Look Good, Feel Good, Do Good

Bøgelund-Jensen’s vision for 2022

 

For 15 years Bøgelund-Jensen has constantly evolved and improved while staying true to its core value: Sophisticated, timeless pieces with an edge.

We are starting this year by sharing Signe's thoughts and visions for Bøgelund-Jensen in 2022. 

• Before we jump into the 2022 vision, let's revisit the past. Your brand is known for its ‘feminine power’ dresses. Can you share your first fashion memory with us, the moment you fell in love with dresses? 

I was brought up on a farm in Kenya, and I would always wear simple shorts and a t-shirt and walk around barefoot. One day we went to a farm show. I was standing in a queue, and I saw an Indian girl around the same age as me – we must have been 8 or 9, I believe.

She was wearing a yellow and pink dress with many frills and ornaments. It was the total opposite of my outfit. I remember thinking, gosh, if only I could own a dress like that one day.

So I guess this is where my desire for feminine dresses was born. Now I don’t only own dresses, but I also create dresses that bring me joy and hopefully bring women happiness and confidence. 

• You recently celebrated 15 years of Bøgelund-Jensen, which is a significant milestone. Would you mind sharing with us your initial idea for the brand and your vision for 2022? 

The initial idea came from my desire to have dresses in my wardrobe that would make me  feel safe and help me express  who I am. Dresses that would make me feel powerful. It was incredibly hard to find the balance between looking unique and not being over the top, between being contemporary and classy.

So I decided to always aim at creating something that would make my customers feel strong, sophisticated, elegant, comfortable, and feminine at the same time. 

If I need to emphasise Bøgelund-Jensen's vision for 2022, it would be giving my customers a fully functional wardrobe for any occasion that may arise. I would love to provide them with something they can wear in different situations, unique pieces they can use for work and for going out with their girlfriends.

I think it is essential to create a good base, that with the help of accessories can make the outfits look different. 

I often see that we tend to buy unnecessary clothes, and engage in impulse or desperate shopping. We walk into the store, we see something we love, but we don't stop to think if this item matches what we already have at home. Then we wear it a couple of times and throw it away.

My idea is to give my customers something they can wear often and for a long time. 

• What makes your brand unique is that you do custom-made pieces and interact with your customers. Why is working one-on-one with the customer so important to you?

When customers come to a personal fitting appointment, I need to understand what they want to communicate about themselves. What story do they want their clothes to tell? And how do they want to feel when wearing the clothes?

Then I can give them advice on what pieces and colors they should have and how they can combine different pieces to create as many looks as possible, with as few pieces as possible.

Ideally, my customers have a long-term vision so that we can create a perfect basic wardrobe for them. If they are unsure, we take small steps, starting with one item, and build upon it depending on the customer’s wishes.

Planning purchases is also essential for your budget. I want to make my customers’ lives easier so that they can focus their energy on achieving their personal and professional goals and being who they would like to be.

CHECK DRESSES

• Your custom-made pieces are made to amplify and empower women. What empowers and motivates you in 2022? 

It motivates me to reveal every customer’s inner beauty. I always try to create dresses that make my customers feel comfortable, so they can go and do the things they want and be the best version of themselves.

What empowers and motivates me is simply making people happy.

I want to see my customers shine, and I want them to look and feel good. Because when they look good and feel good, they do good, and that falls back on their surroundings, which is the circle I would like to add to and keep supporting. It’s like a circle of life, which motivates me very much.

• Who is your Bøgelund-Jensen Muse for 2022? 

I am inspired by women who go out there and change the world and make the world a better place. No matter in which area they are in.

In the first month of 2022, we will talk about the bold woman as one of the Bøgelund-Jensen Muses. Because what is bold? Most of my customers do not feel bold - but they do bold things! I love designing for women who have their own opinions and passion for the things they do.

On the other hand, even when they are bold and powerful, they still have that softness inside that makes them very appealing. For me, it’s the essence of femininity to dare to be soft, bold, and courageous simultaneously.

Being able to show your soft side is an incredibly bold move. When women fight for things, they do it because of love and kindness.

I also want to help them show their soft and feminine side through their outfits. In a rather male-dominated world, softness is our quality and not our weakness. 

• Our office wear has changed a lot since the pandemic. What do you think is the future of office wear? 

I was thinking about this topic a lot when planning the upcoming launch of our office wear. I think the answer to this question comes from asking yourself; what brings me happiness?

I think most people in moments of crisis ask themselves if they are in the right place - and your boldness then determines how you lift yourself to the place you want to be. 

For me, dressing up and choosing what you want to wear, and being in control of how you look makes me happy. It’s like armor protecting me, helping me go forward in life without feeling too vulnerable. By choosing how you want to dress for the office or home office, you decide how your day is going to be.

I think that this pandemic has emphasized that we need some incredibly comfortable yet fashionable items to keep up our spirit and lift our mood. My selection of office wear, which will be presented at the end of January, is all about feeling good and looking good and accomplishing things that lift you. If you are positive and focused, it may also lift others around you. 

• Finally, what would be your best advice for 2022? 

Probably the quote we used on our Instagram profile: "Key is to hang on to what gives you energy and positive stimulation and just tick off the things that drain you one at a time."

This is probably the best advice I was given, to try to let go of negatives bit by bit all of the time and focus on the good instead.

There are so many negative things in the world, and it is essential to look at the good things we have and be grateful for them. Interestingly, as a designer, I am trained to look at everything that doesn't work and improve it. I am sure many women are feeling the same whatever their profession. 

I wish all of us to focus on positive things in 2022! The more we create and give, the more we receive!