Before they became designers, Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimars were already part of the Copenhagen fashion scene. They were editors, stylists, influencers and regular fixtures around fashion week, building personal styles that reflected the way a new generation of Scandinavian women actually dressed rather than the pared-back image that had long dominated international perceptions of Nordic fashion.
Jeanette Madsen & Thora Valdimars: The Duo Who Turned Copenhagen Street Style Into a Global Fashion Brand
Their approach was eclectic from the beginning: high and low fashion mixed together, vintage pieces alongside contemporary designers, and plenty of experimentation. Years later, that same instinct became the foundation for Rotate Birger Christensen, the Copenhagen-based label they co-founded in 2018.
What makes their story particularly interesting is that Rotate wasn't born from a conventional fashion-school-to-design-house trajectory. It emerged from a practical problem the two women experienced themselves. They wanted clothes that felt glamorous and fashion-forward but were still relevant to their lives, and they couldn't find enough of them.
Who Are Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimars?
Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimars are Danish fashion personalities and the co-founders and creative forces behind Rotate.
Madsen has lived in Copenhagen since she was 17, while Thora Valdimarsdottir was born in Iceland and moved to Denmark as a child. Both eventually became closely associated with Copenhagen's fashion and media scene.
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The pair met while working at Costume, a Danish fashion magazine, roughly a decade before Rotate launched. Their professional relationship developed alongside their individual careers, and both became recognizable figures in Copenhagen's increasingly influential street-style community.
That background gave them something that many new fashion labels have to spend years developing: a direct understanding of what their target customer actually wanted to wear.
From Fashion Editors to Copenhagen Style Influencers
Long before Instagram became one of fashion's most important marketing platforms, Copenhagen had developed a distinctive street-style culture.
Madsen and Valdimars were part of that movement.
Their personal wardrobes were less about following a strict aesthetic and more about creating outfits with personality. They mixed designer clothing with accessible pieces, experimented with proportions and weren't afraid of sequins, bright colors or dramatic silhouettes.
That approach made them especially well suited to the rise of social media.
Instead of presenting fashion as something that existed only on a runway, their platforms showed how clothes could be incorporated into everyday wardrobes, parties, travel and fashion-week appearances.
Their growing visibility also meant that they were not simply observing Copenhagen fashion culture. They were helping shape it.
How Rotate Started: A Gap in Their Own Closets
The origins of Rotate are surprisingly practical.
Madsen and Valdimars wanted dresses they could wear to parties and fashion events, but repeatedly found themselves disappointed by the available options. The pieces they wanted were either difficult to find, didn't fit the way they wanted or were prohibitively expensive at the designer level.
As working women and mothers attending fashion events, they were looking for something specific: clothing that felt exciting and glamorous without becoming impractical or inaccessible.
After repeatedly discussing the same problem, they eventually decided to create the clothes themselves.
That idea attracted the attention of the Birger Christensen Collective, the Copenhagen fashion group associated with several contemporary labels. Rotate was initially launched as a capsule collaboration in 2018.
The response was strong enough that what began as a limited project developed into a permanent fashion brand.
The 2018 Copenhagen Fashion Week Debut
Rotate's launch coincided with an important period for Copenhagen fashion.
The city was increasingly becoming a destination for international editors, buyers, influencers and photographers, and Copenhagen Fashion Week was developing a stronger global identity.
Rotate fitted naturally into that environment.
Rather than trying to imitate the established luxury houses of Paris or Milan, the label offered something recognizably Copenhagen but with a more glamorous edge.
The brand's early collections helped establish the visual language that would become central to Rotate: short dresses, strong silhouettes, party-ready pieces, vibrant colors and details designed to stand out in photographs.
Example: How Rotate Challenged the Scandinavian Minimalist Stereotype
Perhaps the clearest example of the founders' influence is Rotate's deliberate rejection of the idea that Scandinavian fashion must always be minimalist.
For decades, Nordic fashion had been strongly associated with clean lines, neutral colors and understated design. Rotate took the opposite approach.
Sequins, rhinestones, bold prints, mini dresses and dramatic proportions became part of the brand's vocabulary.
Instead of asking how to make Scandinavian minimalism more fashionable, Madsen and Valdimars asked a different question: what would Copenhagen women actually want to wear when they go out?
The answer was considerably more glamorous.
This distinction helped Rotate occupy an interesting position in the international fashion market. The brand still carried the recognizable confidence and practicality associated with Copenhagen style, but it presented those qualities through a much more expressive wardrobe.
The Rotate Girl
As the brand developed, the idea of the "Rotate girl" became an important part of its identity.
She isn't necessarily dressed in one particular way. Instead, she is confident, social and comfortable experimenting with fashion.
Rotate's pieces are designed to work particularly well for occasions where the clothes themselves are expected to make an impression: parties, dinners, fashion events and nights out.
That positioning gave the brand a clear niche.
Rather than trying to compete directly with every contemporary womenswear label, Rotate became strongly associated with occasionwear and statement pieces that could instantly change the character of an outfit.
Social Media Became Part of the Business Model
Madsen and Valdimars entered fashion design with an advantage that traditional emerging designers often don't have: they already understood how fashion is consumed online.
Their own Instagram audiences had been built around personal style, which meant their customers could see the founders wearing the clothing in real-world situations.
That created a powerful feedback loop.
The founders wore Rotate, their followers saw the pieces, other influencers began wearing them, and photographs from Copenhagen Fashion Week and other events spread the designs internationally.
In this sense, the founders themselves became part of the brand's communication strategy without needing to manufacture a separate celebrity identity for the label.
From Copenhagen to International Retailers
Rotate's growth has been substantial since its 2018 launch.
The label expanded from its original Copenhagen-focused identity into an international wholesale business, eventually reaching customers in dozens of countries.
Its collections have appeared through major fashion retailers and platforms including Net-a-Porter, Selfridges, Browns Fashion and Mytheresa.
International distribution was important because it transformed Rotate from a recognizable Copenhagen fashion-week label into a brand that customers could actually purchase across multiple markets.
The label's growing presence also demonstrated the international appetite for Copenhagen fashion beyond the established names that had already become well known abroad.
Opening a Copenhagen Flagship
After establishing an international retail presence, Rotate opened its first flagship store in Copenhagen in 2024.
The location placed the brand in a part of the city already associated with major Scandinavian fashion names, creating a physical home for a label that had previously been strongly connected to digital retail and fashion-week visibility.
The store also represented an important stage in the company's development. A flagship is more than another sales channel; it gives a fashion label the opportunity to control how customers experience its identity, from the architecture and interior design to merchandising and events.
Rotate and Copenhagen Fashion Week
Copenhagen Fashion Week has remained central to Rotate's story.
The brand's runway presentations have attracted fashion editors, influencers, buyers and celebrities, helping establish its shows as some of the more recognizable events on the Copenhagen schedule.
Its presentations have also benefited from the city's unusually strong relationship between fashion and social media. Street-style photographers and influencers play an important role during Copenhagen Fashion Week, creating an environment where a strong runway look can quickly become visible around the world.
Rotate's highly photogenic designs are particularly well suited to that ecosystem.
Celebrity and Influencer Appeal
As Rotate's international profile has grown, its clothing has appeared on celebrities, influencers and fashion personalities around the world.
This has reinforced the brand's original proposition: clothing that makes an immediate visual impact.
Its appeal isn't restricted to one particular demographic. A Rotate dress can work as a fashion-week statement, an evening look or a social-media centerpiece, depending on how it is styled.
The founders' own backgrounds also help explain why the clothes translate so well online. They understand that contemporary fashion is increasingly consumed through photographs and short-form video, where silhouette, color and movement matter immediately.
Working With H&M
Another important step in Rotate's expansion was its collaboration with H&M.
The partnership introduced the brand's aesthetic to a considerably wider audience and demonstrated that its distinctive partywear could translate beyond its usual contemporary-designer positioning.
Collaborations of this type can be strategically important for emerging labels. They create awareness among consumers who may not yet be familiar with the independent brand while allowing the designers to experiment with a different price and distribution model.
For Rotate, the collaboration helped reinforce its status as a recognizable Scandinavian fashion name rather than simply a Copenhagen Fashion Week newcomer.
Sustainability and the Next Stage of Rotate
Like many contemporary fashion companies, Rotate has increasingly had to address the environmental impact of clothing production.
The brand has incorporated recycled and more responsible materials into selected collections and has explored ways of reducing the environmental footprint associated with manufacturing.
The challenge is particularly interesting for a label whose identity is built around occasionwear. Party dresses and statement pieces are often purchased for specific moments rather than everyday use, making longevity and repeat wear important considerations.
The founders' emphasis on pieces that can be styled in different ways provides one route toward addressing that issue. A statement item doesn't necessarily have to be worn only once; changing accessories, layering and styling can give the same garment a very different character.
Why Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimars Matter to Scandinavian Fashion
Madsen and Valdimars are part of a generation of fashion personalities who blurred the line between editor, influencer and designer.
They didn't approach fashion from only one direction.
They understood the industry from the editorial side, experienced it as influencers and eventually entered it as entrepreneurs and designers.
That combination gave them a particularly close relationship with their audience.
Instead of designing clothes and then trying to convince consumers that they needed them, they began with an understanding of what their own community was already looking for.
The Business Lesson Behind Rotate
There is a useful business lesson in Rotate's origin story.
The founders identified a gap through personal experience, tested their idea through a limited capsule collection and then scaled after seeing genuine market demand.
That is very different from launching a large collection without knowing whether customers will respond.
Their existing social-media audiences also provided an early testing ground. The founders could see which pieces attracted attention, which looks resonated and how customers responded to the brand's visual identity.
In that sense, Rotate's growth demonstrates how an audience can become more than a marketing channel. For the right founder, it can become an early source of market intelligence.
What Makes Rotate Different?
Rotate's strongest advantage may be its clarity.
You can usually recognize a Rotate piece without needing to see the label.
There is a consistent emphasis on statement silhouettes, party dressing, playful proportions and glamorous details. Yet the clothes remain connected to the effortless confidence associated with Copenhagen fashion.
That balance is difficult to achieve.
Too much glamour can make a Scandinavian brand feel disconnected from its roots. Too much minimalism would undermine the very gap Rotate was created to fill.
Madsen and Valdimars found a middle ground: Copenhagen cool with considerably more sparkle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded Rotate Birger Christensen?
Rotate was co-founded by Danish fashion personalities Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimarsdottir in 2018 in partnership with the Birger Christensen Collective.
How did Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimars meet?
The two met while working together at Costume, a Danish fashion magazine, before developing individual careers as fashion influencers and editors.
What is Rotate Birger Christensen known for?
Rotate is known for glamorous contemporary womenswear, particularly party dresses, sequined pieces, bold prints, statement silhouettes and other designs that contrast with traditional Scandinavian minimalism.
When was Rotate founded?
Rotate launched in 2018 as a capsule collaboration with the Birger Christensen Collective before becoming a permanent fashion label following its successful debut.
Where is Rotate sold?
Rotate has developed an international retail presence and is sold through major fashion retailers including Net-a-Porter, Selfridges, Browns Fashion and Mytheresa, as well as through its own retail channels.
Does Rotate have a store in Copenhagen?
Yes. Rotate opened its first Copenhagen flagship store in 2024.
Why is Rotate different from traditional Scandinavian fashion?
While Scandinavian fashion is often associated with minimalism and muted colors, Rotate is deliberately more expressive. Its collections frequently feature sequins, bold colors, prints, short silhouettes and glamorous occasionwear.
Conclusion
Jeanette Madsen and Thora Valdimars didn't set out to completely rewrite the rules of Scandinavian fashion. They simply noticed that the women around them wanted something different.
They wanted clothes that could make an entrance.
That observation became Rotate.
What began as conversations between two fashion insiders about the clothes missing from their own wardrobes developed into a Copenhagen Fashion Week sensation and eventually an international fashion business.
The success of Rotate is also a reflection of the founders themselves. Their understanding of street style, editorial fashion, social media and the realities of modern dressing gave the label a perspective that was difficult to manufacture from the outside.
Most importantly, Madsen and Valdimars helped broaden the world's understanding of Scandinavian style. Copenhagen fashion doesn't have to be beige, restrained or minimalist. It can be loud, playful, glamorous and covered in sequins—and still feel unmistakably Copenhagen.
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