Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Made in Sweden
The perfect shirt since 1883 It started in 1883 as a general store with a tailor workshop out the back. But word quickly spread, both near and far, about the reputable tailor who created the best, most fashionable shirts around. By 1899, August Stenström was overwhelmed; there was no end to the orders. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Freddy Billqvist, JKF Photo
In 1899, a fully fledged shirt factory became the inevitable solution, located in the heart of Helsingborg and working to the very same standards and principles first set out by Stenström himself. By 1912, with 140 employees, Stenströms was Scandinavia’s largest shirt factory – one that continues to lead the way in the world of shirts and tailoring, still doing 60 | Issue 102 | July 2017
most of the sewing by hand and putting quality first. “Attention to detail is the backbone of our brand,” says Marie Ramberg, marketing manager at Stenströms. Everything is done for a reason, including the sourcing of materials for the buttons from Australia, most made from mother of pearl.
Each button is handcrafted, the holes made manually before the button is polished and surface-coated. “Nothing ruins a great shirt like a cheap plastic button,” says creative director Peter Jüriado. “Our buttons are sometimes 100 times more expensive than plastic but worth every penny. Add a perfectly measured distance between each button and options when it comes to collar stays… Stenströms takes details very seriously indeed.” Each shirt goes through 60 separate production steps, 25 focusing on the collar alone. “From day one, Stenströms has been about the best in stitching, the