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BITTE KAI RAND –Scandinavian design with character since 1981
BITTE KAI RAND was founded in Copenhagen in 1981 by designer Bitte Kai Rand. The ambition was clear: to create clothing for women who dare to be themselves. Based on the Scandinavian design tradition, our brand is characterised by layered silhouettes, clean lines and focus on fit and quality.
Since the beginning, our designs have been based on eight principles and a simple vision: dressing should be enjoyable, uncomplicated, comfortable and fun – every day. We create clothes for women who are strong, dare to take up space and face the world with confidence and humour. It is not for the cautious or minimalist wardrobe, but for those who want to make a statement with their look.
On 1 April 2025, BITTE KAI RAND became part of Magasin du Nord - Denmark’s historic department store. A new chapter begins – with respect for the brand's roots and design DNA, Magasin will continue the legacy while developing the collections with an eye to both the present and the future.
OUR DESIGN DNA:
ARCHITECTURAL
We are inspired by the Danish Modern design tradition and the Japanese attention to detail. Our designs have an architectural feel with a focus on clean lines and structures.
GRAPHIC
We create each style with a strong focus on graphic shapes that suit the body and challenge the eye. We take our aesthetic cues from strict geometrical rules as well as nature’s organic shapes.
COLOURFUL
While we can appreciate a strong, monochrome look we always leave room for playful splashes of colour in every look and in every collection.
ABUNDANT
More is more! We embrace oversized fits, layers upon layers and creative contrasts with scarves, hats or suspenders. It is all about living life with enthusiasm and creativity.
CONTRASTS
Character is created by contrasts. We mix rough textures with soft textiles and combine oversize jackets with frilly skirts – creating balance out of opposites.
UNPRETENTIOUS
We keep both feet on the ground with a playful approach to design, in which intuition and authenticity go hand in hand.
KNIT
Knitwear is a cornerstone of our brand – a tribute to the Danish knitting tradition, which still plays a key role in our collections.
GARÇON
We love the gender-neutral, tailored look with oversized shirts and suits. Our clothes are for women who are confident in their own bodies and who dress for themselves.
MEET OUR DESIGN TEAM
Anemone Skjoldager
She has graduated from the Royal Danish Academy, and she joined the company in 2010. She was drawn to the brand’s daring use of color, unconventional boldness and energetic approach to contemporary design – and of course the infectious charisma of Bitte herself.
Today Anemone loves drawing new prints, conjuring up new colour schemes and falling in love again and again with a perfectly fitting dress.
“I’m a playful dresser and I love to mix old flea market finds with new items. Our collections allow you to feel put together and dressed for the occasion without having to opt for a conventional minimalistic wardrobe in fifty shades of black and grey. Bitte is a true rebel who is more concerned with challenging our routines than serving commercial ends. She allows all of us to pursue our passion and creative drive.
It is this unabashed trust in our team and her own gut feeling that is the secret to the success of the brand.”
Lise Juul Rasmussen
She has trained at the Scandinavian Academy of International Fashion & Design, then at École Duperré in Paris, and finally at the Royal Danish Academy. An avid fan of the clean Japanese aesthetics and architectural references, Lise felt right at home when she joined Bitte the design team in 2016.
She adores the contemporary masculine-feminine Garçonne look and is the first to pick up a pair of pleated men’s pants to go with a dapper oversize coat.
“It is a privilege to work with a truly authentic designer who has been a household name in the Danish fashion scene the past four decades.
I cherish coming to work every single day. We understand each other, we share the same design language, and new ideas and outrageous inputs are always welcomed.
At Bitte Kai Rand we can laugh, cry and dream together.”
OUR HISTORY
BITTE KAI RAND was founded in 1981 when Bitte Kai Rand, a newly graduated designer from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, purchased the high-profile knitting company ‘Steen's hjemmestrikkerier’ (Steen's Home Knitting), which soon made her Copenhagen's answer to Sonia Rykiel in Paris. ‘We only made items to order, and I learned so much about knitting machines, close customer contact and fitting clothes to real body shapes rather than standard sizes,’ explains Bitte Kai Rand.
‘I didn't have a strategy, a plan or a goal. I wasn't ambitious. I just loved going to work every day.’
Fortunately, her husband, Michael Rand, had an eye for Bitte's potential as well as her talent. In 1983, he joined the company and together they created the success that has now lasted for more than 40 years and brought the special Bitte design sensibility to style-savvy women all over the world – long before the Noma effect had taken hold and ‘Scandi Cool’ was a concept.
Bitte Kai Rand can look back on four unpredictable decades. From the sculptural shoulders and harem pants of the 80s, through the denim worship and logo tees of the 90s, into the 00s' play with proportions and the 10s' search for the core of the brand's aesthetic. The masculine versus the feminine, architectural lines versus organic shapes, artistic prints versus monochrome surfaces.
BITTE KAI RAND has always been ahead of its time. Since the 1990s, the brand has used real people rather than models in its advertising, including a mother breastfeeding her child, an elderly lady with a gold tooth, and a wonderful ‘street cast’ of vibrant, happy people from all over the world.
Today, BITTE KAI RAND's traditions are stronger than ever because passion, playfulness and a refusal to follow conventional commercial restraints or short-lived trends are still at the heart of each collection. The clothes are created for real people, colourful parties, work, pleasure and play. They are created for all the women who would rather stand out than fit in.
