Image Courtesy of Skall Studio.
Danish fashion brand Skall Studio was founded in 2014 by sisters Julie and Marie Skall. From material sourcing to manufacturing and consumption, the company considers the
impact on the environment and human beings at every level of its business. Through this, they live and work according to their manta, “less is enough”.
SLEEK: You are sisters, but was there always a desire to create something together? And why clothes?
JULIE: We always knew we wanted to work together. Each of us first went our own way and then, as a matter of course, we decided eight years ago to found Skall Studio.
MARIE: Our mother used to sew clothes for us when we were children. So that inspiration was there very early in our life. We’re also so inspired by vintage stuff, and we have a big collection of vintage clothes that we have been collecting since we were very young.
S: Do you have an archive?
J: Yes! We keep it all. We have many boxes here and in our private homes. Also, we’ve been collecting not only garments but also home textiles. And those, like the cotton fabrics from the vintage pieces, are so heavy and soft. Incredible, unique …
S: Oh yeah, I love the feeling of touching vintage fabrics …
J: Same for us. We work a lot with organic cotton and linen. They have a similar feeling. We searched for a long time until we found the quality that we’d envisioned. It’s actually quite difficult to find similar fabrics today in the market when we go to our suppliers.
S: So where have you found them?
J:M: In India. We were both working and living in India before we started Skall Studio. So we have a very close connection with India, as well as a big love for the country. India has a long tradition for making textiles, especially cotton and hand-woven fabrics. We have recently started to work with hemp and khadi fabrics [a natural, handwoven material]. We really like the handicraft tradition of making textiles and garments.
S: Do you also find inspiration in people and stories from the past?
J: We have a big love for that, yes. We especially love the Sixties and Seventies. We are huge fans of the Beatles, all the music from that time. Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, these are also women that we really love. We are in love with their music and style, but we also feel that they were strong, independent women. They wanted to get involved and make a difference.
M: We feel that when you create something and share it with the world, it should reflect the time it was made in. You should reflect what’s going on in the world and use your voice. I mean, our voice is our collections. I think it’s important to use that. too, to do something good in the world.
Image Courtesy of Skall Studio.
S: So you communicate through your clothes?
J: It’s really a fine art to create something that everyone can love all over the world, and at the same time, make it special. And then also voice that opinion, too. If you see something in the world that you don’t like, you should try to do something about it, and not just sit back and hope that someone else will.
S: Are these things the starting points for the stories around your collections?
M: Actually, the autumn collection was inspired by Scotland. When we were children, we used to travel to England and Scotland with our family, and we just loved the nature there. And yeah, being very inspired by the Beatles and the McCartney family, we are also vegetarians. We don’t own any leather and fur products. And the lifestyle that Paul and Linda McCartney had in Scotland with children and animals, just being in harmony and balance …we really like that.
S: And now your mom is also working with you …
J: Yes. We have been growing, but she has had her own career for many years. We grew up in the north part of Jutland [the Danish region bordering Germany], so it’s far away from Copenhagen. And our mom and dad were, in fact, living there until a few months ago. Then they moved here, and then we thought, “The time is right.” And now we work together.
M: I told her, “Mom, it’s time to come and work with us. You have many years left still in your working life and we want you here.” So, she’s actually our head of corporate social
responsibility and sustainability.
S: It is a present! The fact that you are now working with your mum seems very healing. For me, it also seems to be about the recognition of a generational history. Can we do more to show others the value of this? How could we do that?
J: We are happy to hear that. Skall Studio is founded on some very strong family values, which is also why we prefer to work with other family run businesses, as it adds an extra layer of understanding, as we share the same values. For example, just as our factory in Delhi is a family run business, we work with a family-run spinning mill and a family-run knitting factory in Denmark. We like to build strong relations – family to family, whenever possible. This is also a strong message, we think.
Image Courtesy of Skall Studio.
S: And what does it mean to you to interact with the women on your team, with friends, and with the women you hear from who have discovered Skall for themselves?
J: We have a strong and very dedicated team and feel very grateful for that. Each employee is part of our family, and their thoughts and ideas mean a lot to us. It is important for us to hear from our customers and have an ongoing dialogue with them. In fact, we also consider our customers part of the Skall family. Without our customers, there would probably not be a Skall Studio.
S: You took your time and grew the way you wanted to. That seems very healthy to me.
J: Oh thank you. You are right. We have our very own rhythm and a very clear idea of what we want and how we will be successful together.
M: Our mother taught us to be good to other people. She works with people all over the world, and ultimately, you need people to work with you. We like to tell stories, we like to take our time and do our very best in what we create. One of the first things we decided was that we were only going to create two collections per year.
S: I think your customers are able to intuitively understand your approach from the quality of your clothes.
J:M: When we started eight years ago almost no one talked about sustainability or responsibility. We’re just so happy to see that, eight years later, many more people are focussed on responsibility and sustainability. However, more people need to get involved.
S: A pertinent example of this is that you have been looking for a regional manufacturer for your knitwear for a long time.
J:M: When we started Skall Studio, we knew it would be very difficult. For example, when making knitwear the most important thing is to ensure that the sheep has been treated well. It is also essential for us to support local craftsmanship. By working with the spinning mill at Hjelholt, located on the beautiful island of Funen, we can follow each step closely.
S: I like to think that Skall is more than a label. Perhaps it could be described as a Weltanschauung or worldview. Do we need more courage to let our attitudes and values flow into our lives and work openly and honestly?
J:M: We prefer to say that Skall Studio is a way of living. There are so many brands out there and we think that a brand needs to have clear values to stand out; values that the customer can mirror themselves. Skall Studio is a mirror of our own way of living, and we like to keep it that way – while we are growing.
As featured in SLEEK 73 – PASSION. Available in print and digital here.