• photography Linda Alfvegren

    fashion Ulrika Lindqvist

    hair and makeup Filippa Smedhagen

    A decade of crime, psychology, and gripping twists, an interview with author Mikaela Bley

    Written by Ulrika Lindqvist

    Swedish author Mikaela Bley marks 10 years since her debut with Lycke, the first in a string of bestselling psychological thrillers. With a background in television and a fascination for female perpetrators, Bley has carved out a distinctive voice in Scandinavian noir. In this interview, she reflects on her creative journey, the real-life inspiration behind her stories, and how her own fears and recent reality TV experience, shape the narratives she writes.

    Ulrika Lindqvist: Congratulations on celebrating 10 years as an author! Did you always now you wanted to write? What made you take the leap into writing your first novel 10 years ago?

    Mikaela Bley: Thank you! When I worked as an acquisition executive at TV4, I bought a true crime series about women who kill and became completely hooked. I read everything about female perpetrators, and that’s where the idea for my first book series about Ellen Tamm (crime reporter at TV4) was born. Female killers and victims are still a recurring theme in my books. I have always been interested in exploring the origins of a crime, its psychology, and the underlying motives. My ambition is to write multifaceted, exciting, and gripping stories – where nothing is as it first seems. My ambition is to portray our contemporary society from different and new perspectives and to raise questions about guilt, power and justice - where the line between perpetrator and victim lies dangerously close.

    UL: You released your debut Lycke in 2015, how has the response, both critically and from readers, shaped your perception of the novel over time?

    MB: The response was very positive from both readers and critics, and that made me so happy. It went much better than I had ever dared to hope. The series was sold directly to fourteen countries and made it possible for me to continue writing. Since it was a gamble when I quit my job at TV4 to write, it was an incredible relief and luxury to be able to continue writing full-time. I have released eight books since then and take all constructive criticism to heart so I can improve my craft, and of course, I have developed both as a person and as a writer since then. Reading experiences and reviews are subjective, someone loves a book and someone else hates the same book and I love them all!

    UL: You worked at Swedish channel TV4 before becoming an author, how did it feel to return to the channel, this time as a participant in the show The Traitors?

    MB: Completely different. Working on or watching a show like The Traitors is nothing like actually being one of the participants-it’s like night and day. Even though I was prepared for it to be a tough game, it turned out to be much more psychologically demanding than I had imagined. Reality quickly became isolated, and even though I knew and understood intellectually that it was “just” a game, it still felt like it was about life and death. It was very interesting to see and experience my own and other people’s behavior in such a special situation and group, not to mention the group dynamics!

    UL: Ellen Tamm, your character, works as a reporter at TV4. Has your own experience in front of the camera inspired any new developments or insights that you plan to explore in the next book about her?

    MB: Being falsely accused and what that does to a person. When we watch interrogations and interviews with suspected perpetrators and they can’t answer all the questions directly or give vague answers, it is often instinctively interpreted as if they are guilty. My experience in The Traitors made me realize how difficult it is to defend yourself against unreasonable accusations when you are mistrusted. Ellen Tamm will definitely be digging deeper into this.

    UL: What was the inspiration behind your new novel If One Falls, All Fall? Did any particular events, ideas, or themes inspire you more during the writing process?

    MB: In If One Falls, All Fall, I wanted to explore the modern spy-what kind of people infiltrate our societies and live seemingly ordinary lives among us. It could be a colleague, a neighbor, or even the person you are married to. I wanted to try to understand how someone, year after year, can live their life as someone else, lie to everyone, make friends and have a family? What is the driving force behind it? How do they manage it?

    ULIf One Falls, All Fall is launched exklusively as an audiobook before being published in hardback this fall, what is your relationship to audiobooks? Do you have favorite books or genres that you specifically like to listen to?

    MB: The audiobook is the most popular format in Sweden. Most of my “readers” now listen to my books. I myself alternate between reading and listening. They are two different experiences. Some books work better in audio format and others the opposite. When it comes to audiobooks, I mostly listen to nonfiction, biographies, and life stories-preferably narrated by the authors themselves.

    UL: I’ve heard that you’re afraid of the dark, do you often draw from your own fears in your writing?

    MB:Absolutely, I always write about what scares me. Writing is a kind of therapy, a way to confront my fears  and ghosts, get to know them, and try to understand them.

    UL: Which novels or authors have been most influential to your writing style and the themes you explore? Do you find yourself returning to specific works during your creative process?

    MB: Michael Connelly was my great role model; now I am inspired by many different authors in all genres. I read so many books, and all of them teach me something new.

    UL: Could you share some insights into your creative process? When and how do you find you’re the most productive or inspired to write?

    MB: I always have inspiration to write; time is my biggest challenge. The best thing for me is to isolate myself and focus solely on my writing, really immersing myself in the story and the characters-but it’s hard to do that with small children and everything else in life. That’s why I usually write in the evenings and at night, when everyone else has gone to bed and there’s nothing to disturb me.

    UL: What’s next for you as a writer? Are there any new projects or ideas you’re excited to explore?

    MB: I’m working on the fourth book in The Killer series and have a lot of other exciting, secret projects in progress. Stay tuned!

    sunglasses Tom Ford

    bag STHLM MISC

    sunglasses Tom Ford

    bag STHLM MISC

    sunglasses Tom Ford
    sunglasses Tom Ford
  • dress Viktoria Chan
    stockings Swedish Stockings
    hat ROKSANDA & Other Stories
    necklace Maria Nilsdotter
    photography Sandra Myhrberg
    fashion Maria Roshani Fehrnström

    Only If For A Night

    photography by Sandra Myhrberg by Sandra Myhrberg
    total look Chanel
    dress over ROKSANDA & Other Stories
    dress worn underneith Sson Studios
    stockings Swedish Stockings
    shoes COS
    dress ROKSANDA & Other Stories
    top and bottom Baum and Pferdgarten
    shoes Arket
    top Adidas / Zalando
    skirt ROKSANDA & Other Stories
    bottom AGDA Studios
    shoes COS
    top Sson Studios
    bottom Weekday
    stockings Swedish Stockings
    top and bottom AGDA Studios
    stockings Swedish Stockings
    total look Hermés
    total look Christian Dior
  • photography Sandra Myhrberg
    fashion Jahwanna Berglundy

     

    all clothing garment by

    necklace Izabel Display

    Shake It Out, An Interview with Vinchy Chan

    Written by Maya Avram by Sandra Myhrberg

    While creative talent and a discerning eye are stable stakes to succeeding in fashion, strategy is equally crucial to establishing a sustainable career and one most industry players unfortunately lack. One reason is that fashion designers are becoming increasingly individualistic, and consequently, reluctant to ask for support. This starts as early as fashion school, where educators encourage emerging talent to see themselves as bitter competitors rather than potential collaborators; it goes on to impact small-scale businesses who can’t seem to handle their admin (cult-favourites like Y/Project, Christopher Kane and The Vampire’s Wife have been forced to shut down in recent years.)

    garment by’s premise, therefore, is a simple yet promising one: entrust the business side of things to the startup’s co-founders, former Strategy Consultant Vinchy Chan and Operations Officer Ana Ciobanu, and focus instead on designing the ‘Icons’, the platform’s range of timeless clothing essentials. Each Icon piece is created with consideration of research data and insight, and ethically produced by garment by’s network of vetted suppliers and manufacturers in China. The result? A thoughtful collection of bespoke garments meant to last a lifetime.

    I caught up with Chan ahead of the spring launch of the ‘Love Shirt’, celebrating the noblest emotion of all.


    Maya Avram: This issue’s theme is ‘Alchemy of Fates,’ or how we break down conforms to build something new that realigns us with the right path. Do you feel that resonates with garment by’s mission?
    Vinchy Chan: 100 percent. As an outsider to fashion, I see things with a fresh perspective, including practices that don’t serve us anymore. I respect that big brands have to make sure, in this downturn, that they can protect their revenue in line with the matrixes they know are going to sell, but that is just adhering to conform. It tells us that fashion is about creativity, but also that there are many implicit rules. As a business, garment by is ready to break away from those rules and those legacy systems that don’t serve us anymore.

    MA: What does your development process look like, and how does it challenge those systems?
    VC:
    One of the biggest problems of the current system is overstock. Stock is planned and produced usually a year ahead, and at the six-month mark, you need to put in orders with your sourcing and production partners, which many brands do without any insight or data. So they often overproduce and create merchandise that is killing their business. 70 percent of designer labels’ cash gets tied up in stock they never know if they’ll be able to sell. That cost is priced in for consumers — ever wonder why a designer shirt costs £800? Imagine if we didn’t have to pay that premium. You could shave 30 to 50 per cent off the buying price, which is great for consumers in this economic downturn. Not to mention that stock is the biggest environmental polluter, with 30 per cent of overstock going to landfill. Consumers nowadays are more and more aware of those issues and the impact of their buying behaviours. That’s why we adopted an on-demand model, to empower designer labels to only produce what’s sold. We are now able to deliver the product within four weeks, but hopefully, with tech and data innovation, we will eventually be able to deliver it within two weeks.

    MA: How did you come to create the Icon collection?
    VC:
    The Icon collection came from market insight. We are looking into each clothing category and finding that offering gap; whether it is a product feature, a style, the wearer’s experience or the pricing. And through that data, you ensure the commerciality and practicality of the clothes before you even go into production. When we talk to designers, they really appreciate that insight because they often lack the bandwidth to think about what can sell that also intersects with what they enjoy designing.

    MA: Is there an active dialogue between you and the designers? How much of the relationship is a push-pull?
    VC:
    We come from a very consumer insight-driven background and try to bring that value to the designers and co-create those pieces together. Before even going to production, we make sure that we have good enough learning, and keep building upon it. After we created the first iteration of our first Icon [a lush wool and cashmere blend coat MA], we realised the fabric we sourced didn’t meet the needs of our consumers. So we quickly iterated a second version using a new fabric because we knew there was an unmet need there. This way of working was anchored in when I worked in product innovation but lacked in fashion.

    MA: How do you find the designers you work with?
    VC:
    There’s an urgency to our mission because the whole idea was to create a business infrastructure to help designers create core collections. We targeted designers who sadly had to close down their businesses in recent years but whose respective communities are craving for their comeback. Our ultimate goal, though, is to engage a bigger pool of designers, whether it is an emergent designer or a more established designer, award-winning designers or household names. We are ready to connect.

    MA: Sounds like quite the support system.
    VC:
    We did lots of research into how to run a designer label. The leanest operation will have at least three people: a technician for the fabric and prototyping, a production and a PR and Marketing manager, and, of course, the designers themselves. But with that structure, you’re not maximising the business opportunity to launch because you lack insight, and it’s also hard to curate supply resources you trust. When I went to Guangzhou, which is the biggest textile market in the world, it was overwhelming; there was no way I could know what kind of fabric was where and which was the right one to source without our trusted suppliers. So prototyping, fabric sourcing, and product development, these are the pain points we’re trying to streamline for every size of designer. It should be super easy from the moment you create your collection with us.

    MA: It will be interesting to see how your operation will develop into a cohesive wardrobe. On that note, have you defined the garment by consumer?
    VC:
    At the beginning, we thought about targeting urban professionals who appreciate the fine things in life. So those working in law or consultancy while pursuing an urban lifestyle, with adjacent interests like fine dining, art, music and culture, very well travelled — the cool beans. When the orders came through they all fit that exact persona, which was a nice surprise, but we still have a lot to do to understand them in a more nuanced way. Our on-demand model is quite new to this target audience, and we are still on a journey to make this the norm to shop good quality, unique designer items, and scale it to more audiences that could buy with
    us in the future.

    MA: Would you say you’re on a constant learning curve? What lessons have you learnt from the Icon coat launch, and what questions are still left unanswered?
    VC:
    The most important thing we learnt from the launch was the winning formula for the Icons. Each one needs to fit three criteria: first, an Icon should really fit you. It’s not just sizing, but how it looks and feels. The second one is form, i.e., the performance of our materials, because at the end of the day, the fabric is what is directly touching your skin, and the fabric is what brings a silhouette to life. We saw that with the coat; when we went from our first fabric choice to the second one, there was a different type of energy that made us say, “That’s what everybody needs.” The last criterion is design. An Icon has to be unique and speak to the identity
    of the designer while also being versatile and timeless. It should go with every piece in your wardrobe so you as an individual can style it however way you want. That is the sweet spot for our cohort, which we translate to an internal framework when we talk to designers for collaboration. In terms of what more we want to learn, it is a better understanding of our target audiences, their shopping journeys and what barriers we need to break through to create value around the on-demand model. For them to think two to four weeks is actually worth waiting for quality, unique pieces. That’s a psychology exercise, understanding how to become present in their lives and offer them more than just functional value — but creating an emotional connection.

    MA: Tell me about the Love Shirt.
    VC:
    The Love Shirt was created by a real couple who met when they were studying fashion design at London College of Fashion. Their master’s became a love story, and now they’re married with young kids. They live in Shanghai but still come back to London a lot, so it’s an interesting backstory to the brief we gave them — to create something that speaks to love. So the shirt comes in two styles that you can wear with your loved one, whether it’s your friend, partner, or whoever you can share it with. It comes in white and black, the most classic colourway so you can mix and match it with your own wardrobe or a loved one’s. This way, it also speaks to self-love in the context of dressing yourself with something you absolutely adore and feel comfortable in, and which you can carry over to different occasions. I feel personally about this theme because it allowed my boyfriend Jakob and me to take part in the launch campaign, we were both wearing the same shirt. It meant a lot to create that memory together, which lends the product such emotional value for us and for the designers who created the shirt. It resonates with the most beautiful thing we want to talk about — the world needs love right now, right?

    MA: Always. On that note, what excites you about the future?
    VC:
    I’m very excited to see some changes in the industry, of which hopefully we will be one of the drivers, and I’m most excited about working with more designers. I’m very inspired by design as a profession, especially when I see exhibitions like the amazing one about Alaïa. His work, and his story are super inspiring, and I feel like designers don’t have those stages anymore. Hopefully, our channel can bring those beautiful stories to the right audiences and communities. Last but not least, I’m very excited to grow garment by. We have an ambitious target to scale by 2027, which is when the on-demand model is projected to become one of the most prevalent models, and we want to be a leader in that space. So that means growing this business, growing the infrastructure, growing our tier-one suppliers, growing our team, developing digital solutions; there’s a lot on the agenda.

    text Maya Avram
    photography Sandra Myhrberg
    fashion Jahwanna Berglund
    hair and makeup Elva Ahlbin
    model Inti el Meskine / Fifth Models

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