Interview // Britt Sisseck
— Just like buildings, clothing is very much a piece of architecture, just wearable rather than structural. Initially I dreamt of pursuing a career in fashion, but ended up opting for architecture. So naturally I am drawn to fashion brands that offer something different, that little architectural oomph, as I like to call it. One of the brands on my radar is danish Britt Sisseck — With ‘the shirt’ as the protagonist, Britt has shaped her business into a niche fashion band with an intricate attention to detail and quality, resulting in timeless collections balancing the masculine with the feminine and with that perfect architectural touch. I’ve been lucky to have a chat with Britt to find out a bit more about her entrepreneurial journey and how she and her team works, enjoy.
1 // Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what your namesake fashion label is all about?
My name is Britt Sisseck and I live in Copenhagen. I spent many years living in both Paris and Spain and my sense of fashion and style has clearly been shaped from these years abroad. However, since then, I feel it has merged with my Scandinavian roots and sense of aesthetics.
2 // What is the main inspiration for the style of Britt Sisseck?
I seek to combine the ease of Scandinavian dressing with the timeless chic of Paris and the ethnic authenticity of Spain.
3 // Can you tell us a bit more about how your entrepreneur journey has been?
It has been long and taken many turns. I’ve had to learn things I never thought I would ever need to learn and I ended up exploring many different alleys before realising that by narrowing down the storyline of the brand and building it around the foundation piece - the shirt, the concept had a much greater potential. By doing it this way I was able to refine the product, make the production line more efficient in a very competitive market, and ultimately create a space and more freedom of expression.
4 // What has been your favourite part of this journey and what has been the most challenging?
My favourite part has been reaching a point where I can build a team of people around me who are very capable in their areas of expertise. Having a great team creates more freedom and allows me to focus on the creative aspects, as well as providing a better overall view of the company and its direction.
5 // What does the process look like, from the first sketch to the final piece of clothing?
New collections always start with a line of sketches and fabric choices. Then we go through the different combinations and look at what is selling well and which styles or design elements we believe can continue, and which styles need improvement.
It’s like a puzzle in many ways, where all the different factors need to play in and supplement each other in order to create a complete image. After this initial concept stage, the process becomes more like a camera lense where we zoom in on each style, determine details, finishing and work with the fit. Once the samples are done and the B2B pre-sales have been completed, we go through each style again before production to see if any further refinement is necessary.
6 // Can you tell us a bit more about your approach to sustainability?
My approach has always been that the nature of the product itself is very sustainable. I grew up back when high fashion was mainly a luxury item, hence my innate take on fashion which is that when you buy fashion it should not only be fashionable, but also long lasting and represent some dimension other than fashion.
Furthermore, the natural thing for us today, as for many other companies, is to work with organic or OEKO-TEX fabrics and produce within the EU. We have also restructured our collections now so that around 80% of the collection is a dynamic core collection which changes only when and if the items stop selling, leaving only around 20% of the collection as seasonal. These factors allow for much less excessive production and consumption.
7 // What are your future aspirations for Britt Sisseck and where would you like the label to be 10 years from now?
My ambition whether it’s 5 or 10 years from now, is to grow the team around me in way that enables me to improve and refine the product even further. For me the passion is the product, and to communicate the values of the brand in the best possible way through that. If I am able to continue to do so and reach out to women globally, even on a small scale I will be very proud.
8 // What is the best advice you have ever received that has helped you along the way of building Britt Sisseck?
My best advice that i received from someone els was probably - " Hope is not a strategy” - by nature I am not a very strategic or organised person, but running and growing a company forces one to address a certain structure to at least some degree. However, saying that, I do believe that faith in what you do is the one thing you should always have, which should be carefully nurtured and in best case scenarios supported by commercial strategy and decision making.
All photos courtesy of Britt Sisseck
To see the complete Britt Sisseck collections, go to: