— It's very important not to limit myself, says DavidAndersson Sahlin, founder of the Copenhagen basedfashion brand Rue De Tokyo. I'm a creative person.I'm a curious person. I like to see possibilities. I alsolike to see how the world is changing and what peoplewant in the moment.
David Andersson Sahlin started Rue de Tokyo in
2016 as a Scandinavian luxury brand. He wanted to
create everyday items made of the worlds finest fabrics,
with a design inspiration from France and Japan.
— I was living in Paris working for an Italian luxury
brand when I became friends with a Japanese fabric
developer called Yui Shomen. We developed a lot
of textile together and explored the streets of Paris.
The name Rue de Tokyo comes from our friendship.
— I wanted to do something different. The first year
I did all work on my own. I learned, I failed. But the
feedback from the market was good. People really
liked the name and the quality. The first collection
AW17 was only t-shirts made from Japanese jersey.
The new AW19 collection offer full range collections
for both men and women: t-shirts, loungewear, knitwear,
outerwear, and more.
What is the greatest obstacle you’ve had to overcome
to create your brand?
— The greatest obstacle was to dare and go for it.
To leave a well paid future as production director
for big brands and instead start to challenge my creative
sides. To create my own company, I definitely
needed courage.
You moved to Copenhagen to start the brand there. Why?
— First of all, I had many, many of my friends
living in the city, many people that I know or got to
know when I lived in Paris. I found myself being very
calm and getting a creative stimulation in the city.
Another reason is that the Danes are very easygoing.
They are open‑minded and very collaborative. Not
focusing too much on the problems, but rather trying
to find solutions.
What are the values you wanted to bring into the brand?
— Rue de Tokyo is about quality. Not only quality
of garments, but it's a quality of life. I want to make
products that you are happy with today, but also happy
with in five years. I want people to use the products,
like the product, and live the products. Many of my
customers are in architecture or interior design, people
working with their bodies in different locations.
You also started doing some homeware and selling in
design shops?
— Yes. I wanted to develop Rue de Tokyo into a
lifestyle brand. For the second season, I launched
organic bathrobes. I did organic towels, together
with the jersey collection.
Is it challenging to work with luxury in Scandinavia?
— You could say that, by the fact that the Scandinavian
customers are, since a long time, used to be
able to find good products for a low price.
What’s in store for the future?
— Rue de Tokyo is not only a brand, it's a street.
It's a street that you can fill with the inspiration of
many different things. It can be a bakery. It can be
a gallery. It can be a store for homewear. But it will
always have its base in the collections that we have
created so far.
Read the whole article from Scandinavian Man here !
