Why is the land of lagom, Abba, Acne Studios, and Ikea interesting for your brand? And how do you conquer the lifestyle market? Even though Sweden is a small country, it is known for its strong business climate, global competitiveness, and commitment to innovation. The country is also ranked as the fourth most competitive economy in Europe (1). With great traditions in craftsmanship, and connection to nature the Swedes are spoiled with durable materials, quality design and have high expectations of brands and products. So, you can definitely say Sweden is a rich design and fashion nation!

At the same time, Sweden has a great fascination for what’s happening internationally. It is a very well-traveled and educated nation that frequently brings influences and lifestyles from around the globe into their everyday lives. But, there are a few important things to know about the market. Here is why and how you should go about conquering the Swedish Lifestyle Market:

Several brands, both within the fashion and interior sector have implemented circular business models like rental services, re-using old collections, or promoting second-hand ownership. This is something the Swedish lifestyle audience welcomes with open arms and goes in line with the overarching values in the lifestyle market like sustainability, quality, and tech innovation.

“Nordic consumers, especially the Swedish ones, are incredibly digitally savvy which makes Sweden the perfect test market both for online and more sophisticated services”

/ Kenneth Melchior, Director Northern Europe at Zalando

Have a look at some of the Swedish fashion and interior magazines below. 

Josefine is the Swedish Market Coordinator, responsible for the fashion and lifestyle research and coordination within the Swedish market. Alongside her work, at VOCAST she is finishing her studies in Communication Design & Media in Copenhagen.

VOCAST has been curating lists for the Danish Fashion and Home Interior sectors for many years. Due to the relevance of conquering the Danish Market for all lifestyle brands. Danes value design, quality, transparency – and the storytelling of a brand. With a strong national identity and pride in Danish Design – the Danes love to support the brands that differentiate on both design and histories. 

Find a recap of important things to know about the market. Here is why and how you should go about conquering the Danish Lifestyle Market:

Danes are born and raised surrounded by nothing but quality. The Danish design heritage and excellent quality are, for that reason, very important. Offer a Dane vintage and long-lasting styles, with a modern and casual twist – and you will have their heart. The quality of lifestyle is important to the Danes too, and Denmark takes great pride in their welfare state. Doing business in the Danish Market is built on trust, actually, everything the Danes do is built on trust – trust is a key value in the Danish culture. Honesty and a strong relation with your collaborating partners is expected in Denmark.

Danes are in general highly educated and well informed. But, there is no need to be formal when approaching a Dane, they are known for their informality. Humor is the key to get the attention of Danes – don’t forget they have been awarded the title of the happiest country in the world multiple times. At the same time, Danes love efficiency so keep the casual approach, but don’t get slobby – Danes have deadlines, and they will follow them!

“Danishness” – a core value for Danish people. The Danes take great pride in being Danish and the ideology of Danishness – they tend to almost worship the culture and their design. It might be due to the fact that Denmark is such a small country, that the national identity has to be at its highest. ‘Danish Design’ is a value stamp for Danes, and many feel supportive of their fellow Danes. So when it comes to the Danish market, bear in mind that everything you do has to align with the Danish culture and value-set. The Danes may commute by bike and value practicality in their homes and outfits, but that does not mean they will ever downgrade on design nor on quality.

The Danish influencer scene is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, with respect for the Danish values of quality and design. Denmark is the most daring country in Scandinavia in regard to color and pattern mixing. This is clearly shown when browsing through the landscape of Danish lifestyle influencers. The fact that Denmark is quite a small country can be an advantage for up & coming influencers since it is possible to quickly move up the ladder and achieve a quite big following. With that said, the Danish Influencer market is constantly evolving, with new profiles arising weekly. You can always find a Danish influencer matching your brand values and aesthetics.

Denmark has a long-standing design history affecting the publishing landscape, consisting of multiple magazines addressing various spectrums of Danish design and fashion.

As Denmark is a small country, with a small media landscape – you will find a few key publishing houses holding the most important lifestyle magazines:

Sarah is the Lifestyle Researcher for the Danish market at VOCAST. She is very passionate about the fashion industry and along with her work at VOCAST she studies Communication at Copenhagen Business School.

VOCAST has been curating lists for the UK Fashion and Home Interior sectors for some time now, and now we want to share with you the true potential of the British lifestyle scene and how you can unlock this vast market.

Brits are known for their varying array of accents, priding themselves on having good manners, and complaining about the bad British weather. They really love tradition, but when it comes to fashion and interior it’s more fun with a twist. This is one of the reasons why the “Scandi Chic” trend has boomed in the UK recently – Scandinavian lifestyle brands know exactly how to balance familiar and minimal, yet bold and daring design, which Brits love!

Find a recap of important things to know about the market. Here is why and how you should go about conquering the UK Lifestyle Market:

The UK’s full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it’s made up of four different nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and NI. We all refer to ourselves as Brits – but also as English, Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish depending on which nation we come from and there is an important difference between the four. For example, even though they’re both British, you should never call a Scott English!

Brits are by nature very traditional – we do things a certain way and it can take a minute for us to get our heads around changing those ways if we’re comfortable with them. Brits are aware of their access to a big international market due to the nature of English as a language. It’s a blessing and curse that our native language is the most widely spoken in the world because it means that, despite the large markets we opperate in, we’re not used to adapting culturally. On one hand, we have some of the biggest lifestyle publishers in the industry who are genuinely able to reach across the whole globe without translating their work. However, it can make us appear closed-minded and often unaware of how traditional our values are because we have little ability to access the international lifestyle industry unless it’s been translated.

London is most defiantly the fashion capital of the UK, and you will often hear Londoners’ pride in the diversity and international makeup of the city. Though there is arguably a very classic and traditional British style (think Burberry and Vogue pre-Edward Enninful…) one of the most exciting things about the British lifestyle industry is its internationality and multiculturalism. There are designers and journalists from all over the world who come to the UK, especially to London, to study in English-speaking universities and now these people play major roles in the UK’s lifestyle industry. Brits love international fashion and interior design – a lot! Brits will joke about having Italian shoes, German kitchens, French beauty products, and Scandinavian dining chairs that they’ve gone and bought in American-style malls. We are an island out on our own, somewhere culturally between Europe and the US. We love to merge internationally diverse designs into our lives to be more like our “neighbors”.

The lifestyle industry in the UK is vast and it ranges between various styles and budgets. But, what matters to Brits when engaging with design and lifestyle is experiences, impressions, and personality. When we shop, we’re preconditioned to notice and remember how polite and funny the brands’ employees were – which is just as important to some Brits as the design of the products themselves. The same goes for media and journalism. We want to buy things that are being promoted by models and influencers who we think “are actually probably really nice in real life” than from an ad that feels like a brand is talking at us with no personality. Hence, good manners and a quick sense of humor are really important traits that the UK press looks for in people they work with, from brands to influencers.

Due to the nature of the English language, working with the British press and UK native influencers will not only give your brand access to a British audience but a global one. 

Alicia Roddy is one of the Uk’s biggest Fashion Influencers with over 1 Million followers on Instagram, followed by Hannah Desai, Lydia Millen, and Victoria Magrath, all of whom can be found in our Top 10 Fashion Advocates list, with consent, ready to be contacted. These prominent, globally known influencers only make up four of the many relevant influencers. With brands working with different aesthetics, brand values, and products, there are countless micro as well as macro-influencers.

As the design capital of the UK, London the home of all the major publishing houses and magazine HQs’ in the UK. Discover a few of the many publications you have access to through the UK Curated Lists below!

Georgina is the UK Market Coordinator at VOCAST, responsible for British fashion and lifestyle research. Along with her work at VOCAST and studies at Copenhagen Business School, she is passionate about conscious fashion reform in the industry. 

The United States is home to much of the biggest and best the world has to offer, no matter what industry you turn to. American culture is hugely impactful and one that most of us know and have some sort of relationship with. Whether it be through, sports, business, food, entertainment, fashion, design, or anything in between.

The US fashion market employs nearly 2 million people and earns a market revenue of over 400 billion dollars. And although the home interior market is somewhat smaller its market revenue ranks up to almost 15 billion dollars, with around 140 thousand employees. This clearly illustrates the American spirit that is, at its core, entrepreneurial and eternally optimistic. Because of the markets’ prominent relevance, VOCAST has been curating lists for the lifestyle sector for years. Since it is a large and greatly impactful market, it can be useful to learn more about how to navigate it. Here is why and how you should conquer the US lifestyle market:

The “Americanness” of being social, open, and optimistic constitutes not only the personality of the population but trickles down to businesses as well. American fashion and design lives without fear, the market is open to and hungry for what’s new and fresh and wants to get in on whatever that may be. Reluctance does not take the lead here.

Americans love all things new, exciting, and fresh and are not shy about it. Rather than avoiding change, they are at the forefront of embracing and pioneering new ideas and technology.

This can be seen through the innovative ways e-commerce has evolved and how platforms of great importance to the design industries, such as Instagram constantly improve to allow direct and open communication with and to consumers. However, this thinking also applies to Americans’ curiosity about and desire to discover new brands and trends as well. 

Although the US market is not one to exude minimalistic traits, American brands are forward-thinking and open to change. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in simplified living, and consumers and fashion designers alike have gravitated a lot towards Scandinavian concepts and nordic culture.

A couple of years ago Off-White’s Virgil Abloh collaborated with Ikea, to put his streetwear touch onto products like a special-edition bag and rug collection for the brand. And retailers increasingly put scandi brands on their shelves, demonstrating Americans’ openness and willingness to get in on what is new and interesting to them. 

As the US is a big market and one that is both busy and heavily sought after to reach, it can be slightly difficult to get through here. As said, it is a social and open population appreciative of the friendly approach. However, when it comes to business they do not mess around and want to know what they will get and can expect.

Therefore, it is best to be clear and direct when approaching them (although in a way that is not too full-on and overwhelming) in order to get an answer. Aside from it being a big and busy market, getting and keeping in contact with industry people requires a bit of dedication and delicacy.

Not only taking the pandemic into account, but the political climate heavily affects Americans and requires sensitivity to timing, etc when approaching. It may take some time to reach them but they are very keen on getting to know what’s new and once they have caught an interest, they are not shy about sharing their eagerness and defining what they want and expect.

Americans are known to be quite patriotic, however, many brands are forward-thinking and open to change and for the past couple of seasons the US has embraced showcasing its goods on a global stage. Many brands have moved from being locally bound to its unofficial capital, New York City, and ventured out into other fashion and design capitals.

The flexibility of location has been quite the strategic decision when wanting to grow in a new market. And since the pandemic has forced much to go on without physical events, a lot of activity has moved to become digital as well. For the coming fashion season, however, many heavyweight names in American fashion are returning to New York, reviving the relevance and importance of holding events in the city. Because it is, at the end of the day, a city of great importance.

As it is home to some of the most influential voices in the fashion industry – from buyers to editors and influencers. Launching in the US can be a huge opportunity for a brand not yet known in the industry (or on the market) to be heard and seen by the top tier and get the chance to elevate the brands’ career.

Aside from being a central place for design and fashion events, the US is a hub of vibrant culture and constant evolution. That means its locals have a deep understanding of it and see its significance – therefore, they also demand and require brands to uphold a certain level when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

Things such as hip-hop, rap, and Vogue-ing, that contemporary luxury brands now draw inspiration from originated in the US, and brought what are now commonplace trends such as sportswear, sneakers, t-shirts, and denim to the limelight. This pinpoints the importance of American culture and the undoubted significance it carries. As the influences of America work with great speed in impacting consumers, brands have to create and withhold a strong identity that will sustain over time to keep consumers intrigued.

The US is noticeably a huge market with a large impact. What gets trending here often starts trending globally as it quickly spreads to many corners of the world. Many of the most well-known, followed, and sought-after influencers across social platforms are American.   Aimee Song is one of the biggest US fashion influencers with over 6 million followers across her channels, acquainted by Brittany Xavier and Luka Sabbat who also have follower counts in the millions. They are some, in a pool of many, global IT people available to reach through the US curated lists. 

Americans love their billboards and campaigns as much as well-worked editorials and there is still a lot of prestige in managing to achieve a feature in a big American publication, making editorial press very valuable. Available through the US curated lists are many fashion and design publications that reach hundreds of millions

Cerena is the Lifestyle Researcher for the US market at VOCAST. She has a degree in Media and Communications and has previously worked with fashion PR. She cares for inclusion within the industry and when not working she’s a dedicated snacker and music listener.

VOCAST has been curating lists for the German Fashion and Home Interior sectors for many years now. Due to the high relevance of the German Market for all brands in both segments, we hosted webinars for you to learn more about the potential of Germany and how to unlock this large market as a company. Germans value craftsmanship, sustainability, transparency, and quality. They will buy into a company more than solely a product, which is why Scandinavian lifestyle brands have been very successful within the German market for quite some time now.

Find a recap of important things to know about the market. Here is why and how you should go about conquering the German Lifestyle Market:

“Berlin is home to the dense concentration of fashion businesses in Germany. With approximately 3100 companies and 25400 people employed, Berlin is Germany’s Fashion capital!”

German efficiency is a phenomenon based on the truth! It is a cliché we Germans are proud of and an image we like to continue to portray to others. For you, this does mean extra work though! German people expect you to reciprocate the level of efficiency when working. If there’s anything you want or need attending to, it is expected of you to do so in an efficient manner. Have all your facts straight, and know what you need to when approaching someone. Knowledge within a subject matter is absolutely vital. No one wants to be wasting anyone’s precious time, so ensure that you are being thorough. This also goes for punctuality. When meeting someone in person, make sure to be a few minutes early…Germans don’t like waiting!

Germans are known to be direct and blunt, but being polite is key! They might not reciprocate the kindness if you catch them on a bad day, but hey no one is perfect! If you want something, don’t hesitate to ask! Being direct is preferred, don’t waste anyone’s time! The German standard for politeness and etiquette is slightly different from some other countries. When addressing someone with “you” in German there are multiple forms. “Du” and “Sie”. When speaking to someone you don’t know, you should always address them with the “Sie” form and their last name, especially when having E-mail contact. You can switch to a first name and “du” basis when they invite you to do so! If you’re unsure of how to speak to someone always choose the more formal version, just in case!

German people are known to be easily recognizable on any vacation and as much as that construct is a cliché it is based on facts. Comfort and practicality are elements highly valued by the German consumer. Paired with the love of things being easy, efficient, and consistent and the ability but not desire to invest a lot of money, the German spending culture may seem different to other markets.​

Germany is obviously a very large market, with over 83 million people inhabiting the European country. When it comes to influencers there are an endless amount of digital creators. Whether known on Instagram, Youtube, or more recently, TikTok, German influencers are present on various social media platforms with the ability to reach a large group of people. This makes influencer marketing essential for brands wanting to gain traction within the German market.

Stefanie Giesinger is one of the most well-known German Fashion Influencers with nearly 4 Million followers on Instagram, followed by Leonie Hanne, Caro Daur, and Xenia Adonts, all of which can be found in our Top 10 Fashion Advocates list, with consent, ready to be contacted. These prominent, globally known influencers only make up three of the many relevant influencers. With brands working with different aesthetics, brand values, and products, there are countless micro as well as macro-influencers.

Berlin may be the Fashion capital of Germany but the large publishing houses such as Condé Nast and Burda Media are based in Munich. The high fashion and commercial magazines are predominantly based in Munich and Hamburg with Berlin housing more quirky and individual magazines, which are not owned by big media corporations.

With 60+ magazines online publications solely in the fashion segment, brands have the ability to make informed decisions on where they see brand features to be most relevant and have the luxury to select the best matches for them and still saturate the market with content. Discover a few of the many publications you have access to through the German Curated Lists below!

Isabelle is the German Market Coordinator, responsible for the fashion and lifestyle research and coordination within the German market. She has a degree in Fashion Promotion and works as a Copywriter at a creative agency alongside her work at VOCAST.