documento

DESIGNER TO ROYALS AND STARS
MALENE BIRGER
INVITES US INTO HER CHIC
KENSINGTON APARTMENT AND
TELLS US WHY HOME IS
WHERE HER HEART IS NOW
Malene, 52 (above, wearing her own designs in her favourite colour
combination – black and white), has many famous fans including the
Duchess of Cambridge. Now, Danish-born Malene has turned her hand to
interior design. “I was approaching 50 and thought, ‘It’s time to move on,
develop in creative new directions,’” she says
76
he Duchess of Cambridge has
Tbeen a fan for years, as have
Helena Christensen, Reese
Witherspoon and Katie Melua, who
has performed wearing Malene
Birger’s designs on several occasions.
“It is wonderful that she [the
Duchess] loves my clothes,” says the
Danish-born designer. “She is a
beautiful young woman and adds
something fresh to the British royal
family. She seems very sweet and
kind; profound, balanced and
healthy – and she dresses that way.”
In her homeland, Malene has
been called the country’s best
designer by Crown Princess Mary, an
opinion backed up by the presence
of Malene’s face on a special-edition
Danish postage stamp. “That was
fun,” says the designer, playing down
the honour. “What I like is these
ladies have chosen our designs
without our knowing or my doing
anything to press it on them. I don’t
like to push my work on anyone.”
INTERIOR MOTIVES
With Kate and Princess Mary both
having a keen interest in décor, they
might well be interested in Malene’s
latest venture; she is expanding into
interiors with her brand Birger1962.
It launched in Paris two months ago
and draws on the classic but ethnic
style we’ve seen in her homes, workspaces
and new book, Move and Work.
“I only have one life and I have
always had a passion for interiors and
art,” Malene says from her chic
Kensington apartment. “I started to
feel a bit empty creatively. The
fashion business has become faster,
tougher. There are no pauses, no rest
for inspiration. I felt like a factory.”
Having started her career at the
Swedish brand Marc O’Polo in the
early 1990s, Malene co-founded the
label Day Birger et Mikkelsen with
Keld Mikkelsen in 1997 before
creating her own brand By Malene
Birger six years later. She sold her
shares in 2010 but continued as
creative director, designing all the
collections until earlier this year.
“It has been a bit like jumping out
of the cabinet after many years,” she
says. “But I have always worked on
interiors in my homes and office
spaces. I was approaching 50 and
thought, ‘It’s time to move on,
develop in new creative directions.’
I couldn’t see myself working in
fashion for the rest of my life.
“It was important to say goodbye
with good manners. The company
was my baby and still carries my
name. I left it in good shape and put
the right people in the right posts.
I wish them the best.”
The 52-year-old says she finds it
easy to move on. She has moved
house 28 times since she was 20 and
has lived in three countries while
travelling the world. Her latest move
is to London and this flat, where our
arrival is met by a waft of Musc
Noir – one of her scented