The event featured presentations by Scandinavian designers as well as a panel discussion.
Just off Park Avenue, In NeueHouse’s posh work-meets-lounge space, we settled in for a warm evening with Scandinavian MAN, a new biannual magazine and a launch platform. It’s an effort to bring Scandinavian values and Nordic fashion brands to a global stage. With beautiful new Volvo XC90s lining the street outside and a number of brands from luxury bed maker Haastens to an underwear company inside, it’s easy to forget just how much of an impact Scandinavia has had on the world. Guests saw work by Sand Copenhagen, Stenströms Shirts, Project Twlv, Sjöö Sandström, and CDLP.
Scandinavian MAN founders Jonas Bergström and Konrad Olsson offered an evening of entertaining conversation, too. With panelists including Marcus Samuelsson, Chef and co-owner of Red Rooster Harlem & Streetbird Rotisserie, and Natalia Brzezinski, CEO of Brilliant Minds, guests tuned into a discussion of the Scandinavian man as a role model to the world, through style, innovation, and equality.
It was full of wise considerations, including practical ideas of what makes Scandinavia so great, such as the ability to connect with the outdoors and interact on a judgement-free level. Cooking, for Marcus Samuelsson, transformed his life. And while abroad, he’d repeatedly be asked about his experiences being a father in Sweden, including the option for parental leave. As for Natalia, she noted the lack of a “I’m-the-best” attitude among children in exchange for more wholesome, group enthusiasm. Though living in the United States now, she holds Scandinavian values close.
Guests also had the opportunity to view the exhibition ”Present Father”, featuring famous Scandinavian men and their children photographed by Peter Gehrke.
Scandinavian MAN will becomes a platform for empowerment and knowledge, to reconnect men with what matters to them. Soon, look forward to the first ever Scandinavian men’s fashion week.