Thanksgiving is a time of joy, a time of reflection, a time of gluttony. Though often masked by the smell of sweet potatoes, stuffing and all manner of pie, the underlying theme of the holiday is inclusion. Which is why families come together and friends stage their own celebrations (in person or via Zoom). And even though everyone would prefer to be eating in pajamas, the rules of decorum dictate otherwise. And so each year we adult up and put on real clothing. As with all aspects of adulthood, we occasionally mess up.

This year will be different: fashion and function will walk hand-in-hand to the dinner table. We catch up with Naja Munthe and her interview in Rum magazine, where she shares her view on life as a designer and interiors. You can’t be creative without being inflow.

I think that most designers, architects, artists and scientists are driven by curiosity. I use my curiosity as fuel – and I always try to be open-minded to new impressions. When I design my collections, I automatically draw on inspiration from many different platforms. Those may be travels, conversations, art, architecture, nature and everything else that I am, in one way or another, fascinated by.

Munthe

Munthe is a women’s luxury ready-to-wear label established in 1994 and based in Copenhagen. Munthe's design is best known for its artistic hand-painted print, feminine silhouettes combined with contrasting characteristics, which are shown through six annual collections. Munthe is a go-to brand favourite for ‘urban-bohemian’ designs, especially among its following of Danish fashion editors and influencers–including the founder’s close friend, Pernille Teisbaek.

Essentiel Antwerp

Essentiel Antwerp is a global brand with a powerful message of love, fun and colourful surprises. The Antwerp-based brand is influenced by the numerous life experiences of its founders, Esfan Eghtessadi and Inge Onsea. Esfan, the son of Nicole Cadine, grew up in a world of textiles, sketches, and fashion collections. Inge had a vintage-loving mother, was a fashion model, and spent five years in India, where she fell in love with colours, prints, and unexpected combinations.

Essentiel Antwerp stands for refreshing, offbeat & luxurious fashion, renowned for its graphic or floral prints and trendy mixes of colour. The rich and unique collections are designed to provoke an emotional response.

Gustav

Established in 2009, GUSTAV Denmark is a Danish-based international luxury fashion brand, catering to sophisticated women. With attention to every detail, GUSTAV has a love for design, craftsmanship and fit. Offering effortlessly elegant fashion, GUSTAV creates wardrobe essentials targeted at the modern woman.

Rabens Saloner

Founded in 2007 by creative director Birgitte Raben, the brand has become synonymous with contemporary, elegance dipped in swirls and splashes of colour. With a design team based in Copenhagen and an outpost in Bali where Birgitte spends six months out of the year, RABENS SALONER captures an adventurous eclecticism infused with a sensuous rock ‘n’ roll spirit.

Collaborating with a close-knit team of local Balinese artisans and dyers, authentic craftsmanship is distilled through Birgitte’s confident East-meets-West lens and translated into a wardrobe for today and beyond. The brand’s signature tie-dyes continually push creative boundaries, done entirely by hand with only the human eye as a guide, making each piece completely unique to the wearer.

Baum Und Pferdgarten

Founded in Copenhagen in 1999, Baum und Pferdgarten is one of the leading Danish fashion houses. Their timeless and design-led collections are full of unexpected playful contrasts. The brand name is an interplay between the surnames of the founding Creative Directors, Rikke Baumgarten and Helle Hestehave. Throughout their long-standing partnership, Rikke and Helle have continuously complemented and pushed each other, resulting in covetable pieces in beautiful fabrics, memorable prints and bold colours.

Becksondergaard

Founded in 2003 by Anna Søndergaard and Lis Beck. Renowned for its colours, contrasts and unique prints. BECKSÖNDERGAARD was founded with a passionate belief that women should dress with a personal touch. The brand has a playful and straightforward approach to colours and materials while remaining true to its Scandinavian roots. Creating designs to treasure, to surprise, and to give the finishing touch to all outfits no matter the occasion.

Birgitte Herskind

Copenhagen has always been the base of womenswear clothing brand ‘Birgitte Herskind’ and the source of inspiration for their detailed and colourful designs. Founded in 2013 by Birgitte Herskind herself, she’s living her dream by creating quality clothing in exquisite materials for women, that balances the classic with the cool. She is known for her minimalistic yet playful silhouettes in innovative prints that combines the classic with the modern – elegant and exclusive with the raw designs that are always both dressy, wearable and of high quality.

For Birgitte Herskind, quality is the highest priority together with her passion for beautiful Italian fabrics and shorter delivery time. The designs are therefore mainly produced in Europe.

Compagnia Italiana

Founded back in 1994 by the Italian Entrepreneur Marco Ferrone. The brand raised great awareness since the beginning thanks to its high-quality fashion proposal both in Italy and abroad. In a very short time, its collections have become a favourite of many contemporary working women. COMPAGNIA ITALIANA is constantly evolving, with a focus on the wearability of shirts and blouses and the impeccable cut of its outerwear. Natural organic and soft materials such as silks, jersey, cotton, and wool are the main fabrics used in their collections, always keeping an eye on new trends and innovation.

Devotion Twins

Naming the collection after her twin sons, in 2013 Athena Parnasa founded the Grecian clothing brand DEVOTION TWINS. Embroidery and decorations, as they appear in Greek folklore, find their way into DEVOTION TWIN’S designs, along with clear lines, exciting colour combinations, harmonious patterns.

DEVOTION TWIN’S commitment to sustainability is evident throughout all of their collections and is part of the brand’s ethos to being a responsible, honest, and modern company. DEVOTION TWIN’S collections are designed and produced in Greece.

Levete Room

Danish brand, LEVETÉ ROOM is based in the North of Copenhagen, where their modern, timeless and elegant universe and refined genuine products come together. The LEVETÉ woman is feminine but not afraid to play with elegant and tailored elements from the men’s wardrobe. She effortlessly mixes soft, drapy and transparent tops with a pair of tailored trousers. Rooted in the Nordic and inspired by travelling to Paris, she is a proud and presentable woman with character. LEVETÉ ROOM’S focus is to make beautiful, modern yet timeless clothing, which empowers women to create a classic and chic look.