Our ongoing in-house development projects for Spring 2025.
We are constantly working on developing our own products to expand our collection. Here is a quick overview of the projects we are currently working on, which will be available online in Spring 2025!
KNITWEAR FOR HIGH-WAISTED TROUSERS
The placket sweater Ragvald will be released in the first quarter of the year in two different colors. Some of our customers who have seen the samples of this model have mentioned that it reminds them of military sweaters. However, this is not the inspiration behind the design. The sweater is partly based on an older knitted piece from Alexander's private collection, a sweater with Norwegian origins. We've reworked the collar and made it our own. Like our Laggarsvik cardigan, this design is relatively short and should be worn with classic-cut trousers to look its best.

THE CHALLENGES OF THE PERFECT SPATS
This project has proven to be a bigger challenge than we initially anticipated. Spats are just a piece of fabric fastened around the foot, right? How hard can it be?
Let’s start with some background information. Spats were a common men's accessory in Sweden during the first half of the 20th century. Up until the 1950s, you could still buy spats in well-stocked menswear stores. Most of the spats used in Sweden were made of thick felt fabric, and the details (straps and trim) were usually leather. The colours were typically various shades of grey and brown. We usually keep a stock of old spats, but you need quite a bit of luck to find exactly what you’re looking for. There are a few reasons for this – firstly, it’s hard to find larger sizes than EU 42 (US 9/UK 8.5). Today, most people also wear slightly bulkier shoes than the ones worn when the spats were originally made, which often means you need to go up an extra size to ensure the strap can fit around the shoe. Then many (note that "many" is a relative term here!) are looking for lighter-coloured spats, which are very rare to find in Sweden. After all, it’s usually the lighter-coloured spats that are seen in film productions, and white is the colour most people associate with spats. Another issue with old spats is that the leather straps that fasten around the shoe tend to crack quite easily since they’ve often dried out over the years.
It seems hopelessly difficult to find newly manufactured spats that are good enough to satisfy even the most experienced and discerning wearer.
Personally, I (Alexander) have always preferred spats made of linen or canvas, as they offer a much more flexible and less clumsy feel on the foot than thick felt. Old ones usually have straps in the same fabric as the spats, which often results in longer durability. So, when we started developing our own spats, we had a clear idea of how we wanted them to look. We quickly found a good cotton canvas, available in both white and grey, which were the two primary colours we envisioned.
So what was the actual challenge? Well, it started right here. Old-fashioned spats typically have a particular type of elongated metal buckle for fastening the strap around the shoe. This type of buckle is virtually unused today; instead, buckles are generally made in the opposite direction. They are vertical rather than horizontal, for example, shoulder bags with thin straps use these types of buckles. It turned out to be incredibly difficult to find these buckles on the market today. Then, of course, they need to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. After much searching, we finally found a company in the USA that could custom-make the exact buckles we wanted.
The next step (or hurdle) was the buttons. There are two aspects to consider here. The first is size. Most old spats have buttons that are 12-13 mm in diameter. We consider this to be the optimal size for achieving the right proportions between the buttons and the spats. However, 12-13 mm is not a standard button size today. Shirt buttons are typically made at 11 mm, and the next size up is usually 15 mm (for example, the button size on our Ragvald placket sweater). This means the range of buttons available in between sizes is quite limited.
The next aspect is the shape of the buttons. Old Swedish spats often have deeply convex buttons. When viewed from the side, they almost resemble tiny deep plates. This is not a common button type anymore. Putting these two factors together, it quickly becomes clear that we’re facing a challenge. This is where we hit a dead end with our otherwise excellent button manufacturer. We use corozo buttons, which we think have great qualities, but it turned out that the raw material is supplied to manufacturers in fixed sizes. This meant we couldn’t just specify any size in specific materials. The only solution seemed to be to take a step back in the process, which led us to South America, the continent where the Tagua Palm – the palm that produces the corozo nut – grows. Here, after getting in contact with the right person, we finally got the green light, and this obstacle was overcome, allowing us to move forward with the process.
Sure, it would have helped to lower the level of ambition a little, but that’s just not how we work…
Our intention is to offer spats of the absolute highest quality internationally. They will be handmade here in Stockholm. We will initially offer three colours – white, light grey, and beige. More information will be shared here on the website, as well as on Instagram and Facebook, as we approach the launch.