Supporting Sustainable Luxury and Scandinavian Values by Sandrine Kockum, founder of Stilbaar

What we call luxury, today, is often rooted in price more than in value. But I feel like luxury has always been linked to quality. To how the product was created, through a process that guarantees it a long life cycle, but also to the product’s impact : how has it affected nature and people in its creation, and what impact will it have on those who buy it ?

My name is Sandrine Kockum and I have worked for luxury businesses for a few years, in Paris and London, and knew this industry well. But when I became a mother, and grew more and more concerned with the state of the environment, I wondered if luxury couldn’t try to do better. The answer came to me as I moved to Stockholm and decided to found my own business, one that would celebrate sustainability and consciousness in high-quality products. 

A business with sustainability in mind 

With Stilbaar, I created a space where I could support what feels like true luxury to me. Every brand selected, whether it focuses on fashion or beauty, has common values: a respect for the environment, for the craftspersons creating the product and for people’s health, by favoring ethical production and materials. Transparency is key to this process, and that is why each and every brand on Stilbaar is carefully handpicked. We prefer to grow slowly and do things with mindfulness. 

Many of the businesses on our platform are female owned, another important aspect of our project for me. By supporting women-led initiatives, we can decrease gender-based discriminations while also encouraging a new way to conceive businesses, a way that takes human and environmental impact into account as much as financial aspects. It is a delicate balance to find, and I am thrilled to support those who reach for it.

Stilbaar, a platform for conscious lifestyle 

More than a traditional e-shop, Stilbaar wishes to raise awareness about sustainability in fashion and lifestyle. That is why we have a Journal, dedicated to ethical lifestyles. From articles about the fashion industry to chats with sustainability experts, we wish to inform consumers about their power and how they can contribute to positive change, while also keeping in mind that brands and lawmakers are the ones holding most responsibility. 

I am excited to see what comes for Stilbaar’s future. Sustainability, especially in fashion, is now more discussed than ever. This is a critical and yet hopeful time we are going through. By highlighting those who lay the path for a better industry, I feel like this project is both useful and invigorating. And that, also, feels like luxury.

Thank you for reading this article and please reach out to me if you want to discuss any topics such as sustainability and fashion. Good luck on your journeys!