In the feature ‘In the spotlight…’ I periodically interview the people behind inspiring design/fashion and lifestyle brands about how they build their success. This month I interviewed Marie-Louise Mogensen of Danish/French fashion label Base range: a ‘young’ under and easy wear label, available at worlds’ leading webshops like Net-a-porter, Opening Ceremony and Totokaelo and worn by celebs like Rihanna.

I first met founders Marie-Louise Mogensen and Blandine de Verdelhan when writing an article on Base range for BLEND magazine in 2012. Two enthusiastic and ambitious entrepreneurs, very approachable, with an inspiring young label which offers a collection of clean, simple and honestly manufactured designs, with a twist. For this feature we talked to Marie-Louise:

What’s the philosophy behind the Base range brand and what distinguishes Base range from other comparable brands in the market?

Our business is manufacturing basic pieces and we grow our business with a human approach. For us this encompasses: producing each piece we design as respectful/honest as possible in every stage of the cycle.

What distinguishes us from other comparable labels in the market is the focus on people: the people we work with and the dynamic that their perspective and talents bring. In fact, our story would not be this strong if it was not developed with others. Base range is always evolving, and I am convinced we do not have to stay the same to distinguish ourselves: it’s about developing our work and the story we want to tell/produce in the context we are part of.

What is the ambition of Base range and when does the brand reach ultimate success in your eyes?

For us, business and personal life are intertwined. We both have small children and a family, so our private life is the foundation of everything we do. The flexibility we create with our own company makes it able to run a family life with everything that comes with that (e.g. staying at home when the kids are sick), and we do what we love most in the way we want to do it. Combining those two things is simply not possible when working for a company. For us, ultimate success would be to exist and live within this industry on our own terms.

What are the most important tools you use to build your brand?

Our most important tool is ‘people’: who we work with, their knowledge and their competence.

We don’t believe in any statement or any formulated rules.  They can only be useful to give comfort in what you are already thinking. In fact, I can easily see someone build a successful fashion brand or any kind of brand, by doing the exact opposite of this statement. To me it’s really more a matter of being true to what you want and sticking to it.

What is the role of social media in the branding of Base Range? 

Blandine as well as me do not have English as our first language, in our social media strategy we chose to talk in images. So, our main focus is creating images that talk in a way that allows multiple directions and we strive to do as little retouching as possible – fitting seamlessly to our brand philosophy of honesty and respect-.

Social media is very important to us. For us it is a great source of inspiration. Because it’s all relatively new, it gives us the opportunity to experiment: we don’t have a fixed grid of how it should be used. As a brand, social media gives you the opportunity to address your identity within a given frame. For our social media we work with Emily Blight, a talented professional. We asked her because to us her own Instagram represents a kind of realness or a ‘no- glorification’ of fashion and clothes.

What’s your tip for new (fashion) brands on their path to success? 

Always trust yourself and others, also when you or they are insecure. And, maybe see plan A more as a source of inspiration, but plan B, C and D as the plan where the work is done, the best work.  Sometimes you have to let go and work with the perfection and energy present at that moment in time instead of the perfection in your head.

For more information check www.baserange.net

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