Toteme Opens on Mount Street
LONDON — Every now and then, a quietly operated street like Mount Street, the yellow brick road to Mayfair’s wealthy 1 percent, is interrupted by a newcomer.
On Wednesday evening, it was Toteme, which hosted a cocktail party and dinner on 12 Mount Street before officially opening the doors to its new store over the weekend.
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“As a brand, you have to earn your way into a street or community and it’s humbling with Mount Street because you have these beautiful shops that have been here forever,” said Karl Lindman in an interview with Elin Kling, who cofounded the brand in 20214.
The 3,000-square-foot space was previously occupied by Balenciaga, sitting with the affluent area’s neighbors such as Scott’s and The Connaught.
Toteme has brought Stockholm minimalism to an otherwise red-bricked street — even the storefront is plain white.
“Once we had signed with this store, Karl was already on Auction House, the website where he spends many hours everyday. He actually found the silver Marc Newson sofa that’s at the front,” Kling said.
The silver metal Random Pak Twin sofa set the tone for the store and its interiors. Silver railings run through the stonewashed walls with quirky yet charming silver shelves that are complemented by the heavy stonewashed tables.
At the back of the store, there’s a cozy sitting area complete with a coffee table and large standing mirror.
All 10 — and counting — Toteme stores have a common thread, and feature Swedish design mixed in with vintage pieces, as well as more contemporary pieces, too.
“In our Stockholm and New York stores, customers come and they spend like three hours on a Saturday hanging out, meanwhile their husbands come to visit them as they’re having a glass of bubbles. I’m always tempted to go there and just hang out,” Kling said.
“We put a lot of effort and budgets into our stores because it’s an investment that we feel like will stay for many years,” she added.
The store offers the brand’s women’s ready-to-wear, shoes, bags, accessories and fine jewelry at contemporary price points. The latter, being a new category, launched in November. The intention for the husband-and-wife duo was to complete a woman’s wardrobe.
Kling admits she’s picky with her jewelry and that her personal collections derive from vintage auctions.
In the store, the jewelry is boxed in built-in cases on the walls — on one part of the wall, a rectangle that’s in a different texture from the rest of the wall hides a secret mirror and tray for customers to look at themselves when trying on the pieces.
Next year, Toteme turns 10, and expansion is top of mind, with two stores planned for Los Angeles in the fall, one on Melrose Avenue near Scandi fashion neighbors Ganni and Acne Studios, and the other in Palisades Village, Rick Caruso’s shopping development near the beach.
In 2021, the brand received an investment from the Swedish investment fund Altor, which has encouraged its retail expansion.
“The brand, in some ways, is more mature now than it was 10 years ago when we started it. It’s a little bit about faking it till you make it. How we hoped it would turn out, now 10 years later, it has. We’re very happy that we kept the same direction,” Lindman added.
The couple said being a profitable business is key, as it opens more avenues for them to explore rather than just toying with trendy fads here and there.
The demand for Toteme can be found on Facebook, started by fans of the brand with a page called “Anonyma Toteme addicts,” where women swap, source and buy pieces from the brand with other Toteme customers.
The brand is stocked on Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Matches. Its biggest category is outerwear, followed by handbags. The scarf jacket with a white embroidered finish is one of the bestsellers and has become a Toteme signature — Kling spotted two dupes when in London.
The T-Lock bag takes center stage at the London boutique in six different shades, from a suede espresso, ash to a tan grain. The bags have been crafted in Italy with a certificate from the Leather Working Group — they range from 750 pounds to 1,070 pounds.
Lindman, who is just as sharp of a dresser as Kling, doesn’t rule out the possibility of a men’s category in the future.
“It’s certainly something worth considering and we get that question quite often, which we find very interesting. It takes quite some time because we don’t want to throw something out there,” he said.
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