Solange Wahren Accessories - Pop Up – Studio Cathy Nordström

A few months ago I was contacted by one of our loveliest customers, Lotta de Champs. She wanted to show me her passion project that she was working on now that she had stepped down from running her very successful PR business. What she presented left a huge impression on me and I instantly asked her to come and do a pop up in our Stockholm shop. As a lover of and advocate for incorporating colorful textiles, pattern, craft and accessories in our lives, you will quickly understand why this made my heart pound a little extra. The fact that all the pieces are made out of Swedish vintage textiles; woven, knitted and embroidered by a generation of women we all have some kind of relationship to, and sourced and repurposed by Lotta herself makes it so very special.

I am so proud and excited to welcome Lotta and Solange Wahren Accessories to our shop!

The story of Solange Wahren, in Lotta’s own words.

"I am a trained designer and tailor with a broad textile and craftsmanship education, but I spent most of my life working with my PR and communications agency, Presskontakterna. When I sold it and found myself with plenty of spare time, it was easy and natural to return to my roots and my great passion in life: craftsmanship, design, color, and textile.

During the summer, as I went to flea markets, I discovered heaps of beautiful textiles that no one seemed interested in or wanted to buy. Incredibly fine tablecloths, tapestries, curtains and fabrics; all handmade with great skill and care. They were embroidered, woven, knitted, or crocheted. Each piece crafted by hand with exquisite quality. "There must be something to be done with this and to make it interesting and beloved again," I thought. That's how Solange Wahren Accessories was born.

The name Solange Wahren Accessories was easy to decide on because it's my mother's name, and she was the one who introduced and inspired me to the world of textiles. She worked with design and textiles and had a studio in the attic of our house in Lidingö, where I grew up. I spent a lot of time there with my mom, she taught me the basics and then guided me towards my education and my great interest. Naming my brand Solange Wahren Accessories was a natural choice.

Because I am so passionate about quality, design, and craftsmanship, it's also a natural for me to take care of them in the best possible way, to find new ways to use the old - circular and recycled. There are so many ways to turn the vintage textiles into something new, useful, and modern. Recycling is the best and simplest way; sew, alter, repair, and patch, to take care of our fantastic craftsmanship. And hopefully, make it into something that someone will love once again, giving it new life.

So, I travel around flea markets and second-hand shops, looking for fine textile craftsmanship, selecting those that I see have potential. I wash and take care of them, design them into accessories, and sew everything by hand. It becomes an entirely new product that hopefully gets a whole new life for someone who loves it, again."