The New York neighborhood of Soho is a hub of concept stores, flagships, and local boutiques, fusing fashion and culture with the bustling energy of the city. Among its latest additions is A Day’s March, a Swedish label that brings premium Scandinavian essentials to the neighborhood since its opening on June 1.
The brand’s origins
Founded in 2014 by Marcus Gårdö, Pelle Lundquist and Stefan Pagréus, the concept of A Day’s March began with a need for an affordable everyday shirt that rivaled high-end options.
Initially a menswear brand before expanding into womenswear in 2020, the first collection consisted of a merino sweater and shirt that reflected both the founders’ essentialist needs—a core identity of the brand even reflected in its namesake.
Referring to an old military phrase that describes the distance a soldier can reach within a day, “the name comes from getting through the day in whatever you’re wearing, feeling stylish and proud,” said Rasmus Elfton, the brand’s head of marketing, in an interview with FashionUnited.
The design DNA is equal parts form and function with a harmonious blend of clean silhouettes and fun details. “We are a lot more playful than you think when you think of strict Scandinavian [design],” said Elfton. “That balance, we do quite well. It makes us a little more interesting than other Scandinavian brands that only do one of the two.”
The quality-forward approach still rings true, as the brand continues to offer a capsule-like wardrobe that emphasizes a garment’s life and longevity as much as its sleek Scandinavian aesthetic. According to Elfton, both women’s and men’s collections are rooted in the “same philosophy to create the garments we feel are foundational in the wardrobe with the best possible quality, for a price that is accessible”, which currently ranges from 40 and 590 dollars across all clothing categories.
The makings of a flagship
Marking its first foray into the US market, a New York flagship has been a longtime dream of the brand. Thanks to their social media presence and the e-commerce side of the business, a loyal customer base has already been cemented across the US, with most traffic hailing from Los Angeles and New York City—yielding a highly anticipated arrival.
“One of the customers that came in actually had one of our artist collaboration totes, so that was a big moment…customers that have been following us for a while are now finally there to grow our audience,” said head of expansion Yvonne Hammervold. For new visitors unfamiliar with the brand, Hammervold thinks “the customers shopping at Dior or super-streetwear brands can also see themselves shopping at our store,” drawing in a diverse Soho crowd.
Though a narrow storefront upon first impression, the space opens up to a sprawling showroom-esque interior accented by honey-toned woods, glossy tiled walls, and pops of color. Hung on the walls are several paintings that call back to the brand’s artist collaborations. Naturally, the exacting, emblematic Scandinavian design is a brand signature shared by all physical retail locations.
Carving out a space in one of New York City’s trendiest and most competitive retail hubs for the European brand, but the team believes A Day’s March’s contrast to the existing landscape is one of its strengths. “It’s definitely [our] biggest milestone yet, and I think it’s going to be super interesting to see how we can live within the New York vibe,” said Elfton. “The whole idea of the brand is that there’s a whole lot of important things to deal with in life…in New York it’s all about the hustle, getting through it and excelling at it, and I think that breathes straight into our brand”.
Connecting with the city is also making its way into their strategy. “Collaborations with artists are on the forefront, as art and design are an important component to the label,” described the brand’s fashion publicist Chevy Wolf, who intends to continue to “align with brands, talents and companies that share a similar mission and taste of quality” while the brand acclimates to New York’s downtown scene.
An emphasis on brick-and-mortar
The Soho store is the ninth addition to A Day’s March portfolio, and its second location outside of Scandinavia. What poses a challenge for many independent brands to maintain is a thriving area of the business.
Many direct-to-consumer brands opt for a strictly e-commerce model, allowing companies to rake in tremendous revenue since the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a report by Statista, global retail e-commerce sales reached an estimated 5.8 trillion dollars in 2023, and the figure is projected to continue rising at a 39 percent growth rate in the coming years.
That doesn’t mean brick-and-mortar is exactly dead. Once a 50-50 split, A Day’s March’s revenue stream from brick-and-mortar has surpassed e-commerce in the past couple years, as the company handles their own distribution. Hammervold attributes this success to the dynamism of the physical environment, and the expansion of stores across Europe, including their renovated three-story London flagship, which has forged a unique connection with their audience.
A crew neck sweater search will immediately render hundreds of results—many of which are sponsored—and standing out among a crowd of similar classic silhouettes is no easy feat. For A Day’s March, the ability to primarily experience the pieces in a real-life environment is a key factor in inviting and retaining customers. “People need to touch and feel the garments,” said Hammervold.
The store holds a singular opportunity for companies to intimately interact with their consumer base, beyond the algorithms and metrics of online shopping. According to Hammervold and Elfton, customers’ direct feedback on the pieces from the fitting rooms to the checkout can directly influence the brand’s design process, which trickles up during weekly touchpoints with local store managers.
“There’s a lot of organic ways feedback comes to us since the majority of our business is from physical retail. It’s so easy for them to communicate [with us]—sometimes they don’t have to say anything, we see them,” said Elfton. “In the fitting rooms, how do the pants fit? What is the assortment lacking? What are they looking for? It’s all those small details, everyday,” said Hammervold.
Stance on sustainability
Sweden is a large player in the global conversation of sustainability. The country has been in the top ten of Columbia and Yale’s prestigious Environmental Performance Index for a decade, and the government has recently established an action plan to become the world’s first fossil-free state by 2045.
A Day’s March feels well-aligned with the standards of its place of origin, from utilizing modal fabrics to the upholding ethos of creating “clothes without an expiry date” per the website. In a recent article by Sourcing Journal, co-founder and creative director Lundquist also highlighted their efforts to implement new sustainability practices, including detailed supplier contracts that measure energy sources, chemical use and workplace conditions. The company is also a member of STICA (Swedish Textile Initiative for Climate Action), which calls for carbon footprint tracking as well as supply chain visibility.
70 percent of production is handled by a string of smaller-scale, family-owned factories in Porto, Portugal. “We have been using the same factories from the beginning and are continuing to develop together with them. As we grow, they grow,” said Elfton, keeping a consistent line of feedback to honor their own standards and that of their conscious customers.
Entering a new era
Between a budding expansion into wholesale and ambitions to continue opening doors in the US (Los Angeles may be the next destination), A Day’s March is charging forward. In a follow-up to their first selling season this past January, the brand will be teaming up with an agency to showcase their SS25 collection to prospective partners in Paris this month.
For now, the flagship itself serves as a true embodiment of what’s to come. “New York is another step in [their journey]. So even though our brand aesthetics and DNA is super Scandinavian, I think that our ambition is international”.