Sisters and business moguls Johanna and Sandra Nygren Johansson are on a mission to transform the pre-loved market with their carefully curated capsule collections
Second-hand shopping has got the world in a chokehold. No longer confined only to charity shops, savvy shoppers now scour resale sites, navigate weekend markets, and embrace the thrill of a vintage find. But in Scandinavia, this has always been second nature. The concept of pre-loved shopping aligns perfectly with the region’s deep-rooted sustainability ethos, woven into the fabric of Scandinavian culture. Enter two Stockholm-based sisters on a mission to elevate the game – injecting a touch of class, style, and a certain je ne sais quoi into the market.
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For Johanna and Sandra Nygren Johansson, sustainability and fashion have been lifelong companions. “Growing up in Sweden, sustainability is woven into our DNA,” Johanna explains. “We’ve always had a strong passion for self-expression through fashion and an innate love for curating pre-loved pieces.” Yet, as they navigated their way through the second-hand stores, the sisters found something missing. “The luxury element was lacking,” she goes on. “Many women struggled to find high-quality, stylish pieces.” And so, the idea was born: a platform that would fuse high-end appeal with the joy of pre-loved treasures, filling a gap that had long been overlooked.
Sandra Nygren Johansson.
Johanna Nygren Johansson.
In October 2024, the sisters decided to launch their own brand to offer curated pieces that reflected a Scandinavian aesthetic yet with a decidedly French twist. Cue Volià Atelier. An idea originally born from Johanna’s mind, the sisters began sourcing pieces to re-sell on their website, scouring existing second-hand stores in Stockholm but also in the South of France. “We wanted to make pre-loved fashion attractive and accessible to every woman,” said Sandra. “To make it feel more glamorous and exclusive without having to be from an expensive label. For many years, we've been travelling to the South of France and Paris, drawing inspiration from chic French style and combining it with Scandinavian minimalism - making it the signature of Volià Atelier”
We wanted to be more free, to focus on the pieces themselves. Pre-loved is beautiful: we believe it is the future
Sandra Nygren Johansson
With a decisive tone, the sisters choose to call their products pre-loved, rather than vintage or second-hand. “It was a very conscious choice for us,” says Johanna. “We don’t want to associate with not-so-luxurious second-hand stores. Nor with vintage. Many people have a clear picture of what vintage is – old school and from different decades. We wanted to be more free, to focus on the pieces themselves. We wanted to make it more attractive for the modern customer, and show how pre-loved fashion could be something beautiful: we believe it is the future.” “We put a lot of love and effort into sourcing all of the pieces,” adds Sandra. “We often find the Volià Atelier pieces in small unique second-hand stores, making sure they meet our high standards of both quality and style.”
Within a few short weeks of launching Volià Atelier, the sisters were invited to take the brand to Paris to show their collection. To an audience of press, stylists, VIPs, influencers and more, Sandra and Johanna sent eight looks down the runway. Patterned blouses, suede skirts, lace dresses and wide-leg trousers, all in complimentary strawberries-and-cream tones, exuded the timeless luxury and elegance put forward by Volià. Amid the grandeur of Le Salon des Miroirs in Paris, the sisters introduced their brand, and its sustainability to the world.
Looks from the brand's fashion show in Paris.
After such a whirlwind and fast-paced start, where do the sisters envision their brand going? “We have a lot of aspirations for Volià Atelier,” says Sandra. “One of them is to have a boutique either in Stockholm or Paris, to bring the Volià Atelier community together and host exclusive events.” On from that – pre-loved global domination. “ We are thinking of expanding worldwide,” adds Johanna. “ we see high demand from other countries outside Europe as well. We truly believe we could further show the world that you can have a sustainable approach to fashion while being stylish.”
But for now, the sisters are putting their attention to the spring capsule collection, which launched in late March. “For our spring collection, we have drawn inspiration from sculptural silhouettes, light colour palettes and timeless minimalism,” says Sandra of the launch, which consists of 10 carefully selected pieces. “It's an ode to our Scandinavian roots and a celebration of modern femininity.”
See more looks from Volià Atelier's spring collection below.
