A Day's March with Jan Håfström

We are happy to launch a collaboration with Jan Håfström, one of Sweden’s most renowned and internationally celebrated artists. Born in 1937, Håfström launched his career in the mid 60’s and drew inspiration from comic books such as The Phantom, Robinson Crusoe and Tarzan, all in the pop-art spirit. He has alternated between figurative and abstract painting, created films, sculptures and has also been active as a critic. To a wider audience, he is perhaps best known for his works about Mr. Walker, the civil alias of the Phantom. In Stockholm, a seven-metre high statue of this character stands right next to the central station. He wears a hat and a checkered trench coat, which we have interpreted in a limited capsule collection. It includes our version of Walker’s trench coat, as well as t-shirts, hoodies, crewnecks and totes, all depicting Håfström’s famous interpretation of a skull. The connection to A Day’s March is visible on several levels – one being more literal – the march, a walk, a constant movement – but also, Mr. Walker’s interest in clothes, something Håfström picked up from his own father who worked as a hotel portier in central Stockholm. Memories from his childhood are a constant inspiration in Håfström’s work. "Walker's obsession with clothing was also something my father enjoyed to a great extent," Håfström says. “The superficial became very important to him while being on the move.”

After getting to know each other for a long time, it is a true dream for us to finally work on a project with Jan Håfström. “It's easy to like Jan's art – the work speaks directly to you, but when you scratch the surface, there is always another dimension,” says Stefan Pagréus, co-founder of A Day’s March. “Walker stands for something anonymous, something we often strive for in our designs and in our garments.”. In general, Håfström has a very exploratory attitude to his own work and often talks about how his work in retrospect turned out to have a different meaning than he first thought or expected. “Maybe the same goes for this collaboration. We will find out what it means and is about, quite simply,” Pagréus adds. So how come a world-renowned artist wanted his work depicted on clothing? Håfström says he loves to be surprised and when A Day’s March came along offering to make garments for Mr. Walker, the decision was easy. “The message is carried on in this strange way. You can put the garment on and rest in this peculiar feeling that I associate with this figure and shape. I welcome everyone who wants to break into my sometimes quite fenced-off world and help to create something new.”