Kate Poulsson Johnson: Creative Copywriter
Tell us a bit about yourself...
I’m a half-British, half-Danish creative copywriter and brand consultant specialising in design, architecture, travel and lifestyle. I live in Copenhagen with my husband and our two sons, having moved here two years ago in search of new challenges, a better work/life balance, a different kind of education for our kids and a waterside city environment that’s also not too urban. We found it all. My clients are mostly Danish and Swedish brands, companies and cultural institutions that need help telling their stories and carving out their personalities through the way they speak to people.
What inspires you?
I am living in a culture that is very familiar to me from my upbringing, yet so different – and therefore so inspiring – in surprising ways. For example, the seasons, which are more extreme than in England, are about very long, very dark winters and very long, very light summers. Spring and autumn barely feature, and I miss those gentle transitions a lot, but I’m interested in the way my body, mind and mood adapt to these rhythms of nature.
My work environment has always been a big factor in daily inspiration, and I’m lucky to share a street-corner studio in the middle of the city with – among others – the women behind Oak – The Nordic Journal; a leading Danish food writer; an architect; and the photographer who took these pictures – and who is also a magician! That everyone is Danish means it’s a boost to my language as well as my creativity… I also often work with IKEA, and commute across the bridge (yes THAT bridge!) to Malmö a couple of times a week. Their workspaces are incredibly energetic and admirably sustainable – truly the stuff of the future.
Photo by Ramus Malmstroem
What makes you happy?
Time with my family, sea swimming at night, seeing special friends in person, the particular blue of the water around Denmark (I’ve never seen it anywhere else), the Nordic light, quiet, books, rewarding work, cycling through the city (when I’m not late!), watching my boys draw, the way my youngest hums when he eats things he loves, Saturday pancakes, Sunday pastries.
Who is your style icon and why?
Like Ellen, I take inspiration from the women around me. The way close friends of mine present themselves in the world has a greater affect on my style than any magazine and influencer could. And since I was quite young I’ve bought for longevity, and not around trends – I still have an orange hibiscus-print skirt that I bought when I was 17.
Danish style is particular and (I think) amazing, and I draw a lot from the street style around me. Black dominates, especially during our brutal winters, yet when it features, there’s also a very good sense of colour here. The style is pared back and in many ways functional, yet it’s about subtle twists and details – the flash of a glitter sock in an all-black outfit, the tapered cut of a trouser cuff, a ruffle here, an unexpected dart there. One of my more shallow life goals is to hear a tourist walk by me and say ‘Danish women are so stylish.’ Because if you asked me to describe my style, I couldn’t; I just like what I like and know what I can wear and, at 41, most definitely what I can’t.
Photo by Ramus Malmstroem
What are you listening to and reading at the moment?
I confess to losing my connection to music – or rather the time to discover new bands – since I had kids. Anything I hear is through my husband’s Spotify account. Via him, I’ve fallen hard for Blood Orange. I’ve also started reaching for the bands of my teenage years – I listen to The Lemonheads, Fleetwood Mac, The Breeders and The Stone Roses while pedalling around the city. Is that weird?
On books, I’m a living midlife cliché and am in a self-help moment right now. Alongside it, I’m also deep into the elegant thrall of Lulah Ellender’s ‘Elizabeth’s Lists’, which I picked up on my last visit to England. I’m also reading Danish kids books that my nine-year-old son brings home from school – right now it’s all about a kid called Palle, and an action-packed (not) fishing trip he’s on with his dad.
Photo by Ramus Malmstroem
What do you like about SIDELINE?
I was a fan long before the first collection saw the light of day, when Ellen first talked about the idea during walks with our toddler first-borns. The short answer is: the best thing about SIDELINE is that I can wear it without worry or even too much thought, because it’s no-fuss in terms of both comfort and style.
The longer answer is: it represents a constant. I can buy it, wear it and depend on it to look good and to hit my personal sweet spot between dressed up and dressed down every time. It’s why I have something from almost every collection. The fabrics feel good, the details are thought-through and, like that skirt, it’ll remain in my wardrobe for years to come. My Danish friends here often joke that in Denmark we all look the same – while I don’t quite agree, I love that when I wear SIDELINE I’m taking a little bit of England with me through my day. It fits with the pared-back-with-details Danish aesthetic, and the fact that it is largely blue means that when I wear it I fit in for being on the dark end of the tonal scale, but – also because the it’s blue – I’m being a just little different.