Not only is Stockholm menswear label Uniforms for the Dedicated one of the most talked-about brands at the moment – with their easy-to-wear, sleek designs, they have also made a point of becoming the top-performing fashion brand in the world when it comes to environmental awareness and sustainability.
The gang refer to the brand as a “creative house” or an umbrella under which they create, produce and distribute within the fields that excite and inspire them. But no matter what area they choose to work in, the long-term focus is on “causing minimal harm to Mother Earth”.
“The brand has grown and developed in several ways since the start, now primarily offering a menswear collection for the man with a curious eye, as well as various projects within music, film, art & furniture,” says Fredrik Wikholm, the creative director and founding partner of Uniforms for the Dedicated.
How did the brand come into being?
We started in 2007 as a dedicated collective of friends and artists, but the idea had started to germinate way earlier, as a snowboard collective back early 2002-03, an entrepreneurial venture together that struck a chord in all of us, I guess. At the time we saw potential in doing pretty much anything, but step by step we´ve boiled it down to what we are today.
Today our man and our customer is a confident seeker, critical yet curious, well-dressed yet comfortable, with strong opinions and values yet open to the new, aware of how the right versus the wrong kind of consumption effects earth, yet still enjoying good things in life, somewhat of age but young at heart.
How long have you been interested in fashion and design?
I think it has grown over the years, yet it’s still on a reasonably low-level compared to many in this business. We haven´t really been all that interested in fashion and we still aren’t – we like style, quality, designing and letting products come to life.
My own interest lies in behavioral patterns, how what you consume and wear affects you and your surroundings. After my behavioral science studies those patterns, marketing communication and brand-building became more and more interesting.
You are trying to make ‘Uniforms’ the most environmentally conscious brand in the world. How did you get the idea?
The people behind the company are all from the ocean and the mountains – surfers, snowboarders and climbers. We all agree that we want to keep those oceans and mountains available for generations to come. It´s become drastically clear that changes need to be made – however we, a growing part of humanity, will not stop consuming because of the fact that the whole system would crumble and fall. With that said, changes can still be made in what we consume – ‘how and why has that product been designed and produced’ is and will always be the critical questions to ask yourself as part of a development team, but even more so as a consumer.
Change is going to come no matter we like it or not, why not take part in step by step leading that change?
How is your plan going? Any success with the sustainability-project?
How is it going? Good question. On the one hand you can say that it´s moving terribly slowly, on the other hand you can say we´re actually making progress. Right now we´re at a shallow level in the ocean of sustainability. Many of the garments are based on hemp, organic or – even better – recycled cotton, recycled poly, tencels, organic-finished wools and so forth. Certain factories have solar panel driven production lines and strong certification.
With that said, even if we’ve actually come further than many other brands, it´s still baby steps compared to where we need and want to go. We´re in a strategic process, the five-year plan is coming in to place, we´re investing in having a person full-on dedicated to these matters and trying to root it deep into the organization. We´re also working on certain partnerships with sustainability funds, organizations and textile schools, but it does take time. Many a company in the chain of supply need to start thinking more long-term to get the right quality product out there.
And do you live as you learn?
I´d like to think so but if you start shining a light through every detail of our lives and working methods you´re bound to find many an evidence that play to the contrary. As mentioned, you can´t just tip over to the good side and believe that everything can be 100 percent sustainable over night. The absolute primary purpose of our existence right here, right now is to make a quality-driven commercial product that there is a demand for.
If there is no demand for the product we´ll be the least sustainable option on the market, no matter how clean the production process might be. If there isn´t a good enough alternative in, let´s say, a recycled material then we have to turn to conventional production and maybe in a few years time convince that producer to start making changes.
On a personal level, common sense takes you far – consider not eating industrially processed meat or crops, check ratings for fish in the ocean, get on your bike instead of in your car, maybe surf instead of drag racing and so forth. You can still be a wild child, do many of the funky things that pull your trigger, and yet keep Mother Earth in mind. She´s been feeding us for a while now…
What has been the international response on your designs?
Positive, I´d say. We are focused on what is termed the ‘right’ type of distribution in the world, right now focusing on Europe and Asia. It sounds a bit ridiculous, it´s not so much of a focus as it is what we can handle and where the approach comes from. We wholesale to about 160 stores in roughly 20 countries and approximately 75 percent of our turnover that we don’t sell as retail ourselves is exported. The biggest markets are Sweden, UK, Italy, Germany and Japan.
I know that Sweden can be a stable home market but our type of product is not very Swedish in any sense, and the potential for growth is primarily in major cities around the world. We are looking more and more at markets in a demographic way, hence London, New York and Paris could in theory be the same market, especially with communication being as online-based as it is.
Uniforms are based in Stockholm, just above Mariatorget on Södermalm, close to where many of the people behind the brand live. Both the office and the store are located in the area, which creates a safe haven, as well as a constant inspiration for the designers.
What do you like the most about Stockholm?
Without a doubt the combination of the urban environment and all the nature. I can take part in a graffiti safari, go swim, do some rock climbing and finish off with a stunning cocktail at Tjoget, then continue to Trädgården and dance together with 1,500 people to a live set from Todd Terje, all in the same day. It´s simply very dynamic and things are emoting forward rather rapidly to be Sweden.
What are your plans for the future?
We will achieve our goals and continue to be happy doing what we do, hopefully inspire a lot of people around the world into being a showcase for a successful business that has grown out of lack of knowledge, with a whole lot of entrepreneurial drive and tons of curiosity. We want to be a part of the change that will have to come, and we will be.
