Filippa K

style, simplicity and quality

Filippa Knutsson – I stand by what I do. It feels honest and genuine.

The Filippa K philosophy is based on the concepts Style, Simplicity and Quality. We apply these values to every detail of everything we do; the look and feel of our fashion, the design and ambience of our stores, the direction of our shows, the artistic photographs of our ads and the way in which we meet our customers.

By combining timeless simplicity with contemporary edge, Filippa K makes distinctive fashion for modern urbanites with personal integrity and an eye for good design. People who are confident enough to be sophisticated, yet curious enough to be fashionable.

The Filippa K Business idea

Filippa K’s business idea is to design, manufacture, communicate and sell commercial fashion garments and accessories with its own, timeless style. By offering well-designed products with a clear concept and of high quality at an attractive price, Filippa K shall be one of the most attractive brands for both women and men who appreciate fashion and quality.

The Story

Filippa Knutsson is one of the two founders of Filippa K. Having been educated in London, Filippa returned to her native Stockholm in the mid-80’s to work for the successful family-owned fashion company Gul& Blå, initially as a buyer and later as a product manager. After six years Filippa decided to start her own business designing clothes that she felt were simply missing in the marketplace - uncomplicated and yet modern clothes to suit every occasion.

In 1993, Filippa Knutsson together with her colleague Patrik Kihlborg founded the fashion label Filippa K. Karin Segerblom who previously worked as a designer at Gul&Blå also joined the company at an early stage.

In its first year of trading the three ran the business from home and their entrepreneurial spirit allowed the brand to grow quickly. Today, fifteen years later Filippa K has developed from a ”kitchen table” project into one of Scandinavia’s fastest growing clothing companies, with a yearly turnover of SEK 390 million (EUR 41 million).
Today Filippa K is sold in 20 countries, has 40 brand stores in Europé and USA, and is represented by more than 750 selective retailers worldwide. Filippa K’s head office is located in Stockholm.

Milestones

1993 - Filippa K is founded by Filippa Knutsson and her partners Patrik Kihlborg and Karin Segerblom.
The first collection of women’s jerseys, knits and jeans is launched through selected retailers in Sweden.

1994 - Filippa K is represented by agencies in Denmark and Norway.

1996 - The stretch jeans become a big hit.

1997 - We open the first two Filippa K stores - one in Stockholm and one in Oslo.
Filippa is awarded the “Guldknappen” design prize for Swedish Fashion Designer of the Year.

1998 - The Filippa K Man collection is launched and we open our third store, this time in Copenhagen.

1999 - The first Filippa K Man store opens in Stockholm.

2000 - We start to grow in Europe and also open two more stores, one in Stockholm and one in Gothenburg.

2001 - The European expansion continues with agency representation in the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as the opening of a Filippa K store in Amsterdam.

2002 - We open up a showroom in Brussels and enter the German, Swiss and Irish markets.

2003 - Distribution is secured in Canada and the United States. The Netherlands has become our second largest market and 50% of our turnover comes from countries outside Scandinavia. Our campaign images are shown at Wetterling’s Art Gallery in Stockholm, celebrating our 10th anniversary.

2004 - We open another Filippa K Man store in Stockholm and add high profile retailers abroad such as Selfridges in the UK and Fred Segal in Los Angeles.

2005 - The first store in Antwerp opens.

2006 - We sign a new agency representation in France. Filippa K opens the first stores in Germany: one store and one showroom in Berlin and two stores in Munich.

2007 - Filippa K opens the first store in switzerland, in Zurich. The fourth German store opens in Düsseldorf.

2008 - We continued the growth in Germany by opening a fifth brand store in Hamburg in April. And for Fall, Filippa K will open the first flagship store in US market, in San Francisco.