& Other Stories Celebrates A Decade Of Individuality And Creative Collaboration

& Other Stories (Stories) is a brand that loves to tell unexpected stories. Its name, engineered to connect with their co-creators and customers, is testament to that. Since launching in 2013, the brand has sought to bring a modern perspective to their ideas, designs, and expression—previous campaigns featured fashion icon Iris Apfel, the industry’s longest-serving supermodel Daphne Selfe, and the love story between Michelle Harper and Jenny Shimizu—all driven by creativity, boldness, and an ambition for each collection to be a means for everyone to express their individuality and personality through fashion.

Stories originally started as an idea to launch a beauty brand; it quickly grew into a one-stop style destination, offering everything from dresses to heels to lipsticks at stellar price points. But it’s the brand’s unique approach to design that sets them apart. Stories hosts three separate design ateliers across the globe: at their headquarters in Stockholm that’s minimal and menswear-inspired, their Paris outpost that’s bohemian and playful, and their Los Angeles extension that’s feminine and sexy. While each atelier designs inclusively with no overlap between designers from other cities, they’re sold alongside each other in stores. “I think it’s important to remember that we are covering the same need. We should inspire and be loved by the same woman—we don’t see them as different women but we do have different styles,” says Maline Sone, head of design. “The ateliers add a dynamic layer to our brand. We may be inspired by the same thing but it gets translated and treated in different ways, giving our customers many style possibilities within the same world.”

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Collaborations, dubbed co-labs, have been part of the Stories DNA since the beginning. From artists to fashion industry heavyweights like Swedish artist Siri Carlén, jewellery designer Mia Larsson, London based House of Hackney as well as fashion’s favourites Rodarte and A.W.A.K.E. Mode, the brand’s creative partnerships grew organically, resulting in collections that feel authentic and resonate with their customers. “It’s always the creators’ handwriting and personal story that we bring into Stories,” shares Sone.

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Maline Sone, head of design, with the moodboard for an upcoming collection.

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Johan Svensson, head of brand identity and creation.

This also applies to the people that make up an important chapter of Stories, such as Sone herself and Johan Svensson, head of brand identity and creation. Prior to becoming head of design in 2017, Sone held design positions at H&M, where she crafted collections and led design teams for womenswear, accessories, and shoes; while Svensson built his editorial career as creative and art director at the likes of Harper’s BAZAAR, the French and British editions of Vogue, and W Magazine before joining Stories in October last year.

Ten years on, the H&M Group-owned clothing, accessories, and beauty brand has over 70 physical and online stores across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. Sone and Svensson share how the brand is celebrating creativity, working with challenges, and looking to the future.

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On creative collaboration

Maline Sone (MS): When I start off the season, I enter my universe of thoughts and ideas. It takes a lot of time for me to get my head around what would be the red thread. Our collection takes almost a year to develop, from the first idea to the product. I map out the direction for the brand four times a year; we also design two exclusive Savoir collections to provide inspiring injections. Our design process is fuelled by the people we meet, and the mood and perspectives from our surroundings. All these things are brought to life in collections crafted from carefully chosen fabrics, capturing a moment, and turning it into long-lasting wardrobe treasures. My role is to make sure that we have the essence of the season so we don’t miss out on something crucial. Then, I hand it over to our creative teams, have a dialogue with them and push for what I think we should do more of. That’s my main job, but I also work closely with other roles such as brand and marketing.

Johan Svensson (JS): I’m quite split between the many areas and it’s very collaborative. We have at least one big campaign going in some stage of production. We shoot a couple of days a week, mostly our e-commerce pictures, which is the most common touchpoint with our customer. There’s the campaigns, packaging design, website and social media where we work on becoming more flexible and creative and also adapting, evolving, and opening new physical stores.

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A long-sleeved velvet midi dress with draped detailing.

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A belted corduroy jumpsuit with a matching leather pouch bag in festive red.

How the brand has evolved

MS: When I first started with Stories we had eight physical stores and today, 72 stores in 20 markets. Things are constantly changing and as a designer, you’re always always pushing yourself and coming up with new ideas. I look back on the years and it’s amazing that I can recognise each designer in the collections. We have developed, and will continue to develop because we are a fashion-forward brand. With fashion, you always find new ideas. My role in this might have been more to be a part of this development together with the designers; I couldn’t give myself credit for anything.

How the brand is celebrating creativity and speaking to a more discerning, sustainability-conscious consumer

JS: The Stories woman is not only fashion conscious, but also conscious on all levels. She’s confident and wants to express herself with treasured pieces that last over many seasons. Sustainability may not be the reason they come to us, but I think it’s important to take that seriously and try to find solutions. We’re obviously about stories but I’d say it’s more than that. We’re about celebrating creativity in all its forms, from designing collections with a creative mindset to communicating them in our campaigns and putting together collaborations with artists or creatives; that’s where we try to tell stories in unexpected or surprising ways to inspire people to do things differently. My role is, through our communication and our brand identity, to make sure that creativity is at the core and the focus of what we do. The editorial point of view is increasingly important in brand work because you have to tell your own story and bring out your own message in order to be credible or authentic.

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On their biggest hurdles and preparing for the future

MS: When you have a strong vision and it doesn’t translate in reality; it’s a constant development and challenge but it also gives me energy and is a way of becoming more creative. Sustainability is another hurdle. We know that our customer—everyone in the world, really—sees this as a top priority. It’s the same with us at Stories. We’re aiming for our materials to be 100 percent recyclable and sustainably sourced and we’re now at 90 percent, but it drives and pushes us to come up with new initiatives and ideas. We’re not there yet but we’re on the way.

JS: Everything is a hurdle but that’s what makes it fun. It’s like you need the obstacles and resistance in order to do something good. I hardly ever look at things as hurdles but more as the conditions to work through. The obstacles make us find a better or more interesting solution. We try to prepare ourselves as best as we can for shifting conditions like technology and inflation, but there’s a lot we can’t control. We try to focus on our design, quality, and message—if we do that really well, the other things will fall into place.

All photos courtesy of & Other Stories