Label Love: Monki
Here’s what I can tell you about Swedish clothing brand Monki: pretty much every piece it makes is decidedly awesome. I don't speak or read Swedish, but their amazing clothing continues to fuel a tiny obsession. The website is like a small revelation – illustration-lined pages frame straightforwardly cute-yet-current pieces (like pretty ‘40s dresses and Fair Isle sweaters) for seriously low prices. Yet here’s the catch, and it’s a fatal one for some of us: Monki is only available in Europe, as its stores are scattered throughout Scandinavia (and a few more around the continent.) The real kicker is that Monki just launched an online webstore (with tauntingly low prices) yet no point of U.S. virtual purchase.
Why do Monki pieces drive me wild? Because the brand only makes pieces that are, well, awesome. They have a flimsy hot pink, soft-collared button-up, a delightfully boxy and fuzzy black sweatshirt, yellow Chelsea boots, a pumpkin-orange blazer and so, so much more. (The “more” refers to tank dresses with leather pockets, cropped lace tops with scalloped bottom seams, and even hairpins affixed with tiny metal pencils.) Yes, these pieces are basically perfect, but their prices are even better: the aforementioned pumpkin blazer is 450 Swedish krona, which roughly converts to $67; those buttery yellow Chelsea boots are 350 SEK, or about $45.
So Monki is bonkers cheap, and makes both updated classics and strictly trendy pieces that Americans (like this one) would simply drool over. And though it’s frustrating that Monki not available over here, it’s also kind of weirdly admirable, in a time when expanding into the U.S. market seems like the natural business trajectory for international brands. But Monki – if you’re reading this – should you ever consider North American domination, know that you have at least one fan willing to spend plenty of her green to own your beautiful wares of orange and mustard.
