In this episode of the Danish-language podcast Den Nye Standard, we’re joined by Mads Nørgaard, founder and head designer at Mads Nørgaard Copenhagen. We talk about the fashion industry, consumerism and having a creative mind.
Mads opens the conversation by telling his life story in headlines and lets listeners in on his childhood, his youth and his private life. According to Mads, his colleagues would describe him as a kind and gentle man. He cares a lot about a workplace where everyone acknowledges one another and is polite to everyone they come across. Mads also says he is enormously stubborn, a trait that has served him well in certain situations throughout his life. Creating a workplace and a shop that include everyone became the cornerstone of Mads Nørgaard Copenhagen as we know it today.
“I’m not going to be a clothing retailer”
In the episode, Mads takes us from his first interest in fashion to the changes happening in consumer culture today. Mads says he never had a plan for what he would do: it just happened. But he always knew what he wouldn’t do. Because he was the son of clothing retailer Jørgen Nørgaard, everyone around Mads assumed he would go into the clothing trade like his father. Out of defiance, Mads tried his hand at social science and literary studies, but neither could hold his interest. A chance meeting with a group of Englishmen who made scarves became his way into a fashion career that took him to Paris and laid the foundation for the values of Mads Nørgaard Copenhagen.
Mads explains that he has never truly regretted ending up in the clothing industry, but for a while he toyed with the idea of trying something new. Some good advice from a friend opened his eyes: it wasn’t really a wish to try something new, but frustration with what he was doing at the time.
“Thank you for recognisable renewal”
The conversation leads us on to the question of what lies behind the success of Mads Nørgaard Copenhagen. Mads finds it hard to give a precise answer. He stresses that there has to be an element of seduction, along with a common thread between being open to people and open to new trends. Mads explains that the seductive element can’t be pinned down, since no one really knows what it looks like, but that in the fashion industry it’s essential to feel your way. He adds that you should always keep a certain amount of doubt, because no one can predict the future, and you always have to be ready to take chances. Mads concludes that to succeed, you have to be open to the seductive element and go in with few preconceptions, but always remember your own opinions when you make the final decision.
Mads says a customer once described the brand as “recognisable renewal”, and today those words are on a note in the office for everyone to see. He stresses that stubbornness and having a core conviction about what you work with have been important qualities in a fast-changing industry. Finally, Mads points out that you don’t get points for being the most stubborn, so you always have to remember to keep developing.
Balancing work and private life
Can you separate work and private life when the brand carries your own name? According to Mads, there’s a big difference between him as a professional head designer and him as a family man in private. He explains that he never talks about his private life in public or lets the press get close to his home life, but he’s always open to talking about business and the Mads Nørgaard Copenhagen brand. Mads says that for long stretches he has worked more than he thought he should, and that today he wishes he had prioritised longer parental leave with his children.
After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Mads has had to prioritise his life differently. He’s completely at peace with that, because he’s surrounded by good people who are better at many things than he is. Mads has enjoyed both running the business and creating for many years, but today Mads Nørgaard Copenhagen is led by CEO and partner Jacob, who handles most of the day-to-day running. Mads rounds off by saying that you should try to do what only you can do, which is why Mads’ most important role in the future is to be head designer and high priest.