Tony: Ditte and Julie, it's been a pleasure to meet you, and now, finally, we get to sit down and talk deeply—about trousers.

Julie: Let's get nerdy!

Ditte: Yes!

Tony: Alright. Which kind of trousers are your favourites?

Julie: Ones I can comfortably wear for different occasions. And then, of course, I have preferences, styles, colours, fits etc., but that's less important. Having a pair of trousers I feel myself in, I can relax, dress up, and still feel gorgeous, presentable and comfortable—that's important. Favourites, to me, are the ones that do all that.

Tony: How do they support you?

Julie: They make it easier to feel good, be open and ultimately be the best version of myself.

Tony: What would the opposite look like—when you're not supported by your trousers?

Julie: Let's say I'm out shopping while wearing something I don't feel comfortable in, and I meet my neighbour. It's not the best starting point for a long, deep conversation. But if I feel comfortable in my clothes, I'm like, 'sure, let's talk...'. What you wear affects how you feel—your clothes can either support or work against that.

Tony: That's true. And by the way, congratulations on being pregnant again! Have your pregnancies changed how you want your trousers to support you?

Julie: Absolutely, especially around my stomach, where I feel a bit more insecure, and it's nice to have more support from my trousers. But I also want them to highlight my figure—I want to show that I'm a woman.

Tony: So, to you, being pregnant means you want support around your stomach?

Julie: Yes, it's nice to get a little support there.

And it's not given trousers can do that. In general, trousers can be challenging. Before our partnership with Five Units, and before I knew the trousers, I thought, 'it can go both ways; they might be perfect, or they might not be. It's always hit-or-miss with trousers. With a blouse, it's like whatever, it'll fit, but to know if a pair of trousers will work, I have to try them on first. I want my trousers to accentuate some areas of my body, and in some areas, I want them to support me. So, when I order online, I always order two sizes to get them just right.

Tony: Why do you want to accentuate your figure?

Julie: I have very long legs, which there's no point in trying to hide, so I like trousers with some length to emphasise my height. Let's highlight what makes us beautiful!

Tony: Have you ever bought trousers that didn't fit you and didn't support you?

Julie: Yes, I have. Many of my friends are shorter than I am, and sometimes, when they find a pair of cool trousers, I want them too. But I forget we're different, our bodies too—and just because they look good on her doesn't mean I'll feel comfortable in them. Sometimes, I'd think, 'she's got such short, nice legs', and then here I am with my long rods.

To you, the reader, please don't feel bad about your body—embrace it and find something that fits your body, something you feel comfortable in. Follow your intuition.

Tony: You might have to go through more than one pair of trousers to know that intuition?

Julie: Yes, exactly, haha! I might see someone wearing slacks (ankle-length trousers) and think it looks cool, but then try them and find out how long my legs are! Instead of wishing my legs were shorter, I try to tell myself, 'yes, they're really long, and I think that's nice', and then highlight their length by going for extra-long trousers.

Tony: That might be a perfect remember: emphasise what you love about your body.

Julie: Yes, exactly. Instead of focusing on the things you're not so happy about.

Tony: Which trousers are your favourites, Ditte?

Ditte: I prefer comfortable trousers that look great—ones I don't have to rip off when I get home from work. And having discovered Five Units has been eye-opening. As we brought them home to try, it was genuinely eye-opening how well they fit and how comfortable they were. I've given birth to two children, and like Julie, I like having support for my stomach. My body tends to look larger than it is if the trousers are cut in the wrong places. And Five Units trousers aren't—they're cut just right without being too tight. So nice. So I don't need to tear them off when I get home and swap them for my sweatpants.

Julie: That's a good point!

Ditte: Yes, my new Five Units have easily become my most comfortable trousers for wearing outside, my sweatpants aside. But I certainly don't want to wear sweatpants all day long everywhere I go. I want to look great as well—and these can do both. Amazing.

Julie: Trousers like that are the ones you choose most often.

Tony: Yeah, without thinking about it?

Julie & Ditte: Yes!

Ditte: And there's a big difference in how you look in trousers and jeans. Some can make you look heavier, while others make you look lighter.

Tony: How do the trousers you just described support you in your life?

Ditte: If I'm wearing trousers that fit, it's easier for me to pick a shirt, for example. I couldn't do that if I wore trousers cut in the wrong places—so trousers are super important to get right.

I've also tried buying clothes for the wrong reasons. I once bought a pair of trousers that looked perfect on someone on social media, only to have them delivered home and realise, 'this is not good; they do me no good'. 

Clothes can make a tremendous difference if you wear something that fits your body—it's almost magical.

So, to me, great trousers are comfortable and don't need to be unbuttoned as soon as I sit down—and they do something good for my body, making me look great. 

Let's demand something from our trousers! I love that Five Units have different styles I can choose from, so I can find what's just right for me. I like the full-length ones with flare, as I'm also tall, and long styles do something good for me for my figure.

Tony: What do they do for you?

Ditte: Well, make my legs look long and slender—and highlight that instead of, for example, my stomach, which isn't my favourite area on my body. Focus on what you like about your body and own it.

Tony: How about wearing large clothes that cover everything? That's ultimate comfort?

Ditte: Yes, but we also want to show who we are! 

And both Julie and I believe in being honest.

We want our platforms to reveal that we're like most people—we also have our 'things', our insecurities. So, when I showcase some clothes on social media, I say things like, 'if you have a bit of a stomach as I do, this type of clothing is perfect!'. I think that's easier to relate to.

And that's not to say that if you don't have a bit of extra fat on your stomach, you can't be trustworthy—of course, you can! But many appreciate honesty. And our followers love being honest with us too. They'll tell us things like, 'I have that problem too', 'there's also this thing I don't feel great about', or 'I have short legs, can I wear those trousers?' and then we can have a conversation about that.

Tony: That's great. When I talk sincerely to another person, we often discover that, on some level, we're one and the same. And I love that.

The way you talk with your followers makes them feel okay about who they are—right at this moment. That's beautiful.

Ditte: Yes, it's beautiful when it happens. We're not all perfect—yet we are.

Tony: How does feeling that we're perfect relate to trousers?

Ditte: Wearing something that makes it easy to be me just feels right.

That's why I'm excited about Five Units, because it's like the trousers were designed for my body, and you should know I've tried many that weren't. When I put them on for the first time, I knew my followers would love them. A pair of trousers you feel comfortable in for all occasions, and in such a fine quality—everyone's a fan of that.

By Tony Schjønning, Heart of Stories at Our Units