The Swedish Fashion Wonder

facts about sweden | Fashion sweden.se P ho P ho P ho t t t o o o : C h e ap M o nd : A : F i l ippa K c ne Stud ios a y

Filippa K. Cheap Monday. Acne.

From classic, clean lines to avant-garde shock value, from everyday items to haute couture, Swedish fashion brands such as (from left) Filippa K, Cheap Monday and Acne have built up a strong reputation around the world.

Fashion: The Swedish fashion wonder

‘Less is more’ accurately describes much of Swedish fashion. There’s a fondness for discreet colours and a pared-down, refined look. As with so many aspects of life, Swedes tend to take a practical approach to what they wear, but this doesn’t mean there is any lack of creativity.

About ten years ago, people started talk- fashion miracle. Filippa K’s business idea her designs via her own shop in Stock- ing about the Swedish ‘fashion wonder’. is to design, manufacture and sell wear- holm and via retailers in Europe, North Opinions differ as to what this actually able fashion garments and accessories America and Japan. means. Is it a reference to Acne’s fairy- with a timeless style. annaholtblad.com tale success, to the huge quantities of early on, Filippa K made her name in clothing that H&M sells worldwide, or to Sweden with her characteristic women’s Designer jeans have made a significant artistic, avant-garde fashion? stretch jeans. A few years later, Filippa contribution to Swedish fashion exports. Some people argue that there have in K Man was launched, and the brand be- Acne Jeans, founded in 1996, placed fact been several Swedish fashion won- gan to spread across Europe and North Sweden on the international jeans map. ders, although the generic term refers to America. Today, Filippa K clothes are Acne saw a rising demand for denim on the rapid development of Swedish fash- sold in some 700 stores in 17 countries. the market and designed 100 different ion as a whole. filippa-k.com styles of unisex jeans. Once primarily a jeans label, Acne now produces interna- Filippa K and Anna Holtblad were Anna Holtblad has received wide acclaim tionally recognised fashion collections. among the trailblazers for the Swedish for her knitted collections. Holtblad sells shop.acnestudios.com facts about sweden | Fashion sweden.se P ho P ho Learn more t t o o : WeSC : J o n as Li nell/ N ud i e Je a s Stockholm Fashion Week Twice a year, in August and in January/February, the Swedish Fashion Council organises Stock- holm Fashion Week, an event for the fashion industry. In May and November, the council organises Stockholm Fashion Week Retail- er Collections, aimed mostly at Swedish journalists and trade pro- fessionals. stockholmfashionweek.com WeSC. Nudie.

Designer jeans have made a significant contribution to Swedish fashion exports. Mercedes-Benz Fashion WeSC and Nudie are among the biggest names in Swedish denim. Week in Stockholm Held twice a year. Its main focus is to get the international fashion Cheap Monday’s characteristic un- Nudie Jeans, founded in 2001, was one community, including the media washed slim jeans with the skull label of Sweden’s fastest-growing fashion and fashion buyers, to take a have spread across the world since the companies in the early 2000s. Its long- closer look at the Swedish fashion scene. brand was launched in 2004. Cheap term goal is to use organic cotton as mercedesbenzfashionweek.se Monday is now found in 35 countries much as possible in its garments. with 1,800 stores. Today, it is owned by For the spring/summer 2013 season, H&M. 100 per cent of Nudie’s denim garments The Swedish Fashion cheapmonday.com were made from organic cotton. Council nudiejeans.com WeSC (WeAretheSuperlativeConspiracy) Set up in 1979 to promote Swedish was founded in 2000. Initially flourish- Whyred produced its first menswear fashion in Sweden and abroad, the council analyses trends in fashion ing mainly in street and skateboarding collection in 1999 and its first women’s and interior design, and is a plat- subcultures, the brand soon became in- collection one year later. Whyred makes form for cooperation in the Swed- ternationally known as a result of clever clothes inspired by art and music. The ish fashion and textile trade. marketing. Instead of regular advertising, Whyred Art Project is a series of joint moderadet.se WeSC largely relied on famous actors and ventures with contemporary artists, in- artists to wear and thereby promote their cluding Jockum Nordström. clothes. Today, the brand has stores in the company sells its wares in some Nordic Fashion cities such as Tokyo, Paris and New York. 200 stores in more than 20 countries. Association wesc.com whyred.se n Founded in 2008 by five Nordic fashion organisations: the Danish Fashion Institute, Helsinki Design Week, the Icelandic Fashion Coun- cil, Oslo Fashion Week and the H&M has conquered the world Swedish Fashion Council.

The NFA’s aim is to promote cross- For many, H&M is synonymous with Ann Ringstrand of Hope, and Carin West- border projects in the fashion Swedish fashion. The company has also er. In recent decades, H&M has also col- field. One such example is NICE – become something of a breeding ground laborated with world-famous designers Nordic Initiative, Clean and Ethical for young designers. and pop stars. – a joint commitment by the Nor- Hennes & Mauritz, or H&M, is a chain Among them are: dic fashion industry to take a lead- store whose low-priced clothing spread • Karl Lagerfeld (2004) ing role in social and environmen- around the world as far back as the 1950s. • Stella McCartney (2005) tal issues. The chain was founded by Erling Persson, • Jimmy Choo (2009) nicefashion.org who opened the first store in Västerås in • Donatella Versace (2011) 1947. Today, the fashion retailer has over • Isabel Marant (2013). 100,000 employees and more than 3,000 In May 2013, the company released stores in 48 countries. a collection in collaboration with singer Several of today’s hottest Swedish de- Beyoncé. H&M has also collaborated with signers have worked for H&M at some Madonna and Kylie Minogue. point, including Roland Hjort of Whyred, hm.com

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Training in Sweden More stars on University college of arts, crafts and design the fashion scene One of the oldest art and design colleges in Sweden, founded in Hope, Carin Rodebjer, Carin Wester, V Ave Shoe 1844. The college is just south of Stockholm city centre and offers Repair, Sandra Backlund and Ann-Sofie Back are courses at bachelor’s and master’s some of the stars on the Swedish fashion stage. levels. Pho konstfack.se t o V Ave Shoe Repair, started by Astrid Hope, comprising : Rodebjer Olsson and Lee Cotter, draws inspira- the design duo of Beckmans College tion from sculpture and architecture. Ann Ringstrand and Deconstruction – using old clothes, tak- Stefan Söderberg, of Design ing them apart and putting them back has long been syno- The college, located in Stockholm, together in new ways – is a recurring nymous with Swedish was founded in 1939. It offers technique. and Scandina- three-year BA degree courses in vave-shoerepair.com vian style. The art and design. There are three different programs: Fashion, Visual two specialise Communications, and Product & Ann-Sofie Back has attracted plenty in clean, Interior Design. of attention and made a notable simple beckmans.se international career. Back has also lines and worked as a designer for Acne well-made and is now creative director at details, and Carin The School of Design Cheap Monday. seek to Rodebjer. and Crafts annsofieback.com produce garments The school is part of the University that last. of Gothenburg. Craft courses at the Tiger of Sweden was founded hope-sthlm.com school include jewellery, textiles 1903. It marketed something Hope. and ceramics. completely new – mass-pro- Carin Rodebjer’s formula hdk.gu.se P ho

duced suits – and met with t is effortless elegance for o success. After some ups and : H op e all occasions for the modern downs the company redefined and universal woman. In 2011, The Swedish School its profile in the late 1990s. The Rodebjer launched a web shop of Textiles idea was to take suits out of the and established its first inter Located in Borås, the school offers bank and into the street. In 1997, national branch in New York. expertise in all textile fields from Tiger released its first women’s col- rodebjer.com craft and design to technology, pro- lection, followed in 2000 by the duction, finance and marketing. launch of Tiger Jeans. Dagmar is run by three sisters hb.se/wps/portal/ths tigerofsweden.com and known for its modern take on knitwear. Seen on the likes of Beyoncé, The Unit for Fashion Sandra Backlund the label’s sensual and unconventional is known for her designs have had considerable inter Studies hand-knitted, national success. Part of the Department oversized de- houseofdagmar.se of Media Studies at signs. Backlund Stockholm University, has made a Ida Sjöstedt combines ready-to-wear it offers fashion as an academic field of study splash on the collections with couture dresses both in Sweden and internation- for private clients. She won the at an international lev- al scene Guldknappen Readers’ Choice Award S a nd ra B ack lund el. The unit teaches the P ho

t and has for best designer in 2011. o

theory and aesthetics of : Pete r F worked idasjostedt.com fashion, its social func- tion and its history. with design- arago / www.ims.su.se ers such as Marc Menswear brand Common is giving Jacobs, Emilio street wear a Scandinavian spin with Pucci and Louis clean lines and modernist prints. De- Vuitton. signed by Saif Bakir and Emma Hedlund, sandrabacklund. the label is showing in London. com common-swdn.com n 3 | Sandra Backlund. facts about sweden | Fashion sweden.se

Learn more Fashion for the future Up and coming The fashion industry is facing some major environmental chal- Since 2005, the Swedish Fashion Coun- cil has been running the Rookies project, lenges. These include a growing mountain of waste, harsh work- established to support small fashion de- ing conditions in the supply chain, the high level of water con- sign companies. The labels selected by the Rookies jury are presented at exhibitions, sumption, and the use of chemicals in the production process. shows and other events. One of the labels is then chosen as Rookie of the Year. In The vision of the Sustainable Fashion P ho t 2013, the winner was Mes Dames, which o Academy (SFA) is an apparel industry : S w ed ish H asb een s received its award during the fall edition of that creates ‘happier people, stronger Stockholm Fashion Week. communities and a resilient planet.’ The SFA’s mission is to accelerate innova- Guldknappen tions within the industry to ensure this happens. A prize instituted by the Swedish fashion sustainablefashion-academy.org magazine Damernas Värld in 1982. Its pur- pose is to support individual designers and further their careers. In 2013, the prize went Sustainable fashion is important to many to Ulrika Lundgren and her label Rika. designers in Sweden. Uniforms for the Dedicated is a menswear label with an individualistic design aesthetic, commit- Swedish Designer ted to treating the Earth with respect. of the Year uniformsforthededicated.com At its annual gala, fashion magazine Elle announces its choice of Swedish Designer The shoe company Swedish Hasbeens of the Year. In 2013, the prize went to Swed- entered the market in 2006. It produces ish fashion’s enfant terrible, Ann-Sofie sustainable handmade collections using Swedish Hasbeens brought the tradition- Back, for the second time. traditional methods in small factories, al wooden clog back into fashion. emphasising respect for people and

the environment. Swedish Hasbeens Fashion blogs currently sells its footwear in 22 coun- terials, featuring functional models that The considerable allure of Swedish fashion tries. suit all ages and figures. Environmental is reflected not least in the rapid advance of swedishhasbeens.com thinking is part of all its collections. the fashion blog. In 2009, the phenomenon gudrunsjoden.com exploded and there are now hundreds of One of the pioneers of sustainable fash- fashion bloggers with readers both in Swe- den and around the world. One of the most ion is Gudrun Sjödén, who launched her Other designer labels that emphasise on successful is Elin Kling. company of the same name in 1976. Her sustainable fashion include Dem Collec- stylebykling.nowmanifest.com business idea is to produce colourful tive, Bergmans and accessories brand home textiles and clothes in natural ma- Nordisko. Useful links asfb.se Association of Swedish Fashion Brands moderadet.se the Swedish Fashion Council beckmans.se Beckmans College of Design nicefashion.org nordic Initiative, Clean and Ethical hdk.gu.se the School of Design and Crafts rohsska.se the Röhsska Museum of Fashion, Design and Decorative Arts ims.su.se the Unit for Fashion Studies stockholmfashionweek.com Stockholm Fashion Week konstfack.se university College of Arts, Crafts and Design stockholm-streetstyle.com Stockholm Street Style mercedesbenzfashionweek.se Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week sustainablefashionacademy.org the Sustainable Fashion Academy

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