Women and Fashion

Per-Olof Ahl set up KappAhl in year 1958. He sold coats in a basement on Omvagen, Goteborg. Queues were far outside the doors: all women wanted to find classy coats for themselves at a cheap price.
 At times Per-Olof filled the bus up with coats and drove around Sweden selling coats in different places. He was accepted with open arms.
 Nowadays there no more exists that basement shop on Omvagen nor Per-Olof's bus going around Sweden. However, all his ideas and thoughts are still here. He wanted to give all people a chance to buy fashionable and classy clothes - not only for the rich people. Thin is still KappAhl's meaning: to buy classy clothes at a cheap price.

 Nowadays KappAhl is one of the leading clothing companies in the  Nordic countries. Altogether there are 153 shops in Sweden, Norway and in Finland. In the year 1997 KappAhl expanded their function to Denmark and in the year 1999 to Po-land. Furthermore KappAhl has branches in China, India and Bangladesh.
 In Finland KappAhl started their function in the year 1990, that means it ex-isted in Finland for 10 years. KappAhl sells clothes to the whole family.

Interview with the sales manager of KappAhl

Interviewer: What is fashion this summer?
Anna-Maria Honkonen: Fashion in this summer is wide trouser legs, capri trousers, flax and from colours red, orange and turquoise. Also clothes from the 70s are in fashion, tight clothes, knitted clothes, frills, low necks, motives, long skirts, fringe and Indian- and hippie clothes.

Interviewer: How early do you get information about fashion?
Anna-Maria: We get information about fashion 6 months or a year before something is in fashion.

Interviewer: Who defines fashion?
Anna-Maria: Fashion comes from America, France and Italy. Big designers there de-sign fashion.

Interviewer: How is Finland different from the other countries?
Anna-Maria: In Finland fashion is much more conservative, more elegant. And to Finns it is  very important what they look like.

Interviewer: Is there a big difference between women and men? How do they feel about fashion?
Anna-Maria: Women are braver than men. They don't hesitate to wear different clothes. Men are much more classic but colours do change.

Interviewer: How much is Finland behind other countries?
Anna-Maria: Finland is one season behind. But shops are aware of the current fash-ion.

Interviewer: How well does fashion sell in Finland?
Anna-Maria: It sells quite well. You have to know about fashion but you can't be too much ahead of fashion.

Interviewer: How much do you think that Finnish women spend money on clothes in a month.
Anna-Maria: About 2000 mk (ITL 636000) I think. It depends, middle-aged women spend more but students spend less.

Interviewer: Thank you very much for your time Anna-Maria.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Results of fashion-inquiry 

1. Ages: I  16 (9)
  II  17 (4)
  III  18 (4)

2. What do you think is in fashion right now?
I Bright and pastel colours, skirts (length is right under the knees) and 3/4 sleeved shirts, to be "unfashionable", yourself and different from the others, jeans, hippie clothes and Indian stuff, boleros and wide trouser legs.
II White and pink, light colours, yellow and red, capri trousers and Indian and hippie clothes.
III Grey and black, loose sleeved, plain colour clothes, skirts, linen, healthy look, pockets and belts and plastic coats.

3. Do you follow the fashion or do you think that you are fashionable? How do you get information about fashion?
Most of the informants thought they are quite fashionable and often follow the fash-ion. They get information about fashion from TV and all kind of magazines and of course from their friend. Usually you can find fashion in the shops.

4. How much do you spend money on clothes and fashion in a month?
A few of the informants don't buy clothes every month but most of them said that they spend about 100-500 mk (ITL 32000-160000) on clothes in a month.

5. Where do you think fashion is coming from? Who defines fashion?
Fashion comes from Italy or from France, from the big cities like Milan and Paris. The big and famous designers define fashion but at the end of the day it's the people themselves who decide what they are going to wear.

6. What words fashion brings to your mind?
- ugly     - colourful
- expensive    - versatile
- happy    - new
- cool     - coming
- variable    - stylish 
- fast     - beautiful
- plain colour   - nice
- Paris    - amazing
- special    - marvellous
- topical    - thin
- transient    - modern
- affected    - superficial
- uncomfortable   - short-term
7. Do you think that people must be fashionable? Can men be fashionable and is that ok? Or is fashion only women's thing?
You don't have to be fashionable if you don't want to. Fashionable people look cool and nice. Men can also be fashionable if they want to. No one can force you to be fashionable.

Thank you for co-operating with us! J