Fashion

In Conversation with ROTATE’s Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimars

ROTATE Birger Christensen is our latest Danish obsession and we’re certainly not the only ones lusting over the Scandi 2.0 aesthetic. With dreamy party dresses, luxurious materials and quirky prints the brand was created by best friends, stylists and fashion influencers Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimars.

The label has a cult following of fashion IT girls like Emili Sindlev and Emma Louise Connolly, not to mention Jeanette and Thora themselves. We sat down with the girls to get the inside scoop on everything from the inspiration behind the name ROTATE to fashion and beauty faux pas.

Thank you for talking to Coggles today! How did you meet?

We were both working at a Danish fashion magazine called Costume. We never met before that, but we quickly realised how similar we were and became best friends.

Can you tell us a bit about how you began working with Birger Christensen to form ROTATE?

The CEO of Birger Christensen called us in for a meeting and asked if we had any ideas for a way that we could collaborate. We told her about our idea for an affordable party dress brand and she immediately said yes. We quit our jobs a week later and began this amazing journey.

@lillehoang & @xoxotsumi

ROTATE is a self-proclaimed dress specialist and caters for the gaps in your own wardrobes, what is it that you weren’t seeing in the market when it came to dresses?

There weren’t enough sexy and glamorous styles available in an affordable price category and that’s what we wanted to specialise in. We wanted to make the most amazing party dresses for all parties, weddings and events that most women would be able to afford.

What inspires your designs?

It comes from a feeling, something we desire now and makes us so inspired that we need to create it. The female body will forever be our main inspiration, it needs to be the right length, V-neck, shoulders and so on. A single cm can make all the difference in how well it suits a woman. We get inspired by movies, musicians, actresses and vintage fashion stories.

Where did the name ROTATE come from?

We were making our first collection and at the same time finding a name for our new adventure. Jeanette asked how do I flip the picture and she was like: “uh, what about Rotate?” And we both agreed immediately.

What will you be wearing for next season?

We are so impulsive so it’s really hard to say. However, every season we have a pair of favourite jeans and beautiful knits that we spice up with cool shoes, bags and accessories. And when we’re not casually dressed, we go all in with Rotate dresses and beautiful accessories.