A conversation with Filippa Knutsson
If the pared-down beauty of Scandinavian minimalism is in wardrobes everywhere today, it has almost everything to do with just one person: Filippa Knutsson.
A design pioneer, she co-founded her eponymous label Filippa K back in 1993, at a time when clean-lined silhouettes were hardly on the radar as fashion celebrated flannel shirts, Dr. Martens, and oversized denims inspired by the hip-hop scene. Quietly yet steadily, she began a movement, one that has made an indelible mark far beyond the fashion runways.
Filippa Knutsson
Today, Filippa has stepped back from the fashion scene, yet her creativity, inspired by her decades spent shaping Filippa K, continues to flourish, bringing her down roads that are always guided by the same values: honesty, simplicity, and impeccable taste.
Spending her time between Sweden, Corsica, and Morocco, she has channelled her creative energy into dreaming up a boutique hideaway, set on the doorstep of Essaouira in the village of Sidi Kaouki — Villa Laba. Created with her partner and architect Thomas Fourtané, the nine-key hotel is an invitation to savour gentle living and to return to oneself. When dusk falls, the rooms and spaces are aglow with the flicker of candlelight and lanterns, as the electricity connection is purposefully limited, as is WiFi, which is accessible only in the library.
As part of a conversation that led to our feature of Villa Laba in the latest drop of Konfekt Kompakt, we sat down with Filippa to uncover how her magical, romantic project emerged from her imagination.
How did you find yourself in Sidi Kaouki — is it a place you were travelling to before or did you come upon it by chance?
Thomas and I often visited Essaouira for a week here and there, just to have a break and relax. A Moroccan architect friend of Thomas’s met up with us one day and told us he'd bought land in Sidi Kaouki and that he wanted us to visit. It's 25km south of Essaouira, and when we got there, we immediately liked the vibe. A huge beach, a sleepy, dusty little town with surfers and camel owners…We started walking up the chalky road to the village Ichaouine that’s up on the hill, and I had a flashback of Ibiza in the sixties, when I was a small kid. The same rural landscape, donkeys carrying firewood in baskets, friendly faces...all in all, a very peaceful atmosphere. We had an instinctive attraction to the area, and we also sensed that the timing was right. Sidi Kaouki was not developed and still isn't. We were drawn to the adventure of it all, and the wide open coastline signalled freedom.
Villa Laba
Image by Bertrand Pommier
I find it so beautiful how our essence can be expressed in different professional spheres across time. How did your experience and creative energy from your decades spent establishing Filippa K. infuse and inform your experience establishing Villa Laba?
I've never felt defined merely by one expression, I feel more complex than that — and doing different projects offers an opportunity to express different sides of myself. Having said that, Villa Laba is in many ways very close to Filippa K in its minimal expression, love of simplicity, yet with an important undercurrent of quality. A sort of quiet luxury, so to speak. In my private life I've renovated several homes — several of which were together with Thomas — and interior design has always been a source of inspiration and energy for me. So to have the opportunity to be part of creating Villa Laba was positive and fun, especially as it was a private, intimate project that we controlled ourselves — very different from being part of a larger business with corporate demands. Over the years one becomes more experienced and one gets to know and trust oneself more...that's what I take with me from my Filippa K. years.
What is your favourite time of day at Villa Laba?
Dusk is a very special time. The light is amazing in the evening as the sun starts to set. Everything glows a warm pink and the view over the Atlantic has a mesmerising effect, something about watching the sun sink into it that feels almost spiritual. The skies can be flaming red or soft and pastel, each evening is different.
Image by Bertrand Pommier
Of the nine rooms of Villa Laba, do you have a personal favourite, and if so, why?
A difficult question to answer, as all the rooms have a particular character and personality! My personal favourite, though, is probably room number one — it was the first room sketched out on the plan. It’s not the largest, but it has a particular charm and elegance. It opens onto the pretty inner courtyard but also has a covered terrace facing the ocean with a sweeping view of the countryside and steps leading down to the pool area.
Room One at Villa Laba
What value is your North Star — both in business and in life?
Authenticity is a value that I'm strongly drawn to.
I'm interested in getting to the core, to the heart, to the truth of something — whether it be design, an experience or human interaction. That's why I'm drawn to simplicity as an expression — which is quite hard to achieve if it's not genuine. I also strongly believe in human relationships, they are at the heart of both business and life — a sense of family.
Filippa K ‘Beige Dress’ ad, 1999, TBWA Stockholm.
Filippa K ‘Shop Window’ ad, 1998, TBWA Stockholm
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
I think more in terms of peacefulness and contentment — I think happiness conjures up false expectations! For me, I'd say that a balance in my life has always been my personal ideal. A balance between my inner world, so to speak, having time to reflect, living close to nature, being in a loving relationship — and an outer world where I express myself through my creativity, my sense of style, and design and even writing. I like the fact that the lines blur out and my life contains all these aspects. I'm not quite there yet. I have a whirlwind in my head that I need to organise and let out (!) - but I'm on my way and the blessing of getting older is that I feel much braver — like I've got nothing to lose.