Eleonore Nygårds: Monki Days Are Here

By Celeste Goh  •  11 Jun 2014 in Interview

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Back in 2006’s Stockholm, Sweden, the high street fashion world was pretty much dominated by the mainstream brands, and it was in the midst of this Stockholm Syndrome that Orjan Andersson and Adam Freiberg, heads of denim brand Cheap Monday, founded the Scandi-chic Monki – a fun fashion brand that acts as a creative zone for ladies aged 16 to 30 (and sometimes, even those up to 60!) to express themselves fashionably. During the launch of the first Monki store in Malaysia, JUICE speaks to Eleonore Nygårds, Monki’s Brand and Marketing Manager to fill us in on the Monki World, and what those little Monki creatures are whispering into her ears…

Monki and Malaysia – what’s there to love about each other in this newly established relationship?
What’s there not to love (laughs)? From the very beginning, Asia has been an inspiration to Monki. Everyone here mixes and matches when it comes to fashion, whereas we in Scandinavia is all about dressing down, looking good every day, but in a functional way. Monki is the combination of both these characteristics – a mix of Asian street style, and Scandinavian crisp style. We finally came into Asia in 2010, when we launched the first Monki store in Hong Kong, which were subsequently followed by a heavy expansion throughout Japan and China. Today, there are already 25 Monki stores around Asia, so Malaysia is pretty much a natural step for us to go next, and now that we’re here, we’re hoping to see Malaysians experimenting with their fashion style with Monki, as much as the fans do over in other parts of Asia.

So, what do we have here with the first ever Monki collection launched alongside the opening of the store?
Well, we have a lot of capsule collections going on in the store right now. There are collections that are very flowery, dreamy, and girly with lots of floral prints to play with, and our festival capsule, festival items that you can wear on a casual basis, like the long kimono cardigan, which you can pair with an evening dress, or a pair of casual denim, or even just a bikini for the beach! Besides all these crazy kaleidoscope of colours and prints, we also have basic crisps for a professional look for those who can’t go too crazy with their wardrobe at work. At Monki, it’s really about who you are individually, and how you’d like to experiment with us.

One thing that definitely stands out for the Monki brand is the design concept for each of your store. Tell us more about this current one for the Malaysia store, called Sea of Scallops.
From the wilderness of the Forgotten Forest, to the post-apocalyptic City of Oil and Steel, this particular part of the Monki World, is where we dive into the ocean, and we’re really deep down in the waters, and you can see the floor of sand under our feet, and up in the ceiling, shimmering mirror reflections portraying the surface of the water. You’ll also see glittering streams hanging off the ceiling; those are poisonous jellyfish – but you don’t want to touch them (laughs)! There are the scallops-shaped corners on the shelves and the cash register counters, and even a sea monster lurking somewhere, constantly present, though you may not know where it is!

Out of the many little creatures from the Monki World, which is your favourite, and which represents you the best?
Ikmo is my favourite. He’s one character that’s always mad at something (laughs)! We like to bring him along with us when we travel, so that he can stand in front of the Eiffel Tower and say, “I hate Paris!” The Monki World may be fun and allowing at most times, but it can also be quite dark sometimes, much like how it is with our everyday life. Ikmo is the one that adds an extra edge to the Monki World. Which Monki creature represents me the most? I’d have to say Imoo, because he’s always floating all over the place and seeing everything there is to see… Pretty much like what I’m doing with my job, travelling all over the world to all the Monki stores worldwide!

Monki is located at Nu Sentral, KL.

For more on the launch, click here.