Mads Fibiger

Founder of Organic Basics

(Forbes 30 Under 30)

28 August 2019 7 Min Read

Mads Fibiger's Vision for a Sustainable Future of Fashion

Meet Mads Fibiger, the CO-CEO and Founder of Organic Basics, a Copenhagen-based company that focuses on sustainability by creating better-made and longer-lasting basics. Mads’ hard work has earned him a well-deserved place on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Europe 2019: Retail & eCommerce list.

So, let’s talk a bit about ‘background.’ Mads got his Bachelor of Business Administration from Aarhus University. While attending Copenhagen Business School, Mads and two of his friends founded Organic Basics. Amazingly, they have gathered $1 million in funding from Kickstarter campaigns and venture capital.

Join me in learning how Mads’ frustration over being unable to find well-designed, organic, and sustainable basic clothing led to him being named Forbes’s 30 Under 30! He might as well motivate you to turn your passion or need into a successful business venture!

The Logician

Hi Mads, and welcome to this interview! Before we start, I would like to thank you for taking the time to be a part of this mission! Can you tell us more about yourself? Who is Mads Fibiger? What was the reason for choosing your current career?

Mads Fibiger

Hey! No problem, thanks for interviewing me.

My name is Mads and I am the CO-CEO and Founder of Organic Basics.

I was born and raised in Aarhus, Denmark.

After having lived in San Francisco for a while, I am now back to living in Copenhagen where I attended Copenhagen Business School and where we now have our company headquarters.

In terms of my chosen career, I don’t think I intentionally chose the path that I ended up on.

I founded Organic Basics during my second year of business school, simply out of frustration of not being able to find well-designed organic and sustainable basic clothing.

I thought, if I’m frustrated about this, more people are probably as well.

In the beginning, there was no great vision of being able to actually impact and change the fashion industry as our vision is now. Instead, I approached Organic Basics as a funny side-project to my studies.

I was lucky to meet my current co-founders Christoffer and Alex very early in this process — they both had previous start-up experience, and we launched Organic Basics together as the first Danish company to use Kickstarter in 2015.

I quickly realized that I was a better entrepreneur than I was a student, and within a short time my studies became my side-project, and Organic Basics my full-time project.

The Logician

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on being among Forbes’ 30 under 30! The honor must be outstanding! What is the single thing you believe most contributed to being where you are today?

Mads Fibiger

Thanks a lot. It was quite unexpected, and I feel honored to be listed among so many inspiring people.

I believe that the key ingredient for our success at Organic Basics has always been persistence.

When you’re working towards a goal that you deeply believe in, it’s so easy to be driven and put all energy into achieving that specific goal, no matter the cost.

You have to deal with so many rejections and failures on your journey that there’s no way you’re going to be able to pull through if you don’t have a strong belief in what you’re working towards.

The Logician

Now, do you mind telling us about Organic Basics? How was your business born? Why is the idea so important? What is the mission of your company?

Mads Fibiger

Sure, so here’s the story. Three Danish school friends didn’t like any of the underwear they wore – so they decided they could make it better. No fashion school – no experience – no dots were connected and nobody said: “ah, that makes sense”.

But in 2015 Organic Basics was born anyway.

Back then we didn’t exactly think that sustainability was going to be at the center of the fashion conversation in 2019 either – but we knew something was wrong with the industry.

So we wanted to create a brand with purpose and meaning – to create something that we wanted to wear ourselves.

Sustainability had to be at the core of everything.

That meant choosing environmentally friendly fabrics, partnering with responsible and transparent factories and designing products for longevity. Sustainability is always at the core – that’s what drives us to innovate and develop.

By starting with what goes closest to our skin and what people need the most – we’re building a sustainable brand that people can trust, now and always.

The Logician

Being a young and successful founder, CO, and CEO must be a challenging task at times. What is the best time-management tactic you would like to share with us? How do you ensure you do not miss out on life due to work?

Mads Fibiger

When you’re doing a full-time masters degree while running a full-time start-up, and when you’re also a very social and outgoing person who doesn’t like to miss out, time-management becomes one of the most important tasks.

I can’t exactly say that I’ve found the recipe for not missing out on life yet.

However, I use a bunch of apps to make it easier. I’m addicted to Wunderlist, I write everything down that I need to remember — this means that I never worry about having forgotten anything and it sort of allows me to be more socially present when I’m not working, and I always know where to look when I start my day.

I also use Superhuman, which allows for quick and easy e-mail inbox management.

Lastly, I’m very careful about which notifications/pushes I allow on my phone and computer.

The Logician

What are the top three skills everyone wanting to be successful should have, regardless of the industry?

Mads Fibiger

Persistence, empathy, and openness.

The Logician

What are your ‘’5 Life Lessons I Learned From My Experience’’? Why? Please explain.

Mads Fibiger

Not sure I can think of five life lessons, but I think the importance of strategic and emotional alignment in a founder team is absolutely crucial in order to create a healthy organization.

Understanding how your closest colleagues think and react to uncomfortable situations (maybe even through personality tests) can take internal discussions to a radically more productive level and save hours and hours of talking past each other.

Understanding how people are just inherently different in their ways of thinking about and tackling issues has been a game-changer for me.

The Logician

What was the hardship that you had to face working in your positions? How did you overcome it? What are the best ways to cope with failure?

Mads Fibiger

All start-ups encounter hundreds of hardships, we tried everything from last notice investment rejections, liquidity issues, not being able to pay wages, crucial productions being delayed before the big sales season, huge logistical screw-ups, etc, etc..

For me, the key to overcoming these things is a fully aligned team, persistent and determined enough to rise every time they fall.

The Logician

What is the one thing you wish you had known before you started your own business?

Mads Fibiger

A few things.

In the beginning, I had a quite naive mindset in terms of how big a part of your life your start-up becomes. I always had the feeling that ‘I just need to fix this issue, then everything will run smoothly and things will run automatically’… I have yet to experience that (laughs).

Secondly, sharing with other people and co-workers when things are tough is crucial for your own mental health, and in order to not get lonely as a CEO/Founder.

Third thing, choose your investors carefully. You can’t get rid of them, and they can make your life into a living hell if you’re not aligned on the long-term vision.

The Logician

Do you have any plans for the future? Where do you see yourself and your business ten years from now?

Mads Fibiger

I hope Organic Basics plays a big role in changing the direction of fashion towards a more sustainable industry in general.

It would be naïve of me to think we have solved all of fashion’s problem by then, but I hope and believe that our activism can inspire major players in the industry to take a serious stand for both the environmental and social issues we face in the fashion industry.

The Logician

Last but not least, what is your best advice for everyone who fears they will not be successful?

Mads Fibiger

I think it’s important to think hard and long about what success is for you as an individual.

Success in business does not mean success in life, not at all.

Find out what matters to you (and take the time necessary to figure this out), and plan accordingly.

Don’t compare yourself to anyone but your previous self, otherwise you will end up depressed.

The Logician

Thank you, Mads, for sharing your inspirational story with us. You have achieved all your success without having experience in the field and only with the explicit goal of achieving sustainability for something you believe in. I will take your advice about time management and check out the recommended apps. At the same time, I advise my readers to do the same for effective results. I wish you all the best in the future, and I hope to see the fashion industry adapt to a more sustainable way of living. You have marked the beginning of something great - a new era and better quality of life for us all!

The Logician

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