ABOUT
ARKET is a modern-day market offering essential products for men, women,
children and the home. ARKET’s mission is to democratise quality through widely
accessible, well-made, durable products, designed to be used and loved for a
long time.
NAME
A nod to our Nordic heritage, ARKET means ‘sheet of paper’ in Swedish. It
combines concepts that were often returned to while developing the brand:
archive, archetypes and the market.
ARCHIVE
A common thread in both a metaphorical and physical sense. From an expression
of the long-lasting nature of our collection, to an extensive and easily
accessible library of vintage sample research, to the name given to the
shelving system developed in-house, the notion of the archive is ARKET’s
central theme.
ARKET ID
The simplest expression of the archive is the ARKET id, a unique 9-digit code
given to and shown with each product. A system created to make it easy for
customers to find and re-find products both in physical and digital stores, and
a tool for our archive – a way to record and preserve our products.
COLLECTION
The archive is the collection’s point of departure, a solid foundation of
products you want to find again and again. It also offers scope for playing
through the seasons, varying materials, colours and proportions to create an
ideal everyday uniform. Each item in the product family is intended to be a
perfect version of itself – everything has earned its place on the shelf.
FUNCTION
Going back to the original idea of each product category to understand why it
was developed and why it looks and works as it does. Beautification enhances
this foundation of function and utility to help products find their place in
the modern world.
REPETITION
A theme that connects products to the archive and forms the basis of the
collection’s organisation and presentation. It is applied literally when an
archetypal style is repeated in many fabrications, or when a single material is
used throughout a collection.
SILHOUETTES
A basic tool for structuring the female wardrobe. Defining and clearly
presenting recurring silhouettes in the core collection and elaborating them
seasonally, as with suiting in the opening collection.
FAMILIES
Shades and nuances within a limited colour palette respond to the materials
while lending depth and richness. Print, pattern and shape families are
explored and articulated. Material families become recognisable through
repetition.
CAFÉ
Stores include a café, founded on the New Nordic Food Manifesto and its vision
of quality ingredients and healthy living. The cafés aim to express the purity,
freshness, simplicity and ethics naturally associated with our region and
reflect the changing seasons in the dishes we offer, with cooking based on the
produce and other ingredients that distinguish our climate, landscapes and
waters.
PRODUCTION
The starting point in each production is defining the quality we want to reach,
and building on the strengths of each production market. Value for money will
be achieved through economies of scale, with the use of initiatives such as the
yarn projects and, above all, by establishing styles that endure. The result
will be a seasonless production flow, lower development costs, and the ability
to refine over time. Most importantly, it helps achieve strong, long-term relationships
with suppliers, working together towards the same goal.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
To attempt to make products with a longer life, we invest time in their
development. This can be in the form of studying vintage garments and source
material to identify the archetypal qualities of a particular style or print,
the development of custom yarns and fabrics by our in- house knitwear
technician, or long-term collaborations with experts such as Japanese outerwear
fabric suppliers or Italian suiting mills.
Sustainability
Besides being a consequence of a focus on the long-lasting in design and
production, sustainability has been a primary consideration in developing the
ARKET brand and naturally incorporated in all processes, from the choice of
suppliers and materials to informing customers about how to care for their
products to prolong their lifespan.
ARKET ist eine Marke der H & M-Gruppe Firmensitz H & M Hennes & Mauritz GBC AB Mäster Samuelsgatan 46A 106 38 Stockholm Schweden Firmenregisternummer GBC – 5560701715 Registriert in Schweden Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer SE 556070171501 Informationen zum Unternehmen finden Sie unter about.hm.com