We Spoke to the Guys Behind Axel Arigato About Their New London Store

They’ve built a social media empire, sold to over 100 countries and now, finally, they’re opening a bricks and mortar store in London.

axel arigato
Image via Axel Arigato
axel arigato

It’s been a pretty quick route to the top for Axel Arigato. Since they started making minimalist sneakers two years ago, they’ve built a social media empire, sold to over 100 countries and now, finally, they’re opening a bricks and mortar store in London.

The store is an extension of the ethos at the heart of the Swedish brand. It’s minimal décor and marble pedestals wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery, while the Japanese magazines and books on show are a nod to one of Axel Arigato’s biggest influences. To mark the launch of their store, and to look back on their crazy past two years, we sat down with the brains behind the brand, Max Svardh, the creative director, and Albin Johansson, the CEO.

axel arigato
axel arigato
axel arigato

What is the importance of that Japanese influence, with your name, with the logo?
MS: We have always loved the Japanese aesthetic and that it's very minimal, clean and not a lot of things happening. Where you try to do something more with less. Regarding Scandinavia people are speaking in terms of the minimalist design, but in Japan you see it in everything. It’s in the culture, it’s in the architecture, its everywhere. So from the get go that just made sense for us. 

AJ: And the logo, the Japanese sign, which is the same in Chinese, means axis. The globe is going on its own axis and that’s pretty much the same with our brand. We don’t know what we will be in two years, Axel Arigato might be something totally different, but we know that the core of us, we’re going to be the same. Exactly as the globe is winter, it’s summer, it’s autumn, it’s spring, it’s changing but we’re still walking on the same globe.

It seems like Scandinavian style, everything from sneakers to clothes to furniture is a big thing at the moment. What do you think is behind that?
MS: It’s like the last ten years. Really good brands, like Acne, have really flourished, and you have Our Legacy and all the different furniture brands. It’s really hard to say but I think if one brand breaks it and takes it to the next  level I think that influences a lot of people and straight away the bar is set and people have something to aim at in terms of achievement.

AJ: What I’ve noticed especially in the UK lately, people are speaking about the Scandinavian lifestyle, and the living environment and the social security and stuff like that, and that might actually influence that people want to buy into brands as well and what we stand for.

You’ve mentioned it a lot, in sort of like the store and in terms of your whole aesthetic. But why is the idea of minimalism so important to you guys?
MS: That is what we wear, what we love. That’s basically it, we’re not trying to create things for different people, we create what we like and we want to wear and that is minimal things. But then we are doing some more sneakers in upcoming seasons with more details but it’s still organic and in line with our brand.

AJ: Minimalism also provides some versatility, some functionality, a certain durability. It’s also very democratic. Something that I think reason very well with our customers. It captures the spirit of our time very well.

Why did you decide to start making sneakers?
MS: Because we love sneakers, and it’s basically the first thing you put on. 

AJ: When we started from a napkin we had a vision and a dream, and it was sneakers. We were both big fans but it was also where we saw a gap in the market. In terms of the business model and the price point that we have, there was actually no one offering the same kind of products at that price point but still offer premium materials. 

axel arigato

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