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The Swedish Fashion Council (SFC), which incubates buzzy young labels including Rave Review, Feben, Avavav and Hodakova, is adding three new names to its roster: jewellery designer Louis Abel, womenswear student and Balenciaga alumnus Petra Fagerström and Stockholm streetwear label Tuttolente have joined the SFC[Incubator], as they aim to launch or scale their businesses.
Each brand will receive individualised coaching on business model strategy, financing, PR and communication, e-commerce, branding, positioning, sourcing and production. The Swedish Fashion Council doesn’t directly provide funding; instead, it introduces brands with potential investors and sponsors to support their growth.
Since taking the helm of the Swedish Fashion Council in 2018, chief executive Jennie Rosén has focused on supporting brands who balance exceptional creativity with an innovative business model and most importantly, a disruptive vision. As SFC[Incubator] taps new talents, the existing brands are developing well and proving out the concept, Rosén says. Rave Review was an LVMH prize finalist in 2021 and is showing in Milan for SS24. Its stockists include Net-a-Porter, Ssense and LN-CC. Avavav by Beate Karlsson has done two viral shows in Milan the last two seasons, winning stockists including Selfridges and Luisaviaroma, with plans to show again for SS24. Hodakova will show for the third time in Paris this season, after winning stockists including Selfridges and Ssense over the last year. All-In will also show in Paris. Plus, Hodakova and Rave Review were also selected for the Gucci Vault Continuum upcycling project in May, sold on the Gucci Vault site.
Rather than continue with the traditional fashion week format to springboard young talent, Rosén saw more value in nurturing young brands on the business side, without the immediate pressure of showing season after season. Rosén cancelled Stockholm Fashion Week in 2019 in order to explore alternative models (it is now organised by a separate entity, the Swedish Fashion Association). SFC has since repositioned itself as an incubator. The organisation held an SFC[X] event in Stockholm last November to showcase its homegrown talent, with a varied roster of talks, shows and exhibitions for international press. The duo have teased another event in November this year, potentially featuring its newer names.
To make way for new recruits, brands in the incubator sign a multi-year contract guaranteeing SFC’s support in exchange for engagement with the mentorship and business support, after which they become an alumnus. Rave Review will graduate from the incubator next year after five years, creative director SFC’s Robin Douglas Westling says, but the incubator will continue to provide some business mentorship in the long term.
During Paris Fashion Week, SFC will hold its second joint showroom with London incubator Fashion East, inviting buyers from leading retailers like Ssense and Dover Street Market to discover brands from both incubators in one place. The new talents will be present, alongside existing names.
In seeking out new recruits, SFC[X] looks for brands that are disruptive in their design and their practices. Jewellery brand Louis Abel’s founder Jimmy Kamhieh Loutfi works with recycled silver, melting it in his factory in Sweden to produce “edgy yet commercial” jewellery pieces, with a strong, recognisable brand DNA. Petra Fagerström is an innovation-driven fashion designer based between London and Stockholm, who specialises in material innovation, including her unique lenticular pleats, which make clothing almost look animated. Tuttolente is a Stockholm-based streetwear label, which embodies the fusion of Stockholm s underground scene, intertwining styles, subcultures, events, and music, SFC says.
How the incubator will support each brand depends on their current stage of business and their needs. Louis Abel already has a strong direct-to-consumer business, Rosén says, but the SFC’s priority is to help him build out luxury wholesale accounts. In June, it helped the brand host its first showroom where it secured Harvey Nichols as a stockist. Tuttolente is part of the SFC[X] incubator’s On The Rise arm, featuring brands that are more established but need support in going to the next level. In this case, SFC[X] will help Tuttolente develop a ready-to-wear offering, to potentially develop wholesale and add to its existing streetwear drops. Rosén sees potential in Tuttolente by looking to local streetwear labels Corteiz and Rare Humans, which have made international impact from similar grassroots beginnings.
A fashion design graduate of Parsons School of Design, Fagerström is currently pursuing her MA in fashion at Central Saint Martins, following a stint at Balenciaga in Paris. Alongside her MA, SFC[X] will work with Fagerström on launching her own label, ready for when she graduates. It’s the first time SFC[X] will launch a brand from scratch, which is an exciting prospect for Rosén and Westling. The duo are tightlipped on whether Fagerström will showcase during the November event, but for now they’re keen on building up her profile and business plan. Rosén and Westling will accompany the designer to the 38th Hyères Festival in October, where she’s nominated for the grand prize.
“Textile innovation is an essential element of my work, and with the incredible expertise and knowledge from SFC, and 360-degree coaching, we can push this to the next level,” says Fagerström, who uses deadstock from LVMH platform Nona Source and creates 3D-printed pleating as part of her work. “We share a mutual vision of transforming the fashion industry and it is a huge blessing to work with such a fantastic team from the start, building the foundation and structure of the brand.”
From now on, SFC will select three new talents every year to join the incubator, Rosen says. And, while runway success is part of the game, the aim isn’t to create fashion week highlights. “We want to find brands that are scalable across their business structure,” she says. “We feel like we have a good setup for how we re going to work with the incubator now. This is a good time to take it to the next step.”
Correction: The name of the incubator was updated to SFC[incubator]. A previous version of this story called it SFC[X].
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