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Gorjan Lauseger and Petter Holström are the creators of Odeur, a newer Swedish brand featuring both menswear and womenswear. The designers are young as well, and aren’t afraid to push the boundaries and have a little fun. But, in true Scandinavian style, their fun doesn’t come with splashy prints and bright colors. Instead, it’s in the details. The architecture, the fabrics and the subtle nuances are all manipulated to convey something clean yet otherworldly and special. Here are my favorites from their AW2013 collection as well as an interview I did with them while in Stockholm.
IC: Why did your start Odeur?
Odeur: Originally, Odeur was a delicate brand experiment, using a non-visual logotype in the shape of a scent, as a replacement for the traditional word-based logotypes so common in traditional fashion and branding in general. From here we took didactic steps to enlarge our scope, alter the silhouette and explore our identity.
IC: Is it challenging being two designers working on a collection instead of one?
Odeur: On the contrary, we are enjoying working together with the collections very much. As two different individuals, we find it profoundly interesting to develop tangible items together over a certain timespan. In this process, we always allow for the possibility to discuss the progress from various surprising angles. Furthermore, working together also means, one has to explain one’s ideas verbally to one another, which we believe further develops the design process into a solid and dynamic undertaking.
IC: What is your inspiration when designing?
Odeur: The sources of inspiration are quite diverse, as we both dabble in art, music, architecture, cultural movements and philosophy to a certain degree. For each season we build a special storyboard and decide on a multifaceted setting in which the collection can evolve organically.
IC: How do your clothes reflect the Swedish and Scandinavian aesthetic?
Odeur: Our utilitarian and simplicity based look might be an obvious connection to a certain Nordic aesthetic. This is, however, not what we aim to achieve specifically. Odeur is more about details, fabrics and a special interaction between wearers and garments. Henceforth, our identity is interlocked with the personal DNA of the brand.
IC: Who is the Odeur customer?
Odeur: We also stand for a universal and functional approach to dressing, beckoning to all lifestyles. We aim to exclude no one. Likely, our aesthetic might appeal to young professionals, interested in culture and modern arts.
IC: Where do you see menswear going in Sweden in the coming years?
Odeur: It could be interesting for a certain transition to take place. A shift from the traditional, rather preppy uniformity we see in Sweden towards a more graphic and defying silhouette. Menswear is constantly evolving and our ideal would be for more men to pick up on this and to enhance their traditional wardrobe staples.
IC: What is your definition of style?
Odeur: This would be a strong sense of awareness of your own body and mind, allowing you to dress accordingly.
IC: What is your ultimate goal as designers?
Odeur: The ultimate goal is to continue to be able to realize the ideas and conceptual garments we have set out to develop. Next to this, we would find it very appealing to perhaps open up a few concept stores to present the Odeur universe integrally alongside the collections.
