Outdoor Enthusiasts Pick Sandqvist As Favourite
Launched in 2004 when Anton Sandqvist needed a new backpack to haul his laptop around in, Sandqvist has become a one stop destination for super-cool luggage. With his initial creativity being ignited by a small sewing machine that he found in his basement, a new backpack was conceived after an initial thirty hours of work that drew many compliments. Sandqvist has never looked back since. Synonymous for fantastic Scandinavian design, Sandqvist's old-fashioned-almost-retro styling, super functionality and durability have become popular world-over, and the head designer now does much of his work out of a cabin found deep within the Swedish forests; a nice upgrade from his basement.
As Sandqvist explains to SATORI & SCOUT, "...we are all outdoor enthusiasts who are happiest when we are out in the wild. We wanted to make everyday products inspired by nature that work just as well in the city as they do in the mountains or beside a river." With such a statement, the really authentic brand is as modest as it is awesome, whereby the head designer equally outlines, "...my dream is not to build an empire but to make bags that people love and that will last a long time.€ SATORI & SCOUT love this.
Joined by his brother Daniel and friend Sebastian, Anton Sandqvist's journey from engineer to bag designer has been fully influenced by his (and their) local Scandinavian landscape. With vast amounts of forests, rivers and remote unpopulated areas, as well as urban cityscapes and industry ever-present across the Northern European set of countries, Sandqvist's lifestyle is as home-grounded as it is globally fashionable. Without futile decoration, electric colours or complications, bags that the brand manufactures are as functional as they are beautiful. Designs since 2004 have ranged from large workbags, flat cases, holdalls and backpacks, and classic collections include Rune, Otto, Jack, Torbjorn, Lars-Goran (SATORI & SCOUT's personal favourite), Stig, Hans, Stina and many more. Such collections are made available in leather and canvas, and their diversity is really quite compelling.
With most designs featuring cotton canvas and fine leather, and some 1000x1000 denier heavy duty Cordura® cotton, most are adjustable in size and offer wide ergonomic shoulder straps to ensure even the heaviest of loads don't provide a strain, a plethora of zip pockets, sleeves and a laptop compartments often allow for everything you need for your travels. Water resistant and largely resistive to abrasions, tears and scuffs, Sandqvist bags are complete with minutely worked detailing, drawstrings, leather straps, design quirks and a woven Sandqvist logo patch, and SATORI & SCOUT know you will love your new bag as much as we love ours. The materials used are untreated and unwashed to allow for graceful aging and a unique patina to develop throughout its lifespan (which will be a long time), all to ensure your bag's design remains clean and simple.
Exploring deeper into Sandqvist€™s origins, Glanshammar (Sweden) is a lovely village that boasts only a few hundred residents, and with little more than a convenience store, pizza restaurant, gas station, church, school and a sports field, it is locations like this that inspired Sandqvist's minimalism. Described by Sandqvist as "...the safest and friendliest place on earth. Nature was everywhere, with swimming holes, forests and lakes around every corner. This was our tiny universe..." and it really is little wonder that such a well-grounded company ethos exists.
Following the opening of their first flagship location in London (UK) on 14th April 2016, it isn't just their store's location and neighbours that the brand needs to be shouting about, with the store already proving very popular. Adjacent to Universal Works and Oliver Spencer, it is what lies within the bag's store than grabs all of our attention. A layout of high Scandinavian minimalism, Fredrik Nilsby's store design is certainly appealing and the concrete floors, steel framework and marble surfaces all help to highlight the quirky hipster-notion and ethos of the brand. Offering all 130 styles - yes, 130 unique bags are available - new releases of their Nordic accessories include Sandqvist's first ever vegan collection and the launch of a womens-exclusive collection.
Such humble beginnings are what makes Sandqvist really stand out from the crowd (well, along with their fantastic quality too), and such style would be great whether you are an explorer of the world, a person of quality taste or a worker with functional requirements. Discover your refined style and the full collection online at Sandqvist.net.
Photography credit : Sandqvist.net