TOTÊME

11 Nov

BY HALLERÖD STUDIO

The highly coveted Swedish womenswear label, Totême, known for its elevated essential wardrobe pieces, was established six years ago by husband and wife duo Elin Kling and Karl Lindman. Last year the couple opened their first standalone boutique in Stockholm, and have now recently set-up a shop-in-shop concept in Stockholm’s leading department store, Nordiska Kompaniet.

The duo commissioned Stockholm-based architectural studio Halleröd who had designed their boutique store, to also work on their latest project at NK. Halleröd studio, which is lead by another husband and wife team – Christian, a trained cabinet maker and Ruxandra, an architect – work across international retail and private sector projects. The studio is renowned for their portfolio of work with designer labels such as Acne Studios, Byredo, Arket and Frame. At the heart of Halleröd’s designs is their love and use of noble materials such as wood, stone and metal, and combining this with the excellence of craftsmanship. As part of their signature designs, they inject distinct and sculptural forms within their projects.

The concession store design is divergent from the boutique store designed just last year. The difference is that the standalone store acts as the general HQ for the brand, which was inspired by the Upper East townhouse in New York where the brand was conceived, and was designed as a home with spaces that include a living room, walk in robe and library.

However, for this concession store, Halleröd took references from the department store’s historic architectural identity that dates from the 19th century Vienna Secession movement, which was designed by Sweden’s leading Art Nouveau architect of the time, Ferdinand Boberg. This resulted in the concession store design carrying strong bold graphic lines and accents throughout the space, that also references the brand’s identity with its geometric monogram (also inspired by the Vienna Secession). The brand’s signature black and white ceiling-panel that first made it appearance in the boutique store, has also been used for the concession store as part of its trademark feature. The store’s contemporary aesthetic is furnished with pieces such as the slick metal clothing racks and shelving, as well as the custom upholstered black-and-white motif sculptured sofa and displays.

The concession store has been designed with the intention to act as the brand’s embassy within an iconic and historic architectural setting, where it exhibits an edited curation from the label’s seasonal collection that includes the iconic garments, shoes and accessories.