Is Stockholm the new Antwerp? Well, maybe not quite, but few countries have been able to garner the attention of the fashion obsessed like Sweden has in recent years. With the recent opening of the Acne Jeans shop and the continued growth of newer Swedish labels like Filippa K, WESC and Nudie, not to mention the success of H&M, the emphasis this time is not on designer collections, but everyday casualwear geared to a hipsterish mentality.
That's where Dunderdon comes in. The nine-year-old label had operated a sleek little shop on Lafayette Street nestled among the skater shops like Supreme, but failed to make a huge impression. Then someone had the clever idea of moving to a larger store on Howard Street near the end of Crosby Street, a few doors down from the magical store of the moment, Opening Ceremony, and soon to be the epicenter of all things cool.
Dunderdon's workwear based collection gets a better showcase in the store's roomier whitewashed interior which feels a lot more, well, Swedish.
It certainly is quieter then Lafayette Street, and the lone salesperson we encountered apologized for the lack of price tags, as the stores labeling machine was on the fritz. He also inquired what we were listening to on out headphones, perhaps for his own personal survey. We managed to ascertain that a pair of selvage denim jeans goes for about $150. Amongst the oiled cotton anoraks and mini-plaid cargo shorts, there is also a small women's collection with a very uniform-y look whose degree of chic clearly depends on who is wearing it and how.
Dunderdon's move is a canny one. While there is clearly more traffic on Lafayette, this new store will get more attention on Howard Street as SoHo below Broome Street continues to develop.
Dunderdon NYC Workshop, 25 Howard Street between Broadway & Lafayette Streets, SoHo