Meet the duo behind the retro-inspired Swedish label, just landed at MR PORTER .

What springs to mind when you hear the words “vintage shop”? Chances are, it’s nothing like the original Séfr store in Malmö, Sweden. Opened in 2012, this tiny, corridor-like space played host to an all-killer, no-filler selection of second-hand clothes from Maison Margiela, Dries Van Noten, Marni and Jil Sander that the founders, Messrs Per Fredrikson and Sinan Abi, had selectively sourced from friends and co-workers in the fashion industry. Thanks to this discerning procurement process, there was no need for the endless sifting and rooting around typically involved with second-hand shopping. At Séfr, you knew you were getting something good.

The same applies to Séfr’s menswear line, a retro-inspired range of clothing which launched in 2016 off the back of the original store’s success and now makes its debut on MR PORTER. Messrs Abi and Fredrikson’s attention to detail can be seen in pieces such as the Eric jacket, a corduroy trucker style with the cord pattern aligned horizontally, diagonally and vertically on the body, pockets and sleeves. Or the short-sleeved Suneham shirt, a summer staple reimagined in a billowing crêpe fabric and finished with an exaggeratedly pointed collar. Rounding out the range are well-made basics, such as cotton trousers and T-shirts. We spoke to the duo ahead of this week’s launch to find out more.

How did you meet?

Mr Abi: Per and I met on a football pitch back in early 2000. We were 15 years old and from the start we shared a common interest in clothing. I grew up in the suburbs and Per was a city kid but, somehow, we became interested in each other. Despite coming from two different backgrounds, the football pitch became our cornerstone and we’ve stayed best friends ever since.

Why did you start a shop together?

Mr Fredrikson: Both of us moved from Gothenburg to Malmö to study and during that time we worked for different brands on the side. After some intense shopping, we both ended up with amazing clothes from high-end brands just lying in boxes in our basements. So an idea came up: why not give life to these old garments? Also, we knew a lot of people in the industry who had tons of clothes that remained unused, too. That triggered us to start the shop.

When did you start making your own clothing? Was it to fill the gaps in your vintage-clothing collection?

Mr Abi: Per and I always knew that we wanted to start our own label together. We started with just one shirt, called “Crash”, in two colourways and a total of 200 pieces. The shirts sold out in a heartbeat. The response was amazing.

Mr Fredrikson: After that we realised that our customers weren’t typical “premium” second-hand shoppers, but they were very keen on finding good, quality clothes, not just something with a hip label on it. In the summer of 2016, we released our debut collection and at this point we thought we had everything figured out. It was never really about filling the gaps between everything else, it was more about being creative and doing something we love.

What does Séfr mean and what is the brand all about?

Mr Fredrikson: Séfr means “zero” in Lebanese Arabic, which is where Sinan has his roots. We’d say that the brand is all about doing something classic in a different way, from the design and how we are building the brand to how we communicate on social media. This is something that we try to reflect in our work; often it can be shown in the minor details of the garments. It could be the size of a shirt collar needing a few adjustments, or changing buttons three, four times on a jacket before we’re satisfied with the result.

What fabrics do you use and why?

Mr Abi: When we start working on a new collection we try not to look at what the current trends are. We always follow our intuitive feeling on what feels right for Séfr. In some ways, that’s how we create pieces that have a timeless quality. The last couple of seasons we’ve sourced fabrics from reputed Italian mills but we never try to limit ourselves in search of new fabrics and designs. We often hear, “you cannot use this fabric for that style, it’s impossible,” from our fabric makers; that’s usually when we know that we’re onto something good.

Shop the entire Séfr collection here

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