London calling: Slow fashion brand Asket opens first flagship store outside of Sweden

Imagine entering a clothing store and not seeing any products, no garish signs advertising sales and rushing consumers to ‘grab deals fast’. Instead, there is a long, inviting bench along the wall and a piece of art at the end. In the centre of the room, a row of displays, discreetly facing inwards. Finally, on the opposite wall, a wooden frame with clothing on hangers, but just one item of each article. If one wants to try them on, there are spacious, accessible trial rooms at the back of the store. Sounds too good to be true?

Well, it is very much true - this is the new flagship store of Swedish slow fashion brand Asket, the first one outside of Stockholm, located at 72 - 74 Brewer Street in Soho. The London store occupies a 137 square metres (1474 square feet) space and offers Asket’s full permanent collection as well as a complimentary repair service.

“London’s cultivated and vibrant energy makes it the perfect location for our second flagship store – and our first ever store outside Sweden. We have built a strong community in London through our e-commerce and pop-ups and are beyond excited to set up a permanent space to meet both new and old customers in person”, comments Asket’s co-founder August Bard Bringéus.

“The space was inspired by the idea of a conceptual archive, that reference to academia in the garments and their permanency. [All shelves] are facing inward and the presentation is designed to entice people to come in and explore,” adds store manager Jack Gullachsen who showed the store to FashionUnited before opening hours on a recent sunny morning in London.

The opening marks Asket’s tenth anniversary, being founded in 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden by August Bard Bringéus and Jakob Sazon Dworsky. It also marks the last product of Asket’s men’s permanent collection - The Wool Trouser, an Italian-milled trouser tailored in Portugal, which will be released this fall.

“This year, we intend to fulfil the promise we made ten years ago: to create one single permanent collection of timeless essentials. We won’t be adding more products to our permanent range, but that doesn’t mean we’re done. We’re entering a new era where we will spend even more time on refining our existing products, diving into bleeding edge technology and age-old craftsmanship for both small tweaks and major developments. We’ve always had a meaningful exchange with our customers – we look forward to engaging even deeper in these conversations too”, says Bringéus.

The whole collection can be viewed in the “Archive” at the new London store: A shelf unit in the centre of the store that honours Asket’s achievements over the past ten years.

But that is not all that sets this store and its product display apart: Each product is “framed” in a beautiful wooden structure made of Swedish oak so visitors can just absorb what is in front of them.

In addition, each item comes with a full description of where it was made, where the material was grown and sourced from and any details about other parts, buttons for example. From t-shirts, jerseys to sweats and denims. The t-shirts go to about seven different locations before they come to the store. The majority of the collection is European made and natural fibres.

“What we are trying to achieve is working responsibly, that’s the keyword, and being transparent. We really want to celebrate that and also use this as an educational tool, which ties into the visuals of the space. How do we educate our customers and our clients who are familiar with what we do? London is such a hub for new traffic,” enthuses Gullachsen.

Only one of each product is displayed, almost like a piece of art. Why? To give visitors the opportunity to feel the quality, see the colours, and interact with the item. When it comes to trying on the clothes, interaction with the in-store staff is encouraged, as Asket has a unique sizing system and wants to ensure each customer gets the exact right size.

What is so special about Asket’s sizing system? Well, sizes do not only range from XS to 2XL, each of the six sizes is available in short, regular or long, creating 18 possible sizing options. “I had a client yesterday and he was different sizes in a lot of things and the fact that he could really just come in and take his time to try everything he wanted … that is such an incredible thing to offer our clients,” recounts Gullachsen.

In case you are wondering where the cash register is - there is none. Only a central credenza, made of the same Swedish oak, which invites conversations and provides space for merchandise and the tablets on which sales are registered. “The space is designed to slow people down, to engage and not to fill baskets. This is about the permanency of the place and of the garments. That is the kind of mindful consumption that we are as Asket in a kind of sophisticated and elevated way,” explains Gullachsen.

Customers can also take advantage of Asket’s Revival Projects, which means free repairs for any Asket garment. The service comes full circle - from giving care instructions upon purchase to repair and then return as the company also takes back any unwanted Asket garment, no matter the condition or age. In exchange, customers receive a reward voucher based on the type(s) of garment they return. This way, the label collects around 3.000 garments a year.

“Two thirds of the garments we take back are repaired and washed at our partner facility Fabrikörerna, on the Swedish west coast. These revived garments are resold at our Restore location in Stockholm. The remaining, irreparable share of garments is collected for recycling,” explains Asket.

What’s next for the Swedish slow fashion label? It remains to be seen how the London store opens up the selection to a new audience, for example from Australia and the US, the latter already being a strong market. And who knows, if all goes well, there could be more Asket stores in other European capitals in the future.

What is next for the Swedish slow fashion label? It remains to be seen how the London store will introduce the brand to new audiences, for example from Australia and the US, the latter already being a strong market. And who knows, if all goes well, there could be more Asket stores in European hubs in the future.