Going back to basics Lene and Rikke Holmen-Jensen have both nurtured life-long dreams and a passion for fashion. As luck would have it, marrying one Holmen-Jensen brother each would bring the two enterprising ladies together. After many deep conversations about their hopes and dreams, the brand elle&il was born. By Andrea Bærland | Photos: Kristen & Vibeke
The elle&il collection contains quality garments including singlets, t-shirts, long-sleeves and dresses for women. Holmen-Jensen adds that all the styles are named after women that matter to them and that their current best seller, the long-sleeved Celine, is named after Rikke’s sister.
“Any good wardrobe needs to contain great basics. The basics are what brings it all together, and they are the pieces you wear over and over again,” says Lene Holmen-Jensen, explaining that the duo felt there was a gap in the market, making room for their fashionable, high-quality and clean-cut basic wear. “We wanted to make basics that appeal to fashionable women,” Holmen-Jensen says.
Instant favourite
Following a visit to a fabric fair in Paris and factory visits in Portugal, the sistersin-law decided to take the plunge in the autumn of 2014 and launch a line of basic tops and dresses, made from incredibly comfortable materials such as modal and linen in the colours black, white and grey.
The Norwegian fashion elite quickly took the brand to their hearts, the fashion magazine Vixen placed elle&il among the top five designers to watch, and the line is spotted regularly on fashionistas such as Celine Aagaard and Darja Barannik, as well as one of Norway’s biggest female celebrity, singer Tone Damli. Ray Kay, most famous for directing music videos
34 | Issue 87 | April 2016
Photo: Ray Kay