This is Sweden was born out of an unpleasant ‘déjà vu’ feeling, a déjà vu of when we, Ana and Pablo Londono, were taken by our parents to leave Colombia and seek asylum in Sweden as political refugees. Living in a refugee camp for some years, our childhood memories inevitably got colored by encounters with racism. But these memories also inspire us today and are in fact the foundation of this collection.
With our collection we want to bond with the classic stereotypes in Swedish society and take the colors of the Swedish flag to create new connotations. We all know the immigrant butcher, cleaner and taxi driver, but also the folklore woodworker and hipster Stockholmer. In ‘Säter’, the refugee camp, we saw how people from all around the world blended the clothes of their culture with what they got hold on from secondhand stores or local recycling schemes. It created a curious mix of stereotypes, all part of Sweden’s cultural palette.
This is Sweden works with this palette. Today, both working designers, we witness how the political climate in our country is changing and want to address our concerns. The collection is intended as a satire on the recent political atmosphere in Europe, hoping to awake people’s reactions. Using the colors of the flag is a conscious choice that has a symbolic purpose, as we want to create new connotations with yellow and blue, to not give racists and right-wing extremists the monopoly on it. We like to think of it as Reclaiming the Swedish flag.
This is Sweden consists of a fashion collection, a graphic novel, a short film and an anthology.
Ana & Pablo Londono
Jasmin Storch, photography
Maria Barsoum, Styling
Tony Lundström, Hair
Åsa Karlsten, Makeup-artist
Models, Nisch Management
