Sandqvist – Not Just about Bags: A Swedish Philosophy of Fashion

A friendship that predates their teens, when, growing up in the middle of Sweden, Daniel and Sebastian attended the same school.

“We weren’t in the same class, but we played in the same band,” Daniel explains and grins at us from underneath his wooly hat. His brother Anton is eight, respectively nine years, older than they are, which meant the three of them didn’t have many interests in common at the time. Now, seated in their showroom at the Brännkyrkagatan 74 in Stockholm, where their offices are also located, the three bearded Swedes with their tattoos, dark sweaters, and longish hair all look like siblings. Sebastian recalls: “Back then, there was something alarming about Daniel’s big brother.” The three of them start laughing, and Sebastian concedes: “Well, not really. But at 14 it is hard to have a meaningful relationship with anybody who is that much older than you are. Over time, the age-gap slowly stops mattering.” Anton nods and takes a sip of tea from his brightly patterned mug while Daniel continues their story. As young adults, Sebastian and Daniel decided to move to Stockholm at approximately the same time, where they started a lifestyle magazine. “Not that I was an art-director, copywriter, or a journalist or anything,” he adds hurriedly. “Nor is Sebastian.

We just wanted to create a lifestyle magazine and, in doing so, got to know a lot of good people who were great to work with.” Sebastian adds: “We learned practically everything we needed to know just by doing it.”

“What is extremely important is the willingness to work hard and to have good ideas,” Daniel adds. Anton, at the time, worked as a technical key account manager for a large Japanese company. Back then, the most creative part of his life took place during his spare time.

All the same, he readily admits that letting go of his job bit by bit was a little painful: “The good salary, the company car, all the traveling – that was pretty good, especially if you look at it from a career point of view.” But he missed having creative freedom. He recalls: “As an employee everything was subject to company politics – you couldn’t just start working on something. Everything had to be sanctioned.”

To find an outlet for his creativity, Anton started making lamps and furniture at home.

At some point he bought his own sewing machine, with which, shortly afterwards, the prototype of the Sandqvist bag collection would be produced. “I happened to need a bag, and so I made one just for me and it got a lot of compliments. People really liked it and I asked myself why the bag was meeting with so much resonance and realized that it filled a market niche,” Anton tells us and runs his hand through his beard. “You see, I tend to think about these things as well. I’m not just creative – I’m also a business person and interested in how the market works.”

Even so, it took him a while to understand how things functioned in this, to him, new world of fashion. Initially, Anton did everything by himself: Designed and sewed the bags, brought them to the post office, or delivered them at a client’s doorstep. He stored his stock in his basement.

As the demand grew larger, he started visiting trade fairs and making contacts there. When he found that he needed a separate place to work, he installed himself in one of Sebastian and Daniel’s storage rooms.

“Small, not even a window, but it suited me perfectly,” he remembers. “Thanks to their magazine, they were a lot closer to the world of fashion than I was, and they gave me good advice.” Gradually, more and more boxes needed to be delivered, more bags were being ordered, and a press release had to be composed – “all kinds of things that I had to learn on the fly. Daniel and Sebastian were really supportive.”

At this stage, the three men began to realize that they worked very well together. “In 2007 or 2008, we founded the company,” Daniel tells us. “At first, we all continued working in our old jobs and we ran Sandqvist mainly during our spare time.” Then, in 2010, Anton began working at Sandqvist full-time, and a few months later both Daniel and Sebastian quit their other jobs, too. “We weren’t actually that sorry to give up our magazine,” Sebastian says. “We had already begun to realize that Sandqvist would have a better future than a free lifestyle magazine, and the Sandqvist journal still gives us an opportunity to live our passion for making magazines.” He gestures at a minimally designed magazine that lies in the center of the conference table. On the cover, a scenic landscape invites the reader to daydream of wide-open spaces. Anton points to the picture as well and says: “Sandqvist has a strong tie with outdoor life. Fishing, skiing, camping are all things we like to do. They are somehow connected with the brand and influence it to a certain extent.” Even though the trio didn’t know where the journey would take them, their vision had been clear from the start. Anton says:

“We are all committed to good material, quality, and style. And fashion, but not to the point of being extremely fashion conscious.” And Daniel adds: “What we do, is not just about fashion. A bag is also an article of daily use. As a utility item, a bag must be practical, it has to be of good quality and durable.” Sebastian agrees. “I believe that Sandqvist could really have been something other than a fashion label. We just enjoy creating things together. It’s not specifically about fashion.”

“I have the feeling,” Anton says in an almost reflective way, “that, on the whole, Swedish men are more fashion-savvy than the average guy.

In Sweden, it’s been acceptable for men to put some effort into their appearance for a long time now.

Much earlier, for example, than in countries like Germany, where men are supposed to take more care of their car than of their own appearance.” Daniel grins and Sebastian calls out: “Great, you’ve just gone and insulted all our clients in Germany.” Anton chuckles and says: “Sorry, I guess you’re right.” Daniel gives it a shot from a different angle: “Maybe it’s something to do with the big Swedish fashion labels like H&M who have made fashionable and affordable clothes available to the Swedish public for a long time. If we looked at the development of affordable fashion historically, maybe it was just more difficult to get fashionable gear in other countries.” Sebastian nods: “But in saying so we don’t mean to say that Scandinavian fashion is that exceptional. People are well dressed, but we all look alike.” He regards Anton and Daniel. “Just take the three of us, with our beards and almost identical clothes. It’s kind of boring and like a uniform in a way. Though, of course, we’re flattered to hear that people think the Swedes are well dressed.” Anton continues his musings. “As a Swede, I think there are two things that you want to be able to do well. Everybody tries to be a good citizen and give something back to society if they can. In our case we’ve managed to do this by creating jobs, here, and in India where our bags are produced.” And the other thing? “That’s maybe a little quirkier,” he says and smiles. “Well, I believe that, as Swedes, we always want to look good, even if we’re fishing, camping, or just hanging from the ledge of a mountain. Wouldn’t you say?” he asks and looks at his partners, who nod in agreement. “Which is extremely weird, but that’s how we seem to tick.

You want to have a nice bag even if you’re out in the wild. I mean, who knows, maybe a wolf will see you. Or if a bear gets you, you’ll die knowing you died in style.” Clearly in agreement, they all take a sip of tea. “Strange, but that’s how it is.”