In Conversation with Anne Vest

What is it like working as a couple when designing? Do your opinions ever conflict over the finished look of a piece?

Jørn, my husband is CEO, and is actually much more financially oriented than I, so we have a clear distribution of work areas between us. That said we of course draw a lot from each other in our respective areas and bounce ideas off each other all the time. Do we conflict?…of course all the time, anything else would be strange, but I value his input as much as he does mine. Being a couple also allows us to really stretch a discussion, because we know each other so well, and this often gives us the better result.

Sometimes we disagree, and that is where the final decision, design-wise, lies with me. As does financial aspects, they evidently rest with him.

Where in the world would you say you take most of your inspiration from?

Having spent many of my early design years in Paris, this is my design crib to which I always return, but I often go to London and New York for inspiration.

It is clear ANNE VEST designs take on structure and volume in their shapes, is there a creative reasoning for this?

I love sculpting and that part of the design process interests me a lot and always has done. Shearling as a material allows a lot of structure and volume, which is also why I love working with it. Although our collections are entirely new and modernistic, there is also an understated chicness with the use of shearling that inspire thoughts of early 20th century luxury, and we aim to present a juxtaposition of themes in our work. I let my imagination unfold far in the design-process, not following a straight theme, before I start to think in terms of what works in a conceptual collection. This fosters a wide variation of prototypes from which I develop different directions in the collection. I guess ANNE VEST is – and always will be about vast diversity. My collaboration with Our Atelier is followed and directed closely by myself and is something in which I put great effort. Since I work from pieces rather than full lines, tailoring each style is only natural for me and our team, and ANNE VEST is appreciated for our shaped silhouettes – them being fitted or perfectly oversized.

When you’re not designing where could we find you?

Cunningly combining my my design curious mind with my much treasured family life by inviting my family to visit new restaurants and cafés in both Copenhagen and abroad.

Who would you most like to see wearing your outerwear pieces, and why?

The women I direct my designs towards are strong-minded individuals, with an open minded take on life – not with an distinct urge to be loud, but they like to show the feel of empowerment and femininity they as women, possess.

In the future, do you see ANNE VEST adapting any other materials? What can we expect to see in the future?

We have in previous collections, had the shearling sit up against many different materials and we will continue to do so to keep the design process inspirational and fun. ANNE VEST is formally an outerwear brand, however as a designer with a curious eye the brand will never dictate any creative directions I might feel worth investigating. Right now outerwear is major, but you will surely see other materials entering our collections in the future.

See the ANNE VEST collection at Coggles >>