Not just ‘about’

Rabens saloner is not just about what you wear. It matters to us where you are, and when you do it. We want to match the mood you’re in, and we understand that we can have a lot to do with just that.

Fashion from within

Rabens Saloner is a state of mind, a cross between wearable fashion and a genuine love for traditional craftsmanship. In part it’s a reaction to a fashion scene that has become too fashionable, too gimmicky and too predictable. We try to design things to wear that make life easier, well made garments that grow on you and have less to do with the battle cry of the season.

Designers are often asked what inspires them, what influences them, what is next and what they think of it. The answers are, of course, always different because we get our ideas in all sorts of different ways. The only thing we can say for sure is that, at Rabens Saloner, we strive to make things that look good on you; that we will sell them at prices you can afford, and that we are prepared to travel far to make ends meet.

East meets west

If a thing can be done by hand and at a fair price, we will prefer it to the industrial alternative. Most of our items manufactured in the Far East and come out of little workrooms and family businesses. Village dressmakers, leather smiths, bone-polishers and armies of knitting grandmas contribute to every new collection. It goes without saying that we concentrate on promoting sustainability in all countries of origin. In return, what you get is a unique product that may vary in colour and texture, but will carry its own subtle signature. We like this procedure, not just out of respect for handicraft and age-old tradition, but because a lot of our designs take shape in the cross between flair for fashion and skilled Asian craftsmanship.

Copenhagen is home

Always on the road, where you come from is important. The lean and economical Danish design tradition may seem inescapable, but it is not a bad backdrop when your mind is set on making things of lasting value. At our head office in Copenhagen it makes common sense, since most of the people who work here are friend or family of founder and designer Birgitte Raben Olrik.