Vintage StorieS - KappAhl

The inside story on
Vintage Stories
Working in fashion and design means being in an environment similar to a catwalk on a daily basis,
mainly because we at KappAhl have the privilege of being surrounded by creative people with shape and
colour as both their profession and passion. In such an atmosphere you cannot help but admire how these
people express their personalities through their personal style, either through garments bought second hand,
that have been used for years, or by re-designing or even designing them by themselves - all common occurrences.
We are frequently fascinated by our designer’s imaginative way of putting together an outfit and
playfully using patterns and fabrics in order to create a totality in their wardrobes.
It was decided at an early stage that there would be a
subsequent collection in the autumn of the same year
with the addition of children’s wear. This time the
designers worked towards a party collection and visited
second hand stores around the world, looked at old
movie star cards and watched movies to find inspiration.
The result was a glamorous collection where the dress
and accessories were in focus, and, like the first time, it
was a huge success.
In our mind’s eye we can see a woman who is thoroughly
contented to be at home, enjoying her own home-baked
cakes and the fragrance of geraniums. And naturally, by
her side, she has a little princess, also with her very own
specially designed wardrobe.
Carina Ladow
Design & Purchasing Manager Womenswear
KappAhl
During one of our design meetings an idea started to
grow in our minds: “What if we could create a collection
where we took advantage of all the goodies in our designers’
wardrobes?”
No sooner said than done. We collected an array of our
favourite pieces and while reveling in laces and delicate
fabrics we simultaneously learnt about their background
and history. Vintage Stories was born!
We knew then and there that we wanted to produce a
collection without renouncing either quality or details.
Rather, we wanted to project the story of each garment
and its features through unique labels attached to each
piece and above all create a collection in small volumes,
in other words the opposite of what KappAhl usually
does, in order for the collection to feel as authentic
and vintage as we wanted. The first Vintage Stories
collection was launched in the spring of 2009 and was
an immediate success that sold out in only a few days at
many locations.
Spring 2009
Autumn 2009
Broschyr.indd 1
Broschyr_A5.indd 1 09-01-27 16.29.26
This spring Vintage Stories celebrates the soft shapes
of the fifties and in particular the female shapes of hips,
waist and bust. The ideal that it was better before is
prevalent in the collection where each garment has
been designed with a twinkle in the eye; hence the
imaginative mix of patterns, shapes and colours. No
detail has been overlooked, each button, pocket, plait or
ruffle have been attentively designed in order to achieve
the feeling of uniqueness. The garments are made of
the softest cotton, as if they have been washed several
times and dried outside by the wind and sun.