JCR: Do you agree that there’s a new enthusiasm for style in Stockholm?

RR: Yes, definitely. A few years ago it was a bad thing to be Swedish and to wear Swedish. Six or seven years ago we used to look abroad, we didn’t have the energy like this is us, this is our country. They had it in Denmark for a long time. And I think because of the economic downfall, Swedes now have less money, we don’t travel as much, we don’t see as much of the world as we used to, and that’s why local Swedish brands now have a chance to have a greater impact in the local market.

JCR: I’m struck by how massive the youth culture is in Stockholm, everyone is so unbelievably young…

RR: They aren’t, they just look young. {laughter} Actually, it’s a really weird and sad thing that happens in Sweden and I’m hoping that my generation will change things, the older people in Sweden turn gray and disappear, and I don’t know why.

JCR: Where do they go?

RR: They move to the countryside. We don’t have a grown-up culture in Stockholm. My mother and father’s generation hasn’t adjusted to the new world. It’s not like Italy where you can go to a bar and the people are of mixed ages — in Sweden it’s one age.

JCR: A variety of brands sell in Stockholm, however I find that the style is along one line, fit jeans, t-shirts and sweatshirts primarily, how do you account for this sameness?

RR: In Sweden you think of yourself as an individual but you want to be part of the group. Unlike Greeks, for example, who see themselves as a part of the group but try to look individual. In Sweden, when mainstream people buy fashion, it goes like this: ‘I like this, this looks like all the people I think look great in their clothes.’ So to them there’s nothing wrong with looking the same. And the result is everyone looks cloned. When my friends come back from America, they always comment that everyone seems cloned here.

JCR: I noticed that.

RR: When one trend hits Stockholm, like this one of the really tight jeans and oversized top, everyone wears it and if you do something else, or if you’re dressing in the next trend, they always see you as weird. And then when the trend that you forecast a couple years back finally surfaces, they never recognize it, as the thing that they thought was weird before. It’s not right until its right.

JCR: It’s not right till it’s everywhere?

RR: That’s why small weird things can hit Stockholm really hard, because it’s such a small and branded conscious market. It’s really funny with the younger kids; they’re covered with logos.

JCR: I also find that there’s a cult brand culture in Stockholm as well. Consumers will go out to discover that harder to find denim brand or that limited-edition item…

RR: Yes, they feel special for having spent more money on a pair of jeans but they still look the same. The biggest jeans indicator apparently is what goes on Stockholm, I have a friend who works at Levis and she always come here at least one week a year to do research. Swedish people wear jeans a lot. They love scarves and hoods, too.

JCR: There were not too many sightings of stilettos in Stockholm, is that because of the weather?

RR: It’s weather and a feminist issue. The girls you’re seeing are products of ’70s moms burning dolls — walking in stilettos is not a lesson they get at home.

JCR: What does music culture have to do with the Swedish fashion movement?

RR: Groups like Abba and Ace of Base’s only fashion link have been like ‘hey that’s bad.’ But there’s not currently much connection between the music and fashion scenes in Sweden.

JCR: No connection like hip-hop and American streetwear or electro and neon-inspired styles in London?

RR: It may be starting now with these really young girl performers who are really into fashion.

JCR: Can we expect more events like the Lydmar Hotel monthly parties where fashion converges and individual styles prevail?

RR: Yes, it comes and goes. There’s always at least a few parties like that going on in Stockholm but the reality is that it’s not such a big town so it can’t explode. There will always be a fashion-y group with a different point of view, but those events are tight. And it goes with the Swedish mentality, we don’t include, we exclude.

JCR: Are Swedes coming back from abroad armed with international concepts (as our trendsetter suggests) responsible for the flurry of activities we’re seeing in Stockholm?

RR: To an extent, yes. There was a group that moved to New York and lived there for a year, then came back and rocked the town, impacted the trends, did a party, whatever. Now though, Stockholm is growing on its own, and the trends are coming from within. This is the first time this is taking place. Local designers are better, more educated, and they’re holding on to their companies for more than a couple of years because they’re figuring out the business side and things are growing like hell!

Photos: Trendy Swedes partying at Lydmar Hotel
Fashions from Weekday
Pleasure Principle t-shirt at Beneath