A Day’s March Opens Doors in New York

A Day’s March is an old military term referring to how far an army can move in a single day. It is also the name of a Swedish apparel label cofounded in 2014 by Marcus Gårdö, Pelle Lundquist and Stefan Pagréus.

The brand’s first U.S. store recently opened at 32 Spring Street in New York’s Lower Manhattan neighborhood of NoLIta. The store design was led by Lundquist, the company’s creative director, in collaboration with in-house architect Daniel Braconier. Here, Lundquist discusses design direction for both the collection and the store, as well as how both incorporate Scandinavian aesthetics mixed with a healthy dose of sustainability.

Sourcing Journal: Tell me about your brand, A Day’s March, and what led to its inception? What did you try to accomplish that you couldn’t find in any existing brand in the market?

Pelle Lundquist: A Day’s March began from the notion that what was available on the market was either cheap clothes with questionable quality and manufacturing conditions or garments in a premium segment driven heavily by logos or trends at ridiculously high prices. That’s why we believed in creating updated garments of great quality at reasonable prices.

We have always had faith that people appreciate our honest offering, where logos and trends don’t obstruct good design, great materials, and fair pricing. We aim to perfect the garments that get you through the day with style and dignity, hence the name—A Day’s March. Long-lasting quality and design are our tools to create clothes that endure time.

SJ: The collections initially were just menswear, but you now include women’s. When did you first include women’s and why?

P.L.: During our formative years, we were primarily focused on the product—delving deep into the rational aspects of menswear: functionality, fabrics, silhouettes, quality, and attention to detail. Gradually, we began honing other facets of the brand, enhancing the experience in our stores and cultivating a clearer identity of who we are.

During this time it became evident that our brand was also appreciated by women who frequented our stores and wore our clothes—resulting in the introduction of womenswear in the fall of 2021. The expansion into womenswear has enriched us with diversity, making us more inspirational, while our menswear heritage with dedication to details and craftsmanship remains at the core of the brand.

SJ: The collections draw inspiration from American sportswear and classic Italian fashion, but the twist is that both are “filtered through a Scandinavian lens.” Can you explain that process?

P.L.: It’s a conversation that begins within the design team but invites input from everyone. What garments have you owned and loved? What makes a garment so cherished? Often, these beloved items are those that repeatedly come back into fashion: the M65 jacket, a bomber jacket, the 501 jeans, a classic Oxford shirt, the trenchcoat, and so on. These debated items are typically classics, frequently seen in media, worn by a famous actor in a classic movie, or spotted in a family photo album. They are products that endure through time. That’s the type of product we aim to design. However, we incorporate updates and alterations to stay relevant. Our approach is often cleaner, more minimalistic. This is what we mean by “filtered through a Scandinavian lens.”

SJ: The brand’s products are made in Portugal using local fabrics and materials. Why Portugal? And let’s discuss a bit about the fabrics most used in your collections and why?

P.L.: We began producing in Portugal during our first year of business, a decision we have never regretted. Portugal’s long manufacturing tradition and reputation, with many great brands from small independents to luxury houses producing there, drew us in. We discovered that many Portuguese producers are known for their quality and flexibility, often due to being family-owned businesses.

Today, we produce a wide range of products in Portugal, with all suppliers based around Porto. This proximity between factories benefits transportation, travel, fabric sourcing and lead times. It also makes it easier to manage sustainability issues. Portuguese suppliers adhere to EU regulations, ensuring high standards for factories, water use, chemicals, working conditions, and energy consumption. Several of the factories we use are powered entirely by solar or wind energy.

In addition to factories, we utilize weaving mills in Portugal for wool, organic cotton, and Tencel. The industry here is quick to adopt new, environmentally friendly fabrics, allowing us to source many materials locally. This interest in innovative fabrics makes our factory visits particularly inspiring.

SJ: When and where did you open your first store? How many are there now? You also have a new store opening slated in the SoHo neighborhood in Manhattan. Why now, why New York?

P.L.: In April 2014, A Day’s March opened its first store on Kungsgatan in Stockholm. Since then, the Kungsgatan store has expanded and remains the cornerstone to our journey. We opened our second store in Gothenburg in 2016, followed by London in 2018, a second Stockholm store, and Copenhagen in 2019. Last year, we added two new stores in Stockholm, a new flagship on Berwick Street in Soho, London, and a store in Oslo. With our latest opening in New York, we will have nine stores, complemented by our e-commerce platform.

In an early dinner conversation among us founders, just before we opened in Stockholm, New York was always the place we aspired to be. I lived in New York earlier in my life, and my brother and his family live here, so I visit often. During each visit, I searched for the perfect location for our store. We nearly finalized a space in 2019, but Covid-induced lockdowns forced us to retract our plans at the last moment. Since then, we’ve considered various parts of Southern Manhattan.

We felt Nolita would be the natural location for us. The neighborhood is energetic, bustling with people, and undergoing significant development, which we want to be part of. We will be close to many young brands, and surrounded by plenty of cafes, bars, and restaurants where we ourselves enjoy spending time. Now, after much anticipation, we are here, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to open our doors. It’s truly a dream come true. I don’t really know about the next opening since I’m so focused on New York right now. But Los Angeles would be very much fun.”

SJ: Scandinavian style is known for its clean aesthetic, with a focus on simple lines and minimalism. Tell me how that aesthetic was captured in your new store?

PL: Our way of translating what we believe is the core of Scandinavian design is thinking of a store as a building: it should last for a long period of time. We don’t want to go for the latest trends, which follows the general direction of the A Day’s March brand. Instead, we are inspired by Scandinavian architecture and design that have survived the test of time. This means working with real materials that age well and only look more beautiful over time, such as marble, oak, and steel.

In the Spring Street space, you are welcomed by blue tiles, a nod to the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. The typical strict Scandinavian heritage is complemented with contrasting elements, both in form and color, with the objective to create an atmosphere that is not only beautiful but also fun and welcoming. The store has a big private backyard. The next step is to open an outside bar on the backyard where we can host events and parties.

SJ: Sweden’s goal is to go fossil-free by 2045, and to have 100 percent of energy consumed from renewables. Being a Swedish brand, tell me about your operations and how are you incorporating Sweden’s sustainability strategy?

P.L.: There’s a lot of talk about how companies‚and the society—could achieve the sustainability goals in Sweden, and throughout the EU. The debate is positive because it leads to actual change in the textile industry. Even if the general progress can be considered baby steps, it is important, since we operate in an industry that has a significant impact on the climate and environment.

We feel confident that we are at the forefront as a brand. Our concept with classic, high-quality garments in our DNA is more relevant than ever before. Garments that are used over and over again will always be the most sustainable alternative. In 2021, we went from making what we considered to be good decisions on an individual level to a more systematic approach to the sustainability work. To make progress, the most important thing is to actually report what we are doing, why we have chosen to publish an annual sustainability report. The idea of a sustainability report is the same as with an annual financial report—to show transparency with which measures we take, what we are good at, and what we should improve on. In the report, we present measures that we have already managed to carry out, those that are ongoing, and our long-term goals.

We are members of STICA (Swedish Textile Initiative for Climate Action), which means that we are measuring our CO2 footprint and mapping out supply chains for increased traceability, which is the most important part of our sustainability strategy. With traceability, we can more easily track other important sustainability areas, such as working conditions and chemical use.

The biggest improvements during 2023 was a new sustainability standard including supplier contracts with sustainability requirements towards all of our suppliers. The contracts cover various agreements and standards regarding areas that the supplier commits to follow and report on, including which energy sources are used, traceability, use of chemicals, and working conditions. As a brand, A Day’s March is on the right path to reach the standard that will be needed to meet the ambitious EU legislation.