Swedish clothing brands are having a moment and it’s about time; sophisticated design, playful proportions and luxurious materials make Swedish style the perfect modern look.

Paris and Milan have had their time; this decade it’s Stockholm dominating the fashion landscape. In an era of conscious shopping, fashion consumers are looking for classics that will last, increasingly favoring a pared back, Scandinavian aesthetic that looks both contemporary and timeless. 

Swedish style is characterized by monochromatic minimalism balanced with youthful irreverence in the use pattern and color – think vibrant checked scarves over clean, dark tailoring and layered neutrals. The off-duty influencer look – oversized coat, vintage denim and trainers – with dark glasses for the winter sun, of course – has found its way to London and New York via the street style of Strandvägen and Drottninggatan. 

The predominance of knitwear and outerwear in Swedish clothing brands’ lines is owed to the harsh climate and is part of their appeal – the Swedes have perfected warmth and wearability with characteristic restraint and modernity. They also excel at juxtaposing functionality and flair, whether it is bare legs beneath a voluminous wool coat or showcasing a beautifully embroidered collar on a utilitarian cotton shirt. 

So we’d probably all like to look a little more Swedish, but what are the Swedish clothing brands to look to for inspiration and which should you choose if you like your fashion sustainable? 

Check out our round up of the coolest Swedish clothing brands along with details of their eco and sustainability credentials. 

1. Nudie Jeans

Best for: Jeans  

Sustainability: Excellent 

Price: $$

Sizing: XS – XL

“How do you build a profitable business that also gives a sh*t?” asks Nudie Jeans co-founder and former punk rocker Joakim Levin. The answer, as he and textile designer Maria Erixon established, is to put environmental awareness and a concern for human rights at the forefront of the brand, offering free repairs on all jeans and using 95.6% Organic, certified or recycled fibres.

Nudie Jeans design their women’s Swedish denim based on classic styles adapted and perfected for the female form, so you get cool cuts with impeccable fit. They also have a small and covetable collection of dresses, pants and jackets, all produced in line with the brand’s signature sustainable principles.

2. Ganni

Best for: statement t shirts and sweater vests 

Sustainability: getting there 

Price: $$

Sizing: XXS-XXL

Ganni is everywhere right now and achieves that most tricky of fashion feats, that of looking distinctly on brand while also evolving and managing to offer something fresh with each new collection. Like the big, brash brands of the 90s, Ganni puts its own logo front and centre, yet manages to avoid looking vulgar; rather there is something knowingly witty about the GANNI logo splashed across t-shirts, hats and gymwear.

Ganni declares itself ‘not a sustainable brand’, regarding fashion to be inherently about ‘newness and consumption’ but they have been recognised by PETA with a PETA progress award for their efforts to stop the use of virgin animal leather and they have an ambitious plan to lower their environmental impact. 

Also available to shop at The Outnet. 

3. Dedicated

Best for: pattern and colorful design 

Sustainability: excellent 

Price: $

Sizing: XS-XL

Dedicated is the Swedish clothing brand for those looking for some pattern and color. They carry a large range of ready to wear items from underwear and accessories to outerwear – all produced with sustainability at the forefront of the process.

These are fun clothes with a distinctly earth-loving aesthetic – pick up cat themed t-shirts and even an aurora printed puffer (pictured). Dedicated are genuinely committed to lowering environmental impact, ensuring they cover the ILO’S Four Fundamental Freedoms principles for their supply chain and the brand is certified by PETA as vegan. 

4. Eytys

Best for: unisex options 

Sustainability: unknown

Price: $$$

Sizing: XS-XL

Eytys (pronounced ‘eighties’) is a Swedish clothing brand born out of a footwear label. Creative Director Max Schiller describes the brand as ‘refining and elevating classics’ and their first ready to wear collection in 2019 established them as an innovative and modern clothing brand, offering unisex as well as traditionally delineated mens and womenswear collections. Their signature look is youthful and androgynous, featuring distressed denim and oversized mannish shirts. 

Unfortunately, the brand doesn’t publish any sustainability metrics and cannot therefore be described as a sustainable brand in any sense. 

5. Fjallraven

Best for: bags 

Sustainability: getting there 

Price: $$

Sizing: XXS-XXL

The ubiquitousness of Fjallraven’s signature item, the Kanken backpack, has done little to diminish its popularity. These boxy packs, originally designed for Swedish school children – they still include the squishy removable ‘seat’ for sitting comfortably on the playground – remain the stylish commuter’s backpack of choice.

The brand also specialises in outerwear and base layers for freezing weather and who better than Scandinavians to design for warmth? The brand is committed to becoming more sustainable, using lower impact materials and ethically sourced down, however it cannot guarantee a living wage throughout its supply chain. 

6. Filippa K

Best for: monochrome outfits with impact 

Sustainability: getting there 

Price: $$$

Sizing: XS -XL

Filippa K designs are the sort of clothes we think of as quintessentially Scandinavian; they are sharp and simple in equal measure. 

The Swedish clothing brand is well established, founded in 1993 by Filippa Knuttson, a pioneer of the Scandi minimalist aesthetic. Today the label is led by Creative Director Lissa Kessler, who has previously designed for French fashion houses including Chloe, Lanvin and Saint Laurent. 

This is a brand that will become as familiar as these French icons before long. Accordingly, Filippa K has made efforts to become a more sustainable brand, outlining three ‘pillars of sustainability’: circularity, traceability and impact reduction. Initiatives like using recycled cotton and tracing suppliers through to Tier 4 help them towards this goal but they are not yet a fully sustainable company.

7. Asket

Best for: long lasting basics 

Sustainability: good 

Price: $$

Sizing: XXS-XXL

Asket is a stylish Swedish clothing brand which manages to deliver what so many brands promise – truly timeless classics that are made to last. 

Since 2021 they have produced a capsule collection of women’s essentials, developing one garment at a time to ensure products are continually improved to meet their goal of ‘being around forever’. 

Shop their classic cotton t-shirts, cashmere sweaters and classic cut denim in the knowledge that the brand takes their sustainability very seriously, using eco-friendly materials and tracing their supply chain. 

8. Acne Studios

Best for: accessories 

Sustainability: Getting there 

Price: $$$

Sizing: XXS – XXL

Famed for their oversized, checked scarves in rainbow colours, Acne also produces seasonally evolving collections of menswear and womenswear which showcase classic monochromatic pieces that layer together perfectly.

Like several of the Swedish clothing brands listed here, Acne is a work in progress sustainability-wise – they have impressive targets for themselves in terms of their production and environmental impact but have a way to go before they can be accurately described as a sustainable brand. At the forefront of their plans to improve is a focus on producing beautiful products that customers can enjoy for a long time, and their designs certainly match this aspiration. 

9. Weekday

Best for: oversized jackets and knits 

Sustainability: getting there 

Price: $

Sizing: XS-XL

Weekday is an affordable Swedish clothing brand that balances Scandi minimalism and contemporary shapes with occasional stand out pieces like their tongue in cheek chain link dress (pictured).

They are, as they admit, in the business of producing fashionable clothes and in their words, “our industry isn’t sustainable”. That said, they have made efforts to ensure that their current use of recycled or sustainably sourced materials is at 99% and are expanding a curated ‘2nd-hand’ line. 

10. Residus

Best for: sophisticated separates  

Sustainability: excellent 

Price: $$

Sizing: XS-XL

This sustainable Swedish clothing brand  has the most beautifully slick, minimal aesthetic but with a form fitting sexiness that makes it worthy of Jennifer Aniston or Gwyneth Paltrow in their 90s heyday.

It’s the little details, like the gently flared waist of their tube tops (pictured) that lends their basics that je ne sais quois. Putting their values upfront, Residus invites consumers to scan a QR code on their garment label to see the product’s sustainability credentials for themselves. 

If you love Swedish style and want to shop Swedish clothing brands, from an eco perspective we recommend starting with Asket and Nudie Jeans for great basics. For a special occasion we recommend Residus for those stand out pieces that encapsulate Scandi cool with a conscience. 

If you loved this post, we think you’ll also love our articles on sustainable activewear and organic underwear.

The post The Cool Girl’s Guide to Swedish Clothing Brands appeared first on Ecothes.