Thora Valdimars

Thora Valdimars, stylist, mother, fashionista brilliance, and half of the Scandi-born fashion brand Rotate Birger Christensen. As I sit down online, waiting for Thora to join me, I reflect on how long I’ve been a fan of hers, following her every fashion move on social media. Ever since I was introduced to Rotate, I’ve been fascinated by the power it encapsulates, encouraging women to feel sexy and powerful. Like Thora, the brand is unapologetically bold and outgoing, celebrating partywear and everyday glamour. Sat in my Rotate camouflage track pants, correctly paying homage to Thora and her co-director Jeanette’s work, I come to find that her love for fashion is and has always been part of her identity.

For me I am a firm believer that the clothes you wear have the power to alter your entire being. Over the years, my love for fashion and identity has blossomed. I’ve never been one to shy away from something I love for the benefit of what others may think. All you have to do is ask my friends about some of my fashion choices, and you’ll learn I wear what I love, not what society and the mainstream say I should affirm. Clothing should give me confidence so that even on my most insecure days I can wear my faith through the designers I put on my back. Fashion to me is an expression, and Rotate Birger Christensen is to me confidence.

Starting at the beginning I ask Thora about her movement in fashion and the inspiration that’s called her from the very beginning. “I’ve always been really creative,” she tells me, “I remember the first time someone planted the seed in me. I was getting dressed in the soccer locker room when one of my friends said, ‘Oh, my God, you really should be a stylist’.”

With her fashion being duplicated by her online followers, I can’t say I’m surprised it’s always been her calling. At the ripe age of 12/13, Thora tells me how her older sister’s influence inspired her as she eventually turned to one of the UK’s top fashion schools. “I moved to London when I was 20 to study. While I was there, this whole new world opened up. I was around all these creative people. In a way, it was much easier with schools there than here in Copenhagen. Here there are about two schools you go to for design, whereas in London there are some of the most prestigious schools with so many options. A whole world opened up to me when I moved there.”

Introduced at a party to Jess Hallett while out with her cousin, who herself has modeled, Thora, later became her assistant. It was another deciding factor that she was destined to be in the world of fashion.

Slightly Biased (living in London myself) about what makes London one of the world’s best cities, I wonder about Thora’s opportunities in the capital city and how the city became the love language behind her personal style.

“I think because I worked for a fashion magazine as the fashion editor and then as the fashion director, I learned so much. Copenhagen is special because there’s this Scandi minimalism, so it was very different when I returned to Denmark. I just came from London, where everything is out there; you know, you go to the vintage store and find big sequined tops with tight trousers. It was just a different kind of creative vibe in London compared to returning to Denmark. My style doesn’t fit in with the Danish magazine side of things. When I started styling shoots, it was such a relief to be able to do what I wanted to do creatively. I could finally adapt to my creativity and style and do what I was inspired by.”

Born in Iceland, Thora has found home in Copenhagen, known for its style, becoming the host of its own fashion week. Its attendance quickly became sought after by fashionistas globally. Known for its minimalist and incumbent styling, I can’t help but point out the difference in aesthetic, assuming it’s another reason Thora loved London’s street style.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love that Scandi, minimalistic look, but I just think I always wanted to have more of a sexy or street element. It was always so difficult for me to do the knit-with-nothing style. I need to put chains on or pair them with baggy trousers. I would always kind of fuck the norm up.”

I’m here for it, telling Thora that subtlety is not my thing ask how musing for fashion affected her every day?

“For me, it’s totally therapeutic. First of all, I think that it’s so much fun to look at people, old music videos, to get inspired and think, if I put this with that, that’s gonna look insane, or when I see what someone is wearing, I need to go home and try to recreate it and do my own version of it. For me, that is my outlet, my creativity. It’s super important to me. I’ve found out that once you meet people that actually understand your sense of style and the way that you think and what you want to say with it, then you’re on top.”