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Archive for Daniel Björk - Fashion

Daniel Björk thinks the strength of Swedish fashion lies in it being accessible without becoming boring.

The Swedish sensibility

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The invitation to the Björn Borg show. Photo: Björn Borg

 

A lot of my time, I’m not in Sweden, but in London. And when you get to the international scene, Sweden could sometimes seem a bit… hm… peripheral. At least it used to be that way. Because these days Swedish fashion is absolutely everywhere. London Fashion Week kicks off tonight with the opening of the new Cheap Monday store on Carnaby Street, while Björn Borg, the underwear brand, is putting on a fashion show at Battersea Power Station complete with performances by Robyn and Coco Sumner. This fashion show extravaganza will be livestreamed on MTV.co.uk.

Acne is showing their women’s wear line in London since a couple of season and it is one of the hottest tickets in town – the spring collection had the critics fawning and is sure to be another hit for the brand.

A few days ago, the Guardian ran an article about how “Scandinavian brands made ‘anti-cool’ fashionable”. Because behind Acne there are a lot of Swedish brands quietly moving onto the shelves of international stores. I noticed it myself where I lived until just a week ago, Windsor. In the more fashion-forward men’s stores in the town, Swedish brands were ubiquitous. From Acne to Our Legacy and Cheap Monday. These days even and old school geeky brand such as Fjällräven has some serious fashion cred. In fact, my intern here at Bon’s London office has one and she’s studying at Central Saint Martins.

To me, the success of Swedish fashion has a lot to do with the way style has moved into our everyday life in the last decade or so. Fashion is not just for parties or for the aristocracy; it is for everyone and every time, so what used to be Sweden’s Achilles heal is now its foremost strength. Having gotten used to making the most out of dressing for the Swedish weather and paired this knowledge with the practicality of Sweden’s fashion consumers (everything needs to be able to be washed in the washing machine, it shouldn’t cost too much, it should last a few seasons), Swedish fashion designers are well equipped for this new brave fashion world where we want to look fashionable all the time – yet still be presentable, professional and practical.

True, Swedish fashion is not only about this, but I believe this to be the core. And these days, when everyone talks about brand DNA, I think we can safely say that Swedish fashion has got it nailed.

Daniel Björk - Fashion

February 16, 2012

The Swede who ruled the world

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B. Åkerlund and one of Madonna's headpieces from the show. Photo: PRNewsFoto/B. Akerlund

 

It was the most anticipated performance of the year and everyone wanted to see what she would be wearing. When Madonna stepped onto the stage at the Super Bowl half-time performance in a Roman centurion’s outfit designed by the brilliant Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy it safe to say that fashionistas all over the world almost wet themselves with excitement.

But behind every superstar there is a super stylist and in this case, that stylist is Swedish – cue fireworks and celebrations. B Åkerlund has worked with the most famous pop stars of today, including Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Black Eyed Peas, but said about Madonna’s Super Bowl performance that it “was by far the biggest challenge I have ever taken on in my career, and I could not be more honoured to be a part of such an amazing and historical event. […] Nothing could ever come close to working with Madonna on this Super Bowl performance, her attention to detail and commitment to all of her projects is truly inspiring and life changing.”

It was clearly a mammoth undertaking with 500 costumes for everyone from the Material Girl herself to LMFAO, Cee-Lo Green, Nicki Minaj and M.I.A, as well as 100 drum line performers, 150 gladiators and 200 choir singers.

Originally from Stockholm B. Åkerlund left for Los Angeles when she was 14. Since then she’s clocked up an impressive roster of music videos, often in tandem with her director husband Jonas Åkerlund, as well as styling world tours for Black Eyed Peas and Robbie Williams.

She is known for over-the-top dramatic styling and dramatic outfits from the most forward-thinking of today’s designers – an aesthetic that might not seem very Swedish but that works perfectly in the world of superstar music.

And for the Super Bowl performance it fit like a glove, giving classics such as Vogue, Music and Like A Prayer a backdrop of Roman, Egyptian, ecclesiastical and high school influences. Spelled out like that I’m not sure it makes sense but on stage and on TV it sure did. Watch it on YouTube if you don’t believe me.

Daniel Björk - Fashion

February 10, 2012

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Stockholm A/W 2012: Menswear Trend Report

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The fashion circus is over for this time as you know having read Sabrina’s post from yesterday and as hectic as they are (especially if you are, as I was, reviewing some of the shows over at Bon.se and trying to get the review up within two hours) they are also great fun.

In many ways Sweden’s men are the true fashionistas of Sweden, so a proper look at what was happening over the three days that go under the name of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Stockholm needs to include the biggest fashion trends for male consumers.

Ubi Sunt A/W 2012

1. Turtle necks

On the first day of the week, at Filippa K Man, designer Morgan Sundberg explained to me that the turtle neck was back. His words were to be proven true in almost every menswear show over the following days and worn in any way possible from chunky, as at Whyred and Boomerang, to thin, as at Ubi Sunt, or in between: Oscar Jacobson.

J. Lindeberg A/W 2012

2. Quilted

Techno looks were mixed up with more natural-looking materials and the synthetic vibe often came in the way of quilts. Most innovative were J. Lindeberg who showed quilted cargo shorts worn over trousers or leggings, but the material were spotted at Josefin Strid, Boomerang, The Local Firm and V Ave Shoe Repair.

Whyred AW 2012

3. Sixties silhouette

It’s the Mad Men influence that keeps trousers cropped and suits sharp. It was no wonder that it was the mod aficionados at Whyred who did the look in its most clear way, but the cropped trouser suit turned up at Oscar Jacobson and Tiger of Sweden as well.

Josefin Strid A/W 2012

4. Eastern influence

Most obviously seen at the Cheap Monday show where jumpers were wrapped around heads in a way reminiscent of Afghani mujaheddin, Eastern dress styles kept being alluded to throughout the week. Long shirts, reminiscent of the Pakistani kameez were seen at Carin Wester while sarongs popped up at Josefin Strid.

Oscar Jacobson A/W 2012

5. Dandy

The autumn in many ways seem a bit more dressed up than previously, it was a trend we could see at the international shows and it was also evident here in Stockholm. Capes at Oscar Jacobson, Karl Lagerfeld collars at Ubi Sunt and all-grey double-breasted ensembles at Carin Wester – it signals a move away from the more outdoorsy urban looks we’ve seen recently.

V Ave Shoe Repair A/W 2012

6. Styling

In a couple of shows there was a return of styling as a way of making clothes look fresh and interesting. It signalled that fashion designers think we should have some fun with the clothes and adapt them, turn them around and wear them in unexpected ways. This was seen as Cheap Monday, V Ave Shoe Repair and The Local Firm.

All photos by Kristian Löveborg, courtesy of the ASFB.

 

Daniel Björk - Fashion

February 5, 2012

The importance of being earnest

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A piece from Acne's pre-fall 2012 collection, showing that mid price fashion can be just as creative as luxury fashion. Photo: Acne

 

During the last decade luxury fashion prices have rocketed and what was once the upper end is now standard fare – a particularly embellished dress or jacket can cost €10000 and upwards. It’s prêt-à-porter with couture prices.

The Swedish market sees very little of this. There has been some Balmain sold in Stockholm, but should we look at Swedish brands they have almost in unison decided to occupy the middle ground. The Swedish fashion consumer is demanding in her own peculiar way. She wants trendy, fashionable clothes, but without having to pay premium prices. It is a winning formula internationally too – the mid price section is where all the action is at the moment in the fashion world and in a way it is an extension of the democratic vision of budget high street fashion, with the addition that these customers are more informed, more fashion-forward and a bit more willing to part with their hard-earned cash.

At the same time, many of the Swedish brands have realised they have to raise their price level abroad. What is mid price in Sweden comes across as budget on other markets – and not in a good way.

For many years there has been a discussion (in Sweden) about what Swedish fashion should be. I think the answer is pretty clear. While London is about talent and experimentation, Milan about luxury and Paris about creativity, Stockholm’s fashion week – officially called Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Stockholm – is about accessibility.

Personally, I believe the Swedish price points are just right for what anyone who isn’t extremely affluent should pay for good fashion, and sometimes I find that even Swedish mid price equals “overpriced”. But in general, you get a lot of fashion for the money. It comes across as honest and, especially now that luxury pricing is out of control, there is certainly a need for honest pricing.

After all, looking good shouldn’t be all about money.

Daniel Björk - Fashion

January 27, 2012

The case of the moustache

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Håkan Juholt and his moustache. Photo: Riksdagen

Today, in Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet, I write about the wife of the Swedish foreign minister, Anna Maria Corazza Bildt. In essence, my thesis is that she is a force of good in the Swedish fashion climate with her wild and daring style (a look that sometimes can go a bit overboard to say the least).

This also happens to be the day when the Swedish Social Democratic Party leader is resigning and so I came to think about Håkan Juholt (that’s his name) from a fashion perspective.

Many people have commented on his moustache. Some people from his own party criticised the focus on the bearded upper lip, pointing out that it was a “symbol of masculinity”, but most people saw the moustache as a sign of a less polished, more ordinary politician. He didn’t look like a banker, he didn’t look like he had been created in a PR firm’s lab like so many others. It gave him an air of joviality and honesty.

The Social Democratic Party in Sweden has a history of politicians becoming popular when they don’t come across as too suave. Former prime minister Ingvar Carlsson was portrayed as a shoe on humour show Helt apropå in the late Eighties and former speaker of the Swedish parliament, Birgitta Dahl, was played by a man sporting giant false teeth on the same show. I’d say that the show made both of them more popular. Ingvar Carlsson the shoe even became his “brand” and his acolytes started to call themselves “fotfolket” (literally “foot people” and Swedish for rank and file), wearing pins and T-shirts with Ingvar Carlsson, the shoe, drawn as a cartoon.

Surely, Håkan Juholt’s moustache could’ve worked the same magic? After all, when he was elected, people waved signs with a stylised moustache.

A few years ago I interviewed two Swedish political journalists who hade written a book about the style of politicians, a subject that is rarely touched upon unless someone’s handbag is a bit too luxurious or there’s a radical change in the look (like when former minister Sven-Otto Littorin suddenly appeared in public sporting a goatee). I remember one of the journalist, the left-wing Göran Greider, hoping for a politician just like Håkan Juholt. He believed there was an opening for someone that looked like he came from the countryside, someone who was more ordinary than posh, a politician that wasn’t too aware of his image. I had just asked whether politicians needed to become more aware of the way they looked in these media frenzied times.

That is still the question. Many people will probably see Juholt’s resignation as a sign that a politician can’t ignore the way he or she looks, but I think that in his case the issue was that people (and perhaps he himself) were too eager to make the moustache a part of brand Juholt.

When it comes to fashion and style politicians need to come across as genuine more than anything else. The problem with Håkan Juholt’s moustache wasn’t that he had one, but that people, including himself, tried to turn the moustache into a symbol of integrity. Last summer he proclaimed he wasn’t going to shave it off, thereby suggesting he wasn’t bowing to some perceived media pressure to streamline. But was there ever such pressure? I remain sceptical.

Daniel Björk - Fashion

January 21, 2012