
johannes.
35. taurus. gatherer.
Are you affected by the space around you and the fact that you’re surrounded by so much stuff?
You’ve built a lot of things in this flat.
My friend Chingi said to me, while we were building the bed, “I see the link between your German heritage and your unhealthy fascination with Japan. It’s the wood on the countertop in the kitchen.” It’s a raw wooden board, part-Tyrolean with a touch of Japan. It’s oak.

i had long nails, dyed hair
and got beaten up at school.
where does this so-called unhealthy fascination with japan come from?
For a while I even dressed like Visual kei, had long nails, dyed hair and got beaten up at school—that was the case throughout middle school.
Before that, when you were little, what was your thing?
An indoor child, that make sense in terms of all the hobbies you have. Another thing that you’re into is craftsmanship and the process of how things are made.
I grew up in a matriarchy because my dad worked so much, and found myself surrounded by my mom, aunt and grandmother. A lot of what I like are so-called “soft skills”, which are stereotypically female skills. To be able to express this, in a male context, I’ve done that through craftsmanship.

How did you start making your own jewellery? You’ve done some glass pieces for Our Legacy and your own silver feather designs.
I don’t think you should buy jewellery for yourself, it’s something you should be given. It’s about the fact that the jewellery can be ugly, but if you get it from someone you like, you wear it and carry the friendship around with you in a way.
It’s the same with art—I have no real art at home. I found the Robert Broberg poster in a dumpster and he’s just a funny person. The other work of art I have is by my friend. I would rather surround myself with art by people I like.
What else did you bring from home? You and your mother like to go thrifting together.
i found the robert broberg
poster in a dumpster.

Was it that he wanted to preserve memories?
My mom loves to buy things, but she also gets rid of things. I’m their juxtaposition, who loves to consume things, but will also save everything!
Now that he’s gone, I turn up the traits from him, to keep him around.
when did you realise that you were a collector?
What’s the oldest thing in your collection?

my morning ritual is ebay, tradera and german blocket.
Would you say that the internet has killed the hunt, and has it become more or less difficult to be a collector?
I have a Helmut Lang jacket that I found in a dumpster. And this watch that I bought for nine euros but is actually worth 4,000 euros.
There’s a good documentary on HBO called Booksellers that interviews various antique bookshop owners and collectors, that talk about how the internet has ruined the art of collecting.
where do you find stuff?

you also had your own vintage store, how did that happen?
How did you start out as a designer?
I’ve never really been interested in fashion. My interest was a more on the level of, what kind of leather jackets are the Ramones wearing, then researching the exact brand, and in that way becoming interested.
I like when things have a function. I struggle between liking ruffles and glitter or the Dieter Rams approach with less is more. But I would probably see myself more as an industrial or product designer than a fashion designer. I create rules before I start, to rein myself in. That gives me a framework that I create from. Cristopher is a bit more ruthless and free from the get-go, and the framework comes as he goes along.

white t-shirt, leather jacket and black or white chucks.
Which one of your designs are you most proud of?
The Mono Runner sneaker from Our Legacy has been widely copied. how did you develop it?
You’ve developed this theory about the swedish hunk and the swedish hunk style.

what do you like to read?
What places do you like to visit in Stockholm?
i’m messy but i keep what i need
on top of the pile.

What are you listening to at the moment? And what was the last song you discovered?
My friend Kalle introduced me to an artist or band called Gutterboy. They got a big signing bonus, but then nothing happened. The singer looks like a young and ripped Bruce Springsteen but as a New York punk. When I see the music video I want to go to the gym.
As a gatherer, where would you place yourself on the scale of being organised?
My dream, which I think I share with many hoarders is that if I could just get a perfect arrangement, that will solve everything. To have everything organised according to the alphabet, all the clothes in categories, with pictures of everything and rows of large rails where you can just go pick things from.
If your home was a movie, what would it be?
people at home
nicole yuki & helen r:sdesign alex colin ursula militza & elis johannes tora isak & malin oscar
nicole yuki & helen r:sdesign alex colin ursula militza & elis johannes tora isak & malin oscar
COLOPHON
Produced in the Kingdom of Sweden
Typeset in Condensa by Jonathon Yule and Century Schoolbook by Linn Boyd & Morris Fuller Benton
Hermit is Hélène Kugelberg, Elise Haugslett, Colin Bergh
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