Copenhagen’s creative scene has its fair share of crossovers, but few feel as surprising as Nicolaj Thomsen—a professional soccer player since the age of 17. In 2019, he co-founded the menswear label Another Aspect, bringing the meticulously honed discipline of the athlete to the fashion world. Now, as he explains, he’s bringing both experiences together in a new role as creative lead of B.93, the century-old soccer club that’s become one of the city’s most unexpected cultural hubs. 

Emily Nathan: What made you start a fashion brand in the middle of your soccer career?

Nicolaj Thomsen: In the beginning, football was everything. I built my whole life around it: what I ate, when I slept, who I spent time with. When I moved back to Copenhagen after playing abroad, I suddenly found myself with friends who were students, artists, people with “normal” jobs and a different rhythm. That opened a new world for me. Two of my close friends, Daniel and Anders, were quietly working on what became Another Aspect. At first, I was just the fitting model, and then an investor, but I found it exciting to be part of something totally different. Because of injuries, I had time to sit with them in the studio and give feedback and I slowly became a co-founder. It was a creative outlet and a second identity for me alongside football, rather than a replacement for it.

EN: How does your new creative leadership role at B.93 bring these two worlds together?

NT: B.93 has always been more of a cultural project than a traditional football club. When I joined as a player, there were maybe 150 people at games. Within a year or two we had three or four thousand—many of them coming not just for the game, but for the atmosphere. We used to joke that it was the best Friday bar in Copenhagen; if you knew, you knew. 

In my new role, I’m working on developing the club’s identity and expanding the brand narrative. The idea is to push it even further in a hybrid direction: to treat the stadium as a cultural space as much as a sports venue. We’re thinking about art exhibitions, merchandise, collaborations with young artists, and brand activations with food, music and fashion. Football is the anchor, but everything around it—the vibe, the crowd, the feeling of being part of something—comes from the same mindset we use at Another Aspect.

EN: Your professional trajectory is unconventional; how do you explain that?

NT: I’ve always prioritized keeping a clean mind. I step into the helicopter once in a while and look at myself from above: Do I still like what I’m doing? Does this version of my life and career feel right for me now? That’s why I left top-level football. I didn’t feel like myself in that environment anymore—the pace, the money, the pressure. B.93 and Another Aspect has let me keep the parts I love: the game, the community, the creativity. The best way to live is to stay honest and be willing to adjust, rather than rolling along because that’s what I’ve always done.