora: Like I mentioned, I’m trying to work through the most Classic novels, and find that listening to them as audiobooks allows me to immerse myself in the words and the story, much more than reading them. I just finished To Kill a Mockingbird and I’m now listening to Wuthering Heights.

What do you usually do for dinner?
We both love to cook and experiment in the kitchen. We’re very inspired by great, fresh, seasonal ingredients and love to try new recipes. Nothing beats home-made food!

What’s your favourite restaurant? And what do you eat/drink there?
Jeanette: There are so many to choose from… but I actually love the restaurant Esmee in the very centre of Copenhagen. I love the simple green salad, boiled artichoke and their pasta is fantastic.

Thora: In Copenhagen I would say Fabro – it’s a super authentic and relaxed Italian place, and in the summer you can sit out with a glass of wine and a snack whilst you wait for the table. It’s the perfect place to start a night. But my FAVOURITE restaurant of all time is Il Borro in Dubai, it’s the best Italian food outside of Italy!

Do you have any evening rituals?
For both of us, we need to have a period of downtime in the evening, even just one hour to completely detach from work, from social life, from everything and just relax. Maybe it’s sitting on the couch with a movie, having a special drink or dessert (and really enjoying it!), or playing a game with our kids. Any way to relieve the stress of the day.

What time do you go to bed and what's the last thing you do before you sleep?
Jeanette: I try to be in bed at 10:30PM. With a young baby boy, I have to be up pretty early in the morning, so I have to be rigorous with my evening schedule. I end up looking at my phone for a bit before I switch off, but I really try not to look at my emails or work before sleeping.

Thora: I have a teenage son so my schedule is very much reliant on when he is home and asleep, then I can relax and sleep!

What do you dream about?
Jeanette: I sleep very deeply, so don’t often remember my dreams - probably dreaming about being on some amazing holiday!

Thora: I had a really funny dream last night actually. In reality, I’d got a prank call about being arrested that evening, which was quite a stressful thing. After that, all I could dream about was being sent to jail accidentally. Learn from my mistakes and don’t pick up prank calls!

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Words: Sophy Davis Russell