Fab 40: Anti Sweden jeans, Oslo

The Swedes have long had the denim market sewn up. Whether it’s the sexy cuts or sophisticated stitching, Stockholm based brands like Acne Jeans, J Lindeberg, Nudie, Cheap Monday and WE SC have all the world’s best clad legs marching North. So is it something in the water that gets them the best wash?

We’d put our money instead on a national design sensibility that made Sweden one of the first countries to create denim garments with clean, pure lines and elevate an everyday must-have into a fabulous thing of beauty. Add to that a fairly liberal culture in which jeans are acceptable wear in most occasions and a very lifestyle conscious consumer, and it’s not so surprising to learn that Swedes themselves buy about 13 million pairs of jeans annually.

One new Norwegian brand, however, is aiming to give its next door neighbours a run for its money: Anti Sweden, with refreshingly Olso-based black metal branding, is gunning for a fight and has slick branding and literature to match. Could be a turn up for the books, we think.

www.antisweden.no