Designed in Åre

Quite a few clothing brands have seen the light of day here in our tiny mountain village which could be seen as a creative cluster. Some of them world-renowned. Do you recognise any of them? 

Let’s begin with the flagship Peak Performance, established in Åre 1986 by the three skiing enthusiasts Stefan Engström, Peter Blom and Christer Mårtensson who wanted to 1. spend more time in Åre and 2. lacked functional clothes that also were fashionable. The rest is history. Peak Performance outgrew Åre, moved their main office to Stockholm and got Danish owners, to later be owned by a Finnish company seated in Germany. But we like to think that the heart is still in Åre, in the picturesque red wooden house at Åre Square which once housed the photo shop of photographer and Sami Nils Thomasson – nowadays beeing the Peak Performance General Store.

From the same era we find the brand Zytt. Also sprung out of the need of clothes that were no where to find on the market. Behind it the creators Jan Falck and Marianne Larsson. The brand got well known at the end of the 80s thanks to a super practical hat, but the brand also produce ski clothing and casual wear still today. The store is situated at the beach in Åre, next to Holiday Club.

And the need of clothes that actually work for the activities one practice in combination with a wish to be able to stay in Åre all year round seem to be the key to build a brand in Åre. Just check the list:

• Skhoop, established 1999. Creator of the down skirt – the original. The founder Sissi Kewenter got tired of the constant taking on and off ski pants every time she needed to go out. The solution – a down skirt with a zipper. Now they are produced in many different materials and lengths with accompanying functional clothing.
• JNY Design, established 2005. The founder Jenny Fagergren couldn’t find any ecological children’s fabric that suited her needs so she decided to manufacture it – with her own printed pattern. Now she distributes the fabric all over Sweden and design and sell her own clothing line for kids.
• Eivy Clothing, established 2009. Why are the base layers so boring? If I ski or snowboard all the time and kind of live in my base layer – why not create something really smart to hang out in? These were the thoughts of the founder Anna Vister who actually went out and did it – designed and manufactured stylish base layers with casual wear to go with it.
• Stitch N Stones, established 2010. With a wish to stay in Åre combined with a strong need to create environmental friendly things, Emma Ruzicka and Anna Nilsson started to produce handmade headwear and other accessories out of used material.
• Elevenate, established 2011. The skiers Jimmy Odén and Sara Rönngren left the Alps behind and moved back to Sweden and Åre. Out of their joint knowledge they created a brand that meet their needs when it comes to ski clothing.
• Sweare, established 2014. The founders Malin Åkerlund and Per Brennäng lacked comfortable, fashionable and functional clothing to exercise in. It started with a collection for nordic skiing, followed by a trail running collection.
• Stellar Equipment, established 2015. During a ski trip in Canada (on the very place where the name of the brand is taken), John Crawford-Currie and Fredrik Dahl asked themselves why the production of really good ski clothing need to be so expensive. And why it takes so long from designing the clothes until they reach the customers. The solution – a new brand without any middlemen. With distribution from the warehouse direct to the customer. The clothes can only be bought online and in the showroom in Åre.

Other brands in Åre

As you can see there are fairly a large number of brands sprung from the creative environment Åre offers. And if we extend the geographic area a bit and move 25 kilometers to the east and Järpen, we have the shoe factory Lundhags who, besides shoes, manufactures backpacks, functional clothing and leisure wear. You find the factory outlet just by the road E14 in Järpen. And the newer brand Plusminusnoll created from the office in Brattland. Clothes made solely on pre order – for a more sustainable consumption. Their closest neighbors are Gneis, producers of functional outdoor gear for kids, and AUK, specialized in protective clothing for helicopter pilots with demanding assignments.

Then we have the brands that have chosen to either move their head quarters here, like Klättermusen, or open a concept store like Houdini, Haglöfs and Norrøna. In central Åre, you’ll also find Kaki Design and their handmade, high quality wool products such as mittens, hats and ponchos.

Last but among the largest brands we have Extrem. Originally a snowboard brand, who added skis to the collection, expanded with a clothing line a couple of seasons to eventually finish up as a reward winning ski brand also producing skis for other brands in Åre Skidfabrik.