The Re:Thinkers
Stockholm is buzzing with creative talent – locals that in the near future very well might change the world around you. Totally Stockholm lists the people that reuse, repurpose and reinvent life as you know it.
words // Magnus Wittbjer and Micha van Dinther
The aesthetic recycler:
Fredrik Wikholm, Uniforms for the Dedicated
“The end product comes alive. Imperfection is perfection in our book.”
Uniforms for the Dedicated live in accordance to a simple creed – to become one of the world’s leading sustainable brands, and to promote transparency in the whole production process, from idea to final product. Comprising of a closely-knit tribe of artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers and carpenters that grew out of a snowboard collective, the design group was founded in 2007. Jointly, they have created a collection of clothes (now sold in approximately 140 stores in 20 countries), a newly-launched line of furniture and several stand-alone projects that involve art, music and film.
Although Uniforms for the Dedicated is well known all over the world, the brand has until recently lived an anonymous existence. However, that is all about to change since their first retail store has opened its doors on Krukmakargatan 24 on Södermalm. Creative director Fredrik Wikholm proudly shows us around the store, which features a white bathtub filled with leafy plants, a wall with no less than twelve chairs suspended on it and wall racks containing the latest fashions from their autumn and winter collections.
Why a store, and why now?
The opening of a store has been in the plans for two to three years. But we haven’t felt ready to introduce people to our entire universe until now. We find that the new address helps clarify who we are. We see it as a showroom, where we can showcase what we’re capable of accomplishing.
What differentiates you from other design and lifestyle boutiques?
Firstly, almost everything you see in here is for sale – from the chairs on the wall to the rolling wardrobe. We feel that the new collection of furniture frames and highlights the sustainable aspect of the clothes, which for the most part are made out of fabrics manufactured in a more sustainable way than usual. We keep track of where everything comes from, and whom we work with. We want to show our customers that it is possible to be fun, crisp and modern even though we choose to work with recycled cotton.
And the furniture – is it also recycled?
All the wood is reclaimed and comes from Mälardalen or the archipelago. You wouldn’t believe how many people want to get rid of wood from old sheds that they tear down. It feels very important to us that we only work with materials that have enjoyed a previous life and that we’re able to give a second life cycle.
What is the best part of working with reclaimed materials?
The fact that it gives an amazing uniqueness. The end product comes alive. Imperfection is perfection in our book.
www.uniformsforthededicated.com
The palate cleansers:
Adam Dahlberg and Albin Wessman, Adam & Albin Matstudio
“It is a restaurant where you can kick back, relax and just hang out while having a damn good meal.”
Stockholm foodies have a new but somewhat elusive destination to visit in search of solace and sustenance for a growling gut. Adam & Albin Matstudio takes the fine out of fine dining, without compromising the quality of what is being plated. Despite its irregular opening times, the restaurant is sure to excel in rubbing the palate the right way, providing living room atmosphere while at it.
Adam Dahlberg and Albin Wessman grew up on different sides of the country, in Stockholm and Gothenburg respectively, and have both worked with some of the best in the industry. They have been a dynamic gourmet duo since they first met at Bon Lloc seven years ago.
How did you come up with the idea around Adam & Albin Matstudio and the restaurant weekend concept?
The initial idea included something resembling a pop-up restaurant. Completely based on spontaneity, we basically open up for business when we feel like it and are able to toy with the best produce available. There are no set dates or times. What we bring to the table is an eatery in which we would like to eat ourselves. We are a far cry from endless tasting menus, wine pairings and white tablecloths. Adam & Albin Matstudio is a restaurant where you can kick back, relax and just hang out and socialize while having a damn good meal.
What do you wish to accomplish by hosting the restaurant weekends?
We want to provide food quality matched by no other restaurant in town. Since we are not open on a daily basis, we never get into a daily grind of doing things. Instead, there is a genuine feel of joy and excitement leading up to every opening night. The high spirits rub off on all of us, which set the mood in the dining room. We are all having a great time – staff and guests alike.
In what way do you consider yourselves challenging the norm in the restaurant business?
First there is the format of the restaurant itself. We are not open all the time. It is all a little secretive and kept under wraps. There is no set rhythm to when we are open or not. It happens when we feel like it. Then there is the experience from the guests’ point of view, where we try to provide something entirely different to the standard fare in Stockholm fine dining. Devoid of set menus and wine selections, at Adam & Albin Matstudio you eat and drink whatever combo you prefer.
The cultural igniter:
Anna Koch, Weld
“My ideas are often conceived from my own reactions to various events and occurrences.”
Choreographer and citizen of the world Anna Koch is the driving force behind groundbreaking and innovative art-house Weld, located in the heart of the Vasastan district. Over the last number of years, she has curated or produced more than 150 performances featuring evocative, and sometimes provocative themes in the small, bunker-like basement space.
Anna’s background is pretty diverse, and as a result she has the ability to move freely between various art forms such as dance, art, music and performance art even though her formal education and training has been in dance.
What did you feel Stockholm was lacking in as far as the performing arts scene goes?
Having worked abroad during an extended period, during which time I spent quite a bit in New York City, I truly felt the need for a venue that could work as a home to iterate and extend dance as an art form. I also wanted to put other aspects of performance art into the mix. Art, music, dance and literature are all different genres within the arts and at Weld we are open to all of them – separately or mixed into one. Traditionally the Stockholm art scene has been quite fragmented and divided into separate entities. Weld is a melting pot where different branches meet. We produce our own performances and resident artists create their own pieces.
Where do you get your ideas and who are your role models?
My ideas are often conceived from my own reactions to various events and occurrences that are not cut to fit a certain description. I am working with everything from a macro to a micro perspective. To me, inspiring people are headstrong and persistent creators who never waiver from their conviction and who do their thing without feeling the need to conform or please others in the process.
Would you say that there is a typical visitor at Weld?
We have a very diverse crowd that comes to enjoy Weld performances. I would say that they come from all ages and walks of life, but with a common denominator in that they are open and curious people.
Is the average citizen of Stockholm open to Weld’s productions?
We put together performances and art forms that are available and accessible to everybody. At times, we perform in venues outside Weld in order to be able to host larger groups of people. As an example the Symphony of a Missing Room, by Lundahl & Seitl was held at Nationalmuseum in 2010.
The urban reshapers:
Carl Jägnefält and Konrad Milton, Jägnefält Milton
”It is important that our projects make sense in the specific environment, whichever it may be”
In the past, Stockholm hasn’t necessarily been a city to look to for pioneering architecture. Due to strict conservatism in the local city council overseeing all new construction, focus has been put on keeping the city traditionally “pretty”, which is something many hope will change as the project Arkitektur Stockholm was launched earlier this year. Until now, few architects have succeeded in capturing the interest of lovers of trail-blazing architecture.
One firm clearly dedicated to thinking outside the box is Jägnefält Milton, run by Carl Jägnefält and Konrad Milton. Although a tiny studio, the duo have made it big on the glossy pages of the world’s leading architectural magazines with their distinctive and diverse projects. Aside from working on innovative housing projects in the Stockholm area, they have marked the height of their creativity and originality with a handful of initiatives all around Europe.
For Hotel Furillen on the island of Gotland, they are currently developing Black Lodge, a set of triangular huts made out of pine trees, constructed using an old Swedish frame technique. These are to be placed on a desolate beach and rented out as close-to-nature suites. For the concept Rolling Masterplan, Jägnefält Milton worked on the idea of using existing abandoned rail tracks in Norway’s Åndalsnes, creating a city of rolling buildings (including a mobile hotel, swimming pool and concert hall).
What characterises your unique architectural style?
It is hard to give a good answer to that question when you’re completely engrossed in what you do. Our hope is that we’ll never get to that point where we can give you a clear answer, but at the same time we believe that you will be able to see a common thread in all our work. This thread is not based on a style but on who we are and what we’re interested in.
In many of your projects, for example Treehouse, Black Lodge and Rolling Masterplan, you work with an unusual approach to architecture. What is your philosophy?
Being different hasn’t been an objective in itself; we don’t follow any specific isms or philosophies at all.
How about the choice of working with the repurposing of materials and infrastructures, such as in the Black Lodge and Rolling Masterplan projects?
The repurposing that occurs in our work is not necessarily a means to an end, in the same way as commencing with something that has been wiped clean of its history isn’t a goal. To us, it is important that our projects and the materials we use make sense in the specific environment, whichever it may be.
What can we except from Jägnefält Milton in the future?
Oscar Properties [the property developer that rebuilds buildings with previous application areas of use such as schools, factories and post offices, editor’s note] is one of few contractors that share our views on architecture. Together, we work on several interesting domicile properties in Stockholm. Aside from that, we currently work on a few projects that are close to nature.
The bar booster:
Michael Bergström, Bartenders’ Choice Awards
“We strive to take the bartenders of Stockholm to the same level as the city’s high-ranking chefs.”
Michael Bergström is a true driving force and trendsetter in his quest to invigorate the boozy landscape of Stockholm’s burgeoning and internationally-inclined bar and cocktail scene. These days, the style conscious inhabitants want to imbibe a little more sophistication than the standard beer or house wine-fare.
The Bartenders’ Choice Awards are the brainchild of Michael and his colleague Joel Katzenstein. The inititiative was born of and inspired by their travels to all corners of the world to observe, listen and experience what is being done out there, as well as attending events such as New Orleans Tales of the Cocktail, San Francisco Cocktail Week and Tokyo International Bar Show. Aside from arranging a yearly award, the Bartenders’ Choice Awards regularly bring in world-class bartenders for workshops. At the end of these events, a one-night-only tasting is set up for the general public.
The aim of Bartenders’ Choice Awards is to raise the status of bartenders and promote development, inspiration and innovation in the business. How do you accomplish that?
We came up with the idea of creating a proper award to create something to strive for among all the talented people out there. That’s how Bartenders’ Choice Award was born. The judges are sourced from the best in the industry and they provide credibility among the participants. We strive to take the bartenders of Stockholm to the same level as the city’s high-ranking chefs, and give them the same kind of recognition and reputation as their food creating counterparts.
What is your general impression of the existing Stockholm cocktail scene today?
I would definitely say that it ranks pretty high in an international comparison. I recently visited Sam Ross and Mickey McIlroy at Milk & Honey in New York City, who both heaped acclaim on Stockholm’s bar scene. Bear in mind that these guys both have won basically every international award that there is to win out there. Fellow Swede Johan Ekelund of Happiness Forgets in London recently visited Stockholm and was astonished by the generally very high skill and quality levels.
Can you name an area where the Stockholm bar scene lacks in refinement?
A clearly defined area where we lack in skills revolves around how to take good care of the customer. Personally, I would even like to go as far as hiring psychologists to analyze our interactions with patrons, in order to find the path to a proper sense of true customer service. In Japan, the bar customer is almost treated like royalty and in the United States bartenders keep working for tips and realize the direct correlation between happy customers and their own earnings. This is where we’ve got a lot to learn.
If you suddenly feel like a cocktail in Stockholm, where do you go and what do you order?
There are so many good places to choose from these days: Little Quarter, Tjoget, Häktet, Reisen, Svartengrens and Nobis just to name a few. I love boozy cocktails and tend to pick the ones that are based on aged spirits. Rock ’n Rye, Old Fashioned, Side Car, Dark ’n Stormy are a few of my personal favorites.
