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FASHION'S Sister Act

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MEET THE FREEWHEELING SWEDISH SIBLINGS BEHIND THE MINIMARKET LABEL
By Stella Kae, Trashionista.net, Executive Editor, Rock Punk Magazine

Most designers claim to have spent their youth obsessed with fashion, poring over details of clothing in the pages of glossy magazines. Some, however, had other things to attend to, like food-fights! “None of us were really into fashion while we were young. Pernilla and Jennifer were loud and used to throw food at our Mother!” says Sofie Elvestedt, the eldest of the three artistic sisters behind the Swedish line, Minimarket. “We were never studying runway shows or fashion magazines. Actually, we still don't!”

As children, the Sisters never imagined they would grow up to become partners, working together every day. “I am 7 years older and because of the age difference, we didn't socialize with each other for a while,” Elvestedt explains. The gap between siblings was bridged in 2003, when Elvestedt opened up a boutique in Stockholm that carried one of a kind items, and the other sisters came aboard to contribute their talents.

Elvestedt describes the current collection as being “all about combining old time tailoring with punk details. Covered up, but sexy -- We always balance opposites.” Standout pieces include colorful plaid retro-avant garde coats, cocoon-shaped parkas with large, playful buttons, monochromatic patchwork a-line trenches with oversize cuffs and fitted flower print satin baseball jackets paired with black high-waisted pleat-front shorts. “When we had our store, we started making really simple pieces to sell and evolved into more advanced pieces as the demand grew. It eventually grew so intense that we ended up having to close the shop to focus on building our own brand, and here we are!”

Despite the demand, they did have an insecure start, as Elvestedt recalls, “We were so nervous when we started. With all the siblings involved in the same company, what if we would have gone bankrupt? What a headache for Mum and Dad!” With their first collection selling out completely in 3 weeks, in Sweden as well as Helsinki, London and New York -- it looks like their parents won't have to reach for the Tylenol anytime soon.

MiniMarket Q & A:

Fashiontribes: What does the name 'Minimarket' mean to you?
Minimarket: Pride and joy!

FT: What were all of you like as Children?
MM: Fighting and loving each other intensely. We've always had a strong connection, family relations are very important to all of us.

FT: Who was the first one of the sisters to become interested in Fashion?
MM: Pernilla and Jennifer started making clothes first, but Sofie was the first one to get in the business.

FT: How has it been working so closely with family members?

MM: It’s great being so close in the sense that you can fight and make up easier than you do with a friend or colleague.

FT: What is the individual strength of each sister?
MM: All of us make the designs together but Sofie is the one who is most into formal clothing, Jennifer is very conscious about prices and is marvelous in finding economical solutions for amazing styles. Pernilla is great at finding unconventional materials and has a penchant for creating jackets and outerwear.

FT: What is your design philosophy?
MM: Mature but flirty designs that work for more than one season - our design perspective is timeless. Also, it’s very important to us that our collections have an invitational sense of attitude – fashion shouldn’t be hard and scary.

FT: How do you define sexiness?
MM: Secrets.

Minimarket is available in New York at Opening Ceremony on 35 Howard Street. For more information, please visit Minimarket.se or call (212) 219-2688.