Back in February, we were given a glimpse at what we were certain would be one of the most sensuous, feel-good collaborations of the summer on the Paris runways – a partnership between Scandi 2.0 pioneers Ganni and Ester Manas, the Brussels-based brand bringing a radically inclusive vision to the French capital. Hinted at by way of a baby tee bearing a collaborative love-heart logo, sported by curve model of the moment Alva Claire, this week, the full capsule has finally been revealed by of a resplendently summery campaign shot by longtime Ganni collaborator Jacqueline Landvik.
Channelling the sensuality and comfort you’d expect of a summer wardrobe, the capsule offers the idea repertoire of looks for a balmy beachside holiday – elegantly ruched column dresses, crafted in recycled polyester mesh, cling to the figure and accentuate its contours, as perfect an option for daytime strolls as for languid poolside nights; playful bikinis and cropped tees celebrate and flaunt their wearers’ bodies no matter their size, with the full range available from EU32 to EU52.
To celebrate the collection’s launch, we sat down with Ditte Reffstrup, Ganni’s creative director, and Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre, Ester Manas’ founding duo, to discuss the creative process behind the collection, designing for every body and their shared fashion outsider status.
So, how did the collaboration first come about?
Ditte Reffstrup: I saw the Ester Manas show back in October 2021, and I’m normally not that active on social media, but I just felt that I had to write them and tell them they were my new favourites. They really did such a fantastic show, and I instantly fell in love with what they were doing.
Balthazar Delepierre: Yeah, that was almost two years ago. We were so impressed when we first received that message. It was our first show, and seeing that just starting out was a really important encouragement, especially since Ganni was a brand that we’ve always really admired. We were super touched, and we are now even more so seeing this collaboration come to life.
Ditte, what was it that first drew your eye to Ester and Balthazar’s work?
Well, it was super sexy, and the cast was incredible, and, to be honest, I think it was the first time I’d seen a French brand do a genuinely diverse cast. Aside from that, though, there was just such a spirit of youthfulness and talent to what they presented. It really was something new that I’d been longing to see. And then when I met Ester and Balthazar, the connection was fantastic — we quickly realised that we had a very common approach to fashion, and shared this feeling of being a bit of an outsider.
Ester and Balthazar, how would you introduce your practice to someone coming to it for the first time?
Balthazar: Well, even if we’re both founding designers of the brand, it’s really based on Ester’s experience both of fashion design and of being a woman today, and how that resonates with the struggles that many other women face. We always aim to take what can be a pretty heavy subject, and address it in the most creative and sustainable way possible. That’s what lies at the core of our brand, and it’s become even more relevant now that we’re seeing brands across the industry slipping back to old norms.
Ester Manas: Yes, our original mission statement was to create fashion that celebrated every type of body. We wanted to create clothes imbued with sensuality, and that highlighted the lines and curves of the body that are so often concealed. We’ve always been focused on how the body moves, and pursuing an organic way of designing that accommodates that. It’s always been about fierceness, sexiness, sexiness and broadcasting a message of self-love.
What do you particularly admire about Ganni?
Balthazar: Ganni has always been a brand that Ester and I have always looked up to. We’ve always admired how it’s managed to establish itself on the periphery of the traditional fashion system — we’re based in Brussels, and Ganni is based in Copenhagen, and seeing how they’ve built their brand while existing outside of the typical industry centres is really inspiring. Also, while Ganni is much bigger than we are, it was so interesting to see how we could upscale things that we do, and integrate lessons from them in our work.
Ester: Ganni’s sort of like our big, big sister!
What was the creative starting point for the collection?
Ditte: Well, the first meeting we had was over dinner at our house, which is always a good vibe! But from the start, it was one of those collabs where the energy and the balance between the two brands just felt right, and there was a real sense of mutual respect there. When we started to work on the collection, we wanted a lot of the same things. I was really passionate about Ester and Balthazar working with our core sustainable fabrics, and so were they. We then started to talk about building something around water, and conjuring that mood you’re in when you’re going on a holiday, and everything feels so light and joy-filled. We wanted to create something that exuded a sense of feeling confident and sexiness in your own skin.
Balthazar: We saw it as an opportunity to do things differently to what we’d already been doing at Ester Manas, and with the help of Ganni and their team, we’ve been able to design proper swimwear for the first time, which we’ve wanted to do for ages. Working on this, though, we realised that Ganni and Ester Manas have a lot of designs and fabrics in common, so that helped to make the conversations we were having between us feel very fluid.
Any cute anecdotes to share?
Ester: Well, I don’t know if you know, but there’s an Instagram called @ganni.lab, where you can discover all of the things that Ganni is working on and is capable of. When we were invited to Copenhagen, we witnessed this firsthand, and saw that they aren’t just doing it for press, but out of a genuine desire to find sustainable solutions. One of the things that really impressed me, though, was when I went to the bathroom and saw that the soap was made using coffee grounds!
Balthazar: We were taking pictures of it to send to our friends!
Ditte: For me, I think it was when I went to the show last October — it was the first I’d been to one since Ann Demeulemeester in 2003, so I was super excited. I was whooping and cheering like it was concert, which isn’t really how people do things in Paris… the crowd was very quiet and serious, but we were there like band superfans!
Balthazar: But that’s exactly the sort of reaction we want!
And what was your shared objective for the collection? What were you most keen to spotlight and celebrate?
Ditte: I think for both of us, we wanted to create something that conveyed a sense of sexiness and confidence — a sense of feeling good in your own skin.
Balthazar: It was really about bringing together the Ganni girl and the Ester Manas girl.
Ester: The coolest girl and the sexiest girl!
Ditte, what made working with Ester and Balthazar feel distinct compared to previous collaborations you’ve worked on?
Ditte: Getting to work with such young, enthusiastic, talented people is something that just lifts you up. I get the same feeling working with them as I would from going to a concert — it’s just been such an enjoyable experience on a human level. They have such good energy, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what the future holds. It’s just the beginning and I have really high expectations for what lies ahead for them.
Credits
Photography Jacqueline Landvik. Images courtesy of Ganni.