Family Is at the Heart of This New Zine From Two of Copenhagen’s Most Beloved Creatives
Sibling creatives Sophie and Frederik Bille Brahe—she a jewelry designer and he a chef—grew up in a 1920s-era country house on the outskirts of Copenhagen. Their father was a surgeon and a descendant of nobility, and their mother was a nurse. The family traveled often and spent time living in Saudia Arabia because of their father’s work. The Bille Brahe siblings often refer to their upbringing as “bohemian” and cite their youth as one of the main sources for their individuality and creative passion. Though they are in two very different lines of work, Sophie and Frederik collaborate often, namely through events and dinners that Frederik cooks to celebrate Sophie’s latest collections, often thrown at one of his restaurants like Apollo Bar or Atelier September in Copenhagen. But today, they’re releasing a new and very different project together that showcases their family dynamic and gives intimate insight into their childhood adventures. Titled “Weekend,” Sophie and Frederik’s new zine, available on Sophie’s site, features photos from old family albums, flower arrangements inspired by their father’s garden, as well as some of Frederik’s favorite recipes.
“Weekend” was designed and created in partnership with local Danish creatives like the founder of Moon creative agency Frederik Bjerregaard, and photographers Nikolaj Moller, Elizabeth Heltoft, Klaus Langelund, and Ilaria Orsini. Sophie’s son Johan is featured, as is her daughter Beate and Frederik’s daughter Sonya, along with his wife, model Caroline Bille Brahe. Sophie and Frederik’s beloved dogs Skat and Snoopy also make appearances. Within the pages of “Weekend,” readers will find images of Sophie’s jewelry and recipes for Frederik’s linguine vongole and white beans with bottarga, among other delicious dishes. There are snapshots from the family’s time living in Saudi Arabia, as well as photographs of dinner parties with friends at the Bill Brahe house in Hellerup.
“Weekend” is a dreamy celebration of family and a beautiful reminder of the importance of community and creativity during a time when the global pandemic has forced so many of us to be apart from our friends and loved ones. Below, the Bille Brahe siblings explain why their first zine is so important to them as a family and why they hope it will inspire others to reconnect through shared memories, food, flowers, and inspiring conversation.
How did the concept for the zine come about and how would you describe the text and imagery we’ll see inside?
Sophie Bille Brahe: At a time where you cannot meet family and friends and go for dinners as you might normally, I wanted to find another way to open up my family home. I started thinking about new ways of how we could share dinners and ‘eat together’ without being physically together and in that connection, I started talking to my brother about making recipes for such a day.
I thought about how I wanted to create a personal dinner in my childhood home and include all the different elements connected to how I grew up. The idea evolved and I decided I wanted to create a zine based on how we like to spend a weekend incorporating all the elements that make a weekend special to me.
The pictures in the magazine are a mix of old family photos and new photographs taken by my friends who are photographers. The text is written by my dear friend Frederik Bjerregaard. Everything within the zine is very personal to me as I really want the zine to truly reflect my childhood home and everything that goes with.
Frederik Bille Brahe: It’s funny, I didn’t think a lot about it because it’s very natural for Sophie and I to play around with ideas and our creativity. So, since we were left in a changed world after and during Coronavirus we both had to think in new paths.