Are trend fairs and fashion weeks redundant?

Stockholm Fashion Week

We’re in the middle of fashion weeks in the fashion capitals around the world and in Stockholm we recently had Stockholm Design Week that included fashion shows, talks and events as well as Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair.

They’re there for brands to have somewhere to showcase their new products. But for us as consumers, and for the narrative around trends and conscious consumption – are the trend weeks and fairs, actually, un-trendy?

How to engage with new trends?

Fashion weeks are still taking place twice a year to present Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter collections, but the time of two collections a year are long gone. Instead, we’re seeing new lines coming out most weeks from the fast fashion brands and we’re seeing a constant flow of new trends.

How do we relate to and engage with new trends when they’re coming at us all of the time? When we’ve barely had time to explore one trend until we realise it’s out and there’s something else that’s come in to replace it?

Probably not very well. For the simple reason that we don’t even have time to figure out if it’s a trend we like, and therefore should invest in. And even if we do, we’re made to feel out of trend as soon as new trends are released.

Trends at the fair

I visited Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair the other week and even though there was much I enjoyed, it also got me thinking about the concept of trends. Mainly because of the reason that I found the ‘trendy’ exhibits rather uninspiring. And the ones presenting traditional, timeless craftsmanship were the ones I enjoyed the most. Wood work by furniture-making students, neutral colours and quality pieces that will last through the years. My favourite stand was the one below by Finnish Nikari.

Nikari Stockholm Furniture Fair

One can of course argue that this is also a trend. That we’re currently enjoying natural materials, produced in a sustainable way, but that this will also pass. I feel it’s slightly different to the usual trends though. Because the brands are talking about long-term solutions and changes to production rather than just something for now. And the narrative is different. Because they talk about how they’re creating things that will last and that we’re meant to enjoy and keep for a long time.

What role can the fashion weeks play?

The interest around fashion weeks has definitely peaked and gone downhill in the last few years. We consume fashion differently, and we consume media differently. So the hype around fashion shows, and the subsequent reporting on the most important trends by the fashion magazine editors, isn’t the same. Because social media means we can follow the events live and influencers report on their favourite picks in real time, and anyone can watch.

As the speed of how we live and consume increases, one can also question the concept of showcasing fashion for next season when consumers these days are used to buying things right away. Are the fashion weeks therefore better off focusing on ‘just’ inspiration as well as potentially broadening its focus to cover the industry as a whole rather than just trends they see being popular later in the year?

The fashion weeks can most definitely be used as platforms. To not just present new things we should all be buying. But to raise issues in the industry as well as innovations and inspiring ways of doing things.

Shifting the focus

There has been changes in the last few years. As the concept is questioned and as sustainability has (finally) been added to the agenda. Neonyt has been established as the trade fair for sustainable fashion at the Berlin fashion fairs, Helsinki Fashion Week has banned fur, and since 2009 Copenhagen has hosted Copenhagen Fashion Summit, not as part of the Fashion Week but as its own conference with sustainability at its core.

Mother of Pearl London Fashion Week

The London Fashion Week hasn’t come as far and climate change demonstrations disrupted some of the shows last week to highlight the extreme pollution created by the industry. But some designers used the stage for a bigger purpose and my favourite was Mother of Pearl, in collaboration with BBC Earth, presenting their sustainable fashion in Fitzrovia Chapel amongst a load of (recyclable) balls to highlight the amount of plastic and microplastic used in fashion (see pic above).

During Stockholm Fashion Week earlier this month I went to a talk (below) on how the Swedish forest can be used to create a more sustainable fashion industry. By taking advantage of the fact that we have this great natural resource that is renewable and can produce various types of fabrics by using the cellulose. An informative session with a good discussion on the responsibility of brands, industry organisations, as well as consumers. I would of course have been interested in this session even if it had nothing to do with Stockholm Fashion Week but that may not be true for everyone else. And if these discussions can be brought to the core of the industry, and to a wider audience, then that’s a good thing.

Stockholm Fashion Week

The future of the fashion week

The way the fashion weeks have been the highlight of the fashion year is no more. At least not in the same way as they were when they probably peaked during the Sex and the city-era. The shows are still massive, and often extremely expensive, but weeks like New York Fashion Week are changing. And they can definitely continue to change for the better.

They’re still popular, they still get a big crowd and a lot of attention. If this attention can be used to improve the industry, by keeping up with the time, then there is still potential. The old format of showcasing future styles may be redundant, but people still enjoy fashion and want to get inspired. Creating a format that the industry, influencers, and the consumers can engage with will be key. And here’s hoping it can be used as a platform to do better, to inspire towards positive change within the industry. The trend fairs and fashion weeks don’t necessarily have to be about trends or passing styles (that will be replaced at the next show). They can instead focus on true style, that can last over time, and the trend aspect can be covered by the latest innovations in fabrics, craftsmanship or production.

Not everyone thinks fashion should be activism and a lot of people will stop listening if you mention climate change. But there are ways to bring sustainability in without alienating or lecturing people. By making it the norm, by including sustainable practices throughout the supply and production chain. Fashion can still be fashion. It can still be there to inspire people, make people happy, and make people feel beautiful. It just doesn’t have to cost the earth.

Photo credits: Top image from Stockholm Fashion Week’s official site fashionweek.se, second and fourth one by me, and the third one is Mother of Pearl’s own from the show at Fitzrovia Chapel.

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Lådan: An architectural gem of compact living

Lådan Ralph Erskine

A sunny Sunday in October, and the weekend for the annual architecture festival Open House Stockholm, was a good day to visit Lådan (The Box). The small house on the island of Lovön in Stockholm is rarely open to the public, but we had the opportunity to go inside and explore an early example of compact living.

Lovön is situated in western Stockholm and there are various ways of getting there with public transport. We went for the water route and jumped on commuter ferry 89 a short walk from where we live. The glorious autumn weather definitely showed the benefits of living in a city made up of islands as we travelled across the water soaked in sunshine.

Commuter ferry Ekensberg

Stockholm Mälarhöjden

As we got off at Ekerö we then jumped on bus 177 up to Lovön and walked the last bit across fields covered in autumnal colours, showing that you really don’t have to get far outside of central Stockholm to experience nature.

Autumn Lovön

Lådan is all about living small

Lådan was the first home of architect Ralph Erskine and his family when they moved to Sweden in the 40s. It’s a 20-square-metre house, full of clever design solutions and with a focus on function and flexibility. At the centre of the house is a fireplace that provides both warmth and a space to sit together. There’s a fold-down table that transforms into an office space and there’s a bed that you lower down from the ceiling to transform the living space into a bedroom. Lådan is an architectural gem that truly shows we don’t need a lot of space (or stuff) to create a stylish, practical and cosy home.

Lådan Ralph Erskine

Compact living

Lådan Ralph Erskine

The original building got neglected over time, but because of the architectural interest, a copy was built in the 80s and placed in its current location on Lovön, with ArkDes in charge of keeping it open to the general public. As it’s very rarely open, Lådan was very busy with people of all ages wanting to check it out on Sunday. I’m thrilled there was such an interest but it of course meant that we had to queue to even get in to the house, and it was tricky to take photos that weren’t all covered in people. It was great to be able to go inside though, but I’ll probably head back on some other, slightly more obscure time, to be able to view the building on its own, only surrounded by pine trees.

 

Photo credit: as the house was so crowded I wasn’t able to take any photos from the living space of Lådan – the one above is therefore borrowed from ArkDes, taken by Åke E:son Lindman

 

 

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Holiday shopping: supporting local and conscious business

Local shopping

Holiday shopping is to some, buying things you can’t get at home. Or maybe buying souvenirs, special for the place you’re visiting. Or maybe just doing some shopping for the simple reason that you’re on holiday and you have time to explore shops. But it can also be an opportunity to explore a destination through its shops and locally produced products. Local arts and crafts can tell you a lot about a place and its history. What traditions have affected what’s created? What materials are used? Who makes the products?

I try not to buy much at all these days but for the sake of the economy, we can’t stop altogether. Instead we need to find more conscious ways of consuming things and ask ourselves more questions before we buy something. Do I really need this? Is it something I will use for a long time? What is it made of? Where was it made? Who made it?

Supporting local businesses, ensuring they can make a living or continue their craftsmanship, is definitely something worth doing. As a general rule, we should be buying less stuff than we currently do. And if we do need something then we should look at second hand options first. But for those trying to survive in the world of retail, creating something genuine, there is also the aspect of supporting those who are trying to do things differently.

Small, local businesses with a lot of handmade products are good examples, so when touring Sweden for our summer holidays, this is what I’ve mainly been looking out for. Exploring small, countryside shops. And exploring craftsmanship and creativity, whilst supporting local, handmade production.

What I picked up this summer

The pic above shows what I found during my summer holiday around Sweden.

An organic handmade soap bar from Prima Gård on the island of Gotland, where the owner creates ceramics, jewellery and natural beauty products.

A beautiful ceramic vase made by the owner of Bruksgodset, located in the countryside just north of Örnsköldsvik on the High Coast of northern Sweden.

A brass candle holder and a glass vase (I’ve already got a smaller size so this was a larger one) from a small second hand shop in the tiny town of Virserum in the Småland region of southern Sweden.

And two ceramic bowls from the pottery store Etelhems Krukmakeri, also on the island of Gotland. We visited this place when I was a kid so it was nice to be back and buy something that’s made there. And I’ve been looking for breakfast bowls this size for ages.

Breakfast bowl

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Conscious travel notes: the Swedish island of Gotland

Fårö Gotland

An island with often rough, but beautiful nature, surrounded by the Baltic Sea. An island small enough to travel across in a day but big enough to have enough to explore for weeks. I’ve visited the island of Gotland a few times before and always enjoy coming back.

In terms of geography, Gotland is mainly known for its rauks – a rock formation, often a column, formed by the sea and strong winds over time. There are some great rauk spots on most sides of the island but the most stunning ones are on the tiny island of Fårö that you can get to via a short car ferry journey at the very north of the island. We went there on a grey and windy day, which sort of added a sense of drama, and also ensured we were almost alone (which is usually not the case on a Saturday in July). We also went past a small, and oh so beautiful, old fishing station with tiny cabins the fishermen used to take shelter in. The wind and the solitude added to the feeling of being brought back in time.

Rauk Gotland

Fishing Fårö

Whilst on the northern part of the island we also had lunch at Prima Gård – where converted barns now hold a restaurant with excellent food, and a shop filled with pottery and jewellery handmade by the owner. The rain waited until after lunch so that we were able to eat in the dreamy courtyard.

Prima Gård Gotland

After lunch we took a slight de-tour to a shop ’round the corner (down a countryside lane through some fields) – ‘Fint o fult’ (approx. translation: Pretty & ugly) with a mix of second hand clothes and things, and a curated selection of mainly handmade or eco-friendly items. Because that’s the beauty of Gotland – you can take off on any road and within a short distance there will be another small shop selling handmade products, or homegrown chilli, or wool from the farmer’s own sheep. Or there’s a lady selling her old vintage stuff in her barn, or there’s a local flea market in a field – look out for any ‘LOPPIS’ (flea market in Swedish) sign and just go. Or go to the next one because there will be another one if you keep going another 10 minutes.

Fint o fult Gotland

The main town on the island is Visby – a gorgeous medieval town with narrow cobblestoned streets. Colourful old houses and all of the flowers. Just beautiful.

Visby Gotland

Visby Gotland

Walking around, smelling flowers, is enough, but if you fancy some shopping too I’d recommend the Akantus shop, with a great selection of conscious, often handmade products, and a big room of antiques.

Akantus Visby

Just south of Visby is another great spot for food and conscious shopping – Leva Kungslador. A place with a focus on social and environmental sustainability. We bought some lovely, organic, homemade marmalade and saffron biscotti as a gift for the in-laws as we were going to visit them a few days later.

Leva Kungslador Gotland

If you continue driving south on the same road there’s another great shop (and café) called Berså. Most of the island’s small shops are local, selling environmentally friendly, and often locally produced, products. This isn’t quite one of them, but it’s nevertheless filled with beautiful items for the home. My favourite piece was this print on fabric by Danish artist Pernille Folcarelli.

Berså butik Gotland

One of the main things to buy if you’re visiting Gotland is some locally made pottery. You can find small, or slightly larger, shops in barns all around the island and there’s something for everyone. One of the bigger ones, that I remember visiting as a child, is Etelhem with a huge selection of bowls, and cups, and flower pots, and plates, and jugs.

Etelhem krukmakeri Gotland

I tried to control my urge to visit every single shop we went past, and we also made sure we made stops for nature. One of our last stops of the day when we had a full day of exploring was the hilltop of Grogarnsberget, overlooking the sea on the east side of the island. We were completely alone in the afternoon sunshine and apart from Fårö, this was probably our favourite stop.

Grogarnsberget Gotland

Our favourite breakfast spot was Själsö Bakery and its outdoor seating with a sea view. A bakery using organic and local produce, serving a simple, but excellent Swedish breakfast made up of a boiled egg, a sandwich, and yoghurt with homemade granola. Great stuff.

Själsbo bageri Gotland frukost

Just north of Själsö is Krusmyntagården with a lovely herb garden overlooking the sea , a great shop with a deli of local produce and organic and natural skincare. There’s also a restaurant where they serve an excellent version of the local dish (dessert) saffron pancake with jam and whipped cream.

Krusmyntagården

Getting to the island is fairly easy as it’s situated just southeast of Stockholm, but you need to fly (about an hour) or take a ferry (about three hours), and going on a ferry is almost as bad as flying when it comes to your carbon footprint. You can bring a car onto the ferry but for a more environmentally friendly option, take the commuter train from central Stockholm to Nynäshamn and then the ferry terminal is just a five minute walk from where the train stops.

The island is fairly small but to get around (at a decent pace) you do need a car so when my boyfriend arrived we rented one for a couple of days to be able to explore the whole island. I was initially there on my own and mainly relied on a bike and local buses but the buses aren’t very frequent (there was only one bus in the evening leaving Visby going in my direction) and don’t go everywhere. The island is very flat so it’s great for cycling but it of course depends on how much time you’ve got. If you’ve got time and fitness on your side then cycling around the island and camping in a tent is a popular option. I cycled to and from Visby two of the days when I was there and even though it was quite far (about 45 minutes one way) it was a great ride on this excellent bike lane that’s been built on the side of the road for a safe ride away from traffic (not that there’s much traffic).

Cycling Gotland

All in all, a gorgeous time spent. It always is.

 

 

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The art of waiting in a fast-paced society

slow living

Whatever happened to the saying ‘good things come to those who wait’? In today’s busy and fast-paced society, we tend to expect everything to happen right away, and if we want something, we want it now. But why? Why are we so against having to wait for something?

Two new chairs have recently moved into our home, but we’ve had to wait for them. We’ve had to wait for them to actually be created, which is something that we don’t see very often these days. In a world of fast fashion and fast-paced consumption in general, we are instead used to instant shopping where everything is ready for us to take home with us immediately as we’ve decided we want it. And it’s spoiling us. It makes us used to always having everything at hand and it encourages quick purchase decisions and impulse shopping.

But what if we allowed ourselves to wait a bit every now and then? To embrace the old saying?

Good things do come to those who wait

Some scientists argue that there is a circuit in the brain which tells the human mind to delay seeking immediate satisfaction and that people are therefore willing to wait for larger rewards rather than going for the instant but small gratification. Feeling like you’ve earned something surely is a better feeling than one where you feel like you’ve rushed into a decision, even though the adrenaline of an impulse purchase might excite you in the moment?

The slow living movement and the ideas around conscious consumption encourage us to slow down and take the time before we buy things. To really consider what we need and spend extra time on finding something that will last. Buying things that then have to be created before you can actually have them, take this even further. Waiting for a knitted jumper to be knitted before it’s yours. Or in our case, waiting for chairs to be produced before we could have them.

Pros and cons of waiting

When deciding what chairs to buy for our dining table, I’ve definitely been taking my time. I decided I wanted different styles so have bought one or two chairs as I’ve found them – focusing on second hand or design classics. And I decided on a pair of classic wooden chairs from Norrgavel, even though it meant I would have to wait for them. But when reflecting on it, I realised that this idea of someone having to create our chairs, by hand, in a small, local, Swedish factory before we could have them is a concept that’s not very common, or maybe even very appreciated in today’s society. However, it’s also definitely something I’m seeing more of and the sustainability and slow living trend is most likely helping.

The art of waiting is of course hindered by the fact that sometimes, there are practical reasons for why we want something now. A large part of what we buy is based on wants, but often, we’re having to buy something because we need it, for various reasons. And if we need something, especially if it’s for a special occasion, we will most likely need it now. But as part of being a conscious consumer, we should be asking ourselves whether we do actually need something now, or whether we could in fact wait. (Or of course, whether we need it at all.)

We haven’t been able to have friends over for dinner as we chair Norrgavel packaging haven’t had enough chairs around our dining table. But taking the time, to find the right chairs, and waiting for them to be created, hasn’t majorly impacted our lives, so the inconvenience of it can’t really be used as an excuse. And it’s been worth the wait as we now have beautifully crafted chairs that can tell a different story than mass-produced chairs can. From a sustainability perspective I also like the fact that custom-made products mean there is less waste as products are only created following the demand that exists for these particular products. And as a side-note, I’m also loving how the chairs arrived, not in boxes filled with plastic and weird foam, but wrapped in a blanket made from textile scrap bits. Packaging is an ever-increasing issue, in a world of online shopping, and I’m seeing innovative ideas, especially by smaller independent brands (but it’s an issue that probably deserves its own post at a later occasion!).

An appreciation of craftsmanship

Waiting is most definitely an art. Especially in today’s society where we do everything we can to not have to wait, and new technology and apps help us to do things right away, with just one or two clicks. But the trends for slow living and the appreciation for craftsmanship that’s increasingly visible are helping us to bring back waiting as a concept we can appreciate. As we’re seeing some sort of re-birth of the Arts and Crafts Movement (as I wrote about almost two years ago), we’re again valuing quality and quantity. We’re valuing, and enjoying, storytelling and take pride in being able to tell the story of where a product is from. And having this luxury of being able to purchase bespoke products, we will also have to wait for them. But I’m definitely feeling that we’re approaching a time where we don’t mind.

 

 

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A conscious edit at London Design Fair

London Design Fair Bend

 

For anyone with an interest in new design, London Design Festival is a real treat. The largest collection of international design under one roof during the festival is London Design Fair, so I set out to explore new trends with the hope of finding a decent conscious edit. And I wasn’t disappointed. Actually, rather, impressed.

With many of the exhibitors being either Scandinavian or Asian there was a lot of stylish minimalism going on. Additionally, a strong focus on craftsmanship with a large section dedicated to the British Crafts Council. A wide selection of beautifully handmade products, with particular favourites being Elliot Ceramics‘ simple designs and stylish clay mixes.

I enjoyed the mix of old and new with long-time established companies like Karl Andersson & Söner, a family business founded in 1898, as well as the newer ones, like Forest + Found, a sustainable craft and design partnership.

Many exhibitors had an interesting story to tell in terms of their reasons for being and their passions, and even more designers were pushing their sustainability credentials.

An interest in, and a passion for, natural materials was widespread, and many are using innovative techniques and eco-conscious materials to create products that considers our planet. Stationery brand Before Breakfast presented notebooks made from FSC-certified paper, printed using soy based inks, and hand-sewn in the UK. And textile designer Carmen Machado specialises in woven fabrics for outdoor seating, created from stranded fishing gear that she collects from beaches in the UK and Puerto Rico. The stylish chairs shown in the picture above are by Bend, creator of products that are made to last, through timeless design and from locally sourced materials. Conscious thinking was also applied to some of the set design with Etsy.com‘s booth being built with materials that were sourced locally and that would be recycled or donated locally.

There wasn’t just a green focus in terms of materials but also in terms of displaying greenery, encouraging greener living through surrounding yourself with plants. The mix of plant stands and shelving units displaying plants was excellent.

Overall, the Fair showcased some great designs and the commitment to natural and sustainable products was a particular highlight. The products mentioned here are only a very small selection – do check out the website for loads more!

 

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