Being confined to one space – a home, street or city – has allowed for location-focused introspection. A nearby house, previously unnoticed has taken on new design meaning, a running route has novel memories, or the view from a window a fresh sense of freedom.
When Totême was conceiving its latest campaign, its founders Elin Kling and Karl Lindman had the geography of its home city of Stockholm firmly in mind. The result encompasses a series of perspective-shifting images which bring together, fashion, lifestyle and architectural elements, lensed by photographer and director Mikael Jansson. These have been collaged across bold plinths by interior designers Halleroed and re-shot as a layered location shots in areas around the Swedish capital.
Long time admirers of Jansson’s work (this year alone he has shot campaign images for Chanel Haute Couture, Brioni and Dior), Totême found that being restricted to Stockholm facilitated collaboration. ‘Tapping Mikael and working with an all-local team really added value to the campaign,’ Lindman adds. For Totême, Jansson documented an imagined day in the city, including a model dining at culinary institution Teatergrillen and picking up fresh produce at a market in Hötorget, as well as capturing architectural images, including the facade of Totême’s design studio.
The label also worked with longtime collaborators Halleroed on the 3D elements of the campaign. The Swedish interior designers have created sleek and materiality-focused retail spaces for brands including Acne Studios, Byredo, Frame and Alex Arigato. It also conceived Totême’s first Art Deco-centric townhouse on Biblioteksgatan, and its graphic and monochromatic space in Stockholm department store Nordiska Kompaniet. ‘The materials Halleroed source are largely Swedish,’ Totême add of their affinity for the firm. ‘Our collaborative process starts with us having a vision of what we want to achieve, and Halleroed using their architectural expertise to create the physical manifestation of the brand.’
For ‘A Stockholm Story’, two-metre high cuboid plinths were created using scarlet steel tubing. ‘We found that this vibrant tone specifically lent elegance to the industrial feel of the constructions,’ Kling says. ‘It was also the best colour to contract with Mikael’s signature monochrome photography and to offset the gloomy late summer’s day in Stockholm from when the images were shot.’
‘Today, we’re emphasisng our distinct design cues and our strong ties to the city and streets, where Totême’s proposition begins and ends,’ Totême add. Whether tracing Stockholm’s scenic waterfront or sunbathing on its archipelago, its a route you can trace stylishly too. §
