Day Birger et Mikkelsen

Day Birger et Mikkelsen was founded in Copenhagen in 1997 by Keld Mikkelsen together with designer Malene Birger, who served as the label's creative director until she departed in 2002 to found her own eponymous brand, By Malene Birger. Mikkelsen, who had spent over a decade living and working across Asia before founding Day, built the label around what he described as a craftsmanship revival — bringing embroidery, beading and other handwork details into otherwise everyday, wearable pieces, drawing directly on techniques and textile traditions he encountered during his years there. The brand describes its own identity as "democratic" in its functionality and "bohemian" in its mindset: designed to be worn easily day to day, but carrying decorative, artisanal touches uncommon in mass-market womenswear at that price point. Since its founding, Day has grown into one of the larger Scandinavian fashion houses, selling through its own stores and stockists including department stores such as Harvey Nichols, while remaining headquartered in Copenhagen. The Asian-tailoring influence Mikkelsen brought to the founding collections has remained part of the brand's stated design language in subsequent collections.