Colekt

Ellen af Petersens and Susanne Vennerstrand joined forces in 2017, hiring a chemist and the design team at Acne and setting out to develop a clean, green, vegan beauty brand made from plant-based ingredients inspired by Swedish flora. The first products to launch in the luxury range are Reward, an oak root face oil (185€ for 30 ml) and Reclaim, a face mist made of mulberry leaf (83€ for 50 ml).

In May the brand plans to launch three colognes: concentrés made with notes of pink pepper and lavender, osmanthus, and cardamom. The unisex fragrances will be packaged in cool, recyclable packing inspired by the Swedish archipelago.

“We have had K-Beauty and J-beauty, now it’s time for S-beauty,” Petersens told Wallpaper Magazine.

“We want to harvest the best from nature and create a global beauty house,” said Vennerstrand. “Byredo did it, so why can’t we?’

The products will be available on the brand website and select retailers in Copenhagen, New York, Berlin, London, Paris, and Stockholm.

Forgo

Swedish design studio Form Us With Love developed personal care brand Forgo using a method of subtraction beginning with ingredients and ending with the bottle. The sustainable subscription personal care business is waterless and refillable with packaging that embodies the iconic Swedish minimal aesthetic.

“We have defined our mission as Design Real Change, our guide to influence everything we do here at Form Us With Love,” Form Us With Love CEO Jonas Pettersson said to Setting Mind. “This ambition is very time-consuming. It means we have to dig deep to influence entire industries and make better products in terms of innovation, sustainability, quality production to make things long-lasting solutions.”

Forgo was the result of this mission, reducing the waste and cost associated with the production, shipping, and use of hand soap. The end product is a concentrated powder that contains just six ingredients that, when mixed with water, turn into a foaming hand wash. The starter kit includes a reusable frosted glass bottle made in Portugal and sachets for powder made from recyclable paper. Refills are small enough to fit in a postbox. The Forgo hand wash comes in three scents: neutral, citrus, and wood.

“Sustainability can be an everyday thing” is the message from Form Us With Love. Hand wash is just the beginning.

Afropicks by Simon Skinner

Simon Skinner, a Stockholm designer with Afro-Caribbean roots, is challenging the perceived homogeneity and whiteness of Sweden. Having trouble finding an afro pick in Stockholm, he made his own set. The combs were inspired by the stories of eight individuals with African heritage that were asked about their perspective on what it means to be Swedish.

“I wanted to investigate how migration and multiculturalism is changing Swedish identity,” Skinner explained to Hyperallergic. “The afro comb is a symbol for Black power and it represents a part of Black culture.”

“It’s a collection of eight combs where stories, functions, and aesthetics are portrayed in different ways. Behind each comb is a story, behind each story is a person,” Skinner said.

Skinner used laser cutting, casting, and 3D-printed aluminum to diversify the look of each object. The project has won numerous design awards.