Voices
Brand Success Stories… Molo 
If you ask Mogens Jepsen the origins of Molo’s brand name, he’ll tell you there are two stories behind it. The first goes that as they were creating the brand, he and co-founder Louise were in search of a simple brand name without meaning, so that the label could be whatever they wanted it to be. They simply took the first letters of each of their names to create “Molo”. Years later, Mogens learned that in French slang, “molo” means to be cool and take it easy. No meaning could represent the brand better!
Mogens and Rikke Jepsen, the Co-Founder and Product & Marketing Director, respectively, at Molo.22 years ago, Mogens left a career where he was in charge of 250 stores worldwide and about 2,500 employees to start something new. His clever wife Rikke had told him it was now or never, so why not start your own business now? Almost by accident, he started looking at the kidswear sector, where he met a designer, his co-founder Louise. She had started a bit in kidswear, and together they founded Molo.
At this time, kidswear wasn’t as sophisticated as it is today. It was relatively easy to enter the market that was not yet very professionalized. Through Mogens connections and a bit of luck, they were able to launch the brand with a lot of support that was instrumental to its swift expansion.
Going from boardrooms to starting from scratch with 1 square meter, Molo was founded because they saw the potential of the kidswear market. There was a real need for something different to what existed at the time. A soccer fan, Mogens followed the idea of Portuguese player Ronaldo, who has said that he was always first in to practice and last to leave. Since the beginning, this is how Mogens has run Molo. The team works hard, they want to create the best of the best. They want to be the brand that end consumers, the kids, really like. Of course, they want to please parents too, but the most important ones to please are the kids that will wear their clothes.
It takes hard work to be able to do that and survive over the years. Mogens says they have been privileged to attract tons of fantastic people to work with. Both within the company as it’s grown and through their retailers around the world, they have built a massive community. It has been their privilege to build relationships with consumers, too. Mogens still thrives, even after 22 years, when he receives a personal note or message from a parent telling him how much their kids love Molo’s products. They tend to say it’s a little irritating, because they have to wash the same t-shirt night after night so their kids can wear it again the next day, but that’s a dream come true for a fashion label!
Photo from Molo’s SS25 collectionHaving come from the adult industry, Mogens found kidswear unique and fascinating. When creating the brand, there were some key points he really wanted to focus on. First and foremost, they wanted to work at the same eye level as kids. They wanted to make sure that whatever they produced would be children’s favorite item in their closet. Next, they wanted to create something that is unique. The products had to be on children’s terms so that kids could express their creativity and their personality through their clothing.
Being a Scandinavian brand, it was also important for Molo collections to be practical and responsible. For the rational side, the clothes needed to allow kids to move without any restriction. In terms of responsibility, they wanted the brand to encourage consumers to buy better, and buy less. They’ve certainly achieved this responsibility goal, as Molo is one of the most reused kidswear brands in the world because of its high quality and responsible perspective. Consumers have found it’s more cost effective to buy Molo, use it for as long as possible, then resell it, which was exactly the idea behind the brand since the beginning.
Mogens was born on a farm, so at a young age he learned a connection with nature. His parents instilled in him the belief that you get back what you give, a value he holds important to this day. When Molo began, responsibility wasn’t as widely understood or valued. Molo has acted as a leader in removing harmful chemicals from their products. They spend a lot of time ensuring their products are safe for kids and the planet.
One of the hardest parts about being responsible today is getting certified. It’s one thing to say you are responsible, but if you can’t prove it, who knows? As a smaller company, it’s been costly and time consuming, but it means a lot for Molo to be certified. They are proud to be a GOTS, GRS, and OCS certified brand, as well as certified by Ecocert Greenlife (license number 197496). Consumers and retailers alike can read all about their certifications and what they mean on their site here. This is an essential part of educating customers, to offer them all the details on what the certifications mean.
Molo started with a 2-8 year old collection, but has since expanded to babies, teens, outerwear, swimwear, accessories, and more. When asked how this happened, Mogens says it’s because one thing they aren’t very good at is saying ‘no’! For example, when Mogens and his wife had a baby, Molo’s designers and production team gave them a gift of a full collection. Thinking ahead, they had also made sure to have enough samples for the sales people – which is how Molo’s baby range began.
Other expansions are the result of fantastic relationships with retailers they’ve worked with for years. It’s key for Molo to work with and listen to their global retail partners. Over the years, many have asked for baby products or more swim, more outerwear and more accessories, which has helped Molo naturally progress to offer a wider range of product categories.
Mogens finds that these evolutions have come from an internal curiosity that the company nourishes. Molo has a flat structure rather than a hierarchy. When a designer comes with a great idea, it’s heard and well thought out. They leave a lot of decision making to the team, fostering creativity and innovation. Of course, it’s not always simple. There is a lot of pressure because they want to make the best products, as responsibly as possible, with high quality, and at a fair and good price. It’s a lot of hard work, but to constantly improve and evolve is important to the brand. Having a wider range has its challenges, but it gives the team a thrill to push themselves to the limits and continuously go further.
Photo from Molo’s SS25 collectionEverything is developed from scratch at Molo. With a fantastic team that consists of designers, print designers, production teams, and more, it has grown exponentially from its humble origins. While they’ll occasionally use external supports, the brand is largely self-sufficient today. Molo is very design driven, turning to every source for inspiration. The world is their moodboard, whether it’s books, other people, flea markets, or scrolling through social media. Their design team draws inspiration from all around.
Diversity has also been an essential element for Molo since the beginning. Since their first catalog, Molo has featured models from all backgrounds. They continue to celebrate the creativity and beauty of everyone through their collections.
With a strong belief that they have to be at the forefront of what the world will ask for in the future, Molo does things their own way. They go to sales meetings with everything complete. The collection has been photographed and marketing materials created, so that they can present the vision as a whole. In this way, Molo defines what the collection is.
With a long career, Mogens has seen brands come and go and struggle to reinvent themselves. He is proud that Molo is able to do that. Each time he talks with new retailers, it’s important for him that they understand Molo’s DNA, as well as its storyline. The team is only happy if the final customer is happy. Each season they create a new collection with a new direction, which is frightening and challenging, but vital to the brand. At every sales meeting, Mogens is proud to say that it’s the best collection they’ve ever done. He says it humbly, as he knows that if it wasn’t, the brand wouldn’t be able to survive.
To be able to consistently make small evolutions, not revolutions, in their designs and colors is vital. They constantly question themselves, question the direction, and continue to work hard on the next collection.
Photo from Molo’s SS25 collectionIn addition to a wonderful, expansive network of international retailers, Molo also has their own concept stores. Having had to shut several down as a result of the global pandemic, they are now back on track. When they see a market that they’re interested in entering but that doesn’t necessarily have speciality or department stores, Molo looks into opportunities for their own retail stores or franchises. They are especially interested in exploring more franchise opportunities globally today. Always open-minded, they look at their omnichannel experience and search for new ways of doing business. To be relevant year after year, brands have to look at their distribution and reimagine it when necessary.
As they once again begin this expansion, they’ve opened shop in shops in department stores, as well as their own locations in shopping malls. Molo has also looked for opportunities within airports, which is a retail space they have had experience and success with.
Molo has a very strong relationship with Playtime, who they have worked with for many years. The trade shows play an important role for the brand. Having become a staple at the New York show, Molo has also returned to exhibit at Playtime Paris the past few seasons. They feel the show has really upped the game, with new tendencies that make the Molo team very happy. By having a variety of brands that ranges from small newcomers to bigger brands in the affordable luxury segment, they feel it is an important show to be at. They find the atmosphere very amicable between the Playtime team, fellow exhibitors, and visitors.
Molo is also preparing their showroom on OrderWizz, the B2B ordering platform partner of Playtime & Kid’s Hub. Retailers can stay tuned to discover and order their products on the professional platform soon!
Mogens feels privileged and proud that Molo is able to continuously get out new drops. He’s proud that the designers are able to bring out things on the cutting edge, making retailers question what’s happening, yet finding themselves loving it. For Mogens, this is the most important thing to keep Molo interesting and responsible as a brand. He is so proud of his team being able to do that.
Though the world today is challenging, new customers are calling and Molo’s global base is growing. They are selling more staples in addition to their printed products, with their pants exploding into the kidswear market today. This category has been one they’ve spent years cultivating to get the right suppliers and the right price, so they’re very proud to see it taking off.
Mogens feels so privileged to work with fantastic people, both internally at Molo and externally. He is proud to live in a world here his brand is helping kids to dress in great outfits that are responsible, high quality, and reasonably priced. All in all, Mogens feels incredibly lucky to be in this business.
As for us at Playtime, we feel lucky and privileged to have had the opportunity to speak with Mogens and learn more about Molo. Get you pass to discover their latest evolution at Playtime Paris and Playtime & Kid’s Hub New York this summer! Stay tuned for their showroom coming soon to OrderWizz, as well.
