The addition of Totême to the Fashion Week Stockholm schedule is a boon, in part because Elin Kling and Karl Lindman’s presentations make a clear connection between Swedish fashion and design. On both aesthetic and social fronts (paid maternity and paternity leave, anyone?), the Scandinavian lifestyle is a selling point, and leveraging this USP makes particular sense for Totême, a brand which is not trend driven, but is instead aligned with the region’s minimalism.
After making their debut for Spring 2018 at their beautifully appointed headquarters, Kling and Lindman presented their Fall collection at Bukowskis auction house, presenting the looks among an exhibition they curated featuring the work of two Swedish sculptors, Eva Lange and Eric Grate. This created not only a dialogue between the work of the two artists, but between the art and the fashion as well. “We feel like they belong together. It really feels like there’s sort of a connection,” said Lindman.
Sculptural is a good description of Totême’s Fall collection, though the looks, Lindman clarified, were not directly inspired by the artwork. This season the clothes were worked in stiffer fabrics, which held the defined shapes, like melon-shape sleeves and a cape whose volume was controlled with drawstrings. Pants and jeans were tucked into high-heeled boots, a neat styling trick. Stirrups, which Kling said were one of the brand’s first hits, were back for Fall; when paired with a turtleneck and a bell-shaped mini, the effect was streamlined, and seemed philosophically aligned with the efficiency of Donna Karan’s “easy pieces” approach to dressing, though of course chez Totême everything starts with Kling. “The process always begins with what Elin wants to wear for herself, so in that sense it’s very practical,” said Lindman. “It’s really a conversation about what Elin feels is happening with her and what is happening around her.” As it’s snowy and cold in Stockholm, outerwear was a focus of the collection: There was a midi-length puffer made of recycled down, cozy mohair faux-fur neckpieces, and a finale coat of gray flannel with a sort of military air about it. “We’ve been very affected by our move and the whole political climate,” explained Lindman, who described some of the pieces as having a protective vibe. It was an example of understated “gimme shelter” chic.
