Interview – Niels Martinsen The Founder: Niels Martinsen Words Rune Skyum-Nielsen Photography Erik Refner / Ritzau Scanpix It’s a wintery afternoon in Copenhagen, crisp, sunny and cold. But inside InWear’s HQ, the atmosphere is buzzing and an expectant mood builds. A special guest is dropping by the office, which is housed in converted gunboat sheds at the far end of Holmen, formerly the Danish navy’s shipyards. The visitor is InWear’s founder, the man who as a 20-year-old nightclub owner had the idea to start a fashion business making clothes for the younger generation of women he saw around him. As Niels Martinsen, now 70, strolls through the long building, he takes the time to speak to everyone, polite and focused. When he arrives at the conference room, he walks straight up to the window with its panoramic view overlooking the harbour basins. This is only Niels’s second visit to InWear HQ since he parted ways with the company that had been his life’s work and Denmark’s biggest fashion success story in five decades. That was in 2014, when Niels sold a number of businesses in his portfolio, including InWear, to focus on a handful of brands. Today, InWear is owned by DK Company, but only Niels – and no other – can tell the story of how it all started half a century ago. Niels is a modest, shy man, but when he starts talking about InWear it is with such energy and enthusiasm that it surprises even himself. “It’s really fun to talk about,” he explains, before adding, “But then again, it’s not something I do every day.” Is it true that you were always in the fashion business? “Yes. That’s right. My parents had a store selling everything from workwear to tuxedos and home appliances. They sold clothes for men, women and children, so I was raised on it.” Then as a teenager you got an apprenticeship? “Yes, in a menswear store called Simber. There weren’t many clothing stores back then.” And you also ran a disco during this time. Is that right? “Yes. It began because we weren’t allowed to party at home. Our parents were tired of it, so we rented an old blacksmith’s workshop in Kødbyen [Copenhagen’s Meatpacking district]. We had no money, and the location needed renovating, so all of our friends pitched in 100 kroner in advance. We charged a fiver on the door, and people brought their own drinks, because we didn’t have a liquor license. It was a great success from day one, and was actually profitable. But after three years I had to serve my duty in the navy.” What did you do in the navy? “It was 1968, and I was a driver for an admiral. Meanwhile, I used some of the profits from the club to start InWear. To begin with, the two things, being in the navy and fashion, combined well, but it was sometimes an issue when they couldn’t reach me from the admiral’s office. In the end the navy lost patience, and I was summoned to the base one day after an absence.” Were you being demoted? “You could say that. They wanted me to go on a ship called Hvidbjørnen to the Faroe Islands. That worried me. I had just founded InWear and had many orders on the books.” How did you get out of it? “Well, I explained my situation and they granted me a temporary release.” And then you were free to work on your clothes? “Yes, it was one of the best days of my young life. Eventually, they decided to let me off serving the remainder of my duty.” InWear Brand Book – Chapter III 74
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