Inside a bright room with high ceilings and lots of exposed brick, a mannequin has been dressed in a jacket that, over the past couple of years, has become a bit of a sensation. As worn by Jeremy Allen White’s stressed-out chef Carmy in The Bear, NN07’s Gael jacket has sold out, been restocked and sold out again, reinterpreted in scores of fabrics, colours and finishes.

“When it first went ‘viral’, let’s say, it came as a bit of a shock to us,” says Adolf Modin, the chief design and product officer at NN07. “We always believed in it, of course, but we never expected the kind of attention that comes from appearing in such a popular show. It was a huge compliment.”

The Bear’s costume designer, Courtney Wheeler, had originally envisaged the character wearing a navy peacoat. That was before she spotted the Gael in a patchwork melange of Italian wool, accidentally creating a bestseller in the process.

“Our philosophy is to reimagine timeless designs,” Modin says as he shows us around the NN07 design studio, surrounded by swatches of fabric, cork boards pinned with reference photos, sketches and rails of samples.

Founded in 2007 by the friends Victor Lindh and Ulrik Pedersen (the NN stands for “No Nationality”), the brand first gained traction during that early wave of interest in all things Scandinavian, a certain global obsession with things that are clean, minimal, meticulously designed and frictionless. NN07’s designs are far more elevated than just another basics line, though. There are intarsia knits and delicately embroidered shirts. You know how difficult it is to buy trousers; NN07 is also very good at making trousers. Each Gael jacket is yarn-dyed, meaning no two pieces are the same.

“We have a saying that is to ‘improve the proven winners,’” Modin says. “With the Gael, you have this super versatile silhouette, which can be applied to so many different fabrics. Italian wool for winter, or a more technical, weather-proof cotton and nylon for spring and summer. You keep the essence, even if the function changes. It’s a humble statement piece.”

The Gael’s origins started in Japan, where a jacket bought at a Tokyo market was, over time, reimagined into an NN07 essential. Part of its appeal is in that touch of familiarity, sitting somewhere between a coach jacket, a blouson and a chore jacket. It’s hardwearing and useful. Copenhagen is a city where cycling is second nature. With its slightly boxy, cropped fit, durable build, ample pockets and two-way zip, the Gael is ideal for chucking on and jumping on your bike.

“We’re a Danish company with a global outlook,” Modin says. “We have customers all over the world who live in different climates, so we’re thinking bigger. A lot of the team here wear the Gael to work or for cycling around the city. We want to design clothes that are, above all, going to fit into your life, no matter where you’re from. Functionality is always key.”

The NN07 HQ sits right on the water in Papirøen, a former industrial site turned hip neighbourhood. A little restaurant called Noma isn’t too far away. The building once housed a ship maker, and you can still see the original framework amid the steel and glass. People drift in and out in running gear and cycling clothes. Everyone eats lunch together and, in the summer, you can dive right off the dock into the water, which is hard to imagine right now. The snow is blowing sideways as we peer out the floor-to-ceiling window, the water the colour of dark granite.

“I think Copenhagen gives you time and space to think,” Modin says. “We are close to nature, and there is a good work-life balance. There’s an emphasis on great design and things working well.

“That’s our outlook: good materials, good people, make clothes that improve people’s lives.”