Chances are that you’ve seen the square-shaped Fjällräven Kanken bags on the backs of teens and adults alike. With retailers like Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom selling the utilitarian bags, it’s hard not to see the appeal in these sleek and stylish bags that make your day-to-day easier and more efficient.
Fjällraven introduces its new limited-edition Samlaren line today, which focuses on the idea of sustainability by bringing to life leftover fabrics to create unique collectible products. From their press release, Fjällraven states, “The idea behind Samlaren is to create an initiative for sustainability and innovation with the mission to explore circularity and create inspiration for a better and more sustainable future.”
The collection features four new takes on beloved styles produced in various colorways that are sure to bite you with the sustainability bug this spring. With a Kånken backpack, a cap, a Greenland Jacket, and a Totepack, the line is functional and stylish while also doubling down on the brand’s known support for the environment. One of the most used design techniques for the collection is color blocking. The color block usage seen on the bags and the jacket is a fresh look that will add that extra pop of color into your spring and summer wardrobe this year. Each product from this limited-edition collection features G-1000 fabric, which is a brand staple. Also, the collection still bears the iconic Fjällräven fox branding placed strategically on each of the pieces.
Although this particular idea is new for the brand, Fjällraven is no stranger to sustainability. In 1966, the founder of Fjällräven — Åke Nordin — heard that a group of alpinists had loved the sturdy tents he provided them, but disliked the coats provided by another brand. To Nordin, this spelled opportunity. He took extra rolls of this Thermo Tent fabric and fashioned them into a coat, and then tested the new piece himself. By designing such a sturdy and weatherproof jacket after some more tooling around, Nordin not only created an iconic jacket loved by Europeans through the 60s and 70s, but a truly eco-friendly piece of outerwear. By remaining sturdy and tough regardless of the weather, The Greenland jacket became a piece you bought once, and use for a lifetime. Now in 2021, Fjällräven is taking sustainability even further, by utilizing every scrap of fabric they possibly can in this limited-edition collection.
You can purchase items from their latest collection in select stores and online at www.fjallraven.com. Take a look below at some of our favorite pieces of the Samlaren collection.
1. Samlaren Totepack
This Totepack is bright and colorful, and it’s sure to catch some eyes while you run errands. The Totepack is functional and features all of the space capabilities of the original bag. It comes in four different colorways for this collection: yellow with an orange center, red with a dark red center, gray with a burnt orange center and a monochromatic green.
The Samlaren jacket comes in two variations for men and women. The three Women’s jackets feature intriguing color blocking — a dark brown with orange and purple blocking, a sand with crème blocking and a sand with olive green, light green and orange blocking — that will keep you warm and dry during the rainy spring months. For the men, there’s a blue option with dark blue color blocking, a brown option with dark green blocking and a plain light olive-green option.
The jacket is inspired by the original Greenland jacket and features a weatherproof outer comprised of leftover fabric from the cutting room floor.
Arguably, one of the brand’s most popular bag silhouettes is the Kånken. Used as a backpack or a carry-all, the Känken for this collection comes in four styles: a pink with baby blue blocking, a sand with army green blocking, a blue with dark blue blocking and a monochromatic turquoise. This bag is just as functional as the original, it just has the added razzle-dazzle of sustainability and color, with a slightly larger shape and a few extra pockets on the front.
The cap for this collection is simple, yet makes a bold statement. With a black option that features sand blocking on the inside and a sand option with orange blocking on the inside, these sustainably produced hats are a colorful and exciting way to wear your support for our planet.
