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Filippa Knutsson: Creator of Scandinavian fashion-brand Filippa K |
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Where she lives: Söder, the south side of Stockholm
Music: Leonard Cohen, Eagle-Eye Cherry and Brazilian bossa nova king Bebel Gilberto, Last book read: Donna Tartt, "The Secret History" Dessert: Frutta di Bosco Age: 40 Filippa Knutsson is the creative director and founder of Filippa K, one of Scandinavia`s most glamorous fashion companies. But the woman who gave her name to this sterling silver label has no interest in celebrity.. "What I do is more important than who I am," Filippa says with emphasis. What she does is to serve as creative director of a Swedish company she founded in 1993 which is steadily expanding throughout Europe from its headquarters at Götgatan 36, in the heart of the trendy south side of Stockholm. In mid-January, blonde and blue-eyed Filippa strode with a smile down the catwalk to receive accolades from some 800 guests at the company`s Spring show, a highlight of the annual Swedish fashion season. But this single mother of three young children hates going on stage. "I never go to fashion shows. Instead, I go to fabric fairs in Paris because that is part of my actual job as a designer. I`m not so interested in the la-de-da-glamorous stuff," she says. Perhaps one secret to Fililppa`s success is her international background. Born in Stockholm to Swedish parents, she spent her entire youth in Great Britain. "I don`t feel so Scandinavian, because I was brought up in England. I came here from London when I was 21 years old," she explains. In a sense, Filippa is returning to her British roots. In February, her firm opened a "soft shop" in Selfridges, one of London`s classiest department stores. Filippa K has boutiques throughout Scandinavia, a franchise store in Amsterdam, and has also entered the market in Austria, Germany and Ireland. Many regard Felippa K`s fashions as quintessential Scandinavian because of the simplicity and timeless quality of the designs. But the creative director and her colleagues have a broad horizon, regularly making "inspiration trips" to New York or Japan. Filippa also escapes occasionally to the apartment she co-owns in Bangkok, Thailand, returning relaxed and with an enviable tan to a frozen Stockholm. She has also purchased land in Costa Rica where her mother Martina lives part of each year; Filippa plans to build a house there some day. If Ms. Knutsson was willing to become a public person, the Swedish tabloid press would be delighted to record her private life. After all, her name is familiar to fashion-lovers throughout Scandinavia. The Filippa K brand is considered so trendy that some young girls feel proud just walking down the street with a paper bag bearing the company logo. Despite the name recognition, Filippa K-the-person (not the brand) doesn`t get mentioned in gossip columns because she rarely goes to Stockholm clubs for wannabe-famous, like Spy Bar or Kharma. In fact, she keeps such a low-profile that few people would recognize her if they bumped into her on the street. "I`m not interested in having people prying into my private life," she explains. That means we won`t see this particular fashion queen sharing her innermost thoughts on any television talk show in the near future. "I prefer to stay low-key," she says. Photography: Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin Filippa is wearing: Wool jersey top in Kaleidoscope print and silky black pants by Filippa K, bracelet from Thailand, and men`s Rolex watch. Make-up: Lisa Peterson |
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