Kultur 5's new collection Raspberry Collision is a tale of teenage angst against a backdrop of berry bushes and Swedish landsbygd. Meet founder Jonatan Härngren and hear what inspires him to create
“They’re like tiny sculptures. Even though the pieces are small, there’s a lot of story there.” At first glance, Kultur 5 might look like a trendy jewellery brand. But it’s first and foremost an art experiment; exploring one material at a time, with as few constraints as possible. Each piece is a small work of art brimming with meaning, and founder Jonatan Härngren is their sculptor. At a coffee shop in Stockholm, I get to hear about the stories that his pieces tell – which, in turn, are Jonatan's stories too.
Härngren can trace his inspiration back to the moment he saw a Kurt Cobain poster in his sister’s room. She was his anchor, and if she said something was cool, it was. They grew up on the Swedish west coast, and Härngren’s childhood memories are filled with time spent in the country: a soft, romantic backdrop, days spent picking berries. A world away from the scruffy man staring down at him from the Nirvana poster. Which scared him a little, but that felt cool too.
Härngren was hooked. And from that point, he lived in a world of contrasts. Listening to Grunge, looking out the window to see his grandmother waiving for him to come and pick raspberries. Neither of which he wanted to give up. It’s in that collision that Kultur 5 found its identity.
His first jewellery 'piece' was no exception. The style that he wanted to emulate wasn’t one you could find in the shops near his house. So he made a chain from a thornbush. “And if you were to ask who is more grunge, I’d have to say it's me - the one who made a chain from an actual thornbush.” Spot on. But there’s something romantic about it too. A living plant, weaved into a piece of coarse jewellery. Härngren has always liked that clash, a collision of two contrasting cultures. “A studded belt isn't that cool in the city. But against the backdrop of the countryside, the hard against the vulnerable and beautiful, it's something unexpected.”
Härngren's recent collection for Kultur 5 was developed together with Johanna Edwardh. It's a more conscious exploration into that vulnerability, and why it's always featured in his work. He has never been drawn to making his jewellery too thick, or heavy. Whilst he likes the structures to be tougher, they have a polished, finer finish.
The experimentation has taught him about himself too. “I’ve recently realised, maybe I shouldn’t be afraid of bringing in more of the romantic elements into my work. I have been, a little, in the past.” Still, the trademark grunge feel is ever-present. The necklace has loose rings hanging from it, and the links have been sawed off and then put back together in a more spontaneous way. “There’s something a bit rebellious in that,” he says. "No perfections.”
Being the sculptor that he is, Härngren likes to work by hand. “It would be easier to buy half finished links, but it’s not something I’m attracted to.” It's a deeply rooted value, one that won’t be abandoned even as he scales up. But it’s slow work. “I’ll make the links, one after one. With that pace, you’re going to stop sometimes and ask yourself ‘why am I doing it this way, and for whom?’”
Being able to trace the source of his inspiration from beginning to end of each piece acts as a mnemonic for Härngren, something to fall back on in those humane moments of doubt. That both his brand and process are grounded in a singular source of inspiration.
There’s a word I keep coming back to as we chat. Integrity. As L’Homme Rouge’s former creative director, Härngren was subject to the rules and cycles of the fashion industry. With Kultur 5, he’s decided to let the brand live outside of that framework, in favour of letting the creative process steer.
Kultur 5 doesn’t follow seasons, they release their work when it feels complete. They don’t remove old collections from their site, and never put their pieces on sale. Allowing the art to follow a natural, evergreen lifecycle. The way any artist would dream to work.
And, like many artists who would happily bury themselves in their craft without constraints, the looming reality of retail means finding a balance between the creative and the practical. “Practical. Such a boring word, isn’t it? I think most people know I’m not one for the practical” he chuckles. It’s said partly in self-jest, but also because practicality and productivity haven’t exactly held first place for him. “If life was about being productive, I probably wouldn’t be doing this.”
It’s about the details. “That’s the fear really, the day I wake up and I no longer care about the details.” Härngren is a subscriber to quality over quantity, and of course, craftsmanship. “It’s not a very big collection. None of them have been. But for me it's more about making two truly good pieces, in a way that feels complete and beautiful to me.”
“And I’m pleased, in the end.” Unsurprising, as staying true to the inspiration from beginning to end is a good recipe for success. “Well, there’s never really an end. You can always keep developing something. But eventually you have to let it go.” And the hope that others will continue the creative process. Those loose rings on the necklace have a deeper meaning too. “They could be seen as a place to hang something else, something of your own. In the same way as you would put a patch on a jacket. That’s the hope.” So the inspiration lives on, even after they’ve found a new home.