Signe Rødbro, Founder of By Signe
SCANDI CHIC
Clear lines and cuts, soft colors and light fabrics: Danish brand By Signe is not only beautiful to look at, but also made in Danmark and focused on sustainability. Emma Watson already wears pieces of By Signe, and the Nordic aesthetics of the brand will certainly become the darling of many more...
In our series exploring wonderful brands and people that incorporate Scandi Chic, we were happy about the opportunity to talk with Signe Rødbro, founder of the Danish brand By Signe. Spring has just begun, and By Signe has already released the new AW17 collection, inspired by "words and poetry of young writers, lovers and artists, looking for natural beauty and honesty in psychical and mental places".
Dear Signe, we have been looking very much forward to getting to know you and your brand a little better – thank you for letting us into your universe of sustainable fashion! Lets start at the beginning. Where did your adventure with BySigne begin?
The exact ‘By Signe’ adventure must have started when I first started the company in late 2015. Before that I had studied abroad and travelled quite a bit, and when I returned to Denmark and my hometown things kind of randomly just turned into setting up the brand here. As we sell worldwide, our physical location is not essential at this point.
When you first started your business, what was the funniest part and the most boring part?
Oh, this is a difficult thing to say. It has really been one united journey of hard work and passion. Legals and economy can be heavy for a designer like me, but luckily I have been able to find qualified help for these things.
Was it always your plan to create your own fashion brand?
It is actually hard to remember if it was exactly my plan. It was always my dream, but while studying I think I didn’t have the right courage at the time to sort of plan for it. I always follow my gut feeling and one day it just felt right and ready, I guess.
Who were the most important people that inspired you to begin designing, be it personal relations or famous people?
I have been inspired by many different people along the way, but what inspired me mostly to even begin designing was the urge to create and doing what felt right. I always follow my gut feeling, and that is definitely what has brought me to where I am today.
We would also like to get to know you a little better as a person. Could you tell us some facts about you?
When it comes to things like these I always feel too modest to describe myself, so I hope that it is okay that I’ve asked Cecilie, who sits across from me at work every day and who is always a very close friend of mine, for a short description of me as a person. Here is what she said:
“Signe is a creative soul, who sees her world through art and spirituality. She is her very own, and will never try to be or do anything else than what her heart tells.”
Impressions from By Signe's Instagram account
BySigne is “sustainable women’s wear”. Why is it important for you to make sustainable fashion?
I have a huge conscious, so when creating the brand it was essential to me to create a product that I could vouch for 100 per cent. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting in the world, and I truly believe we still have to re-think it somehow. I decided to cover everything from the beginning, from fibers to care labels and production methods, to improve our footprint on the planet and to keep the wearer of our garments free from any toxic materials or chemicals. By setting up my own production in-house, I wish to prove that it is possible in today’s industry, to combine design and handcraft ethically and sustainably correct to create a deeper dimension of honesty and soul behind the brand. At the same time, when selecting materials for example, we strive for all fabrics to be organic and certified by The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) which is recognized as the world’s leading processing standard for textiles made from organic fibers. GOTS defines high-level environmental criteria along the entire organic textiles supply chain and requires compliance with social criteria as well.
Do you have a favorite piece of clothes from BySigne that you couldn’t live without?
From the current collection I could not live without the black strap top and grey yoga sweatpants. They are minimalistic, comfortable garments that can be styled up or down for most occasions.
You have a very specific expression in your images (which we love!). How would you describe this expression and why is this the way you chose the visuals to be?
My visual expression grounds in my total idea about being as honest as I possibly can in everything that we do. I wish to show my clothes on real girls, wearing no makeup nor having their hair done. We don’t do any retouching of neither the clothes nor models afterwards, as I simply wish to show things exactly as they are (in the scene and mood that we setup to match the collection, that is of course).
What was your inspiration behind your new upcoming collection?
The upcoming collection will be AW17, which is mainly inspired by words and poetry of young writers, lovers and artists, looking for natural beauty and honesty in psychical and mental places. In line with my vision, it is keeping the values of the natural woman within a modern culture and these day’s environmental changes. The color palette highlights the Scandinavian minimalism and subversive elegance with pale light and earthy colors inspired by Paris in the fall.
We think your brand is beautifully expressed on Instagram. Do you have three accounts that you would recommend for inspiration?
Ugh, this is a hard one, I could name so many! On the top of my head: @velvetcoke, for rock n’ roll vintage inspiration, @lilahsummer is a cool and gorgeous model from LA, and @heyjudeshop shows design-inspired vintage and has a very nice beige color palette.
➸ If you like the clear lines of By Signe, have a look at the brand's website and online shop or browse the Instagram account.
Interview by Mermaid Stories
Photos: BySigne
You might also like our interview with the creative women behind Copenhagen-based food studio Sweet Sneak or our interview with illustrator and design student Mathilde Friis Olsen.
