Scandinavian Man Radio Hour

In the coming days, we will be relaunching our podcast as an audio/video talk show under a new name. THE INNOVATORS PODCAST is our contribution to the global conversation on sustainability, technology, and artificial intelligence. We are going to talk to designers, creative directors, researchers, technologists, journalists… Mostly, but not always, from a Scandinavian perspective. Keep an eye out next week on Apple Podcasts, Youtube, and IGTV for these conversations. 

”I’m taking the first class business train to Milan Design Week.” This week, we are revisiting a talk that was held during Stockholm Design Week. Emil Thorup is fonder of Danish design brand Handvärk, designers Emma Olbers recently delivered a project for Nationalmuseum, and Kajsa Melchior is made her debut in the Greenhouse exhibition during Stockholm Furniture Fair. They all had a lot to say about sustainability and the future of design. This conversation was recorded live at our new Headquarters on Mäster Samuelsgatan 42 in Stockholm. 

”When people get offline and go into the nature, that will be reflected in fashion.” Asger Juel Larsen is an influential Danish designer. He talks about his new project Unridden, inspired by the world of surfing and created using old wetsuits. This conversion was recorded live at Pitti Uomo 95. Enjoy!

"We want to broaden masculinity and make men to feel confident and sexy in a way they hadn't before.” Andreas Palm is the co-founder of the much-hyped underwear label CDLP. He  talks about branding, entrepreneurship and how he managed to get CDLP into influential retail outlets like Barney’s and Mr Porter. Recorded live at Pitti Uomo 95. Enjoy!

”Sometimes the costumer educates us.” Erik Danielson is the menswear buyer for the iconic Stockholm store Nitty Gritty. For almost 30 years, Nitty Gritty has been catering to an initiated consumer, bringing some of the world’s best brands to the Swedish market. During his 12 years with the company, Erik has observed how the menswear consumer has evolved, how storytelling has become an even more important part of the business, and how outdoor and fashion is merging more and more. Enjoy! 

Rasmus Storm is the founder of the iconic concept store Storm Copenhagen. Rasmus is known for paving his own way in the world of fashion, and his independence has led him to collaborations with Virgil Abloh and Kanye West. He is also something of a lifestyle artist, with a very active life outside fashion, doing military training on the streets of Copenhagen. Rasmus Storm has strong opinions about where the fashion industry is headed, both online and offline. Enjoy!

”We are seeing a redefinition of masculinity happening in Scandinavia right now.” Jacob Östberg is a professor of marketing at Stockholm University and has studied masculinity and consumption in Scandinavia. Together with designer T-Michael from Bergen, and Andrew Weitz from Los Angeles they discussed the state of masculinity today during our Pitti Uomo Panel series. Enjoy!

”The consumer won't buy an ugly product just because it’s eco-friendly. It has to be super nice.” Fredrik Ekström of Tretorn, Karl-Johan Bogefors of Filippa K, and Josefin Liljeqvist of her namesake brand Josefin Liljekvist are all working to change the fashion ecosystem. During this conversation at Pitti Uomo 94, we learn how brands can bring about change through changing the process in which they make and market their products. Enjoy!

”I want to build a world that I would like to live in.” Johan Hellström is a beauty entrepreneur, hairdresser, and owner of ironic hair care brand Björn Axén. Johan was only 27 years old when we found out that he was the sole heir to Björn Axén’s entire life’s work. Björn Axén was an innovator in the field of hairdressing, learned his craft in Paris, and became an official supplier to the Royal Court. But he was not a great businessman, so when Johan took over the company, he started a journey to revive and rebuild the company and its culture from a very value-based perspective. Enjoy!          

”We want to bring the warmth, fun, and sexiness back to the brand.” Karl-Johan is the brand director at Filippa K and one of Sweden's most experienced fashion operatives, having worked with brands like JC, Malene Birger, Absolut, and COs. But he started his career at Filippa K, when he entered as the company’s 7th employee. During his first years, he was instrumental in launching Filippa K’s men’s collection. Now, after a ten year hiatus, he is back at the company together with Filippa Knutsson, who also has made a comeback as creative director. Enjoy!

”The dream of going international was there from the beginning.” Andreas von der Heide, founder of Danish fashion brand Les Deux, has a fascinating background as an entrepreneur, coming from the world of business rather than design. At age 21 he gave himself the insurmountable task of creating a new lifestyle brand from the ground up, inspired by his hero Ralph Lauren. A few years later, he is well underway of establishing Les Deux in the Nordics and Great Britain. Enjoy! 

”Going out to the world, being Scandinavian is an icebreaker. Everybody loves what we stand for.” In this episode we are revisiting the international launch of Scandinavian MAN in London last week. We speak to one of our most important retailers in the city, Jeremy Leslie of Magculture, and hear from one of the editor’s visiting our brand presentations, Andrew Barker of C Magazine. We will also listen to our symposium, titled ’Building a brand with Scandinavian Values’, featuring Thomas Örum, marketing director at Shamballa Jewels, John-Ruben Holtback, founder of L'Homme Rouge, and Andreas von der Heide, founder of Les Deux. Enjoy!

”I think there is a paradigm shift happening right now.” This is a special retail episode of the Radio Hour. We are talking challenges and opportunities with Annelie Gullström, Head of Business Development at AMF Fastigheter and the woman who has overseen the creation of The Lobby, the new marketplace in Stockholm where we recently opened the Scandinavian MAN Popup Shop. Plus: learn why Asket, Nikolaj d’Étoiles, and Volvo are joining Scandinavian MAN in The Lobby. Enjoy!   

”The creatives are extremely important for the company, but nothing works unless you have the ability to actually make money”. Jan Carl Adelswärd is a well-known investor in the Swedish fashion industry and has previously worked with brands like Filippa K and Wesc. Today he is involved in companies like Sneakersnstuff, Stutterheim, and his own brand Baron Bags. Scandinavian MAN met Jan Carl for a conversation about the fine art of balancing between the creative and the commercial, and how e-commerce is quickly transforming the industry. Enjoy!    Thanks to Helio coworking spaces for hosting us in their pod studio. 
The music in the shows is produced by Nils Lundberg.

”You're always squeezed into standard sizes. That doesn't take into account that human beings are shaped very differently”. Finding the right fit was one of several problems that founders August Bard Bringéus and Jakob Dworsky wanted to solve when they started Asket. Scandinavian MAN met the duo to talk about the history of the brand, the online business model that provides high quality for a decent price, and their ideas around transparency. Enjoy! Thanks to Helio coworking spaces for hosting us in their pod studio. 
The music in the shows is produced by Nils Lundberg.

”We are more about style than fashion, and what I love about it is that we never get uptight”. Christopher Bastin is the new Creative Director of the Danish menswear brand NN07. He has been in the fashion business for 25 years, working for brands like Acne Studios and Whyred. He is most famous for his 10 years at Gant, where he founded the iconic sub-label Gant Rugger and ultimately became creative director for the whole brand. Scandinavian MAN met Christopher to talk about his new ”hometown" Copenhagen, the successful journey with Gant, and his lifelong passion for denim. Enjoy!   Thanks to Helio coworking spaces for hosting us in their pod studio. 
The music in the shows is produced by Nils Lundberg.

”In Scandinavia, we want to dress up but also dress functionally”. Daniel Lindström, who this year celebrates 20 years as fashion director at Café Magazine (the GQ of Sweden), is one of the most influential fashion journalists in the Nordics. Scandinavian MAN met Daniel for a conversation about the evolution of men’s fashion, his fascination for Prada’s shows in Milan, and his love for Scandinavian furniture design. Enjoy! Thanks to Helio coworking spaces for hosting us in their pod studio. 
The music in the shows is produced by Nils Lundberg.

”Our vision for Tictail is to build a category-defining business, one of the top five e-commerce businesses in the world”. Carl Rivera (formerly Waldecranz), CEO and co-founder of Tictail, talks about where his company is heading. Carl lives in New York, but Scandinavian MAN met Carl in his native Stockholm for a conversation about the highs and the lows of Tictail, the differences between running a company in Sweden and the US, and his views on the future of retail. Enjoy! Thanks to Helio coworking spaces for hosting us in their pod studio. 
The music in the shows is produced by Nils Lundberg.

”It forces us to think in a different way, and to be more creative in how to do the retail experience”. Interior designers Christian and Ruxandra Halleröd talks about the challenges they, and their customers, face when e-commerce is growing and retail is declining. The couple is famous for creating environments for brands like Acne Studios and Byredo. Scandinavian MAN met them at this years Stockholm Furniture Fair, for a conversation about designing stores, using wood, hotels in Paris and when it’s ok to use fake materials. Enjoy! Thanks to Helio coworking spaces for hosting us in their pod studio. 
The music in the shows is produced by Nils Lundberg.

”People were interested because we were so much younger than everybody else at the fair. And it was pretty obvious that we were a duo, doing something, and we weren’t bloggers, so people asked what are they up to”. In their late teens Saman Amel and Dag Granath created a buzz at Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy. It started with handmade ties, now the brand Atelier Saman Amel is well known for handcrafted custom tailoring and luxury knitwear. Scandinavian MAN met the duo to talk about how it all started, how they managed to build a profitable company and their modern business model that includes social media and trunk shows. Enjoy!     Thanks to Helio coworking spaces for hosting us in their pod studio. 
The music in the shows is produced by Nils Lundberg.