For CMMN SWDN, Home Is Where the Art Is This Season

Simon Porte Jacquemus might have presented his latest work in a field of wheat, but he hasn’t cornered the market in grains, as a glance at CMMN SWDN’s lookbook shows. The set, like the brand’s collection, draws deeply on rustic Swedish crafts and traditions that Saif Bakir and Emma Hedlund rediscovered during an unexpectedly extended trip back home in Beddingestrand. They imaginatively revisited their time in the Swedish countryside when it came time to show digitally in Paris in July, and again this week when, at the invitation of Stockholm Fashion Week, they presented a virtual encore. For these two designers wheat is a symbol “for spring and a new beginning. We wanted to send a message of positivity in the light of the turbulent past few months.”

Bakir and Hedlund are well acquainted with upheaval. The two traveled from their home base of London with their infant son, expecting to visit family in Sweden for a week, but the pandemic shut borders and they became stuck there. Stress soon calmed into serenity, as the family of three settled into a coastal cottage surrounded by fields on one side and water on the other. What was there to do but lean in? The couple’s rental was peak #cottagecore, one of the trends to come out of lockdown. No minimal, mid-century retreat, their home was quaint, furnished in the Swedish country was even a cross-stitch reading “Borta bra men hemma bäst,” (“Away is good but home is best”).

The pandemic has brought comfort to the fore of fashion at the same time that it has taken us out of our comfort zones. When Bakir and Hedlund traded England for Sweden, city for country, they reconnected with their roots and reconnected with their families and shared history. It seems only natural that this pair of married designers would reference the colors and folkiness of the work of another creative couple, leading 19th-century Swedish artists Carl and Karin Larsson. “Similar to the Larssons,” notes Bakir, “we work side by side and our combined contributions create a perfect whole.”

As might be expected, CMMN SWDN’s spring collection is quite homey in look and feel. The couple worked subtle in references to rag rugs and the hearts that are often carved into old wooden chairs and doors. They also made use of traditional floral Kurbit-style motifs on shirts and pants. Stripes were hand painted on linen, and fringed hems add to the crafty feel. That Bakir and Hedlund made good use of their home field advantage is a win for fashion.