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From a Copenhagen beginning to an international fashion brand, Les Deux’s journey has been well documented, not least here on dontt.dk, where we’ve followed the brand closely over the years. This year, Les Deux celebrates its 15th anniversary with a new collection photographed in the city where it all began.

For Creative Director Mathias H. Jensen, who has been part of the journey from the very beginning, Copenhagen remains a defining reference point. Not as a fixed formula, but as a particular way of seeing the world.

To mark the launch of AW26, we sat down with Mathias to reflect on 15 years of evolution, the contrasts that continue to shape Les Deux, and the ambitions guiding its next chapter.

Mathias H. Jensen, Creative Director

Mathias, 15 years is a long time! Congratulations! How much of the original Les Deux still lives on in the brand today?

“Thank you. Actually, quite a lot. Our aesthetic has naturally evolved, and we’ve become more mature and more precise in what we do, but the fundamental idea remains the same.

Les Deux was born from the meeting of two very different worlds, and that contrast is still at the heart of almost everything we do. The polished and the relaxed. The classic and the sporty. The familiar, with something that pushes it in a slightly different direction.

So while Les Deux is in a very different place today than it was 15 years ago, I still think you can feel the same curiosity and energy in the brand.”

Have there been any aspects of Les Deux that you’ve consciously chosen not to change over the years?

“Yes, I think that contrast is probably the most important thing. We’ve never wanted to become too much of just one thing.

If it becomes too classic, we introduce something unexpected. If it leans too street, we bring in something more refined.

That tension has become a kind of creative compass for us. I also think we’ve always been very focused on the people around the brand.

Les Deux shouldn’t feel like something that exists in a vacuum. Community has been part of the story from the beginning, and it’s still important to how we think about the brand today.”

What has been the biggest change for Les Deux over the past 15 years?

“Confidence, I think. In the beginning, a lot of it is about proving that you belong. You naturally look outward and try to understand where you fit in. Today, we know Les Deux much better. We know which contrasts work well for us, which products feel natural to the brand, and what kind of world we want to build.

At the same time, we’ve gone from being a relatively small Copenhagen-based brand to having an international audience. That naturally changes the scale and the ambitions, but hopefully not the way we think creatively.

For me, the evolution isn’t about becoming something else. It’s more about getting better at being ourselves.”

Where do you see the greatest potential to develop Les Deux further and take the next step?

“I’m less convinced that the next step is necessarily about doing more, and more interested in making the world around Les Deux stronger.

There’s still a great deal of potential in developing the product, exploring materials, silhouettes and categories in greater depth, and creating things people might not necessarily expect from us.

But just as important is how all these elements come together. The stores, campaigns, collaborations, our community and the way people experience Les Deux internationally.

The ambition is for people to recognise Les Deux before they even see the logo. When a brand reaches that point, I think it becomes really interesting.”

We’re also here today because AW26 has just launched, and you chose to shoot the collection in Copenhagen. What was the thinking behind that decision?

“It felt very natural. When you turn 15, you automatically start looking back at where you came from. Rather than marking the anniversary with something overly nostalgic, we wanted to return home and see Copenhagen through the eyes we have today.

In many ways, AW26 is a very mature Les Deux collection. It moves between sportswear and tailoring, between the relaxed and the more refined, and there’s something distinctly European about it. I think that fits Copenhagen incredibly well.

We also didn’t want to create a classic postcard version of the city. We wanted to capture the Copenhagen we know ourselves: a little raw, understated and very alive. In that sense, the city became more than just a location. It became part of the story.”

What does Copenhagen mean to Les Deux today, and how deeply is the brand’s identity still rooted here?

“A great deal. But perhaps more as a way of seeing the world than as a literal reference.

Copenhagen has this rather unique balance between functionality and aesthetics. People can be impeccably dressed without looking as though they’ve tried particularly hard. There’s something relaxed and pragmatic about that, which I think runs deep within Les Deux.

At the same time, we’ve become an international brand, and it’s important that our inspiration doesn’t come exclusively from Copenhagen. We need to remain curious about Paris, London, New York and all the people and environments we encounter.

But Copenhagen is still our starting point. It’s the filter through which everything else passes.”