J.Lindeberg
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fashion |
| Founded | 1997 in Stockholm |
| Headquarters | Stockholm |
Key people | Johan Lindeberg (founder) |
| Products | golf & ski apparel polo shirts training wear jackets suits shirts |
| Website | jlindeberg USA & Canada |
J.Lindeberg is a Swedish fashion label offering collections that include tennis, golf, and ski apparel, as well as polo shirts, workout clothing, jackets, suits, and shirts.
Establishment
The J.Lindeberg brand was established in 1996 by Johan Lindeberg. Prior to this, Lindeberg held the position of marketing director at the Italian denim brand Diesel, from which he resigned to launch his own label.
The debut of J.Lindeberg occurred simultaneously in the summer of 1996 in both Stockholm and New York City. Johan Lindeberg took on the role of Creative Director and assembled a compact design team led by Roland Hjort, who was recruited from the Swedish fashion retailer H&M.
21st Century Lifestyle Concept
The initial design vision, named 21st Century Lifestyle, was unveiled during New York Fashion Week for the Fall/Winter 1997 season, highlighting men's fashion alongside golf apparel.
To enhance the golf segment, Lindeberg collaborated with PGA Tour player Jesper Parnevik.
Recognition and Growth
In 1999, J.Lindeberg was honored with the "Designer of the Year" award by Swedish Elle magazine. The subsequent year, 2000, brought the "Guldknappen" (Golden Button) award recognizing J.Lindeberg as "Most Innovative Designer". That same year marked the opening of their first flagship store located in central Stockholm. Soon after, additional concept stores were launched in New York City, Tokyo, Yokohama, and Los Angeles.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
By 2002, annual revenues for J.Lindeberg reached 219 million Swedish kronor, with products available in approximately 500 stores worldwide. That year also saw the brand's debut on the official New York Fashion Week calendar at Bryant Park. Notable figures such as Bono from U2, Brad Pitt, Justin Timberlake, Ashton Kutcher, members of The Killers, and Jane's Addiction have been seen wearing J.Lindeberg on formal occasions.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
Mid-2002 marked a relocation for Johan Lindeberg and his wife Marcella—whom he met during his time at Diesel—to London. This move established a strategic base for J.Lindeberg's global marketing efforts and a UK showroom aimed at expanding the brand’s reach. Shortly thereafter, the label introduced its inaugural women's collection under Marcella's direction. Additionally, Lindeberg announced plans to launch a comprehensive denim line catering to both men and women.
Following participation in the Milano Moda Uomo Fashion Week, efforts began to revamp J.Lindeberg’s international retail outlets to accommodate the new women's line.
Concurrent with developing the women's range, J.Lindeberg unveiled its Future Sports division. This initiative incorporated an innovative retail concept with its first store opening in central Stockholm. The subsequent season saw Future Sports introduce J.Lindeberg’s debut Ski Collection, presented alongside the Fall/Winter 2005 lineup in Milan. Swedish freeride skier Jon Olsson became the ambassador for the ski collection.
The ski range was showcased at Germany’s ISPO fair where it earned the "Newcomer of the Year" award. In following years, additional concept collections were launched including swimwear, sunglasses, and footwear.
Restructuring
By 2007, declining profitability had strained the relationship between Lindeberg and J.Lindeberg’s key shareholders. The situation was resolved when the investment firm Proventus acquired the majority stake in J.Lindeberg, appointing Stefan Engström as the new CEO. Prior to joining J.Lindeberg, Engström was a co-founder of the Swedish sportswear brand Peak Performance.
Following the restructuring, Lindeberg resumed his position as Creative Director and moved to New York alongside Marcella.
The J.Lindeberg Ski Collection was relaunched under the leadership of Fredrik Dahl, formerly the design director at "The North Face". The company’s retail outlets were redesigned by Albert Francois Lenoard, a French-Swedish architect. The revamped store concept debuted with the opening of a flagship location in central Stockholm.
Pierangelo D'Agostin returned as Design Director overseeing all design concepts. His previous experience includes serving as design director at Jil Sander and managing his own Japanese luxury label, hLam.
Today
Since 2012, ownership of J.Lindeberg has been held by Anders Holch Povlsen (founder and proprietor of Bestseller), Dan Friis, Allan Warburg (who also co-own Bestseller China), along with Stefan Engström. The brand has grown internationally and established operations in China. Currently, there are more than 215 branded stores and shop-in-shops globally, generating annual sales around 1.6 billion SEK. In 2017, Stefan Engström stepped down as CEO and was succeeded by Johan Mark, the company’s CFO; however, Engström remains actively involved in the business.
J.Lindeberg continues to produce collections spanning Fashion, Golf, Ski, and Active Wear.
The design headquarters for all collections is based in Stockholm where an international design team operates. In January 2016, Johan Lindeberg returned to the company on a two-year contract serving as Creative Consultant.
References
- J.Lindeberg USA-Canada
- J. Lindeberg
- (in Swedish) Dagens Nyheter: J Lindeberg äntligen lönsamt - "J Lindeberg finally making profit", September 11, 2004 article
- (in Swedish) Aftonbladet: Brad Pitt klär sig svenskt - "Brad Pitt wears JL", January 18, 2007
- Mall of Scandinavia: [1] - "J.Lindeberg Swedish fashion"
- Articles with Swedish-language sources (sv)
- Multinational companies headquartered in Sweden
- Clothing brands
- Clothing brands of Sweden
- Clothing brands of Stockholm
- Clothing retailers of the United States
- Clothing retailers of Sweden
- High fashion brands
- Companies based in New York City
- Companies based in Stockholm
- 1997 establishments in Sweden
- Clothing companies established in 1997