But colours for sportswear—at least this season—are subdued. Solid shades, blacks and whites, blues and red pipings breaking the monotony, were punctuated only by one spiralling, hypnotic pattern at Casall. Overall, this contrasts what one sees at the more adventurous places like Morgan, where youth has its say and rebellion is welcome.
   Yet Swedes, doing everything right when it comes to their brands (Casall is in 20 countries, including the US), feel Americanization is taking hold, hearing plans of Starbucks moving in and not being particularly happy. But they have a good, established chain called Wayne’s all over the country as the local entrant. When it comes to sports clothes, Casall has it sewn up, fighting against the likes of Nike. Not only does it have weightlifting equipment, the golf range is second to none and the swimwear, underwear and workout range competently and attractively designed.
   Even the underwear has adopted lightweight materials such as Sensitive Plus, a Lycra blend, keep the wearer dry, staying true to the sportswear roots. The manufacturer claims that the items won’t pill or snag after multiple washes. It’s this faithfulness to the brand’s high-tech stance that suggests a real understanding of how to market in the 2000s.
   If anything, Sweden needs to take the fight to more export markets; H&M is by no means an exception when styling seems to be understood this well by the Swedish fashion establishment. We at Lucire say: watch this space. Sweden has “it” when it comes to sportswear. • Jack Yan

Jack Yan is founding publisher of Lucire.

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