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Back in August, dontt.dk introduced Mathias “Zanka” Jørgensen and Nanna Marie Jatta’s new venture: Bobben’s Dept.
A children’s clothing brand born from the idea of fewer, better pieces — inspired by their son Axel and a mindset rooted in quality over quantity.

A few months on, we caught up with Zanka in Los Angeles, where the family is now based, to hear how life — and the launch — have unfolded.

So, what does it really take to build a children’s brand from scratch?

Mathias “Zanka” Jørgensen Jatta

Mathias, let’s start with everyday life. How’s life in LA?

“It’s hard to complain when the sun is shining — even in November. There’s a pool in the backyard, our son is happy, so really, no reason to. Moving here to play and live was an exciting opportunity that both Nanna and I could see ourselves in. After so many years of moving around for football, this felt like something bigger — an experience for the whole family.

We get a lot of visitors from Denmark, which is great, but you can definitely feel the distance. There’s a nine-hour time difference, so people back home are living in a completely different rhythm.”

You’ve now launched Bobben’s Dept. How has it gone so far?

“It’s gone really well. We’re incredibly grateful for the response we’ve had — both around the launch and from customers since. It’s been a steep learning curve, that’s for sure. How do you keep that initial excitement alive? How do you turn attention into actual sales? It’s a completely different world.

But from the start, Nanna and I agreed that we wanted to learn by doing — to make mistakes, learn from them, and keep going. You can’t know everything from day one.”

What has surprised you most about building a clothing brand from scratch?

“Well, partly what I mentioned before. How many people are constantly browsing, adding items to their carts, but then hesitate to buy. I assumed more would just purchase right away. But, of course, that’s something we all do ourselves sometimes.

Beyond that, it’s been eye-opening to see just how much time goes into creating good content. So many hours, both in planning and execution. I’ve developed a new respect for people like you, who spend so much time behind a screen.”

How do you and Nanna divide responsibilities within the company?

“At the start, we just took things as they came. It was meant to be fun and exciting. We had the privilege of letting things take the time they needed to be done properly. We’ve put a lot of care into it.

As the launch approached, it became clear that we needed to split responsibilities. We couldn’t be involved in every decision together. There were even a few more debates at home than usual,” he says with a smile.

“Now it’s Nanna and Cecilie, who are also part of the project, managing branding and graphic design, while I focus more on the products, styles, and functionality. Of course, things need to look good, but function is crucial when you’re designing children’s clothing. You mentioned your daughter’s trousers with the adjustable waistband before — these are details you only really notice once you become a parent.”

And you also have a team based in Copenhagen?

“We are based in Copenhagen. The company is registered there, and that’s where we feel at home. At the same time, it’s invaluable to have people just a phone call away if you need to find the right supplier, get the right pricing, navigate Shopify, or handle any of the countless other details.”

How do you see the brand evolving over the next few years?

“That depends on a lot of factors, like when we move back home. That’s a certainty – I don’t want to deprive my son of growing up in Copenhagen.

So the answer to your question is that we’ll be spending the next period developing products, gearing up the company for a lot of new initiatives, and creating things that people can really engage with. We have many ideas for the kind of community we want to build and contribute to.

For example, in December we’ll be hosting three events. We tried it out a bit during the summer, and it was a huge success. We expected around 100-150 guests, but it ended up being closer to 600-700. That was really exciting.”

Who inspires you?

“Good products. Quality. Things that last. As we mentioned in the last article, we’ve personally been buying into the idea of building a smaller wardrobe – but one made with higher quality and no expiry date. If I had to name people, it would be those who are truly entrepreneurial. Take Andreas von der Heide, for example. He managed to carve out a distinct space in the market for Les Deux and really signalled, ‘This is the way forward,’ and then just kept going.

There’s Philip Lotko and Daniel Brix from Rains. I was just in New York recently, and it’s pretty amazing to walk past a Rains store there.

And then Nicolaj Thomsen and the guys from Another Aspect. They’re not playing in the same financial league as Les Deux or Rains, but the kind of movement they create from within their community is super impressive. They’re so confident in their concept, and yet they keep evolving in all the right ways. Whenever I’m in Copenhagen, I always stop by their place.”

And speaking of Copenhagen. We’re sitting here in the middle of a Champions League round – how much do you keep up with FCK these days?

“I follow closely and read most of the updates. Practically speaking, it’s difficult to watch the matches because of the time difference. For example, I only managed to catch about 15 minutes on my phone in the locker room when we faced Leverkusen. But there’s no doubt how much FCK means to me.

I still struggle a bit with using yellow in our collections, which is a little silly in hindsight.

But I’m really looking forward to one day passing my love for FCK on to my son. Experiencing those afternoons in Parken that I only ever really got to enjoy from the pitch myself – I can’t wait for that.”

Vi glæder os til at følge Bobben’s Dept, Nanna og Zanka videre i deres rejse!

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