We sat down with Sofia, the founder of Mavis & Noah as she shared her journey of turning creativity and inspiration into a brand. From childhood memories in Denmark to the influence of nature and family, learn what inspires the designs that define Mavis & Noah. With a focus on quality, thoughtfulness, and the beauty of the small things in life, this Q&A explores the personal motivations and values driving the brand. Learn about the balance of running a business, the joy of creativity, and the passion behind every design.
Q.What does a typical day look like for you?
It depends on where I am and if I have work that day, but typically a day off at the moment is spent waking up early (sunrise ideally), going for a swim or surf, making a good breakfast, then meeting friends for coffee – I love my coffee. Sometimes we’ll just sit and catch up, other times we’ll play chess or each do our own admin work. I typically work on Mavis & Noah. If I feel like it I’ll go for a run or afternoon swim. In the evening I like doing dinner parties, or having a slow one at home.
In Scandinavia, I would typically do things kind of reverse from here: taking it slow in the morning, then being more active/social in the evening.
Image: @alexmiddleton_
Q.What inspires you?
I’m continuously inspired by my surroundings, whether that be friends and family or nature. I’ve always been one for dressing with nature, in the sense of its colour palette – and in the more recent year also fabrics and fibres. I love going through old family albums, that thankfully my mum has always been active putting together, and also my grandpa. It’s very inspiring to see how previous generations dressed, both themselves and their homes. This is probably why I usually gravitate towards watching older movies.
Q.Why did you start Mavis & Noah?
Starting a brand has actually never really been something I’ve given much thought. I never knew a brand owner growing up, so it was just one of those things that I didn’t even think of nor thought was attainable to me. After living in Copenhagen and Australia, I grew my network and I started meeting more creatives and also brand owners.
I’ve always been incredibly inspired by our house in the countryside in Denmark (mind you it’s coastal although I call it countryside), the house itself and the area. It holds so much family history, which I get told by my older family members, I see and read about in our family albums, and I feel it through old textiles and furniture that are in the house. Also, seeing as how I’ve spent more or less all my holidays there growing up, it holds so many beautiful childhood memories.
Fast forward to about two years ago, I started to feel this intense urge of putting my inspiration and creativity into something that is entirely my own (I do quite a bit of freelance work for other brands) and that can resonate with the people who genuinely feels aligned with what I do and create. My friends would probably say I’ve always spammed my Instagram account with photos; some of which are probably not very interesting to quite a lot of people – for example my washing drying outside in the fresh air, the sun shining through my window casting beautiful shadows, or my morning coffee.
All this inspiration resulted in wanting to create this universe that, like me, romanticises the small things in life and is of the same timelessness and durability as of those items at our house in Denmark.
Image: @alexmiddleton_
Q.You’re both the creative and the business head of your company. How do you balance your time between the two?
Whether I balance it sufficiently, time will show. I work full-time and do freelance work as well, so it’s only doable because I’ve just started out. Not to mention the fact that Mavis & Noah is a passion project of mine, so I enjoy what I do.
Notably, doing it all on my own means that the output of Mavis & Noah is completely reliant on what I put into it. I’ve never owned a brand before so there’s a lot of “learn as you go” involved, and sometimes it’s hard to come to terms with that ultimately affecting the business. However, Mavis & Noah is in many ways me in the form of a brand – and I’m not perfect so why should Mavis & Noah have to be. I want Mavis & Noah to be approachable, down-to-earth and about finding joy and beauty in the smaller things in life. By leaning into that I’m hoping my brand can be seen not only for what it is tangibly, but also on a connotative level.
Q.What hobbies do you have outside of Mavis & Noah?
Photography is a huge one. My friends would say I always carry either a camera or my phone. I have also really enjoyed getting into surfing, and I love how fun, social, beautiful and humbling it is all at once. Most recent, I’ve started to play chess with my friends, and now I pretty much carry my chess board with me everywhere. I find that it’s a fun way of using your brain, and the progression possibilities are endless.
Image: @alexmiddleton_
Q.How would you describe your style?
I’d say it’s relaxed, yet somewhat elegant and put together. I like adding a unique touch, whether that’s an inherited item from for example my Mum, or something thrifted. Comfort is always important. I think that if you feel good, that feeling will transcend your outfit.
Q.What advice would you give to others dreaming about starting something of their own?
Like my good friend Paris always says, you can’t fail unless you stop trying. So just start trying, and don’t stop.
Q.Are there any new designs you’ve been working on?
Because Mavis & Noah has been a long work in progress, and with the nature of its inspiration I don’t think I’ll ever not have any new designs in my head. In staying that, I want to keep being very intentional with what I choose to bring into production. In a world that’s very trend driven I want to ensure that Mavis & Noah continues to be in the sweet spot of catering to the Zeitgeist, whilst being timeless and considered – both in terms of people and planet.
Image: @alexmiddleton_
Q.How do you picture Mavis & Noah in the future?
I want to make sure Mavis & Noah stays true to why it started. Remain timeless and never stop looking at ways to improve.