Devised by Michael Elmenbeck and Cia Jansson, is an exhibition explores the aesthetic and conceptual changes of Swedish fashion since the turn of the millennium.

Every room of the Sven Harry Gallery is filled with key pieces, sketches, photos and videos from the leading fashion designers and labels that have contributed to Swedish fashion over the last 15 years. Elmbenbeck who is a director of the Sven-Harry, and Jansson, the creative director of Elle Sweden, were assisted by a team of renowned fashion journalists - including Susanna Strömquist, Susanne Ljung, Daniel Björk and Agnes Grefberg Braunerhielm - to create the exhibition. Asking key questions about the industry, this collection is provocative, aesthetically charged, and attentive to Sweden’s progressive design.

Since the turn of the millennium, the Swedish fashion scene has become an explosive force of influential and innovative design, and has risen to the forefront of international recognition. In an effort to capture this movement, a carefully curated selection of designers have been chosen to feature in the exhibition including Acne Studios, Cheap Monday, Ann-Sofie Back, Carin Wester, Sandra Backlund, Tiger of Sweden and Ida Klamborn – to name but a few. These designers embody the resonating thematic and stylistic trends over the last 15 years, and the chosen stylists and photographers have cultivated an engaging exploration of these changes.

Which silhouettes, color palette, fabrics and patterns dominated this influential period? What is it about these designs that makes them recognizably Swedish? Visitors are invited to journey through the first 15 years of this century, to follow the path of the successes, events and trends that have shaped Swedish fashion into the thriving industry that is today. This collection is unique in its exclusivity and dominance of the museum, and is a testament to the commitment of the entire Swedish fashion scene.

Stylist Marcus Soder and Photographer Johan Sandberg have created this series, “Black” within the exhibition catalog. Soder worked with curator Jansson on various thematic ideals, and was drawn to the timelessness of black and its consistency and diversity throughout the period. Using garments found throughout various designers’ archives, Soder created 50 individual looks. Combining these into seven different groups, he collaborated with hair & make-up artists Mike Lundgren & Peter Johansson and Anya De Tobon as well as Sandberg to capture this haunting sequence.

Speaking on the experience, Soder explains that he wanted to explore the “different interpretations of the color black, which dominated much of Swedish fashion during this period.” Within a 15 year time frame, he enjoyed the challenge of finding the intricate variations of stylistic execution and different designers’ interpretation of the color. He goes on to point out that “the Swedish fashion consumers often move in packs, and it was fun to reflect that in the group story.” This assemblage of such striking looks creates a visual feast of complimentary styling ranging from punk, to chic, to futuristic waves that truly captures the classic element of black that gives it endless significance throughout Swedish fashion.

Soder’s blacks are just a taste of this visually invigorating exhibition which is open now at the Sven Harry until the 31st of August.

Photography by Johan Sandberg