ABOUT JASCHA STOCKHOLM

Jascha Stockholm - The Story

[short version]

The progression of Jascha Stockholm is a story unfolding in three parts, dating back to the early 70s with co-founder Christina Göpfert Melin and her involvement in the Parisian haute couture scene. With a passion for design and solid training, Christina laid the foundation for the brand, combining craftsmanship with the Scandinavian design tradition.

At the turn of the new millennium, Creative Director Jascha Trygg launched Jascha Stockholm with the creation of a minimalist-inspired melton wool coat, featuring a unique collar and discreet buttons. Throughout the 2010s, the brand’s design evolved, infused with new influences, as it became known for its bold use of color and prints, marketed under the banner of "Scandinavian Maximalism".

Today, Jascha Stockholm has entered its next phase. Guided by a new generation, the brand has embraced the digital era while remaining true to its legacy and core values, centered around its Scandinavian heritage and bold expressions.

For the full story of Jascha Stockholm, scroll down
and explore our journey and uncover decades of
craftsmanship, creativity, and design.

A Designer's Calling

The journey of Jascha Stockholm begins with co-founder Christina Göpfert Melin and her deep, undeniable connection to the world of fashion.

From a very young age, Christina knew her future lay within the world of creativity. Starting at just nine years old, she began sewing her own clothes on a green Singer sewing machine that stood in the family’s home. This early hands-on experience sparked an interest in design, allowing her to experiment with form, color, and pattern making. Christina soon realized that fashion was a powerful way to express personality and creativity. This innate drive, combined with a strong desire to create something unique, set the course for her future as a designer and formed the vision to one day create a unique and contemporary fashion brand.

Mastering the Craft

Driven by an unwavering passion for design and fashion, Christina made the bold decision to pursue her dream and move to Paris in the early 1970s. In the heart of the world’s fashion capital, she enrolled at the prestigious L’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, a school renowned for shaping the most influential and up-and-coming haute couture designers of its era. This was a defining moment for Christina, as it marked the beginning of her journey towards mastering the craft of fashion design through haute couture.

Immersed in the vibrant Parisian fashion scene, where creativity met elegance and the tradition of couture, she honed her skills, learning the delicate art of creating timeless, intricate garments. The school’s rigorous training solidified her path and shaped her into the designer she would become. Paris was not just a city to Christina – it was the place where design and technical mastery merged, laying the foundation for her future in the fashion industry.

An Institution for Fashion Icons

Founded in 1927, the L’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris has long been a symbol of excellence in fashion education, renowned for its rigorous training in haute couture and fashion design.

Positioned in the heart of Paris, the epicenter of the fashion world, this prestigious institution has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of global fashion. Over the decades, it has cultivated generations of designers who have gone on to create iconic, world-renowned collections in the ever-evolving world of fashion.

The school was originally established with the goal of preserving the intricate craftsmanship of haute couture, training students in the techniques
of garment construction, pattern making, and fabric manipulation that are at the core of couture fashion.

Many legendary figures in fashion have walked through the doors of the school, gaining the knowledge and expertise that would launch them to international acclaim. Among its most illustrious alumni are Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, Pierre Cardin, and Jean-Paul Gaultier, all of whom attended the school in their formative years.

Stepping onto the Runway

Christina's time in Paris, was an intense, transformative journey. Over the years, she immersed herself in the rigorous demands of haute couture, mastering the intricate techniques and precision that define the craft. This process was both challenging and inspiring, as she pushed the boundaries of her creativity while refining her skills.

By 1972, the time of her graduation, Christina had not only completed her studies with excellence but also crafted several collections that showcased her growing talent and distinct design vision.

Now, she was ready to step onto the runway, embracing the challenges and opportunities of the fashion industry. Her training in Paris had laid a solid foundation, and it was now time for her to make her own mark in the world.

Early Entrepreneurial Fashion Ventures

After returning to Sweden in the mid-70s, Christina immersed herself in the world of fashion entrepreneurship. Throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, she launched a series of fashion brands and clothing companies, each reflecting her evolving vision and unique approach to design. Through these ventures, Christina continued to grow as both a designer and a pattern maker, solidifying her position as a pioneering entrepreneur with an unwavering commitment to her craft.

End of Part 1 – The story continues with the
creation of Jascha Stockholm

From Academia to Designer

The brand Jascha Stockholm was originally formed in 2001 when Creative Director Jascha Trygg, still a university student at the time, came up with the idea of a minimalist-inspired melton wool coat, featuring a unique collar and discreet buttons.

From a young age, Jascha had been deeply influenced by the world of fashion and creativity. Growing up in a home with his young mother Christina, now both a skilled pattern maker and fashion designer, he was surrounded by the artistic process and the world of design. These early influences ignited an interest in fashion, providing him with a unique perspective and creative foundation that would later shape his own design career.

With the help of pattern making from Christinas, he created the first version of the coat. With its sleek yet bold design, the coat quickly gained acclaim and caught the attention of Nordiska Kompaniet (NK), one of Stockholm’s most renowned department stores, making it an instant sensation. This milestone marked Jascha’s immediate transition from academia into a career in fashion.

A fashion enterprise in the making

With his initial success, Jascha, started to build the “Jascha brand”, alongside the development of full range of collections, focusing on outerwear with additional showpieces. These collections where quickly picked up by a wide network of some of Sweden’s most renown fashion retailers of its time and gains immediate recognition for their quality and design, selling out fast, elevating the brand’s profile fast. As demand grows, so does the newly formed enterprise. Jascha, along with the brand that carries his name, quickly becomes known as a fresh and exciting new force in the Scandinavian fashion industry.

Minimalism meets bold expression

During the early 00s, the Jascha brand was primarily known for its minimalist approach, focusing on high-quality outerwear characterized by impeccable fit and distinct details. However, as the brand grew into the early 10s, so did its design philosophy. Gradually, the collections began to expand, introducing more variety, bold colors, and a new focus on prints. This evolution marked a shift from the simplicity of early designs to a more expressive and dynamic aesthetic.

The introduction of vibrant colors and distinct prints allowed the brand to celebrate individuality and self-expression, with color and creativity at the heart of every collection. This evolution reflected the belief that fashion is not just about style, but also about making a statement and expressing personality through design. Bold color choices and unique prints soon became a hallmark of the Jascha brand, complementing its Scandinavian heritage with a fresh, modern, and expressive twist.

Family Affairs

As the company continued its growth towards the end of the 00s, the need for additional skill sets, backgrounds, and experience became increasingly evident. By the end of the 00s and into the early 10s, Jascha's younger siblings (Jonas, Marc and Nadja) gradually joined the business, transforming it into a true family enterprise. Each bringing their diverse expertise in sales, finance, and production, together, they began working alongside their older brother to help transform the business into a fully established fashion house, ready to face both the challenges and opportunities within an industry that had started to shift.

New Horizons and Expansion

Working together, the four siblings transformed Jascha Stockholm into a fully-fledged fashion enterprise. By the mid-10s, a chain of five Jascha stores in the Stockholm area had been established, along with a robust network of over 200 external retailers across the Nordic region.

The collections began to reflect the ethos of "Happy Fashion", combining bold, joyful expressions with high-quality craftsmanship. Each season, the collections grew larger and bolder, featuring everything from outerwear and blouses to dresses, knitwear, and complete blazer-programs. The designs were characterized by an abundant use of prints, with each collection showcasing a vast array of unique patterns, alongside a wide variety of materials, qualities, and colors. This eclectic and playful approach to fashion was paired with a strong focus on the brands and its founders Scandinavian origin.

Marketed under the banner of "Scandinavian Maximalism", Jascha Stockholm made a bold statement in the fashion industry, celebrating individuality, creativity, and the power of vibrant color and print.

Scandinavian Maximalism in 2018 – Bold colors, striking prints, and joyful creativity, seamlessly blending with Jascha Stockholm’s Scandinavian craftsmanship.

End of Part 2 – The story continues as Jascha Stockholm
navigates the digital shift.

Shifting sands

Towards the end of the 2010s, the fashion industry underwent a rapid and undeniable
transformation. E-commerce expanded at an unprecedented pace, fundamentally challenging the traditional business models that had long defined the industry. As digital platforms grew in prominence, the reliance on physical retail stores began to diminish.

Amidst this disruption, Jascha Stockholm realized that, to thrive in the future, it needed to chart a new course. The local Nordic presence that had served the brand so well in the past could no longer be the sole focus. Instead, the company recognized the need to expand its reach and embrace the growing digital landscape that was rapidly transforming the industry.

A changing of the Guards

As the fashion industry accelerated even further into its digital shift in the early 2020s, Jascha Trygg, after 20 years as Creative Director of Jascha Stockholm, felt it was time to take a step back and pass the torch to his younger siblings, allowing them to fully lead the brand into the 2020s and the new digital era. With a strong foundation built over two decades, Jascha trusted that his siblings had the
vision to navigate this new frontier. The decision marked a pivotal moment for the brand, as
Jascha Stockholm embraced the future with fresh leadership, ready to face both the challenges and opportunities of the new digital revolution.

A Digital Fashion Blueprint

Under its new leadership, Jascha Stockholm set out on a new course, with a clear roadmap for the future. Embracing the rapidly growing e-commerce market, the brand began establishing a strong online presence, focusing on building multiple sales channels across some of the largest marketplace platforms in Europe.

At the same time, Jascha Stockholm maintained a strong local presence through its elevated Brand Store, located in the heart of Stockholm’s Södermalm district. The store has become a destination for the brand’s loyal and ever-expanding customer base, with a strong focus on creating a unique shopping experience. Here, Jascha Stockholm’s digital expansion merges seamlessly with its traditional values, allowing visitors to connect with Jascha Stockholm’s core identity of color, print, and Scandinavian design.

This balance between digital growth and local presence is a central component of Jascha Stockholm’s strategy for navigating the new digital era, while preserving its authenticity and customer-centric approach.

A legacy reinvented

At the core of Jascha Stockholm lies a rich and storied past, built over decades of design excellence, creativity, and craftsmanship. From its roots in haute couture, the brand has always been deeply committed to a profound understanding of product, fit, and detail. This heritage, which began with a young designer’s vision, passed on to a new generation, continues to guide the brand as it evolves in the new digital era.

While Jascha Stockholm has always honored its history and the Scandinavian design tradition, it has also embraced innovation. Throughout the years, the brand has carefully nurtured and expanded its identity, infusing modernity and vibrancy through bold colors and striking prints, while maintaining a commitment to quality and fit.

Today, Jascha Stockholm identifies itself as a dynamic, ever-evolving brand that honors its past while forging ahead into the future. By staying true to its roots and constantly innovating, Jascha Stockholm is redefining what it means to blend timeless Scandinavian design with contemporary style, celebrating individuality and self-expression through its designs.

Tomorrow is a new dawn

From its early days in the 70s, centered around the skill of haute couture, through Jascha’s creative leadership in the 2000s, to its current direction, Jascha Stockholm has always been a brand driven by creativity and a commitment to quality. Each generation has built upon the foundation laid by the previous, adapting to the changing landscape of fashion while preserving the brand’s core values.

As we look toward the future, at the brink of the coming AI revolution, Jascha Stockholm is poised to navigate the next phase of fashion, embracing the digital revolution and emerging technologies. Just as the brand has always embraced change while staying true to its roots, it will continue to innovate and evolve, leading the way into the future of the fashion industry.