When they were teenagers walking to school in Stockholm, Saman Amel and Dag Granath would pass a large disused fire station. The two boys, friends since they were nine, would daydream about it as a space to live and work together. “It would be like, ‘You can live there, and I’ll live there, and we’ll have this space here,’” says Granath, now 32 years old. “It was pretty sweet.”
Two decades later, they have essentially made their dream come true with the new HQ and studio of their menswear label Atelier Saman Amel, in the affluent Östermalm district of the Swedish capital. Founded in 2015, the brand specialises in made-to-measure tailoring but also stocks ready-to-wear with retail partners such as Mytheresa and Mr Porter; a made-to-measure suit starts from £2,400, a jacket from £1,900 and trousers from £700. The clothes – which have expanded from suiting to include knitwear, outerwear, accessories and shoes – favour the softness of Neapolitan tailoring, a balance of cut that is more British, and are pulled together by “the Scandinavian filter that we put on top of it”, says Amel, also 32. “Not so aggressive, not so flamboyant.” Its fans include fellow Swede Stellan Skarsgård, who has worn its slouchy, sophisticated pieces several times while promoting his film Sentimental Value. “He is a client and all the pieces he wears are made for him custom,” says Granath. “He is truly a fantastic representation of the Saman Amel man.”
