First came the pilgrimage to the mecca that is Byredo...
One of the best things about the city of Stockholm is how easy it is to cover by foot. Despite staying in the central district of Norrmalm we were able to walk it south to Gamla Stan, one of many islets in the city by foot, taking in the bright coloured facades of the area's historic townhouses which lined the narrow streets and cobblestoned squares, the (freezing cold) harbour and, further on, the boutiques of downtown Sodermalm. Bearing in mind the crippling prices in the Swedish capital, from the cost of transport to eating out, this was the perfect way to wile a bitterly cold afternoon without having to dig too deep into our pockets (not that there was much dinero left after the trip to Byredo).
Byredo
+46 8 525 026 10
I'm sure you know the story. Byredo was founded by superman aka Swede Ben Gorham, a half Indian, half Canadian, former basketball player trained in fine arts. Gorham started the brand in 2006, focusing first on a series of unisex scents containing minimal ingredients, but using the best raw materials and wholly manufactured in Sweden. The brand has since expanded to candles, bath and body products and, on my visit, limited edition room sprays (we snapped up the last two bottles. Mwhahahahahaha!)
Looking good Ben
There have been quite a few rumbles and grumbles about the price of Mr Gorham's products (a 100ml bottle of Pulp eau de parfum will set one back £130 at Liberty, the only stockists of Byredo in London), though I can testify that every drop is sincerely worth the cost. Honestly, it's like nothing you've ever smelt before, and once you've had a whiff and your nose grows accustomed to the intensely independent notes, every other bottle of perfume churned out by the usual fashion houses will smell positively pedestrian in comparison.
The staff at the store here were so cute and stocked us up with plenty of samples. I walked away with the aforementioned room spray, a room candle in the scent 'Carrousel' and, my most prized purchase, a handmade leather purse spray holder, embossed with the name Byredo in gold, with a small bottle of fragrance (in this case, Bal d'Afrique) included.
This was followed by a walk through Gamla Stan (old town)...
One of the best things about the city of Stockholm is how easy it is to cover by foot. Despite staying in the central district of Norrmalm we were able to walk it south to Gamla Stan, one of many islets in the city by foot, taking in the bright coloured facades of the area's historic townhouses which lined the narrow streets and cobblestoned squares, the (freezing cold) harbour and, further on, the boutiques of downtown Sodermalm. Bearing in mind the crippling prices in the Swedish capital, from the cost of transport to eating out, this was the perfect way to wile a bitterly cold afternoon without having to dig too deep into our pockets (not that there was much dinero left after the trip to Byredo).
Byredo
Mäster Samuelsgatan 42
111 57 Stockholm+46 8 525 026 10