A conversation with Filippa Knutsson

Of candlelit evenings and a return to self

Filippa Knutsson. Image by Bertrand Pommier.

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.

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.