Thanks to a new group of artisans, Swedish craftsmanship is no longer synonymous with Dalecarlian horses, wooden butter knives and crocheted pot-holders. These modern-day craftsmen are putting the rock ‘n’ roll back into crafts, introducing innovative ways of utilising traditional methods. We’ve spoken to four modern day craftsmen.
Accessorizing with luxury
Listening to Sunshine Cunningham tell the story of her anything-but-straight-and-narrow road to success is like going 100 kilometers per hour down a bumpy mountain road while listening to indie music and replacing the windshield with a kaleidoscope.
At the ripe young age of 14, this colorful mix of Danish, English, Canadian, Armenian and other undetermined ancestry (apparently Sunshine’s grandmother fell into the arms of a ”dark and handsome man” at one point), decided to leave the family homestead in a provincial town in Småland, Sweden. ”I wanted to be adopted and move to Denmark”, she says. “But my parents would only go as far as letting me go to a boarding school on Zealand.”
Sunshine Cunningham’s family was entirely made up of creative people and both her parents were artists – a heritage that she tried desperately to erase. ”No matter what I did, I somehow always fell back into creating things.”
After leaving school at 17, Sunshine moved into the city of Copenhagen and straight into a politically-charged situation, when she took up residency in a squat along with a like-minded crowd. This is where she started buying leftover leather from local shops to stitch together pieces of scrap, creating “cool” pants for her friends. ”It was true handicraft, as I had no tools. The result was crude, simple and of questionable durability”. It was also the embryo to what would become a successful story of handmade, exclusive and original leather handbags, where no detail is overlooked and nothing is added unless it has a true meaning.
The craftsmanship
After something of an ad hoc career that took her on a winding road all over the world, Sunshine’s creations had gained something of a reputation back in Sweden. She returned here in 2001 and initiated a more structured path, designing high-end leather bags for a company in Sweden, followed by a stint for an Indian company before deciding to return to her own label.
Sunshine’s passion for design shines through in her work. She relentlessly creates designs that all seem to have a personal meaning to her. Unnecessary details are removed unless a proven meaning can be found, either design-wise or function-wise. There is a true conviction in the use of honest materials and being completely transparent in the process. Every element of the production process is carefully thought through – all the way from the locally-sourced leather of the bags themselves, to the dust bags and boxes that they are finally wrapped in.
Another example of her true conviction is how casually she mentions that it on average takes about 18 hours to produce a bag – a far cry from the mass-produced units usually found on main street shelves.
The outcome
It might be something of a cliché, but it’s nevertheless true – Sunshine Cunningham’s bags are the result of a vision without compromise. Add to that the use of materials sourced from one single tanner (Tärnsjö in Sweden) and throw in elements such as hand-picked lining, zippers and dust bags, no stone is left unturned in the search to guarantee the superior quality of the final product. One might think that her tornado-like personality would guarantee a fun but whimsical and eclectic end product, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Take for instance her signature bag “Knots and Ties,” a creation so aesthetically pleasing that it most certainly makes for a design that will last you a lifetime. No pieces in her collection are dependent on or governed by seasons or ever-changing trends. Instead, they are made to enhance your wardrobe and stand the test of time.
Even if her small-scale, ultra-luxurious products aren’t flooding the market, international retail chains and other stakeholders seem to initiate courtships in order to woo her into partnerships. One collaboration is already set in motion: Livia Firth (the wife of actor Colin Firth) is putting a selection of Sunshine’s bags up for sale at high-end fashion site Yoox.com during the spring of 2013.
Snickeriet: Building tomorrow’s furniture
The quartet that constitute the fine carpentry Snickeriet are all 30 years of age. But that is where the common denominator ends. Having met at different educational programs, this diverse group of acquaintances met up for a talk and shortly after decided to set up shop together. Snickeriet was launched in May of 2012.
The company consists of two designers and two cabinetmakers. Karl-Johan Hjerling and Karin Wallenbeck (who have previously worked for clients such as Acne and Svenskt Tenn) draw up rough sketches of the pieces, while cabinetmakers Gunnar Dahl and Karolina Stenfelt (both with experience from clients such as TAF Architects and Byredo perfumes) hand-make the designs in their Bromma carpentry. “Karl-Johan and Karin work on outlines and come to us with their ideas at quite an early stage. Together, we rework the product until we’re completely happy with every single detail”, explains Dahl.
The craftsmanship
Snickeriet’s main objective is to produce products that are completely untouched by compromise. “There is always a way to reach the expression one aims for”, says Dahl. “When one chooses to compromise, it usually comes down to not letting oneself take the time to find the ultimate solution, but instead being satisfied with something you know works. We simply choose not to compromise with the end result.”
To be able to fully focus on the in-house collection, Snickeriet combines the roles of furniture producer and commission carpentry. Every decision from idea to final production stays in their own hands at all times. That way, they are allowed to work on solutions that would have been rejected by most other furniture producers.
The outcome
Since May, Snickeriet’s own collection has been on display at fashion store Nitty Gritty on Krukmakargatan in Stockholm. The four objects that comprise this first collection are the cabinet Havet, the cupboard Frank, the desk Verk and the lamp Fä. Each of the pieces can be seen as a solitaire, and has it’s own, innovative look and expression. “It isn’t the choice of material that is the most important aspect, but how we treat the material. The cabinet Havet is a good example of this. We’ve used regular Swedish pine, but it manifests itself in a way that is usually not expected of pine.”
In contrast to Havet’s black, hand-chiselled surface resembling that of a dark, stormy ocean stands the cupboard Frank’s ultra light, transparent exterior made out of plexi glass. Verk is a desk based on the shape of a single drawer, while the pendant lamp Fä is constructed using flat leather that is pressed into its three-dimension form.
Sandra Backlund for Kasthall: Knitting her way to the top
“It was never my intent to specialize like this, it just happened,” says 37-year-old designer Sandra Backlund, whose work with yarn turns knitted clothing into truly avant-garde artworks.
After having graduated from Beckmans Collage of Design in 2004, Backlund almost immediately set up her own name brand in Stockholm. Having received tons of attention for using human hair in the looks she sent down the runway for her examination project, she got her first glimpse of appreciation on the pages of British alternative fashion magazine i-D.
In 2007, Backlund won the grand prix at the Festival International De Mode & Photographie in Hyères, France. The following year, Franca Sozzani of Vogue Italia asked Backlund to be her protégé for the Protegé Project and for the creation of a runway collection presented in Florence. She also presents a seasonal collection under her own brand.
The craftsmanship
In spite of having worked for the likes of Louis Vuitton and Pucci, Backlund has a very humble approach to her craftsmanship. “It is a great responsibility, working as a designer today, justifying why you’re one of the ones out there with the right to keep producing new items to an already overcrowded world”, she says. “I’m a strong advocate for recycling, but at the same time I believe that we can’t live on reused things alone. We also need access to contemporary visions of our time. Therefore, we need to focus on what we’re really good at, and leave the rest to those who do it better. For me, that is what genuine craftsmanship is about.”
In her work, Backlund has always been fixated on how one can either accentuate or distort the body’s natural silhouette and shapes. Her focus lies on dressing and undressing different bodyparts in the search for dynamism. “I don’t sketch – I work with three-dimensional collage techniques to develop ‘components’ that I multiply and assemble in various ways in the creation of a garment.”
The outcome
One of Backlunds most recent pieces is Solitaire Knit, a limited edition yarn sculpture that brings her work to new, previously undiscovered heights. In collaboration with the Swedish carpet manufacturer Kasthall, Backlund was asked to select one of the brand’s more than 6,000 wool yarns and was given full freedom in its creation. “I didn’t want to label what it would be, but leave it up to the viewer to decide on what it is”, explains Backlund.
Solitaire Knit is currently on display in Kasthall’s glorious new flagship store on Ingmar Bergmans gata 4 in Stockholm, and is limited to only 20 units.
All Blues: The link to success
At the tender age of 18 and 19, Fredrik Nathorst and Jacob Skragge went on a mission to convert two of Stockholm’s most well-respected establishments for gentlemanly style. Equipped only with sketches, the duo spoke to the storeowners about their dream to change the way style-conscious men view accessories. The feedback? If Nathorst and Skragge had the ability to produce what they envisioned, the shops would be happy to sell their products.
Almost three years later, Nathorst and Skragge run the up-and-coming accessories brand All Blues, where focus currently lies on the creation and marketing of beautifully-crafted bracelets. “It’s our dream to run a business where we can fully direct our attention to designing bracelets for men”, says Skragge, who has taken charge as MD for the company, while Nathorst’s focal point lies on the artistic side as creative director.
The craftsmanship
Since the start of All Blues, the duo has always based their well-received product on their own taste – and that of a fashion-conscious friend of theirs. “Whatever he wears looks so casual. That is really how we reason – we’re inspired by people around us.”
Although All Blues is looking to expand beyond Swedish borders, mass production of the pieces has never been of interest. “Mass-producing without knowledge can go horribly wrong. We want to learn the genuine craftsmanship and really get to know our own products. To attain this, we instigate close collaborations with other jewellery designers to learn through experience. Admittedly, we’ve made quite a few mistakes on our way before the products have come to the stage of quality where we like them to be.”
The outcome
All Blues has just launched their third collection, divided into four categories. The most exclusive range is that of the silver bracelets, a minimalistic wristband that is forged into its C-shaped design by forgers around the country.
Traditionally, All Blues is known for its pearl-shaped bracelets made out of natural substances such as lava, minerals and stone. This new collection features the stone-link versions with a selection of rocks from all around the globe hand-threaded on silk string. Two braided bracelets made from Italian leather and Swedish cotton make out the base of the collection.
“Nature inspires us. It might sound like a cliché, but we love how nature already has shapes and patterns everywhere. Take our stone bracelets as an example, they are just carved down miniatures of larger stones seen in nature.”
All Blues bracelets can be found in the recently opened shop-in-shop concept at Paul & Friends in Stockholm, one of the original stores to take in the brand.
Words: Magnus Wittbjer & Micha Van Dinther
