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Briefing
Our curated list with 10 Christmas gifts to add to your wishlist
When searching for conscious presents for your loved ones, Scandinavia is where to look. Here’s why.
17 Dec 2021

Maria Nilsdotter x Alexander Abdallah

Dröm en Dröm (Dream a Dream) is a collaboration between progressive Swedish jewellery designer Maria Nilsdotter and actor, director, and screenwriter Alexander Abdallah (pictured). It’s a playful collection of jewellery referencing a shared childhood nostalgia and to dare to dream. Coming of age is a vital theme, aiming to translate the multifaceted emotions connected to growing up into precious objects. For instance, a necklace with a two-piece tear represents sharing happiness and sorrow with a special someone and a broken heart stitched together imagines healing and being proud of the scars that you may have earned along the way.

forét x Stanley

Fast-growing Danish contemporary fashion brand forét is all about inspiring the everyday person to slow down, go offline, and explore nature. This fall, they made a survey among 20-45-year-old Danes and their offline and online habits. It concluded that 88% wanted to spend more time outside in nature away from the city. One of the main reasons for the missing time could be found in the increased amount of time spent on digital devices. It showed that 69% think they use too much time on their smartphone with an average daily smartphone usage of 4 hours. forét’s collections are available at almost 200 retailers, including the likes of Selfridges, Rinascente, Printemps, and Magasin du Nord and staying true to brand, their offering includes bottles and mugs made in collaboration with specialists, such as Nalgene (”the original water bottle”) and Stanley. The latter is made from stainless steel with a vacuum insulation that keeps your drinks hot or cold for 20 hours or frozen for 4 days. Stanley claims that their bottles have withstood speeding bullets, 4000 ft drops, and category 5 hurricanes. In other words, it’s perfect for your daily adventures. 

Gilda Liljeblad’s holiday box

Gilda Liljeblad calls themselves ”the original Swedish skincare expert”. Big words — however, the Swedish company has been on the market since 1988 and the founder also runs one of the leading skin therapist academies. About a year ago, it relaunched, introducing a new sleek and unisex packaging. The hero products and their formulations, however, remained slightly the same, focusing on Vitamin A, Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), and microencapsulation. Their Christmas range includes Moisture Holiday Box, which contains their best-selling cleanser, Cleansing Oil, and what the brand describes as their three most moisturizing products; Calming Serum, Vitalising Eye Cream, and — our favourite — the strengthening and nourishing Fortifying Barrier Cream.

Nina Sandbech x Tom Wood

The first collaboration between digital creator Nina Sandbech and fellow Norwegian fashion and jewellery label Tom Wood sold out at once. The second one just launched, a capsule of sparkling pieces in deep hues and bright colours inspired by vibrant cities from all over the world, and, according to the brand’s founder and creative director Mona Jensen, suited for darker nights and the festive season. The collection holds a series of exclusive cocktail rings in popping colours as well as an updated version of the cushion band ring in both gradient colours and matching solid colours to mix and layer. It also features bold cuffs with gradient stones to upgrade the ears for the mentioned holiday season.

Larsen & Eriksen’s dive watch

Aktiv is the Danish brand’s take on the ultimate minimalist everyday watch. With a thickness of only 8.5 mm, it’s one of the thinnest dive watches ever produced, challenging the physics of watch production. Co-founder Magnus Eriksen tells how the they’ve fused the aesthetics of a thin dress watch with the functionality of a durable dive watch. As part of the Green Week campaign initiated in conjunction with Black Friday, Larsen & Eriksen added an all-black version of Aktiv to their range, now available in a limited edition.

Frama’s book

The Danish premium lifestyle brand’s latest book, Perception Form, is a collection of objects photographed in their rawness — free from any predefined interpretation. It’s a limited edition — only 200 copies are available — and includes three frame-able A4 images, encased in a hand-made, fiber cardboard box. The company describes it as ”an intimate visual invitation to let viewers experience the subtle, curious pleasure of wonder while rediscovering the beauty in simple, everyday artefacts”.

Hums’ home shoes

Hums was created by a group of friends in Stockholm in 2019, aiming to provide the most versatile home shoes. The collection now offers a wide range of slippers and loafers for men and women, handmade in Spain out of high-quality suede, velvet, or fur lining, and a padded leather insole. They’re primarily created for indoor usage, but the custom rubber/foam outsole can also be used outdoors. This fall also sees the brand expanding the range with a suede bucket bag with embroidered hearts where the size makes it perfect as a handbag — or to bring your pair of home shoes to your scheduled New Years’ dinner.

Sprout’s gift boxes

As so many companies keep repeating how good their products or services are for the planet, here’s one that actually is. Danish Sprout’s gift boxes include their patented high-quality makeup liners — the world’s first plantable — the black eyeliner, brown eyeliner, and the brown brow liner. When only the stub of the liners is left, just plant them so they grow into bee-friendly wildflowers. The liners are allergy-certified and made from certified wood, the brand states that the materials come from ethical sources, and the cellulose cap is soluble that dissolves in soil. 

Dale of Norway’s sweater

The leading wool label just launched its collab with Eton. The Falun Heron sweater is made with a freshly developed Norwegian wool quality, named Heron, offering lightness and a crisp look. By selecting the finest wool from the sheep’s very first shearing, the fibres are short, giving a finer and softer yarn with, while maintaining the brilliance and longevity for which Norwegian wool is world-renowned. For extra comfort, the neck is lined with soft merino wool. Additionally, a revolutionary new wool treatment using natural non-toxic salts also makes this sweater soft and machine washable. The fit is young and roomy — it’s a ”younger” version of the brand’s Falun sweater — with a shorter front and slightly longer back, and the beautiful details see old school meets new cool.

Grandpa x Mackmyra

One of Scandinavia’s leading retailers — running stores in Sweden’s three biggest cities — offers a curated range of conscious garments and goods as well as their own in-house interior design label. And, since this December, their own whisky. In collaboration with leading Swedish distillery Mackmyra, they’ve created their own single malt, named Eken (The Oak). The recipe has been developed by Grandpa’s staff with guidance from Mackmyra’s whiskey experts and the whisky has been aged in oak barrels for 13 years at the producer outside of Gävle, a two-hour-ride north of Stockholm.