modebranchen.NU NU International June 2018

ZOEY Denmark: CIFF / Bella Center / Copenhagen / C3-003 Sweden: Retail and Friends / Gustav III’s Boulevard 1A / Solna Norway: Tina’s Agentur / Norwegian Fashion Center / Fornebu / Room 2F 03 BY HELLE MATHIESEN Finland: Mari Grönroos / Kajalantie 22 A 1 / Pertteli / Pop-up booth, Floor, Fashion Center Finland, Härkähaankuja 14, Vantaa When ZOEY debuted at the fashion fair CIFF in Copenhagen in connection with the launch of the brand in August 2016, an international buyer stopped by and asked about the new brand. Designer, founder and co-owner Trine Vinther told the buyer more about the concept to which the buyer replied: “Ah… it’s an “undercover” plus size brand!”. - In a way that statement was spot on. That is why we pro- mote ourselves under the headline “Fashion has no size”. That fashion has no age is often heard among industry pro- fessionals. I believe you could say the same ting about sizes. We do not promote ourselves as a plus-size brand, and we target ordinary fashion stores, online platforms as well as plus-size retailers. Just like many other fashion brands, we sell dreams. We design gorgeous clothes that fit women of all shapes and sizes well, says Trine Vinther, who believes that fashion companies that cater to the curvy segment are much too affected by myths. Trine Vinther has developed ZOEY with 16 years of experi- ence as designer for Zizzi and Zay under her belt. Goodbye to the myths There are quite a few myths going around about fashion for plus-sized girls. - I cringe at expressions such as “large girls love colours”. Obviously, that is not true. Plus-sized women are just as dif- ferent as all other women when it comes to taste and style. ZOEY is a brand in the middle of the price segment. We do, however, sell some styles such as leather jackets at a 3,000 DKK price level, says Trine Vinther. - We try to avoid limiting ourselves. For Autumn 18, we have designed a stunning floral trouser suit. And we have tight jeans. The clothes are designed to accentuate the best fea- tures of a curved woman, and through our designs we do our best to help her love herself as she is. ZOEY is made from comfortable quality fabrics. We also offer items with high necks and short sleeves – and why should we not if it is fa- shionable, Trine Vinther asks rhetorically. Sought-after fashion style ZOEY ZOEY boast of four collections and two pre collections per year with six deli- veries and two smaller drops to retailers so that fashion stores always have all the latest news from ZOEY available. ZOEY also designs acces- sories such as leather bags. When NU visited the company, Trine Vinther was busy designing her third Spring collection, and she has grown comfortable believing that she has hit a sweet spot in the market with the styles from ZOEY. - Perhaps it is true what they say that the number two is the hardest – just like with movies. But I feel like I have creative freedom with the design process. Having been approached by several large retail chains and big players such as Ellos and Otte Versand is a token of apprecia- tion of the concept, and I look so much forward to presenting our new arrivals at upcoming fairs and to the markets we operate in, says Trine Vinther. Financially, ZOEY is a part of the Nü group, and the brand has its own showroom on Neptunvej in Randers, Denmark. ZOEY’s markets include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, Finland and Switzerland. Things have moved fast for ZOEY ever since the first collec- tion launched in Copenhagen, and today the company can MODEBRANCHEN. | ISSUE NO 03 JUNE 2018 | 71

modebranchen.NU NU International June 2018 | Page 71