Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Top Swedish Design Brands of 2016
Transforming the industry of watches, Scandi-style The rise of the smartphone has made the watch redundant, right? Wrong. Forget the old tale about watchmakers in dimly lit basements fiddling with tiny pieces of clockwork. TRIWA presents a classic-contemporary take on watches that are all about style.
brand embodies the effortless yet chic timelessness that Scandinavian fashion is known for. If you ask us, there is no better brand to keep track of time in the capital.
By Linnea Dunne | Photos: TRIWA
“We love classic watches but with a modern twist,” says Ludvig Scheja, co-founder and creative director of TRIWA. “We take the old invention, remove anything that’s unnecessary and create a contemporary design. There’s something inherently Scandinavian about that, taking a product and remodelling it to export it again, an improved version.” It started with four friends who were unimpressed by the way the watch industry was marketing itself. “It was conservative and very status-driven,” says Scheja, “all about old watchmakers with loupes and John Travolta posing in front of airplanes. It felt incredibly outdated.” It was a learning curve for the creative director who had previously worked in PR
and marketing for a variety of brands; but the team quickly found their style and started hiring staff with specialist knowledge. Almost ten years on, a team of 30 watch lovers work together at TRIWA’s creative studios in central Stockholm and, as the creative director points out, the Swedish capital is close to their hearts. “We’re now visible in 33 places in Stockholm as TRIWA has been selected as the new city clock, with big clocks mounted on top of billboard displays throughout the city.” Founded with the mission to transform the industry of watches (which is also what the acronym TRIWA stands for), demystify watches and produce an accessory that is stylish without being status-focused, the
Left: TRIWA's new Blue Eye Falken watch. Right: Stockholm’s city clock, courtesy of TRIWA.
For more information, please visit: www.triwa.com
Exclusive designs inspired by nature’s forces The solid, deep black diabase rock is challenging glass as one of Sweden’s preferred materials for artists. Kullaro is one of its main advocates, with a range of sleek furniture, decorative pieces for the home and jewellery inspired by volcanic forces. By Malin Norman | Photos: Kullaro
Diabase is a fascinating type of rock from north-east Skåne, exclusive and sought after across the world. So much more than just a normal piece of rock, it is a deep black, fine-grained form of granite that is extremely hard. For instance, diabase is often used for art, memorials and buildings such as the Ground Zero monument in New York and the Washington War Memorial. Originating in Skåne, Kullaro set up business ten years ago and the owners are pretty much self-taught in the art of designing and manufacturing. Their designs are made of rock excavated from quarries in Lönsboda, Duvhult, Gylsboda and Hägghult, later combined with other materials for extraordinary pieces of jewellery and furniture. Founder Jenni Thomasson ex30 | Issue 89 | June 2016
plains the uniqueness of diabase: “Only five per cent of the rock is used, and often for something very special.” Kullaro has a global audience with customers from as far away as the Middle East and the US. The current bestseller is the fruit bowl, but Kullaro has also received plenty of attention for its most recent collaboration with designer Lisa Hilland. She is one of Sweden’s hottest and currently most talked about designers. The partnership has resulted in a sophisticated candelabra design with cubes and a range of draped art deco tables, both launched in February. The team has also been invited to take part at the London Design Biennale 2016 at Somerset House, 7-27 September. This is a utopia-themed collection with exhibitors
from more than 30 countries showcasing a variety of designs and materials. “We have noticed that diabase is growing in popularity and becoming a more obvious choice for buyers searching for something exclusive, for instance as a gift,” says Thomasson.
Design by Lisa Hilland
For more information, please visit: www.kullaro.se Customers in the UK, please visit: www.origin-sweden.com