How did you start your journey in fashion?
I’ve always been very into fashion and it was my passion as a child. When I was in high school, I started working at the first Acne Studios store in Stockholm, so that’s really where everything started. However, it was already clear quite ear- ly in my life that I would’ve worked with something related to fashion or imagery.
Do you have a memory related to shoes?
When I was a really small child, ten or nine years old, and I had a pair of Superga in gold, everyone made fun of me (Laughs, E.D.). Shoes were always the thing I aspired to: If I worked as a dog walker or something else, it was only because I wanted to buy a certain pair of shoes.
So, you’re a huge shoe collector...
I don’t like to consider myself a collector of shoes. The real shoe fanatics collect shoes with every new drop, keeping them as a relic. I can’t relate to that, since I like to wear my shoes. More so, I don’t think I’d have enough room to stock my ideal collection.
There’s a specific reason why Eytys as a brand started from one product, or it was something that arrived as a natural thing?
Actually, it was very coincidental. Back in the day, I wanted to create this one pair of shoes, having no idea how to make shoes. I didn’t even have the idea of creating a brand around it, at that time I couldn’t image that it’d have been more than just one pair of shoes. Then, it very quickly turned into reality with time, evolution, devotion: from finding its shape to having a brand that designs full looks.
I believe that, no matter if you’re walking, standing or sitting, the shoes you’re wearing, affect your mood. How do you relate to this feeling?
I think the shoes you wear, reflect what your confidence is like at that exact moment. If one morning, when you wake up, you’re not feeling very confident, I think that’s going to affect your choice of shoes.
Your brand identity stands for unisex since the beginning, as a matter of values and signature of Eytys.
I believe the concept of unisex is all a matter of how you live garments in your everyday life and look at things, both as a creator and consumer. Do you think it’s really possible to go solely unisex?
It depends on what the ambition is. Eytys for me has always been unisex, and it’s not supposed to be unisex because of
a statement. It has nothing to do with that. I don’t see any reason to limit people in what they should be supposed to wear. For instance, I remember that when I was a kid I got into fashion very early on, and I was too small to buy mens- wear, so I started buying womenswear. Since I’d drawn in menswear, as a solution, I went for womenswear. My thought was basically same coolness in smaller sizes.
Talking about perception and everyday life, which kind of people inspire you the most?
I always get inspired when I feel that something is effort- less, that’s the criteria for me to find the inspiration. When I think a person is trying really hard to look flamboyant, it usually turns me off. So I tend to be very inspired by people who aren’t into fashion, people who are accidentally, or coincidentally, looking really cool. That can be everything, from kids to writers, workers or a perfect stranger sitting alone on a bench.
Surroundings to me are as important as people. Depending on how we live and feel in a place, everything will follow. Where do you feel most at home?
A place, in order to be special to me, is obviously related to how I feel there. One of my favourite is that moment when I sit down on a plane, having in front of me a twelve-hour flight, knowing that I’m going to be completely disconnected - this was obviously before you could use internet on flights (Laughs, E.D.). That’s where I really feel at ease. I’d add to that my home: I live on a small island in the arcipelago of Stockholm with no cars allowed, it’s a very quiet place. Anyhow, standing on a very crowded street in Tokyo could be really energising to me. I like it either very quiet or busy, no mid ways.
Human beings are fundamental in our life. Connections, relationships and confrontation are all part of the game. When was the last time you felt that you wouldn’t have made it all by yourself?
I’m very humble and know I can’t do things on my own. I’m a terrible project leader in every sense possible. So, to me, it’s really important to be surrounded by people who can support me in making things happen. It’s my team at work, it’s my family at home and my friends in my everyday life. A thing I realised through this period of detachment
is that I need to have people around me, because I hate to talk through texts, e-mails and phone calls. It stressed me out, so I need to have physical contact. My worst enemy is with no doubt WhatsApp, I fought for such a long time not to have it.
Nowadays, considering what all of us constantly face in our private lives and as a global population, I think we should protect each other more, even if sometimes it’s hard. As Bjork sings in her song ‘Human Behavior’, ‘If you ever get close to a human and human behavior, be ready, be ready to get confused’. I think we can all relate to these lyrics, how do you deal with getting confused by human behaviours?
As a first reaction, I get very anxious for sure. When it comes to confusion, it’s also about not being able to give things time, time to marinate or analyse a situation properly. That’s the reason why I’m working a lot on putting things down and rest before I take care, or deal, with them. Look- ing at human behaviour from my side, if I have a connection with someone I work with, or someone who’s a part of my private life, based on the fact that they’re honest, I want to do them right, so I’m very careful in that way.
All of us are constantly in evolution and probably we also change our attitude towards protection as time and events go by. We can decide to protect someone, something, or ourselves. If I think about protection, I immediately think of a shelter, do you have one?
Luckily, I do. I really value emotional comfort. It’s very important for me to have a healthy mind. So, step by step,
I started learning what’s needed in my life to accomplish that. That’s my shelter. My other shelter, the concrete one, is my family. I have my wife and child. When I’m with them, I could never feel more protected and protective.