When Swedish fashion designer Elin Kling and her husband Karl Lindman launched their company Toteme in New York in 2014, they wanted to combine American sportswear, Southern European elegance, and Scandinavian minimalism. Their garments were supposed to hint at a European vacation on the French Riviera rather than the Canary Islands. Read on to learn more about the luxury holiday garments designed by a Swedish couple.
According to the company’s website, TOTEME is a fashion house rooted in Swedish sensibilities, modern aspirations, and the notion of style.
Born and raised in Sweden, Kling was heavily influenced by the Swedish affinity for design, combining expert craftsmanship and practicality with attention to detail. She began her fashion communication and publishing career, building a highly engaged following for her curated, editorial eye.
Kling has also been a guest designer for H&M and American Marciano Guess, among others, and founded the fashion network NowManifest while editing her fashion magazine, Styleby.
Lindman, who grew up in Bromma outside Stockholm, began his career as an art director, holding roles such as Senior Art Director at the New York advertising agency Baron & Baron and Design Director at Interview Magazine.
With an appreciation for women’s many roles and how pieces are worn in practice, Toteme creates emblematic designs emphasizing materiality and shape. Archetype pieces are examined through a female lens and realized with sumptuous fabrics, rich textures, and graphic silhouettes. Representing a direct and decisive way of dressing, the collections are contextualized in curated edits, visuals, and spaces.
In 2016, the couple moved the business to Stockholm, where they opened TOTEME’s first flagship store in 2019. Since then, the brand has continued its global expansion, opening flagship stores in New York (2022), London (2023), and Los Angeles (2024).
In 2024, Karl and Elin received the prestigious “Entrepreneurs of the Year” award from the Swedish business newspaper Dagens Industri. That same year, they were also included in Business of Fashion’s BoF500. In 2024, TOTEME debuted its first fashion show in Paris and its presentation at New York Fashion Week.
Luxury Holiday Garments Designed by a Swedish Couple, reported by Tor Kjolberg.