Clothes shops in Sweden

Hello everyone! Today I would like to talk to you about the typical clothes shops in Sweden, shops where young people tend to try one and buy clothes. When I came to this Scandinavian country on holiday, I was fixated on the fact that there were so many clothing brands that don’t exist in Spain (or in England), so today I have thought about sharing them with you and giving my opinion on them. I hope that you will like it!

COS

Cos is a Swedish clothing brand that is very well-known in Scandinavia, with shops across the whole country. I discovered it when I was in Malmö, and at the very least the shop seemed to be of another quality. The shop was separated into two floors and a spiral staircase that linked them, and it was a very detailed place. Everything was neat, clean, without clothes on the floor or unfolded.

The shop assistants were very friendly and were always ready to help me, asking me if I was looking for something specific, directing me to the men's section, etc. They were very polite and spoke respectfully, without loud voices.

In regards to the clothes, they were ordered by colour. It was therefore easier to find what you wanted. I remember there being more than three rooms in total, and all full of hangers and coat racks full of clothes. Everything was perfectly organised from light to dark colours. An entire section could be white clothes, and the next one in beige.

The clothes, on the other hand, were also beautiful, of quality, although basic, with few colour combinations and without logos or drawings. I don't like basic clothes very much, but it’s never a bad thing to have in your wardrobe, and I would have bought something there if it weren't for my limited pocket.

Afound

Another store scattered throughout Sweden, and well known from what I saw. It was a kind of brand store mixed with the "outlet" of H&M, which surprised me the first time I discovered that the polo shirt I had chosen to try on was from the international clothing chain.

This store (located in Malmö - actually, I went to all the stores in that city, aside from one) was separated into two floors, and in the one above was the men's and children's section. The clothes were very good, but a downside was the large sizes. And I, who has a small body, found it difficult to find clothes. Well, I did find some, but the clothes that I liked were not in my size. In the end I bought the polo shirt, with a cashmere design print.

There were clothes of all kinds, of almost all styles. From posh to hipster. All in one place. I tried on several shirts and sweatshirts and, honestly, I spent more time in this store than in the rest. But I was not the one who spent the most time here, although I will talk about that later.

In general, the style of clothing was similar to that of Spain, but different at the same time. On the one hand, it looked the same, but it was of better quality. On the other hand, it had a more stylistic and more elegant touch, so I liked it better than the clothes in Spain.

And the variety was infinite, of course. A shame that they almost never had my size.

Superdry

Superdry was a store I first went to in Copenhagen, and to this day I have not seen it anywhere else. And look where I found it: in the English Court! But it has no comparison.

While in the English Court of Bilbao the store has little space, the Copenhagen shop was very long, as though you could get lost. It was another world, no doubt. It reminded me a lot of the men's section of Köroshi (in the summer season); it was the same store but better and with more variety.

This store mixes the logos written in the Latin alphabet with the logos written in Japanese, and all are engraved in bold colours and geometric figures. Most of the sweatshirts had that bilingual logo, but they were very pretty and they all had strong colours. There were also sweatshirts without logos, sweaters, jackets and trousers, and everything was ten. I think I didn't find a single item that I disliked, and the same goes for the prices.

But what I liked the most, and even more for the dates, marked as they were (midsummer), were the shirts. They all had light and soft colours, with and without patterns, but they all seemed original and creative. I hope to have a store like that in Bilbao or nearby.

I bought a blue t-shirt with dark Monstera (Swiss plant) leaves as a pattern. I loved it, truly. It was one of the best buys that I made.

Weekday

Weekday was the shop with the most colourful clothing, without doubt. The official store of Malmö was located in the Hansa shopping centre of Hansa, and once inside I realised that everything that I would see would be pure wonder. And so it was.

All the clothes had bright and strong colours and patterns. The store was deep, so it had a lot for us to look at. It had much more variety than other stores like Superdry or Pull and Bear. And the quality was good too. Black sweatshirts with colourful logos, sweatshirts with pastel coloured spots, patterned shirts, shirts with designs, landscape print jackets etc. Everything was spectacular, and my hand hurt from taking so many clothes into the fitting room. Unfortunately, many items had broad shoulders (Swedes, you know), and I was very sad to leave them behind.

The fitting rooms were made of stained wood that looked like cork, and both these and the entire store was very bright, with shop assistants that helped you with everything. And the one that helped me the most was the one who find the size that would fit me. Especially because, to tell you the truth, the Swedes are tall, which means the clothes are made in large sizes as well.

In general, I really liked this shop, and I have not seen it again in another place. It was another world that I had fallen in love with. I really recommend it.

MQ

It would seem that MQ is also well known, and no only for its clothes but also for its prices.

It was a very pleasant shop that was empty when I went in, but this isn’t to say that the shop is bad. On the contrary, it was a point in its favour because I could go around the shop more calmly and without feeling overwhelmed. Everything was very organised and elegant, which was different to many of the other shops that I went to, especially those with sales on.

The clothes were also beautiful, very current and casual, but there were also blazers and ties, all very elegant. As the store was empty, I did not have to wait to enter the fitting room, so that was another point in its favour. I tried on a sweater with different pastel tones and a light blue t-shirt with a drawing of a flamenco and a small and subtle logo. I finally opted for the shirt.

The shop was really good, there were clothes to look at and think about. You should visit it sometime.

Emmaus

Emmaus was my favourite. It was a second-hand store where prices were very low and the money raised was directed to the most disadvantaged. Although this foundation extends across Europe, I discovered it in Malmö, near the old town.

It was a store full of colour, full of people, full of emotions. There were jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts, t-shirts, trainers, heels, dresses, underwear, raincoats, shirts... It had everything. At first, I didn't like it very much because I couldn't find clothes in my style, but when I passed to the other side of the store my eyes opened wide: piles of clothes began to appear in my hands. It was crazy, and a real bargain.

I discovered a real Hollister shirt for four euros. And a Nike jacket for twelve. And they were in good condition. They were beautiful and without stains or holes or anything. All good.

Everything was sorted by colour, and in truth that helped a lot. So you could go through by colour and not waste too much time. Some garments were of very good quality and well preserved, but others not so much. And footwear especially. I never tried those on.

I saw some very happy people trying on long dresses, children running in circles, young people looking for some treasure... it was a market with walls. But it was very good, very complete. I think I spent two hours in there but I don't know, I lost track of time.

As well as clothes, they also sold other things, such as paintings, toys, lamps, books etc. The store was very large, and had many, many things, as you can see.

Without a shadow of a doubt, I will return to this shop, it was a real discovery.

Zara y H&M

And of course, these two global fashion chains could not be missed. I saw many of these stores not only in Malmö, but also in Copenhagen and Stockholm. They are very well-known shops there, as they are here, only with much larger and wider space.

Malmö's Zara had a total of four floors, two for women and two for men. The clothes were similar, but much longer, especially the shirts. I tried on a size S shirt and it covered me almost to the bottom of my shorts. However, the clothes were very good. It was not as extravagant as in Spain; in Sweden they like to be subtle. There were colours like khaki green and beige that stood out, and in the women's section thousands of more shades. There weren't many people the day I visited it, so I could look at clothes quite calmly.

And it was definitely not as expensive as I had expected.

As for H&M, there was more variety. We went shopping at ten o’clock in the morning, so we had no problems with an excess of people and we could see the entire store. The truth is that there were more clothes for men than in Spain, and the changing rooms were bigger. There were a lot of clothes, like pyjamas, underwear and footwear. But what surprised me was the houseware.

Between the girls’ and boys’ sections there was a relatively large section with frames, candles, cushions, pillows, sheets, tables, plants, vases and much more. It looked like Ikea but with more style.

I was fixated with this section, and I saw that it had a lot of bargains, that the items were very cute and original, and that the prices were not so scary.

H&M has more variety, for me, in Sweden, really. Although yes, all sweatshirts had wider shoulders. So be patient if you don't find one with your exact shoulder measurements.

Åhlens City

This is a shopping centre in Malmö, full of brand shops. It was a very long, glass building, two floors in height with various escalators and lifts.

The first floor was nothing more than cosmetics, underwear and homeware. The make-up was by famous brands as well, but I couldn’t now tell you what they were.

On the second and last floor there were only clothes and perfumes. Of all styles. The brands that stood out the most were Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein trousers, Levi's, Lacoste, Adidas and Nike. There were also other clothing brands that I had never heard of, such as Avenue Tropicale, Barbour, Havaiana and New Era. Finally, there were brands that surprised me, such as the Zlatan Ibrahimovic perfumes and Nivea.

Everywhere had enough space to sell a lot of clothes, and most of them were quality and very creative. I kept seeing clothes, and everything seemed wonderful. Although the prices were not so. The money in my pocket was not enough.

It is true that there were things that I did not like at all, such as shirts with parrot prints or dresses with green or gold flowers, but many things were my style and I could imagine them on. Dreaming is free.

However, I have to emphasize that Åhlens deserves a visit. It is a shopping centre with very good clothes. I liked it. It is very pleasant to walk through its aisles, since people do not fuss, the clothes are very tidy and you can smell the rich perfumes in between shops.

And if you have a decent amount in your pocket, try something other than window shopping. The Swiss clothing brands are very Good, from what I have been able to see.

And that is everything for today! I hope that you have enjoyed this post and that I have been able to inform you a little about the fashion in other countries. The majority of what you will find abroad will be different to Spain. All you need to do is explore, discover and enjoy. It is the only way to learn about the world.

Kisses, and see you next time!

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