MILAN — Copenhagen-based fashion brand Rotate is officially debuting footwear, extending its signature glam aesthetic to a new category.
“Shoes have always felt like the natural next step for Rotate,” said Thora Valdimars, co-creative director of the brand with Jeanette Madsen. “We design pieces we genuinely want to wear and with this collection, we’re bringing that same Rotate attitude to footwear. Now it’s not only about what clothes we wear, but also what we wear them with.”
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The range spans five categories, including everyday flats, sleek kitten heels, pointy pumps, statement boots and dazzling high-heeled sandals.
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Crafted from materials like leather and velvety suedes, the styles draw inspiration from the ‘80s — a decade Valdimars and Madsen frequently reference — and are defined by key elements such as leather knots, crystal embellishments, snake prints and bold colorblocking.
“Rotate has always been about the ‘80s, that empowerment that women had. And also that boldness the ‘80s actually came with,” said Madsen. “So we found inspiration there but also in ourselves.”
“We always look at what we wear ourselves with the dresses. That was kind of how everything started. And it’s the same with the shoes,” said Valdimars. “We love a good pump and a good sandal, so they had to be in there. But we really wanted [to have] something a little bit extra. That’s why we worked on the knot and mixing the materials, like patent leather with plain leather, and the contrast of the colors.…We love classic pieces, we just tweak them a little bit to express that Rotate DNA.”
Madsen recalled how the duo has “always wanted to make shoes, but there’s a time for everything.” To be sure, the creative directors toyed with the idea of launching footwear already in 2021, when it partnered with fellow hip brand Manu Atelier by Istanbul-based sisters Beste and Merve Manastir to develop a footwear capsule. The tie-up was an opportunity for Valdimars and Madsen to start experimenting how to balance style and versatility while learning more about the technical aspects of shoemaking.
Now that they embarked on their own shoe range, Valdimars underscored the complexity of the process and how it differs from the one for ready-to-wear. “When we design a dress and we get it from the production, we can correct everything that we want to correct. So sometimes you can get a second prototype and you can still do another correction at the third stage,” she said. “But with shoes, if you don’t have the right heel, then you have to do a whole new shoe. So you really need to be sure about the heel, the height and how it looks before you get the actual prototype. You can’t do many changes — and sometimes we have a little bit of difficulties making up our minds,” she quipped.
“It’s much trickier,” quickly added Madsen. “We don’t know our customership…we’re still in the process of finding it out. So will people love the pieces that we love? Will they feel the same energy from wearing them as we hope they do?”
They will soon find out. The collection will pre-launch exclusively at Level Shoes in Dubai on Friday, before being available at a selection of online and physical international retailers and the brand’s own channels starting Nov. 28, with price tags ranging from 350 euros to 580 euros.
Rotate will also stage exclusive events and pop-ups at Bloomingdale’s in Dubai and Harvey Nichols in Kuwait this month, signaling a strong push especially in the Middle Eastern market.
The duo highlighted how the Rotate aesthetic — rooted in statement, anti-minimalist party pieces uncommon for Scandi style — resonates well with local customers.
“They are very keen of the brand.…When Danish women go to a party, the way that they dress is very subtle, they’re not that into dressing up — sequins, colors and all. Whereas when we come to Milan or go to like Dubai or Kuwait, it’s completely different,” said Valdimars, who was recently in Milan to celebrate the launch of the brand’s holiday collection with The Flamel.
“Women here love dressing up, being feminine and sexy, and they love to stand out.…We were born in the wrong place,” she joked, looking at Madsen.
To further encourage the dressy approach, the duo is exploring new categories. They recently also introduced a bag collection, for one.
“But it’s a different game for us now, compared to when we started. We just kind of did everything without thinking about where it would take us,” said Valdimars. “It’s like with children, they do whatever they want and they don’t see any dangers when growing up. That was how we were. Now that we grew up a little bit, we can see that if you fall down here, it’s going to hurt a little bit more. So it’s a different process for us with the shoes and the bags, like we really want to get it right.”
Meanwhile, collaborations are proving to be their go-to formula to experimenting in different fields. The creative directors teased new ones in lingerie with Dutch label Love Stories launching in February 2026 just in time for Valentine’s Day, and in eyewear with Swedish brand Chimi to be unveiled the following month.
These will add to a long streak that in the past included also a tie-up with H&M on a holiday capsule of jazzy party dresses, among others. This year, the duo gave in to the sport fever teaming up with Hummel and the Danish Football Federation to design uniforms for their country’s women’s soccer team, as well as debuted in beauty with a collaboration with Caia.
“We really love the beauty category so I don’t think you’ve heard the last from us there,” teased Valdimars.
Before launching Rotate, Valdimars and Madsen worked as editors at the Scandinavian fashion magazine Costume and simultaneously built an online following by sharing snaps of their own unique looks on Instagram, which proved to be pivotal in their following venture.
The duo introduced Rotate in 2018, when more than 150-year-old Danish retailer Birger Christensen reached out to them to launch a seven-item collection of short mini frocks with dramatic, puffy sleeves, wrap dresses in candy colors and crystal-embellished blazer dresses. The small edit stood out for its playful party spirit and the brand was instantly associated to a sense of fun and maximalism unusual in the Scandinavian fashion scene.
Valdimars and Madsen’s hefty dose of glamour and drama, their creations’ sweet spot price points and their own social media following all contributed to turning Rotate into one of Copenhagen Fashion Week’s hottest tickets and grabbing the attention of customers, as well as partners such as Net-a-porter, Bergdorf Goodman and Mytheresa, to cite a few.