Few couples would take on shared roles at a luxury fashion brand during a global catastrophe – and still talk to each other.
But Joseph’s co-creative directors, Anna and Frederik Dyhr, are not your average couple. And not only are they still together, they’re celebrating after helping turn around the British fashion house’s fortunes. Despite the odds, the label has just posted a profit for the first time in eight years – rising to £400,000 after a loss of £8.9 million.
The new fall/winter collection embodies this year’s “Quiet Luxury” trend, which Vogue describes as “Sienna Miller in Anatomy of a Scandal meets the off-duty Olsen twins.” The timeless tailored trousers, teal satin skirts and cinnamon cashmere jumpers are a real hit with regular customers (Kylie Minogue, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Heidi Klum are fans) who aren’t afraid to spend £350 on a skirt or £500 on a jacket.
How has this design duo evolved during a pandemic and cost of living crisis that has left many in the industry floundering?
Knitting company Joseph Tricot’s memorable advertising campaign from the 1980s brought the brand onto the world stage
From their studio in Paris, near the house they share with their son and daughter, ages 12 and 14, and two dogs (oddly enough, a giant St. Bernard cross and a small Jack Russell), Anna and Frederik is unusually modest about the company’s financial turnaround.
“We only played a small role,” says Frederik, a youthful 46-year-old in black vintage Joseph pants and a T-shirt. “The situation in which we found ourselves under pressure forced us to act pragmatically. “We looked at what we wanted to focus on and, more importantly, what we didn’t.”
While the world wore sweatpants, the Dyhrs held their nerve and price point and stayed true to Joseph’s DNA. In short, they designed more of their signature sweaters that were sold. “We refined our knitwear and focused on the essentials,” explains Anna, who embodies the essence of the brand with oversized glasses, a simple jacket and a silk satin skirt.
We had to figure out what each of us was good at so we could play to our strengths
Post-Covid, they are reading the room again, switching to elegant tailoring, dresses and suits to accommodate our return to the office and going out.
The philosophy of “Buy less, buy better” is well received by Joseph customers who choose to invest in the brand despite the financial environment. “There is less price resistance as long as the garment feels timeless,” says Frederik. “This is well received by our customers.”
The couple are typical cosmopolitans.
They met 25 years ago when they shared a taxi home from a concert in Florence. Anna is Swedish, Frederik comes from Denmark. They recently lived in Amsterdam and spent 13 years on and off in the United Kingdom, where their children were born. They describe London as “our second home”.
Together they have over 40 years of industry experience with stints at Bottega Veneta, Lanvin, Burberry, Tommy Hilfiger and Uniqlo. They never intended to work together. But when the opportunity arose in October 2020, they took it, despite being in lockdown for six months and the children homeschooling (which, like true Scandinavians, split 50/50).
Frederik laughs at the suggestion that they must have driven each other crazy.
The Power of Two: Joseph’s co-creative directors Anna and Frederik Dyhr
“For the first three months it was like falling in love again: ‘You’re great!’ ‘No, you’re great!’ Then another three months go by and suddenly you look at each other and ask yourself, ‘Why are you doing this? so?” and it’s negative. But after six months, things plateaued. We were forced to figure out what each of us was good at so we could divide and conquer and play to our strengths. I’m just saying it, but it didn’t happen overnight!’
They look and sound similar and have the comfortable familiarity of a couple finishing each other’s sentences. Even their birthdays are a day apart: “I bake the cake for him,” says Anna, who is two years older than Frederik, “and he recycles it for me the next day.”
But they insist they are different people: “Anna is much more creative and visual.” “She sees everything in pictures, while I’m more boring,” says Frederik. “But we complement each other,” emphasizes Anna. “It kind of flows organically.”
One thing that is non-negotiable is staying true to the philosophy of Joseph Ettedgui, the visionary retailer who took the brand from a tiny shop on King’s Road in London’s Chelsea to global recognition. Not only did he champion designers such as Katharine Hamnett, Azzedine Alaïa and Kenzo, but he was also among the first to combine a shop and a restaurant. Fashion journalist Sarah Bailey fondly remembers Joe’s Café on Sloane Street as the epitome of the 1980s with its “stunning cool and sophistication – everyone wears matt black”.
As a tribute to Ettedgui, who died in 2010 at the age of 74, and in particular to his iconic knitwear – playfully captured by photographer Pamela Hanson for the 1987 advertising campaign – the label is launching a limited-edition capsule collection next month. “When Joseph was around there was an idea of fun and this is a tribute to his knitwear,” says Frederik.
We had to figure out what each of us was good at so we could play to our strengths
Meanwhile, this month marks the 40th anniversary of the Joseph label itself (originally Joseph Tricot), which was founded as a collection of timeless luxury wardrobe essentials. Fittingly, the new campaign features supermodel Amber Valletta, 13 years after she fronted the brand’s acclaimed fall/winter campaign, shot by legendary photographer Peter Lindbergh.
At 49, Valletta seems more relevant than ever. “The Joseph woman is timeless,” says Anna. “She has a strong sense of quality and a certain lightness in her demeanor, with a high standard of excellence and attention to detail.”
Frederik agrees that her main client is in the Valletta stage of life rather than her twenties, saying: “She’s at a point where she knows what she wants and no longer fluctuates from season to season.” Working with Amber again was exciting as she expresses the brand in a natural way – this idea of style without age.”
Aside from a glass of champagne to celebrate Joseph’s renaissance, Anna and Frederik don’t let things get too steamy. “Our joy is the fact that we can open new stores and work on new concepts,” says Frederik. “It’s just a headache for us.” It doesn’t sound sexy, does it? Maybe not, but it sounds successful.