Book-release: It's Been 30 Years of Filippa K
Filippa K is turning 30 this year, and as of so the Swedish fashion house has decided to collaborate with the renowned Swedish photographer J.H. Engström to release a limited-edition book. It’s Been 30 Years features a wide range of never-before-seen archival photography from Engström, alongside new images that capture key pieces from the house’s history.
When Filippa K Creative Director Liisa Kessler was approached for her role in 2021, she found inspiration both in the spirit of the brand’s early days in the 1990s and in the photographs of J.H. Engström’s earlier book From Back Home, which she picked up at Parisian bookstore.
“There was a natural sensuality and a raw, youthful energy that wasn’t forced,” Kessler explains. “This unpolished approach is what interests me, connecting with the intimacy that’s at the soul of the brand, and of J.H.’s work.”
The house’s 30th anniversary was approaching, which led to conversations between Kessler and Engström about a collaborative project.
“From Back Home is an attempt to approach my memories of my childhood, and it’s a statement in the present: the place I grew up in has shaped me and still shapes me,” Engström commented. “My conversations with Liisa about time, place, energies, and self-expression became the beginning of the joyful book collaboration I’ts Been 30 Years.”
The photographer was given carte blanche to create something new that expressed both artists’ mutual reflections on their individual origins, and that encapsulated the feeling of Filippa K. The collaborative book marks the first time J.H. Engström has collaborated with a fashion house. It’s Been 30 Years debuts a series of never-before-seen images that showcase archival Filippa K items, taken by the photographer in Montreuil, France, his current residence. Selected by Kessler, the garments and accessories date back to the house’s founding year of 1993, showcasing the timeless appeal of its aesthetic.
Rather than displayin the pieces in a subjective form on models, each still life treats them as historical objects - taking up space as their own representation of a moment in time. Interspersed with the new images are previously unpublished shots from Engström’s archives, taken during his time living among the natural landscapes of Värmland, Sweden. The book juxtaposes these two places- France & Sweden - that hold meaning for Kessler and Engström, while exploring the continuous search for and meaning of home.
The limited-edition publication of 500 copies is available now at the Filippa K Helsinki Flagship and online.