Andreas von der Heide, co-founder and CEO of Les Deux, joins this episode of the Danish-language podcast Den Nye Standard. The conversation is about building a brand that works internationally, and why culture is the foundation for it.
Andreas describes himself as an ambitious man who wants to create good lives and believes in leading with tough love. Those qualities have laid the groundwork for the culture at Les Deux and for its strong growth and international expansion.
An education doesn’t make a great life
Andreas talks about how trusting your gut and daring to do what you dream of can lead to a successful life. Andreas has a law degree, and it was while he was still studying that he started Les Deux, with the ambition of creating a good and meaningful life. From the start, he wanted to challenge the status quo. With no marketing budget and a simple range, he threw himself into the project and did it his own way. Working through adversity is Andreas’s greatest strength, and he uses it to grow. He is also grateful to have had talented people around him, who helped create the Les Deux we know today. Andreas’s most important goal in life is to build a legacy he is proud of. That’s why Les Deux isn’t just a job but a life project, one the employees also feel 100 per cent invested in.
Les Deux is a vibe
According to Andreas, company culture has been the foundation of Les Deux. That’s why he has chosen to invest in both the mental and physical needs of his employees, through things like yoga, meditation, mental coaching and a personal trainer. Andreas places a lot of trust in his employees, but he also expects them to be ambitious and willing to go the extra mile. In return, he organises company trips to Ibiza, talks to people as equals and always has time for a chat if an employee needs one. The head office reflects the culture and the whole brand: the basketball court meets the classic cocktail bar, which is what Andreas calls a vibe.
Les Deux was born with an international mindset
Talking about the vibe and culture at Les Deux leads us on to the strong growth and international expansion. Andreas and the team behind Les Deux have managed to create a concept that, in his own words, works in 9 out of 10 markets. Andreas believes Les Deux has built its success not just by being Les Deux, but by being it 100 per cent. They do that by carrying their culture from the head office out into the world, into the local shops, and that creates a common thread. The next big goal for Andreas and Les Deux is to break through the “ceiling” and build a Danish menswear brand with revenue of more than DKK 500 million.