After stints at the iconic Stockholm studio and Saint Laurent, Swedish creative director Bengt Thornefors' next mission is bringing two centuries-old textile firm Sahco into the 2020s
The traditional worlds of fashion and interiors have been colliding and merging into one another for some time now. But at this week's Stockholm Design Week, one firm took this alchemy further than most. German interior textile brand Sahco presented its latest collection, from upholstery to curtains, on clothes hangers, as if it were a cutting-edge fashion capsule.
The mastermind behind this approach? Swedish-born creative director Bengt Thornefors, who may now inhabit the world of interiors, but has some major fashion credentials to his name, having worked for Acne Studios and Saint Laurent before joining Sahco.
“I wanted to find a new platform, another type of medium,” says Thornefors of his switch to interior design, which he made in 2016. “Interior and fashion are not that far apart in the first place.”
Photo: Sahco.
Photo: Sahco.
That's certainly the case when it comes to Sahco's new collection, which juxtaposes progressive fashion and sophisticated interiors through its structures and colour choices. “To me, presentation is key,” says Thornefors. “Sahco isn’t fashion by definition, but our overarching approach isn’t that different. Since fashion is where it all started for me, it’s quite rooted in my identity — naturally, it will influence the brand too.”
Founded in 1831 in Nuremberg, Sahco was acquired by Danish textile pioneer Kvadrat in 2018, with Thornefors brought in to help breathe new life into the nearly 200-year-old label. “Obviously, I have to put my own DNA and thoughts into the brand,” he says. “But my broader vision is to bring the brand back to its heart, just with a contemporary touch. And we sure have heritage, a lot of craft and expertise to use and really build something out of.”
Appropriately, Sahco's new collection is entitled Past Present Future.
Bengt Thornefors.
When asked about Sahco's visual identity, Thornefors points to the rich heritage, envisioned through a timeless pattern favourite. “Flowers, always flowers. In my mind, the brand is simply synonymous with floral prints. There’s an unmissable decorative heritage which these prints neatly highlight. I can’t imagine a Sahco collection without them.”
In addition to his time at Acne Studios and alongside Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent, Thornefors can also draw on his experience creating buzzy contemporary bedding brand Magniberg. “Actually, the Magniberg project was the first thing I ever introduced to Hedi,” he says. “We only really talked about interiors when we met.”
Photo: Sahco.
Photo: Sahco.
Thornefors' task now, is to make sure that Sahco becomes a key part of the interiors conversation in the same way. “I knew that people would find the brand and the new collection interesting,” he says. “Visibility was the real challenge. If you can’t see the collection, then how would you ever be able to discover our universe?”
The Swedish designer is confident he can bring people along for the ride however. “Some love it, some don’t get it, and others will probably dislike it,” he says matter of factly. “But we’ve created, and are creating, an emotion through our fabrics. I think that’s what the textile industry needs.”