Noko Jeans

Noko Jeans was a Swedish fashion company and denim label established in 2007 by Jakob Ohlsson, Jacob Aström, and Tor Rauden Källstigen. Its defining project was an attempt to import jeans manufactured in North Korea and sell them in Sweden. The company became notable not simply because the garments were produced in North Korea, but because it publicly insisted on retaining the label “Made in North Korea,” turning the origin of the products into the central part of the brand’s identity and public discussion. The idea began when the founders encountered a North Korean website advertising goods for export. They contacted the listed address while presenting themselves as representatives of a fictional import-export business. After exchanges with North Korean contacts and the North Korean Embassy in Stockholm, they explored several possible manufacturing arrangements. The founders supplied sample jeans and eventually traveled to Pyongyang in July 2008, where they visited textile factories and negotiated production. A contract was ultimately concluded with Trade4, a North Korean mining company that also had textile activities, for 1,100 pairs of black jeans. The project involved substantial logistical difficulties. The founders said that they carried sewing thread and cash to North Korea because conventional payment channels were difficult to use and because materials had to be supplied from outside the country. Production was delayed by problems including buttons held up in transit between Pakistan and Pyongyang. The completed jeans reached Stockholm on November 11, 2009, roughly two years after the initial contact with North Korean exporters. Noko Jeans presented the products through both retail and exhibition-like formats. Its Stockholm shop was described as a “museum,” reflecting the founders’ interest in the political and cultural story surrounding the garments rather than treating them as ordinary commercial denim. The company also planned a sale through Aplace, a retail space in Stockholm’s PUB department store, but the department store declined to cooperate because it did not want to become involved in politics. From December 18, 2009, to February 6, 2010, the company operated a museum in Stockholm’s Södermalm district. The collection consisted of two unisex black-denim models designed with fashion designer Julia Hederus. Kara Slim Fit used a closer silhouette and regular waist, while Oke Loose Fit was roomier and featured a drop-crotch shape. Their names referred to a karaoke bar associated with the founders’ first evening in Pyongyang. The designs were intended to express the Noko Jeans story as much as to provide conventional wardrobe staples. The North Korean manufacturer annulled its agreements with Noko Jeans in 2010. The company remained in business until 2011, and later stated in 2013 that approximately 100 pairs remained. Its social-media activity continued until 2013, but the operating company itself is regarded as defunct. Noko Jeans is therefore best understood as a short-lived, highly unusual Swedish fashion venture whose importance came from the intersection of clothing, international trade, political symbolism, and the practical difficulties of doing business with North Korea.

Noko Jeans was founded in Sweden in 2007 by Jakob Ohlsson, Jacob Aström, and Tor Rauden Källstigen. The founders became interested in North Korean exports after finding a business page on a North Korean website. They contacted the listed address and began exploring whether garments could be produced in North Korea for sale in Sweden. The early negotiations were unconventional. In November 2007, the North Korean Embassy in Stockholm contacted the founders, and discussions included proposals involving a zinc factory and jacket production. In December, the founders supplied two pairs of jeans, including one used pair, for inspection by a North Korean delegation visiting a textile factory. These exchanges eventually led to a visit to Pyongyang in July 2008. The founders traveled by train from Beijing and spent ten days visiting textile facilities. Although North Korea’s largest textile producer rejected their proposal, they reached an agreement on the final day with Trade4, a major mining company that also participated in textile production. The contract called for 1,100 pairs of black jeans. Noko Jeans’ founders described the production process as difficult because North Korea did not provide all the materials required for the garments. They said they brought sewing thread and substantial cash with them, as ordinary banking arrangements were difficult. Manufacturing was also delayed by supply-chain problems; on one return visit, they found that the jeans were not finished because buttons had become stuck in transit between Pakistan and Pyongyang. The finished shipment eventually arrived in Stockholm on November 11, 2009. Noko Jeans made the country of origin a visible part of the product. The company insisted that the garments retain a “Made in North Korea” label, despite the political sensitivity of that designation and despite the existence of earlier North Korean jean imports by other parties. The label helped distinguish the project from conventional denim branding and framed the garments as objects connected to international politics and trade. The first planned sales were associated with a Noko Jeans shop, described by the company as a museum, and with Aplace inside Stockholm’s PUB department store. PUB declined the arrangement because it did not want to become involved in political questions. Noko Jeans nevertheless operated a museum in Stockholm’s Södermalm district from December 18, 2009, to February 6, 2010. The project combined retail, documentation, and exhibition, presenting the jeans as evidence of an unusual commercial relationship rather than merely as fashion products. The collection included two unisex black-denim designs developed with fashion designer Julia Hederus. Kara Slim Fit had a tighter cut and regular waist. Oke Loose Fit had a looser silhouette, drop-crotch construction, and regular waist. The names referenced a karaoke bar associated with the founders’ first night in Pyongyang. Both designs were presented as extensions of the Noko Jeans story. The North Korean producer annulled its agreements with Noko Jeans in 2010. The company continued operating until 2011, but did not develop into a conventional long-term denim business. In 2013, it reported that only about 100 pairs remained. Social-media posts continued until 2013, after the company’s operating period had ended. Noko Jeans is consequently remembered as a short-lived Swedish fashion company whose distinctiveness lay in its North Korean sourcing, explicit origin labeling, and museum-like presentation.

• 2013

  Remaining stock reported

  [1]Noko Jeansen.wikipedia.org

  The company reported that approximately 100 pairs remained, and its social-media activity continued through that year.

• 2011

  Operations cease

  [1]Noko Jeansen.wikipedia.org

  Noko Jeans ceased operating as a company.

• 2010

  Manufacturing agreements annulled

  [1]Noko Jeansen.wikipedia.org

  The North Korean manufacturer annulled its agreements with Noko Jeans.

• 2009

  Jeans arrive in Stockholm

  [1]Noko Jeansen.wikipedia.org

  After extensive delays, the North Korean-made jeans reached Stockholm on November 11.

• 2009

  Stockholm museum presentation opens

  [1]Noko Jeansen.wikipedia.org

  Noko Jeans presented its project through a Stockholm shop described as a museum and later operated a Södermalm museum from December 18, 2009, to February 6, 2010.

• 2008

  Pyongyang production negotiations

  [1]Noko Jeansen.wikipedia.org

  The founders visited textile factories in Pyongyang and signed an agreement with Trade4 to produce 1,100 pairs of black jeans.

• 2007

  Company founded and North Korean export inquiry begins

  [1]Noko Jeansen.wikipedia.org

  Jakob Ohlsson, Jacob Aström, and Tor Rauden Källstigen founded Noko Jeans and began contacting North Korean representatives about producing jeans.

A concept-driven Swedish denim label using North Korean manufacturing and explicit country-of-origin labeling as its central commercial, political, and cultural proposition.

• Jeans · 2009

  Kara Slim Fit

  A unisex black-denim model designed in collaboration with Julia Hederus. Kara Slim Fit used a relatively close-fitting silhouette and a regular waist. Its name referred to the karaoke bar associated with the founders’ first evening in Pyongyang, linking the garment to the company’s origin story.

• Jeans · 2009

  Oke Loose Fit

  A unisex black-denim model with a looser, more relaxed shape and a drop-crotch construction, combined with a regular waist. Like Kara Slim Fit, it was designed with Julia Hederus and used its name to reference the founders’ experiences during their initial visit to Pyongyang.

• 2010

  Production relationship endsStrategy

  Background

  The company’s original manufacturing arrangement depended on its agreement with the North Korean producer.

  Action taken

  The North Korean manufacturer annulled its agreements with Noko Jeans.

  Aftermath

  The company remained in business only until 2011 and did not establish a continuing production operation.

  Source

• 2009

  Launch two black-denim modelsProduct launch

  Background

  After production delays, 1,100 pairs of jeans arrived in Stockholm and were prepared for public sale.

  Action taken

  The company introduced the Kara Slim Fit and Oke Loose Fit models through its own museum-like retail setting and planned third-party retail placement.

  Aftermath

  PUB declined to participate because of the political implications, while Noko Jeans continued its Stockholm exhibition and retail presentation.

  Source

• 2007

  Make North Korean origin part of the brandStrategy

  Background

  The company’s proposed value proposition depended on importing jeans produced in North Korea, a politically sensitive sourcing decision.

  Action taken

  Noko Jeans insisted that the garments retain a visible “Made in North Korea” label rather than obscuring or minimizing their origin.

  Aftermath

  The origin label became the central feature of the company’s public identity and attracted attention beyond the ordinary denim market.

  Source

1. 1Noko Jeansen.wikipedia.org