The creative mastermind behind Swedish fashion brand Rodebjer shares the things that have shaped and enhanced her everyday
Welcome to our new bi-monthly series "Take five" featuring inspiring Scandinavian tastemakers on the five life-enhancing items, habits, or encounters that help them guarantee a balanced, joy-filled life.
Sometimes you have to leave everything behind to find yourself. Moving to a new city where everything feels different and unfamiliar can be overwhelming and daunting – but more often, it will spark curiosity, joy, and a unique manner of carrying yourself through the world. It can even lead to you realising your biggest passions and dreams are nothing like you had in mind, but bigger, more irrational, more daring.
When Carin Rodebjer moved from her hometown in Sweden to New York to study, it shifted her entire worldview. Suddenly, she entered a universe full of possibility. Three years later, in 2000, she founded her eponymous label Rodebjer – without a business plan in place but with a philosophy rooted in feminist and environmental values.
Since then, Rodebjer has become synonymous with modern, yet elaborate garments designed to complement a classic wardrobe of signature suits, timeless caftans, and iconic prints. The Swedish brand stands for femininity and timelessness with a refined quirk. After 22 years in business, Vogue Scandinavia sought out Rodebjer to share which five essential things have had a lasting positive impact on her life.
Below, Carin Rodebjer shares the five must-haves which have uplifted her life to novel heights.
Safe havens
My summer house on Gotland close to the beach is one of my sanctuaries and gives me absolute peace of mind. It’s a little hideaway that ignites my creativity, sitting in this perfect space between reality and my own universe. It's a place that is close to my heart and nature and is full of beauty.
My travel companion
My Tesla is the dreamiest car I have ever driven – it takes me silently (and sustainably) everywhere I want to go from north to the south. Its quietness and ease makes being in traffic less stressful. I love it.
Moving abroad
My reallocation to NYC to study in 1997 had a significant impact on my life's journey. The intense presence of the people and openness to unconventional thinking was mind-blowing at that time. A few years later, it was in New York I founded Rodebjer and turned one of my biggest passions in life into my profession.
Outside-the-box thinking
My teenage daughter is full of ideas and has a mind that really thinks freely. The youth have a less streamlined way of thinking and her way of pushing boundaries gives me joy, love, and endless inspiration.
Travelling
I recently visited Zanzibar – it was like traveling into another dimension, as if you were immersed in a fascinating film. I was blown away by the culture and the history as well as the beauty of nature and the vast endless beaches, stretching into the horizon and surrounded by the richest marine fauna I have ever seen. My time there gave me a valuable perspective on life.