“We don’t have any rules”: Enter the sexy sequined fantasy of Rotate

“Is it true there is Champagne before the show?” a model once asked Jeanette Madsen, one half of Rotate Birger Christensen’s creative director duo. Whether or not the models do partake in a glass (Madsen confirms bubbly is indeed on offer backstage), it is impossible not to have a good time whilst wearing Rotate.

Take, for instance, the brand’s most recent show, where the leggy legion of models broke out in grins (a rarity on the runway) as they strode to a blaring cacophony of party tunes, beneath a twinkling cluster of disco balls. The audience weren’t immune either, the front row a frisson of bopping he ads and shimmying shoulders as the show crescendoed to a dance floor finale at the centre of the runway. “We want to show that we like to party and make people happy,” says Madsen. “And it all begins with the music and the vibe from the girls.”

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The music and models aside, it really begins with the designs. They first entered the market in 2018, when Danish retail institution Birger Christensen Collective – a fourth-generation family business established 150 years prior – unveiled its new line Rotate, with Madsen and Thora Valdimars at the helm. Both women were already well-known fixtures in the fashion industry, a Scandinavian style institution unto themselves, commonly snapped together in synchronised step throughout the global fashion week circuit. Almost identical in height, they have the same buttery blonde hair (Madsen’s usually effortlessly tousled, Valdimars’ usually pulled into a taut waist-skimming braid), the same radiant smiles, the same knack for curating a killer outfit. Together, they have that head-turning twin effect, mastered long before Gucci adopted the look.

As they sit side-by-side in the Rotate showroom in Copenhagen, their duality is magnified, a natural warmth between them as their chatter and laughter overlaps. It ’s an astrological match written in the stars as well, with both falling under the Libra star sign. “A lot of creative people do,” Madsen says. For Madsen and Valdimars, the discovery of their likenesses began well before Rotate, in the three years that they worked together at Danish magazine Costume.

“There were always so many things that were similar between us,” says Valdimars. “It was like, on a daily basis, I would say, ‘My mum’s birthday is then’ and Jeanette would be like ‘Oh, mine as well!’, or I’d tell her, ‘I get pain in my stomach from this’ and she’d say ‘Oh, me too!’.” Madsen adds, “ We would often stay in the same hotel room when travelling for fashion weeks, and of course it makes the bond much tighter. You get to know each other very quickly.” When the opportunity to head up Rotate presented itself, both Madsen and Valdimars instantly stepped down from their respective postings.

Rotate’s inaugural collection brought a gut-punch of brash colour, unexpected prints and unabashed quirkiness – not to mention a little bit of sexy – to Copenhagen Fashion Week. A contributor to the ascent of ‘Scandi 2.0’ style, sometimes coined ‘neo-Nordic’, Rotate – together with the likes of Stine Goya, Cecilie Bahnsen and Saks Potts – quickly persuaded the world that the strengths of Scandinavian style extend far beyond the austere, the androgynous and the minimal.

It was clear to Madsen and Valdimars that they were rebelling against what had come before. “It wasn’t in the market in Denmark at the time, but we wanted to make party dresses and we wanted them to be affordable,” Valdimars says. “We wanted it to be sexy and extravagant, and that was something that we couldn’t find ourselves back then.” Given that the duo lacked any formal training or background in design, the appointment could have been considered a risk on the part of Birger Christensen Collective, but one which paid off immeasurably.

The new label benefited from the discerning industry knowledge and cult online following that each woman brought to the table. Several seasons later, there’s no denying that the duo well and truly know their way around a party dress. The brand has become synonymous with skimpy micro hemlines, plunging neck lines and puffed-up mutton sleeves – clothes that surely have stories to tell the morning after. There are sequins and oversized bows, feathers and fringes.

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As the designers themselves put it, their collections are like a “candy shop” of garments in a “pick’n’mix of styles”, all with a cool-girl edge and a democratic price point. “Everything we do, it’s from a feeling,” Valdimars explains. “We don’t have any rules with the collections and the inspiration can come from so many different places. Jeanette could see someone walking past, or I could see a music video. It ’s not deliberate. We’re not like, ‘Oh, we need to remember the '80s.’ It’s just what we want to wear, and what we want to see our friends in.”

Deliberate or not, the 1980s seem to be a decade Rotate returns to time and time again. Maybe it was the extravagance, the more-is-more mentality or the propensity towards shiny things. “The ’80s was so much about women, and the spirit of freedom of women,” Madsen says. “There are so many women in that era that we take inspiration from, and they were all wearing sequins, they were so daring and out there.”

While Rotate may be part of the new Nordic wave, Madsen and Valdimars know that even the most daring of customers sometimes needs a dose of timeless black. “It was very important that we had one bold colour or one bold fabric, and then one black version as well,” Madsen says. “We know the different personalities that women have, and while there are the very daring ones, others just do black.” Each collection caters to the full spectrum.

In just a few short years, Rotate has established distribution in 40 countries, growing its output from a capsule of seven pieces to four collections a year, each comprising of more than 100 styles. And they’ve garnered no shortage of fans along the way. “We're really proud and grateful to have such a supportive group of girls who love us,” Madsen says. She isn’t one to name drop, but it’s more likely than not that she’s referring to the likes of Mona Tougaard, Ceval, Sarah Dahl and Josephine Skriver – models who all regularly sport Rotate both on and off the runway. “They say, ‘Oh, it just brings out the best of us’,” Madsen says. “And that they want to give everything they have on that catwalk. So of course, it shines through when you see the show. It’s the girls giving everything that they have – after that little glass of Champagne maybe.”

As we speak, I’m reminded of the widely known but easily forgotten truth that all is not as it appears on Instagram. Valdimars and Madsen are mothers to four boys between them, Madsen with three under 13 – the youngest, Virgil, only born last year – and Valdimars with a 16-year-old. While their social media feeds project perfectly carefree, glamorous lives, they are readily forthcoming about the rigorous challenges of their realities. “It’s really hard right now. You rarely hear me say that, but it ’s really tough. It’s great to have the older boys, the extra hands,” Madsen says, noting that the real challenge is with her youngest.

“With a full-time job, it's hard these days. I have to think more about how I use my time. For example, Thora says to me, ‘Why do you not shop online for your groceries?’” Madsen does a shrill impression, smiling sheepishly at Valdimars. Ultimately, she’s had to learn to “say ‘no’ to a lot of things”. Valdimars chimes in: “I have been a single mum since my son was a baby, so it’s not easy and it often means that my home is a mess. And if you’re a mum, you go through periods when your child is sick, and you’re busy at work, and you come home late, with traffic...” she trails off. “It’s about just doing you and your family, and what’s best in that bubble. Not thinking so much about perfection and comparison with others.”

Managing to juggle motherhood and steer one of Scandinavia’s buzziest brands could come down to their prototypically Libra-esque affinity for balance, but probably has more to do with the way they actively support each other. “We are really good at taking care of each other, right?” Madsen throws out to her partner. “It’s crazy when you have such a tight collaboration,” Valdimars responds. “With so many things that you have to agree on, so many collections and travels. But we just have this flow, to say, ‘It’s a new day’, or ‘It’s a new hour ’ each time. I think it’s really impressive actually.”

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As Madsen puts it, it comes down to finding little daily joys, even if that little joy is simply a coffee break. These shared coffee breaks – short pauses together – actually rank amongst the duo’s fondest memories of the Rotate journey so far. “It’s those moments when you step away, to the coffee shop, and it’s kind of like, ‘Oh my god! Everything is happening, look at what we’re doing ’,” Madsen says. “There have been so many amazing moments and in such a short period of time. I mean, we’re so blessed, it’s crazy.”

It takes a special kind of bond to keep a brand intact and friendship afloat throughout the breakneck upward trajectory of a business like Rotate, especially with a global pandemic thrown in the mix. After years of working together so intensely, the pair know how to navigate the daily hurdles. “We agree on mostly every thing,” Madsen reflects. “But we ’re both stubborn. So if one of us is keen on something, then we have to be like ‘I totally get it, but I still like my idea as well.’ Often the solution is, well, we just do both.”

Despite the duo’s dedication to finding their synergy and compromise, the addition of design director Cecilia Bruno Jessen to their small team seems warmly welcomed, as a third voice to weigh in on bigger design decisions. Appreciation of their partnership with the Birger Christensen Collective is something else that Madsen and Valdimars are vocal about, acknowledging the invaluable input of Denise Christensen and Nikolaj Kragh, CEO and COO respectively, or “the business masters” as they’re dubbed by Valdimars.

According to Denise Christensen, the appreciation is mutual. She believes the pair to be a “quintessential part” of the way Rotate has resonated both locally and internationally. “We believed in Thora and Jeanette’s vision from the very beginning,” she says. “Their infectious personalities are so entwined with the brand’s DNA, and their existing digital presence, expertise and network was also a recipe for their success. Their own relationship is also an asset to the brand . They have a complimentary and fluid communication: what one of them misses, the other one adds, creating a harmonious collaboration.” Christensen also praises the duo’s “unfaltering curiosity”. “They are never afraid to try new designs, new material and new processes, and it means that the brand is always naturally evolving and modernising.”

The Birger Christensen name has held sway in the Nordic retail industry since the 1860s , but the company itself certainly does not shy away from evolution and modernisation, either. “When they see a need in the market, they act,” says Valdimars. “I think that’s really rare for a company, especially one that is 150 years old like Birger Christensen. Denise and Nikolaj are like two forces – decision-making people.” Such decisions have included the launch of Rotate Sunday, a premium offshoot loungewear line, in the midst of the Covid lockdowns. “It was such a big saviour. People weren’t buying as many party dresses at that time, of course. But we had a company and people around us that were able to make things happen quickly,” says Madsen.

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Rotate Sunday, with its logo-laden, vintage athleisure sensibilities, has been followed by Rotate Wedding and Rotate Icons, in quick succession. The latter pays homage to the brand’s most popular styles to date , recreated in unique and extravagant fabrics. Madsen and Valdimars have recently returned from Italy, where they celebrated the launch of the capsule with the coolest crowds of Milan; Valdimars dressed in a tiered eruption of frothy pink tulle, Madsen swathed in barely-there black lace. Both beam giddily as they talk about the trip. “We just have so much fun partying. It has been forever since we partied that much,” Madsen says.

But who is the bigger party animal? “I was going through videos of Thora and I have some crazy videos of you dancing! That was a party animal that I was seeing!” Valdimars interjects, “I’m pretty sure I can counter that!” But they’re keen to assure me that neither of them are deserving of the party animal label. “I would never go out on a Friday or Saturday night and just go to a club. Neither of us do. We’ve never been like that ,” Valdimars says. “But put on hip hop music or R&B and I will dance the whole night, without a doubt. It’s not that I don’t like a good party – I love a good party. But I’m just not the club kind of party animal.” Madsen smiles slyly and says, “No animals here.”