Our History
The by ASTRUP® brand arose from a need to process our grief from having lost our youngest daughter, while at the same time passing on Marie´s caring nature and sense of creativity. That is why I, Anette Astrup Petersen, established the by ASTRUP® brand in 2018.
The 12th of April 1996 was an amazing, unforgettable day; we became the proud parents of our fourth child, Marie - a little sister to our three older children, Mette, Morten and Mads. As a child, Marie was a self-appointed “toy tester” in our toy company. She was a little sister who was always busy with something. As she got older, she also took part in the creative product development processes in the company, which entailed traveling to suppliers in China.
She developed a taste for travelling, and at the age of 17 she went out on an adventure: A one-month language-learning trip to Beijing. But just as Marie returned home from her adventure in Beijing, tragedy struck the family. In August 2013, Marie was diagnosed with acute leukemia. What followed was two terrible years of chemo treatments as well as a difficult bone marrow transplant and a seven-month stay at the intensive care at the hospital.
But Marie’s love of adventure and creativity never faded even though she was confined to a hospital ward. Marie loved butterflies, and so her hospital room decorations included the most beautiful butterflies which she had folded herself. She gave many of the butterflies away - as a gesture of love - to family members and nurses.
These folded butterflies matter of course so much to our family.
But then in August 2015, the most terrible day came - it was time for Marie’s final adventure. She passed away at the age of 19 following her two-year battle with cancer.
Some people decide to write a book about their grief. I chose to create a new brand. A brand that represents Marie´s mindset and values: Caring for others, a zest for life and creativity with deep Scandinavian roots. In that sense, there are two of us behind this brand: Marie and I.
The dominant graphical element in the byASTRUP logo is Marie’s butterfly, and the A in by ASTRUP forms an M for Marie.
Let’s fly like a butterfly.
In loving memory
Anette Astrup
The 12th of April 1996 was an amazing, unforgettable day; we became the proud parents of our fourth child, Marie - a little sister to our three older children, Mette, Morten and Mads. As a child, Marie was a self-appointed “toy tester” in our toy company. She was a little sister who was always busy with something. As she got older, she also took part in the creative product development processes in the company, which entailed traveling to suppliers in China.
She developed a taste for travelling, and at the age of 17 she went out on an adventure: A one-month language-learning trip to Beijing. But just as Marie returned home from her adventure in Beijing, tragedy struck the family. In August 2013, Marie was diagnosed with acute leukemia. What followed was two terrible years of chemo treatments as well as a difficult bone marrow transplant and a seven-month stay at the intensive care at the hospital.
But Marie’s love of adventure and creativity never faded even though she was confined to a hospital ward. Marie loved butterflies, and so her hospital room decorations included the most beautiful butterflies which she had folded herself. She gave many of the butterflies away - as a gesture of love - to family members and nurses.
These folded butterflies matter of course so much to our family.
But then in August 2015, the most terrible day came - it was time for Marie’s final adventure. She passed away at the age of 19 following her two-year battle with cancer.
Some people decide to write a book about their grief. I chose to create a new brand. A brand that represents Marie´s mindset and values: Caring for others, a zest for life and creativity with deep Scandinavian roots. In that sense, there are two of us behind this brand: Marie and I.
The dominant graphical element in the byASTRUP logo is Marie’s butterfly, and the A in by ASTRUP forms an M for Marie.
Let’s fly like a butterfly.
In loving memory
Anette Astrup