Sophie is a designer and the creative mind behind the sustainable Danish clothing brand SOBEK, which makes handmade vests from upcycled vintage wool. Just a year after making her first wool vest, Sophie is poised to open her own boutique studio and workshop in the heart of Copenhagen, where she also lives with her husband, and two sons, Frederik and Hans.

What made you to start creating these unique upcycled vests from wool?

Vests are just such an easy piece to wear and style. It’s functional and classic, but with a twist. You can go causal, sporty or trendy, depending on what you wear with the garment. I practically live in these vests, styling them depending on the occasion.

You chose wool as your main material to work with. Why wool and where do you source it?

I wanted to make a product that you feel you treat yourself with – something of style, luxury, quality but at the same time with history and value – in accordance with a sustainable way of living. So, I needed a fabric or an item that could tick some of those boxes and wool was the obvious choice.

It also helps that I have a deep love for wool. It is almost essential to life in Scandinavia – a natural material that we’ve used for thousands of years. It has a lot of benefits too: wool repels odor and stains, feels comfortable in a broad range of temperatures, can be damp and keep you warm and often you can just air it out instead of washing it.

To be sustainable, I wanted to upcycle vintage wool instead of using new. I use wool blankets that I find from local or vintage retailers in Scandinavia. Working with vintage wool blankets provided me with a special feeling – one of continuity, comfort, quality and sustainability. It is something that is passed down, valued and cared for. I hope to pass that feeling on, into each garment.

“Happiness can be found in our ability to value what’s around us”

— Sophie Strøbek

Where did your passion for environment and conscious creating come from?

I’ve always had a passion for fashion and dressing up, and vintage shopping is among my favorite pastimes. There's an exhilarating thrill in the hunt for unique vintage pieces. This same feeling is what I aim to evoke with SOBEK, by incorporating vintage textiles into the creations and crafting one-of-a-kind pieces.

Using pre-existing textiles is a core value for me, as is creating timeless and classic designs. I believe that craftsmanship instills a sense of pride in our customers, motivating them to care for their garments.

What do you personally like to wear the most?

Most of my clothes are vintage, both high-end brands and lesser-known labels. My go-to outfit typically consists of a pair of worn jeans, or a mini skirt, paired with a knit or t-shirt, always complemented by a wool vest.

I would describe my style as minimalistic, yet with a distinctive touch. Additionally, I have a weakness for glitter, whether it's on clothing, bags or shoes. My friend affectionately calls me a raven because I simply can't resist a bit of sparkle.

Can clothes provide us more comfort in our everyday, often hectic, lives? Is happiness a warm vest?

Certainly, clothes make us comfortable – I think it’s the most basic function garments hold – making us warm and dry during cold weather or protecting us against the sun’s glare or stormy days.

But I think that we often value things based on something more than their functionality. We have a favorite sweater – not only because it makes us warm but also because it gives us something else. Something more than its function alone. We value beauty, quality, craftsmanship, connection and understanding.

Happiness is perhaps not found entirely in just a warm vest, but instead, happiness can be found in our ability to value what’s around us. A value not based solely on functionality, but because it adds something more – something translucent yet essential to our everyday life.

You live in an old villa in Copenhagen. What is your most favorite thing about the city?

Definitely biking around the city in the spring. It amazes me every year how quickly the long dark and rainy winter evaporates into this buzzing warm atmosphere full of anticipation and summer dreams. The city simply changes. Thick parkas are replaced by lightweight bombers and cute dresses.

Wine is served through open café windows, kayaks are rented by young, tipsy students for a tour through the canals. The sun is up from 4 am to 10 pm and everyone knows they must get the best of it before the dark cold months return.

Not a second is wasted and I love every bit of it!

What are the moments that bring you joy?

Toast with butter on a rainy day, my children’s faces, paid bills, a smile from a stranger, a call from an old friend, comfortable shoes, people laughing in public spaces, being alone in a museum or small details about people or places I care about.

Also, thinking about all of the things that are yet to come, like the opening of my own boutique and workshop in the heart of Copenhagen!

Andrea Juckem is a writer and co-creator of the bi-lingual online magazine NIKA (which means niche in English). She has always been attracted to people's stories and communication but it was not until recently that she decided to put it all in words that have an impact: Andrea now uses her (Czech and English) writing to express emotions and share meaningful thoughts and stories.

Linda Retterová is a designer and owner of a small textile studio focusing on limited collections of clothing and accessories. Under her own brand, ROE, Linda designs unique looks and experiments with different printing techniques. Her fabrics are playful and one-of-a-kind. And the fact that she also makes the pieces by herself, adds softness and warmth to each collection. Linda will not only dress you, but her clothes will shower you with joy.

Why did you start working with fabric and designing your own clothing line?

I am fascinated by things that can be created with one’s own hands. I want to feel, touch, smell the materials and see the beautiful colors. The fact that someone will wear my pieces adds extra meaning and value to it. Whenever I see someone on the street wearing my clothes, I am excited and wave at them even though I don’t know the person at all. The excitement from that moment is just so high.

Through my clothing, I want to bring this feeling to others. I play with colors, shapes and feelings so you can wear them, step outside, and hopefully, they will improve not only your mood but brighten everyone else’s as well.

You design your own prints. What brought you to experiment here?

Simply put, I just wanted to try it. I dove into experimenting with graphic printing techniques, including (silk) screen printing using all my experience from studying animation and graphic design. I started to change and adjust these methods for printing onto the textile. Nowadays, I use eight different techniques.

Animation and graphic design married into one and resulted in my work with textiles. At the very beginning, I was playing with print and fabrics just like with animation – designing clothing for puppets to later create my very first ROE collection. Until today, animation remains an important part of my creative process.

ROE is very colorful. Is it important for you to stand out?

It’s not that much about standing out or being different as about being positive. I want to pass this way of thinking and feeling through my work to others. I think that clothing is a great medium to do so.

With what fabrics and where do you work?

I love to work with natural materials. I print with colors that you can dilute by water without using chemicals. Those colors are the most suited for cotton, linen and wool. Those are the fabrics I gravitate toward. I print in my workshop in the Kralin neighborhood here in Prague. The sewing itself happens in my new atelier in Letna, where my clients can come and see new prints and how I work.

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with digital prints that I use for knits as well as very colorful prints that would be too difficult to do in my workshop by (silk) screen printing.

How do you come up with new ideas?

I don’t, they come to me. Different perceptions combine and mix with things that I have already envisioned for some time and a new idea comes to life. It’s like when you cook a soup. When nothing comes, I take scissors and start cutting different colorful combinations and shapes from paper or I draw in a hope of inviting something new in.

Do you have any favorite local, or perhaps even worldwide brands that you like?

Now that I have my own clothing brand and I am sewing my own pieces, I don’t have to buy clothes that often anymore. Lately, I more often give away my clothing because I have a feeling that I don’t wear a lot from my closet. My most loved pieces are from the Spanish brand Bobo Choses and the older collections of Polish brand Pantuniestal.

If I had to choose a bigger (mass-fashion) chain, I would shop at Lindex. Not only because of the name similarity, but also their items last longer thanks to the natural quality materials they use. From the Czech brands, I really enjoy the collection Hybrid and Dreamers from the designer Hana Frisonsova, swimsuits and shoes from Plove and dresses and coats from Luft.

What’s your ultimate ROE go to piece?

I feel the best in Chalk Drawing Loose Dress or an oversized sweatshirt with colorful leggings. The Chalk Drawing Dress is made from viscose, which is very light and ideal for the summer – that’s why I personally like it. It’s a very summery, colorful and cheery dress.

Do you believe that clothing and accessories can make us more joyful?

The quality materials that touch us or the colors that we wear throughout our days can for sure make our life more pleasant. By wearing them, we always have them very close by.

Images: ROE

SOBEK, a sustainable fashion brand from Denmark: in conversation with founder, designer and creative mind Sophie Strøbek

ROE: clothes that shower you with joy