BEHIND THE BRAND: HAVRE STUDIO

Meet Madeleine Frandsen, founder of up-cycled apparel label Havre Studio. Established in 2019 between Mexico City and Copenhagen, Havre Studio is known for their signature boxy silhouettes loved by style icons around the world. Madeleine shares the behind the scenes of running a business including her ethical sourcing process, finding inspiration and pinch-me moments throughout her journey so far. 

HOMETOWN?
Copenhagen

STARSIGN?
Sagittarius 

WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU STARTED HAVRE STUDIO?
Before I started Havre, I was, and am still, studying my master’s degree in Business Administration and Organisational Communication, and was an assistant as a consultancy firm in Copenhagen. My boyfriend Phillip and I moved to Mexico City, because of his job, in 2019 and then I started Havre a couple of months later. Phillip has since quit his previous job and is now my partner in Havre so we run the business together!

WHAT IS YOUR JOB ROLE NOW?
My main areas are design, sourcing, creative and communication. However, we’re still a small business with only three people (soon four), so I still do a little bit of everything, we all do!

TYPICAL DAY AT THE OFFICE?
I usually get up at about 6 AM and check my e-mail before heading to the gym. It’s super important for me to move my body in the mornings as it sets a good tone for the day. At about 08:30 I get into our office and get back to the most important e-mails and DM’s and plan the day with the team. Every day looks quite different, whether it’s sourcing, visiting our seamstresses and drycleaner, communications with customers and stylists, taking pictures for our site, various meetings, packing orders and a lot of admin work! I love how different the days look, and always look forward to getting into office in the morning. I usually leave office at around 6 PM, I used to have a hard time leaving at a decent hour, but now it’s so important for me to not overdo it. 

WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME ‘HAVRE STUDIO’?
Not super interesting, I wanted to start an Instagram page where I could sell some vintage finds and didn’t know what to call it, so I named it after the name of the street we used to live on: Havre. It is a bit random, it’s a small town in France and means “oats” in Danish, but I like it. 

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
From everywhere, in the smallest details! People on the street, materials, vintage, everything. I live between Mexico City and Copenhagen and I find so much inspiration in both places and the people there. I also find a lot of inspiration in the process of making the pieces with my seamstresses, trying to perfect the silhouettes and seeing it come to life.

BIGGEST PINCH ME MOMENT?
I feel like every day is a pinch me moment, as cringe as it may sound. I am so grateful for Havre and how well it has been received, it’s exceeded my wildest expectations. My greatest accomplishment is being able to provide work to the incredible people we work with; our suppliers, seamstresses and drycleaners, and give them a sustainable income which allows them to save and take time off, which a lot of them haven’t been able to do before. 

Other than that, I have been so lucky to have had so many special moments through Havre. A couple of weeks ago, I was in LA for a fitting for the Oscars, which is so surreal. Other than that, British Vogue interviewed me in November for a feature on Havre, which was super surreal. Also seeing some incredible people in the clothes, whether it be celebrities or my lovely customers from all over the world. I find so much pride and joy in giving the pieces another life and seeing them be enjoyed all around the world.

Some of them date back to the 50’s and I sometimes wonder what the men who used to wear them, would think of seeing the pieces now. 

YOUR FAVOURITE PRODUCT FROM THE RANGE?
I have such a big love for all the pieces!! But I think perhaps the skirt and blazer sets, because they bring me back to what really gave Havre some recognition, as so many people were completely smitten with them, - and still are.  

BIGGEST LESSON LEARNT FROM BUILDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS? 
It sounds corny, but to trust and believe in myself. I’ve gained a lot of respect for myself in this process. 

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WANTING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
Trust your gut and stay true to what you believe in, but also find the balance to pivot. It’s a marathon not a sprint, in the manner that I think slow sustainable growth is really important. Build a community and provide value to them in some way.

WORDS TO LIVE BY? 
Be grateful and kind ☺ 

WHAT’S NEXT FOR HAVRE STUDIO? 
So much! I am so excited to (hopefully) continue to grow Havre and recycle so much more, support many more people in the process. Doing lots of experimenting with vintage deadstock and vintage materials.