Women we admire: Katrine Lee Larsen
Interview with Katrine Lee Larsen
Founder of the Danish lifestyle brand CARTEL COPENHAGEN
Katrine Lee Larsen founded CARTEL COPENHAGEN in 2019, and since then the brand has developed significantly. With a strong focus on quality, responsible production, sisterhood, timeless design and functionality in feminine silhouettes, Katrine has succeeded in building an engaged community around the brand.
In addition to CARTEL COPENHAGEN’s dedication to durability and ethics, Katrine also gives generously of her time. As a mentor, she helps other entrepreneurs pursue their dreams and navigate life as founders.
Read her interview here on the page.
What is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken, and what did you learn from it?
Starting Cartel in 2019. I knew nothing about the fashion industry. I had never worked with production, knew nothing about management, and was, to put it mildly, inexperienced when it came to running a business. Before that, I had a good job, a stable income and a daily life without major financial worries. And yet I chose to risk it all for a dream.
For many years, I was the last person in the company to get paid – if I got paid at all. It would have been so much easier not to do it. To choose security. But I listened to my gut feeling, followed my heart and threw myself into it. And even though it has been incredibly hard, and the learning curve has been steeper than a mountainside in the Tour de France, I regret nothing. Not a single second. Because sometimes the biggest risk is not taking one.
Which habit or mindset shift has had the greatest positive impact on your life?
In the beginning, I was Cartel. My face, my body, my story – everything was tied up with the brand. I was in the media, my life was used for content, and if we got an angry comment in customer service, it felt like a personal attack. I was my brand, and that was anything but healthy.
It took time – and a good business psychologist – for me to understand that I am not my company. I am much more than that.
Once I finally learned to separate myself from Cartel, everything became easier. My mental health became stronger, and I found a balance that allowed me to enjoy the journey instead of letting it define me.
Who has been your biggest inspiration, and how have they influenced your journey?
I don’t have one specific person, but I’m deeply inspired by people who dare to go after their dreams. The ones who choose the harder path – because it is rarely easy.
I love seeing people take the leap, push boundaries and throw themselves into the unknown, even when fear is shouting in their face. The truth is, we can all come up with a million reasons not to do something. But the people who dare to dream big and try anyway – they are the ones who inspire me the most.
Looking back on your journey, is there any advice you wish you had received earlier in your career or life?
That entrepreneurship is not about working yourself half to death, but about playing the long game.
We are fed the idea that success only comes if we give everything – sacrificing sleep, private life, health and maybe even ourselves. But that is an outdated and unhealthy myth. Because if you don’t have yourself with you on the journey, if you burn out along the way, then what is the point?
I wish I had understood earlier that the most important investment you can make as an entrepreneur is in your mental and physical health. That sleep, breaks and mental wellbeing are just as important as a sharp marketing strategy or strong cash flow. The better you take care of yourself, the better decisions you make – and the fewer sleepless nights you have. Success is not about surviving. It is about living while building something great.
If you could change one thing for women globally, what would it be – and why?
I would give women all over the world the freedom to be everything they dream of being, without limitations.
Too often, women are placed in boxes. You can be ambitious, but then you must not be too soft. You can be a mother, but then you must not take your career too seriously. You can be strong, but then you have to be careful not to scare anyone away.
I wish women everywhere – no matter where they were born, what culture they live in, or what norms surround them – could be allowed to be everything they dream of being, without limitations. That they could be both-and instead of either-or.
