WHO THEY ARE
SISSEL EDELBO is born out of the friendship between childhood friends Jeanne Sissel Thomsen and Christina Edelbo in 2004 with the vision of creating a fashion brand based on pure values.
Behind SISSEL EDELBO today stands Jeanne Sissel Thomsen and Chris Elmengaard, whose work have targeted the combination of leftover materials, dressy silhouettes, and a trendy bohemian lifestyle since 2004. A vision of making a fashion brand rooted in genuine ethical principles and responsible choices combined with a preference for feminine and colourful prints and leftover materials. In large part due to a responsible approach to every part of the chain of values – from production to the people involved, collections designed from vintage material, made to last season after season, as well as a preference for good craftsmanship – SISSEL EDELBO has become synonymous with responsible fashion.
The core at the heart of SISSEL EDELBO is the upcycling of beautiful vintage materials. With every season and collection SISSEL EDELBO continues to refine and reinvent its own language, and explore new designs made from everything between hand-embroidered blankets and vintage saris, worn for generations by Indian women. These colourful materials are carefully chosen before they are subsequently redesigned into modern styled pieces – each with their own unique history, and with a clear touch of Indian culture woven into a mix for a modern aesthetic silhouette.
At SISSEL EDELBO, they create fashion for women wanting a colourful and unique wardrobe, while also wishing to shop with the environment and Mother Earth in mind.
SISSEL EDELBO is committed to finding the most beautiful vintage materials and pieces in India, and refashion them into dream-worthy styles, able to last season after season, while valuing responsible solutions and quality above profit and demand. It is with honour that they bring new life to vintage materials, and they do their utmost during their selection process to obtain the finest vintage textiles, carefully found and chosen by their founder Jeanne Sissel.
THEIR STORY
To them, a responsible focus behaviour is choosing to do their best every step of the way with great care towards each other and our planet.
They bring new life to the often tradition-bound garments by upcycling vintage saris, while also making sure that their history stays alive – thusly, the story continues.
For generations Indian women have worn the iconic colourful and beautiful saris. Every individual sari tells the story of the Indian cultural heritage, fundamentally highlighting the women, who have traditionally worn these saris both for everyday use and as a celebratory garment.
Circularity is a natural part of SISSEL EDELBO’s DNA, which they want to further, so that they as a brand and in union with you, as a woman and a global consumer, can safeguard our planets future – seeing as there is no Planet B.
They source their recycled saris through local buyers, travelling from city to city, village to village, and from home to home, buying saris directly from women’s wardrobes. This way the women can turn their used saris into money or exchange them for household equipment. At SISSEL EDELBO they love contributing to women’s agency, where they can exchange their worn garments into something valuable to them, while also upcycling the materials into new styles with history.