Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but some things are not a democracy. Swedish people are beautiful. Full stop. We went there late last year and felt like we were walking around in a travel brochure (we’d have obviously been swiftly edited out if that went to print). They dress elegantly and pay great attention to detail. This attitude to life follows suit in their design work. Swedish footwear brand Gram is sexaaaaay. Let us explain…

A few seasons back, the infamous New York boutique Opening Ceremony held an international designer clash between the US and Sweden. According to them it was a tie; however Sweden really worked the US. They done a Rocky and pushed them to the last round.

Sweden has been a hub for creativity for some time now especially on the fashion scene. The Swedish have been producing a new wave of talent that is slowly gaining recognition on a global scale. From classic fashion designers such as J. Lindeberg and Filippa K, to denim and Streetwear brands such as Nudie and WeSC, Sweden is really  making its mark in the fashion industry.

Well, enough of my bad breath. I’ll stop. This is what Anna Stenvi and Alexis Holm the team behind Gram had to say to us:

R&A: So, how long has Gram been about?

Gram has been around since 2005 with our very first line-up of sneakers hitting the shelves mid 2006.

R&A: Spit some history please guys.

Well… I met Anna back when I worked for Tiger of Sweden (fashion brand), we were both a little tired of working for someone elses dream, and so Gram was born.

A small tentative collection of vulcanized denim sneakers were released with the Gram logo in May 2006, and it all went pretty fast from there.

R&A: What’s your favorite piece in the current collection?

345g’s in mustard suede or a black pair of oil waxed 500g.

R&A: What makes you guys stand out?

Gram is the place where scruffy sneakers go for a makeover, and the doctor that uncomfortable dress shoes book appointments with to work on their soft side.

Basically we make the footwear that you never have to leave in the wardrobe, regardless of where you’re going or who you’re going to see.

Hybrids for the modern man.

R&A: What are you trying to achieve at GRAM?

Perfection.

R&A: Enough of the basics, now give us a TRIBE exclusive.

For AW10 we’re set to release another premium sneaker offering, our first since the gramSE.

R&A: What’s the future plans?

More for the ladies and a line of carefully weighed accessories. I’m not ruling out eyewear either, but time will tell.

R&A: We want Gram kicks. Where can we get them?

We’re available in most major cities, with a good selection of stores like ASOS.com, Topman Oxford circus and Urban Outfitters, but if you’re not close to any of them then check out gramstore.com.

R&A: Define ’style’ for us?

Conscious choices. Anybody wearing anything that someone else told them to buy is going to fall short of the mark.

R&A: We recently paid a visit to Sweden and were blown away by how well dressed everyone was. Why do you think people pay so much attention to their image over there and where do you see Swedish fashion going?

Well I hope you enjoyed your stay, summer is the only time to visit in my opinion.

Swedes definitely pay a lot of attention to their exterior. Being one myself I’d say I’m more curious as to why people in other countries seem to lack the interest all together. I mean, who doesn’t want to look their best?

Swedish fashion has to find its footing internationally now. The initial hype is over and if we’re going to continue to grab a piece of the spotlight then we need to carve out that niche we’ve found even deeper.

Sweden as a market for fashion brands is on the whole rather small, so expect to see nice brands like Whyred, Velour and The Local Firm spreading out across the globe even more in the near future.

Above 2 pictures courtesy of The Sartorialist

So Gram has got it going on. No doubt. Do yourself a favour please. Go to your shoe rack and be real with yourself. Throw away your off-white Reebok classics from 04. Burn them, then put them out with piss. Now go and buy some decent kicks. Grow up. Gram might be an idea. I’m just SAYING.

Stay Stylish,

Reuben & Aaron

Doing some work for the good folk at Casio G-Shock at the moment, I get to attend a bunch of the Secret Wars Euro League events up and down the country and over into europe, chat shit into a camera and talk to talented, drunk artists. When I say talented, I mean it, some of the art these guys are producing is incredible, all under a time limit and the pressure of taking on another city, just as hungry to progress in the tournament as they are. Here is the opening fixture which took place at The Book Club in East London. Watch it and head over to: www.secretwarseuroleague.com to get familiar if you aren’t already.

Well done to Tara who is 16 from London and Habib, 30 from London. You have both won a PAIR of tickets to see 50 Cent’s Wembley Arena show with London’s very own #1 selling artist Tinie Tempah as support. Now you can’t complain about never winning anything. Well done!

Thanks to all of you for applying, there will be plenty more competitions to come.  Commiserations especially to Stefanie from Germany, you were successful however up until this point I have been unable to reach you. Due to the overwhelming response the tickets had to be passed down to the next applicant. I was rooting for you to get in touch but : You Snooze, You Lose. Lol

Runners up will be announced shortly.

Stay tuned for more Competitions here on ATCN.

As part of the “Bring the Noise’ events at Tate Britain, ATCN family INSA was invited to produce a piece of work in response to Chris Ofili’s current retrospective exhibition. He produced two: a piece entitled “Only God and You Can Judge Me (Jumbo Edition)” and a pair of 10” platform high heels made from elephant dung, entitled “Anything goes when it comes to (s)hoes….”

For more pictures and info on the INSA work and ‘Bring the noise’ event head over to VIEWFINDER.

2010 and the blogosphere is exploding. For every great blog or Youtube sensation there are 10,000 other  painfully average ones. Still, we can’t learn if we don’t fail. One things for sure though, this revolution aint going anytime soon. Be inspired people!

Word to Can-i-Bus

Rest in peace B.I.G

Anybody heard the new record by Gonjasufi yet? It’s a killer album and I highly recommend it.

Go on, PRESS PLAY and enjoy my latest selection. As Grandad Oscar would say… “Big choon.”

If only Grace knew what she had started!