This website uses cookies. Cookies remember you so we can give you a better service online. By using this website or closing this messageyou are agreeing to our cookies notice.

X

Interview

Fashion and Beauty Monitor’sInternational Editor Laura Hinttula caughtup with NEWGEN MEN-awarded designerduo Emma Hedlund and Saif Bakir ofCMMN SWDN ahead of theirautumn/winter 2015 showcase at LondonCollections: Men.

What is your earliest fashion memory?

Emma: It was in the third class when I foundout that the jeans I thought were awesomewere uncool; it was devastating. I wasdefinitely a late bloomer but then made up for

it.

Saif: I don’t recall my first fashion memory but I do recall how embarrassed I was when I steppedout in my jeans backwards referencing Kris Kross in a small town in Sweden. I had become afashion victim.

You met in 2004 while Emma studied womenswear at Central Saint Martins and Saifstudied menswear at London College of Fashion. Has fashion always ‘been your thing’?

Emma: From a really young age I was sketching, scribbling and painting and I remember alwaysbeing interested in fashion, but more from an arty standpoint. I studied graphic design andillustration in Sweden before heading over to London in 2004 where I finally got sucked into thefashion world.

Saif: My dad was partner in a small manufacturing unit in north London where I did my firstinternship at the age of 15. Since then fashion has always been part of my life.

You headed up the design team for Kanye West in Paris side by side before establishingyour own label. What’s the best thing about having a ‘partner in crime’? What’s the worst?

We’ve known each other for years and at college we used to pick each other’s brains and shareideas. We found at an early stage that we are compatible on so many levels and share a similaraesthetic and style. Sharing the workload and having someone to bounce ideas off is amazingand so helpful when you run your own business. Naturally we don’t agree on everything andstubborn as we are small issues can easily become unnecessarily big and then you wish that youwere in charge and could command… As we’re also a couple outside work you can sometimesmiss missing someone...if that makes sense? We spend all our time together, all day, all night anddon’t ever get a break and a chance to miss each other.

You hail from Sweden. Does this come through in your designs?

Swedish culture and identity is usually described as simple, open to international influences andegalitarian. We foster our Swedish heritage, but it is only one of several sources of inspiration forus. We’re influenced by our diverse experiences considering our studies at London College ofFashion and Central Saint Martins in London, working for Wooyoungmi and Kanye West in Parisand LA.

Where do you go for inspiration? What kind of physical places? And where do you have togo mentally?

London naturally holds an easy access to inspiration - sources within art and culture, with world-leading art colleges and museums - this is where we find most of our inspiration. We also find alot of inspiration through music and films.

Who has been the greatest influence on your career so far and why?

Other features

5 Minutes with CMMN SWDN

News Jobs Sign up Login

Alex Mattsson – From Oslo to on-schedule

Interview, Fashion, London Fas… 2m

Darren Skey on Harvey Nichols’ newdirection

Interview, Fashion, London Fas… 2m

Declan Chan: The Stylist Never Stops

Interview, Fashion, London Fas… 2m

Luke Powell: Burberry and Beyond

Interview, Fashion, London Fas… 2m

The beauty of buying British - TonyLutwyche

Interview, Fashion, London Fas… 2m

Mitsu: Mastering the Menswear Market

Interview, Fashion, London Fas… 2m

Nick Carvell on the changing landscape ofjournalism

Interview, Fashion, London Fas… 2m

Simon Chilvers - Menswear, MATCHES andthe importance of a mentor

Interview, Fashion, London Fas… 2m

TweetTweet

Everyone we have worked with and collaborated with has played a big part and had a hugeinfluence on our career. We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the support from dear friendsand family. Working with Kanye also had a great influence on our career for sure. We had thegreat opportunity to work with very talented people and meet some of the most influentialdesigners, manufacturers and suppliers in the industry.

CMMN SWDN’s aim is to create hybrid quality wardrobe staples mixed with progressivestandout pieces. What kind of man do you design for?

The label caters for a man that is style conscious and keeps up to date with the latest trends. He’smature and has developed an individual and personal style and isn’t afraid to stand out from thecrowd.

You’ve returned to live in London after living and working in France and Sweden andautumn/winter 2015 marks the third season for you showing in the capital. What doesLondon mean to you on a personal level? And what does it mean professionally?

London feels like home to us. This is where we moulded our life so to say, where we went fromteenagers to adults. London shaped us into what we are today and we still have some of ourclosest friends here. Professionally London is great in so many ways. It’s the perfect platform fora fashion brand. With the best magazines, stylists, photographers, galleries, and music scene...if ithappens, it happens in London.

What is the main theme for the autumn/winter 2015 collection?

Think Armani in Manchester. A hybrid of luxury tailoring and urban sport.

How would you compare this collection to the spring/summer 2015 line?

Spring/summer 2015 was very scaled down and an opportunity for us to rebrand the label. Forautumn/winter 2015 we have revisited our CMMN blueprint and brought back the fun aspect, theprint and bold colours and the technical sport details we are known for.

Who in your wildest dreams would come backstage to greet you after your upcomingshowcase?

The Queen!

CMMN SWDN was born in 2012 and you were awarded with the Best Newcomer Award bySwedish ELLE in 2013. Where would you like to see your label in 10 years time?

In every fashionable man’s wardrobe!

CMMN SWDN showcases its autumn/winter 2015 collection on January 11 at the BFCPresentation Space.

www.cmmn-swdn.com/ @CMMN_SWDN

0LikeLike

Copyright © 2015 Centaur Communications Ltd. Terms & Conditions | Cookie | Contact Us Fashion and Beauty Monitor is part of Centaur Media Plc