Pärla, Fjällräven, Swedish Hasbeens, Nordic Poetry, Urbanears, One Piece Norway, Marimekko and Vagabond; Does that sound exotic? Well, it kind of is. Out of Boxpark’s 60 containers are almost 10 % Scandinavian at the moment. Marie-Louise Hearinghaus is a swede, working in sales for the pop up store The Brokedown Palace, that sells the infamously popular bag Kånken (Fjällräven, a swedish brand established 1960). The pop up store opened in November 2013 and now has a permanent place in Boxpark.
– I think it is a fascination for Scandinavian and especially Swedish culture, film and fashion. I believe that Sweden is associated with quality and purity. My customers are men, first and foremost. It is popular with functional fashion, being a fashionable street person that looks like he is going camping. It is way for Londoners to feel like they are getting closer to nature, says Marie-Louise.
Amelie Lindgren is another swede in Boxpark. She opened her vintage shop Nordic Poetry here in October 2013 but has been working with her brand since 2012, when she launched her web site www.nordicpoetry.com.
– Boxpark contacted me and said that they liked my website and my branding and I got a contract for my pop up store. I want to keep this store and open another one in the future, says Amelie.
Carefully selected Armani jeans, colourful shirts, motorcycle jackets and a red (can-can looking) wedding dress from the 1920’s hangs on the wall. Amelie shows me a grey, old picture wearing the dress on her wedding day.
– She was way ahead of her time, says Amelie.
Nordic Poetry is the only vintage shop in Boxpark. With its exclusively hand picked clothes and designer items it is more expensive and sorted than the average vintage shop. The most Nordic item that Nordic Poetry have been selling is a classic Norwegian sweater called ”Lusekofta”.
– The ”Lusekofta” was really, really popular two years ago and they can cost up to £500 new if you want the best quality.
– Swedish brands are very popular in the U.K right now, and they have been for the last year. Brits are obessed with swedish design. I think its because Sweden and the Nordic countries represent quality and clean design. The name “Nordic Poetry” is obviously from my origin but I also wanted it to represent the vintage items as poetic, they all have a story to tell, says Amelie.
