Stockholm Fashion Week showcases the hottest Swedish fashion right now. Sweden.se has talked to two young, talented designers, and learned what the +46 arena for “progressive fashion” and the growing Filippa K brand are all about.
LiseLotte Westerlund has built her own brand from scratch.
LiseLotte Westerlund
Classic design in the spirit of fashion icons of the past such as Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly characterize LiseLotte Westerlund's designs. After her garments appeared in the US television series Sex and the City, orders from major department stores poured in, but Westerlund decided to create her own brand, LLW Fashion.
> Where do you get your design ideas?
“Just about anything can inspire me, the fantastic people around me and life itself."
> How would you describe your style?
“Super-feminine and always with wit, charm, style and grace. Luxurious quality and as close to the perfect fit as it gets. The collection for fall/winter 2008 is called 'Noble Virgin.'”
"Super-feminine" is a keyword in Westerlund's designs.
> What are the new fashion trends for 2008?
“In general, trends go against our desire to have something unique and well-designed. But in my opinion, it's better to have a few very high-quality pieces than a hundred things you'll just throw away.”
> What’s the status of Swedish fashion internationally, in your opinion?
“Interest in Swedish fashion has grown in recent years. I think this is because Swedes have become more interested in clothes and fashion.
"If you compare Sweden with Italy, for instance, Swedes used to have a different type of tradition where clothes were more about practical function — just something to wear, in other words. The Italians have a long tradition of consuming and prioritizing well-designed clothes of high quality, and Swedes used to prioritize their home and car instead. But this has changed.”
> Who is your favorite designer?
“Coco Chanel has been a great source of inspiration. I read a lot of books about her when I was younger.”
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The jury on the +46 Award winner, Annika Berger: “Annika had a very strong and exciting personal style, which resulted in a strong, collection combining both personal expression and commerciality.” Photo: Ruvan Wijesooriya
+46
+46, described as “the alternative trade fair in Scandinavia for progressive fashion,” offers an opportunity for Swedish and other Nordic designers to reach media and buyers from around the world. The +46 show will be held January 29, and the trade fair January 30–31. Trade director/managing editor/buyer Kristian Rajnai tells us a bit more.
> What’s the aim of +46 as a fashion arena and how does it promote young designers?
“Earlier, we felt that Stockholm Fashion Week was more about parties than business. This meant that many of the best Swedish designers attended other fashion weeks instead — for instance, Ann-Sofie Back went to London and Lovisa Burfitt to Paris. The goal of +46 was to create an international platform that was attractive to the best Swedish designers, as well as to journalists and buyers from outside Sweden.”
> Your website states that there’s “a very restrictive selection of exhibitors” – how do you select the designers you work with?
“We have grown every year, and we always approach the selection process with care, to maintain the quality of our exhibitors. This season we received applications from around the world, and finally made a selection of around 50 brands that we think are very exciting and together create a dynamic and interesting whole.”
> What role does +46 play in the international fashion market?
“Events like +46 fill a gap. Large fashion weeks, such as London, New York and Paris, have already reached the public via the internet the day after the show. That makes it very difficult for a journalist to be the first to discover a new talent or as a buyer to find a good brand. But you can still do that in Stockholm. The ambition of +46 is not to compete with the larger fashion weeks, but instead to strengthen our position as the place where you can find new, progressive fashion.”
> What’s the +46 Award and what does it take to win it?
“It’s a competition for designers from across the Nordic region. If you look at previous winners, as well as this year's winner (see right column, editor’s note), everyone has had their own strong, unique design language, a well thought-through collection and a clear ambition and direction for their brand.”
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Jan Carl Adelswärd, CEO at Swedish Filippa K, reveals that the company plans to open several new stores and enter into new markets each year. Photo: Filippa K
Filippa K
Filippa K has been one of the leading Swedish fashion brands since it was founded in 1993 by designers Filippa Knutsson and Patrik Kihlborg. With a classic look and clean lines, the label’s collections are well-suited to minimalist Scandinavian design sensibilities. CEO Jan Carl Adelswärd talks about the new collection and the brand's ongoing international expansion.
> What’s the inspiration for your new autumn/winter collection?
“For the women’s collection, the band Velvet Underground with Nico as the lead singer. And 1970s punk with its streaks of girlishness combined with pure rebelliousness captures the essence of this collection. It’s not about safety pins and shiny studs, rather the ‘punk within’ combined with the simplicity of Filippa K.
“The men’s collection is inspired by the early years of The Clash and their ska* approach to punk, with Joe Strummer as an iconic personality. Suits are mixed up with different patterns, tweeds are very colorful and the silhouette is slim rather than loose. Elegance is key, but roughed up — almost abused and slightly dirty. And all mixed up with a dash of humor and a sense of ‘let’s not take ourselves too seriously.’”
> Is there anything “typically Swedish” about Filippa K? Where does the brand fit in globally?
“We’re very much part of the typically Scandinavian design heritage of keeping things clean, simple, practical and of high quality. We’re within the affordable fashion segment, and in an international perspective, Filippa K is often regarded as a minimalist brand.”
> What's your design philosophy, and how does your design team work?
“We do all design in-house and present two main collections per year, both men’s and women’s wear, as well as shoes and accessories. Every main collection is built from themes of inspiration and is then filtered through our three key words — style, simplicity and quality — to ensure consistency in the brand. The design team consists of nine people, and each collection is very much about teamwork.”
> Please elaborate a bit on Filippa K’s international expansion. Which markets are you targeting?
“Over 60 percent of Filippa K’s sales are outside Sweden. We have established a network of 35 Filippa K stores in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Switzerland and France. We expect to grow by 15–20 percent in the years ahead.”
*Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was a precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It is characterized by a walking bass line, accented guitar or piano rhythms on the offbeat and, in some cases, jazz-like horn riffs. (Source: Wikipedia)
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Charlotte West is an American writer living in Stockholm. She has written for design magazines such as Icon and regularly covers art and design for The Local, “Sweden's News in English.” After covering Stockholm Fashion Week, she’s sure she’ll need to get a bigger closet.
The author alone is responsible for the opinions expressed in this article.
Classification: A232EN
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