#AmanqiLoves: Malene Oddershede Bach


 

Stepping away from our favourite accessories of the season, we’ve found solace in beautiful ready-to-wear staple pieces that we can add to our wardrobes for that instant oomph factor. Our latest London-based, brand crush Malene Oddershede Bach provides us with just that needed sartorial flair. Developing a signature feminine aesthetic with an innate contemporary understanding, it comes as no surprise that Malene is winning the hearts of style connoisseurs all around (her SS18 collection is currently a hosteller at Fenwicks). Intrigued by her design process, we sat down with the designer to discuss all things fashion, social media & her journey.

 


 

Malene Oddershede Bach

Photo: Courtesy of Malene Oddershede Bach

 

The Malene Oddershede Bach Journey

 

Malene: Originally, I intended to become a fashion stylist; all those years back when starting at fashion college, but soon realised that the design and textile part of the industry was so much more challenging and rewarding for me and allowed me to use multiple technical skill sets. I took the fashion and textile pathway and later enrolled in a BA (Hons) Fashion Course at Middlesex University. While studying, I worked intensely in the industry to gain as much insight and experience as possible and as a result worked and travelled with designers showing in London, Paris, New York and Seoul. I think working in the industry while studying had a huge impact on my design philosophy and also understanding of the industry. I went straight to work in the industry upon graduating and the following year received the ‘Ones To Watch’ award and the brand launched as a result of that.

 

The Many Sources of Inspiration

 

Malene: The design process of our collections start with the textiles and techniques and then evolve that into the design process, along with certain references and detailing we have collected over time. We research a lot of vintage clothing for inspiration with regards to small detailing and then re-develop some of these in to something more current while draping and toiling on the stands. Some of the featuring details of the collection normally start from a reference picture and then evolves in to something completely different in a quite organic way. Our main textiles references are nature and the floral fauna and we love working together with our fabric mills experimenting with new techniques.

 

Malene Oddershede Bach

Photo: Courtesy of Malene Oddershede Bach

 

The Impact of Social Media

 

Malene: Social media has been a great way of pushing the brand to a much larger audience rather than purely through press published in magazines. Social media allows you to connect to people you would never have reached in the same way. We’re still developing our social media channels and with a small team we’re hoping to fully optimise this part of the business alongside our online e-commerce as social media will be a major part of any businesses future going forward.

 

A Usual Day in Malene’s Life

 

Malene: Depending on the time of year, we will either be working in the studio developing the textiles (fabrics and prints) along with the designs or be working on preparing and grading patterns for production. At the moment we have production of 2 collections and sampling of 2 collections happening at the same time, so a typical day would be spent in the studio in the mornings checking emails, dealing with our fabric suppliers, preparing patterns for fittings and then later in the day heading to then factory to check up on all samples and production pieces as well as support the factory in cutting the production garments. Then the end of day will likely be fittings.

 

The Favourite Styling Tip

 

Malene: My personal daily wardrobe mainly consist of the last many season variations of our fitted skirts with either a plain silk shirt, merino knit or a matching jacquard sweatshirt jumper. It’s easy and comfortable, but still dressy because of the richness of the jacquards.

 

Malene Oddershede Bach

Photo: Courtesy of Malene Oddershede Bach

 

Maleness Summer Essentials

 

Malene: I’m not the best person in the sun/heat, so my summer essentials would be a good factor 50 sun cream and a wardrobe consisting more or less of the same wardrobe as all year around, except for less layers, lighter jacquards and silk tee blouses with my ATP Atelier sandals. If going out I would normally always carry a light merino wool cardigan from the collection for those chilly summer evenings.

 

The Insider Tip for Aspiring Designers

 

Malene: Get as much experience in the industry before starting out for yourself and be willing to work hard to achieve your goals. Also, general finance and business knowledge is a huge plus as no fashion business will survive without it. There’s much more to running a fashion business than designing beautiful dresses.

 

Malene Oddershede Bach

Photo: Courtesy of Malene Oddershede Bach

 

Malene Oddershede Bach

Photo: Courtesy of Malene Oddershede Bach

 


 

Follow Malene Oddershede Bach: @maleneoddershedebach