Rubato interviewed: Carl Pers and Oliver Dannefalk

Simon interviews Carl Pers and Oliver Dannefalk from the brand Rubato. For ease you might describe them as a Swedish knitwear brand, but as the talk shows, that’s not a label they like and indeed all labels have their downsides. The rather philosophical talk also covers why some styles endure, the attraction of easy but elegant clothes, and why most brands don’t end up offering what the founders actually like. Part of a series of interviews, the talk was hosted at Mortimer House in London. All video content can be found at PermanentStyle.com/category/video. Contents: 0:00 - Introduction 1:10 – How they started the brand 3:00 – Trying to find a knitwear manufacturer 7:00 – The cut of the knits 11:00 – Making in Japan and product development 14:00 – The style, the vibe, of Rubato 18:00 – The first photoshoot, clothing and art 23:00 – Ivy style, without the baggage 27:00 – Swedish style 37:00 – Labels 41:00 – Question: Advice on starting a brand 47:00 – Question: Knitwear for life 49:30 – Question: Being your own customer 53:20 – Question: Does London have its own style? 55:20 – Question: Would you ever do tailoring?