ASKET is a Swedish brand that creates quality wardrobe essentials. Brand’s founders Jakob Dworsky and August Bard Bringéus are rebelling against fast fashion and consumerism.
ASKET doesn’t offer collections but strives to create a complete wardrobe of loved essentials that are constantly perfected. Their pieces have transparent production, fair prices, and a great fit.
Can you introduce ASKET to our readers?
ASKET is a Sweden based clothing brand focused on wardrobe essentials and slowing down the industry. We’ve chosen to disregard seasonal collections and build one permanent wardrobe. That way we can focus on perfecting one garment at a time, improving it like software, throwing out all the excess and focusing on what matters: quality and fit. We are not a fashion brand and plan to keep it that way. Fashion has become too fast, constantly chasing trends and pushing more on consumers. We want to free essentials from fashion, and bring them back to basics – free of compromise, but full of love.
How did you first come up with the idea to start the brand?
Finding essentials that fit great and are well designed always seem to come at a cost – be that price, quality, ethical production, etc. ASKET was an opportunity for us to make the products we’ve always searched for, but could never find. It has since become our mission to free wardrobe essentials from fashion and bring them back to basics.
How was your experience in using crowd-funding to turn your idea into reality?
It was a roller coaster of emotions. Being so close to your customers and fans is both fantastic and terrifying. You have a tremendous sense of responsibility to deliver to your fans, since they are quite literally, indispensable for the success of your project. When things are on time and go well you’re on a high of community support. When you’re delayed or facing challenges, it’s an extreme burden to communicate that to your fans. Thankfully, ours have always been very supportive and understanding. This direct contact to our supporters is something we’ve definitely tried to cherish and embed in the brand DNA as we’ve grown, launching concepts such as beta launching garments, pre-orders and continuous satisfaction surveys, allowing for a constant loop of close customer feedback.
When was the brand started and what was your biggest challenge in getting it on its feet?
We started working on ASKET in fall 2014, launched the Kickstarter for our first garment in April 2015 and opened our website to the public on August 1st, 2015. From the beginning, the biggest challenge has been manufacturing. Garment manufacturing is handcraft with countless individuals involved across an extremely complex supply chain. Developing and manufacturing garments to our standards, getting them on time, re-stocking in a smooth manner and finding the capital to build a reliable inventory to keep customers happy as you grow has been the biggest challenge.
Describe Asket in 3 words to someone who’s never heard of it.
Honest. Timeless. Evolving.
What is of most importance for you when creating and producing a garment?
Eliminating, to the furthest extent, any compromises in our collection. That is the key to achieving garments that will be relevant and long lasting for years to come. This means letting things take the time they need during the development (not compromising the process). But, also doing the right things (not compromising on the quality of fabrics, material, and craftsmanship). The only way we can eliminate compromise is through simplicity – reducing, rather than adding and then investing more in what you have left, what is essential.
What made you be so transparent about your production process and pricing?
The fashion industry today is full of secrets. There is so much we as consumers don’t know about the clothes we wear. Since our mission is to change the way we consume and value clothing, we’d rather our customers know exactly how much effort goes into making each garment. Through transparency in production, we want people to learn and expect more from the industry, ultimately creating a positive cycle of change.
Is your brand unisex and does the wide spectrum of sizes make it possible for girls to order as well?
At this time, since the fit is so important to us, our products are made with men in mind and are targeted towards that demographic. However, our sizing system and the universal nature of wardrobe essentials have made our products just as appealing to women. We have quite a few women that shop our T-Shirts, sweaters, etc.
Do you ever plan to expand and develop more products? Maybe a pair of pants for example, and items like skirts?
We are and will continue to expand our collection until we have what we consider to be a complete wardrobe. After 31 months of development, we launched The Chino. We’ve reinvented the standard pants size system by adding a third dimension to the well known waist-and-length alternatives, introducing 2 builds (Slim and Regular). You can also expect our denim to be available this fall. In regards to women’s clothing, we believe good things take time.
You talk a lot about the effects of the fashion industry on the environment. Does your company have any strategies that are focused on being environmentally friendly?
Absolutely. Our primary focus is to slow down the industry and essentially decrease its overall size and thus impact on the environment. That’s done by creating fewer and longer lasting garments. One of the key goals in achieving this is changing consumption habits. Showing people less can be more by encouraging them to invest in fewer quality items, and taking better care of them. Through our garment care page, we educate proper care of our products and promote repairs to prolong the lifetime of garments. Finally, we are in the process of implementing several initiatives on a company and supply chain level. Those include closed loop, reusable packaging or recycling cutoffs and other waste during manufacturing.
And for the end, why would you recommend people to buy ASKET?
We live what we sell. We maintain a relentless attention to detail and unwavering commitment to quality. ASKET is not about the logo or keeping up with trends. It’s about providing people with quality garments at a fair price that reflects their craft. We make an active choice to slow down and focus on what is meaningful and essential.
Make sure to check out ASKET’s deliciously minimal website and to follow them on Instagram for all news and updates.
