Stockholm’s Fashion Flair
Lola A. Åkerström gives you an overview of the sense of style and fashion in Stockholm.
All photos by author.
While Swedish fashion has often been seen as monochromatic and understated yet stylish, you might be surprised to find much more bold colors and vivid individual styles as you move across town. From colorful bohemian trends and vintage fashion in Stockholm’s edgier district Södermalm to high end coats with skinny jeans and oversized sunglasses in upscale Östermalm, Stockholmers have a wide range of fashion tastes which are often on display all year round.
Early adopters of fashion
Stockholmers love fashion and are often seen as early adopters of different styles. Mostly because of the society’s open mindedness as well as the need to make things as accessible to everyone as soon as possible to encourage equality. Many brands try out trends in Stockholm such as Cheap Monday and its skinny jeans or international brand Desigual known for colorful patchwork designs and campaigns urging shoppers in nothing but underwear to “Come in undressed and go out dressed.”
What’s new on the market in terms of fashion must be available to everyone and as such, you find fashion stylists at many Swedish lifestyle magazines publishing cheaper and similar alternatives to high end brands or celebrity styles that people can readily afford.
Individual style
Most people want to be seen as having good taste and trendy yet do not want to stick out significantly. So what happens in Stockholm is that you’ll find people with similar fashion styles hanging in certain parts of town and fashion in a sense is dividing the city into different parts. What may be considered trendy in one part of town may not be viewed as trendy or fashion-forward in other parts of town.
You’ll find more hipsters, bohemian-chic, punk rock and goth fashionistas in Södermalm, more oversized furs, high heels and large black sunglasses in Östermalm, and casual geek-chic fashions with square-rimmed glasses and flat shoes around Kungsholmen and Norrmalm.
You also have specific brands which cater to certain tastes such as Whyred which creates preppy college-inspired clothing and Acne known for its innovative tapered jean styles.
Fashion Events
Throughout the year, there are usually a ton of fashion events held such as Stockholm Fashion Week – where many Swedish and Nordic designers as well as international brands debut their collections and preview trends which tend to be adopted in one form or another by Stockholmers.
Shopping
Stockholm has a wide array of shopping districts – from high end Biblioteksgatan with its row of designer stores and relatively new upscale shopping center MOOD to more affordable districts like vintage and eclectic shops in the area south of Folkungagatan known as so-fo to shopping outlets like Stockholm Quality Outlets where you can find designer fashion at low prices and everyday items in the Norrmalm district.
Here are some of Stockholm’s popular malls and shopping centers: Upscale MOOD, oldest shopping mall Nordiska Kompaniet (NK), Gallerian, and department store Åhléns City.
