Danish designer Hanne Bloch’s flair for fabrication led her to found her own namesake resortwear label in 2008, whose products are designed in Denmark, Turkey and Italy, and made ethically in Portugal. Meanwhile, Bloch’s daughter Olivia brought her talent for printmaking to the brand. Here, Olivia shares how it’s like working withe her mother.
When did you both decide to work together? My mum and I have worked together since she started the company in 2008. I was only in high school then, but I made prints for her, planned campaign shoots, helped out with invoicing, just to name a few tasks. At 18, I moved to New York to study design at Parsons, but decided that it wasn’t for me after two years, so I came back and started working [at our brand] almost full-time right away. We’ve just been growing together ever since.
What’s something that you admire about each other?I admire that my mum started her own company at the age of 54. That really takes guts, which she’s always had. I think my mum admires my taste (she always copies all my outfits!) and that I’m really good at making decisions and sticking to them.
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Hanne Bloch 2024 collection (Photo courtesy of Hanne Bloch)
Hanne Bloch 2024 collection (Photo courtesy of Hanne Bloch)
What does the process of working together look like?We are both super-creative. We always start out with picking colours for the year, which can take months. My brother takes care of the business side of things, he reels us in when we get ahead of ourselves.
We try to think of what we would like to wear; we could never design anything that we wouldn’t wear ourselves, and I think that our different ages help the brand speak to a wider audience. I think my mom dresses quite boldly for a 65 year old, so I’m not sure it’s always representative of her age group, although I’d wish that all 65 year olds dared to dress as she does.
I think our strength is in fabrication. We design our own unique print, which is made in Italy, and then it goes through a smocking process, which always turns out differently depending on the weather and how humid the air is during a given period. We always need to see several samples. That’s what makes our Nido collection unique and versatile.
Hanne Bloch 2024 collection (Photo courtesy of Hanne Bloch)
How are disagreements resolved? We’ve gotten a lot better at resolving our issues over the years, there used to be some raised voices earlier. I now make all the final decisions, but my mother trusts me, so we don’t really have anything we can’t resolve at this point, as she’s been stepping down and I’m beginning to take the lead.
Was there anything you found challenging about working with your mum that you didn’t expect?I think we kind of knew exactly what we were getting into, that there’d be some points of friction, as we’re both quite fiery, but it has all worked out in the end and we have the best relationship now. She’s my best friend and also the funniest person to hang out with.
Hanne Bloch 2024 collection (Photo courtesy of Hanne Bloch)
Hanne Bloch 2024 collection (Photo courtesy of Hanne Bloch)
Besides fashion, what are other interests you both share?We like drinking wine and we love interior design.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to start a business with family?Be prepared to spend a lot of time together.
What are some goals you both have for the brand coming up?Healthy growth. We just landed in Cambodia and we have 19 people joining us next week on a brand trip to a private island. It’s one of our biggest investments so far and we can’t wait to see how it turns out.
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