We sit down with the Swedish-French founder and designer, formerly a consultant at Phoebe Philo's Céline, to find our more about her conscious cashmere mission
Entering the store of cashmere brand Linnea Lund in Stockholm’s Ostermalm on a quiet morning, I’m greeted with an inviting spread: pastries, juices, coffee. For Linnea Lund, this is not a novelty, but a tradition. Founder Charlotte Björklund, who oscillates between Stockholm and Paris (where Linnea Lund also has a store presence) welcomes her Parisian community to join her for breakfast on a routine weekly basis around a traditional Swedish table.
“My dad is a chef and I inherited his love for culinary pleasures,” Björklund says. “I love entertaining, spending hours in the kitchen and setting a table with pretty dishes, so when I opened my first store on Rue de Furstemberg in Paris, I immediately wanted to bring people together around this gourmet pleasure. What could be more unifying than gathering around a table to eat, talk, and share your culture with your guests? This is how our 'frukost' ritual was born, where everything on offer is 100 per cent Swedish, from the dishes to the cinnamon rolls.”
It’s a tradition that encapsulates the dual cultural identity of Björklund. The founder and designer was born to Swedish parents but has spent her life bouncing between Paris and Stockholm (as well as time spent in New York). After graduating from ESMOD, she worked as a fashion consultant for Phoebe Philo’s Céline before launching her brand Linnea Lund: a combination of her middle name and the Swedish word for community.
Photo: linnealund_official
Photo: @linnealund_official
“French and Swedish are two distinct lifestyles and two very different atmospheres; these two parts of my heritage resonate very strongly within me,” Björklund says of her background. “I wanted a brand that resembled me so it seemed obvious that I had to bring my two cultures together.”
Linnea Lund is clear about its conscious approach, though with bigger fast-fashion powerhouses adopting the descriptor of 'conscious', it can sometimes be hard to know what the word really means. But for Björklund, it's very clear: ethically-produced cashmere made to order. "It starts with the raw material, namely wool. It is imperative for us that the animals are well treated and that the cashmere wool is harvested with respect for the animals," she says, going on to describe how the breeders she works with comb the goats rather than shaving them to harvest their hair, while the short distance between the brand's spinning mill and knitting workshop in Italy helps to reduce environmental impact.
Photo: @linnealund_official
Perhaps most important, though, is the production-on-demand model of Linnea Lund. "By only producing what our customers order, we only manufacture what is necessary and therefore not risk overproduction," Björklund says. "This also contributes greatly to the mindful vision of fashion that we defend."
This "mindful vision" is also brought to life in Linnea Lund's trendless approach to its designs: concentrating on timeless and unisex pieces that fit a model of, in Björklund's words, "consuming less but better". "It's important to us to offer basics that can transcend eras and styles," she continues. "Unlike most brands that release new collections every month or every season, at Linea Lund, we go against this trend. We offer styles that can be mixed together and therefore, worn all year round without getting tired."
Photo: @linnealund_official
Photo: @linnealund_official
Since the brand was launched in 2019, Linnea Lund has experienced steep organic growth but that hasn't satiated Björklund's drive. Next up, a new point of sale in Rue Charlot, within the coveted Marais district of Paris. "It gives me one more place to continue to warm people with our mindful cashmere, to defend our Italian production know-how, and campaign for fashion that is less polluting," she says. "And who knows, maybe Linnea Lund will cross the Atlantic Ocean one day."