Our Heritage
Founded as Schwartzman & Nordström by Marcus Schwartzman and Hjalmar Nordström in 1903, the brand transforms menswear by making Sweden’s first off-the-rack suits, democratising tailoring by opening it up to men from all walks of life.
The brand had its first premises at 19 Kungsgatan in Uddevalla on the Swedish west coast. The company hires the best tailors in town to meet the booming demand for its off-the-peg suits.
A Rough Start
In 1905, Hjalmar Nordström parted ways with the company after differences with co-founder Marcus Schwartzman over the future direction of the brand. The company keeps the Schwartzman & Nordström name for the time being, and opened its first store on the corner of Norra Drottninggatan and Lagerbergsgatan in Uddevalla. Until 1929, all suits were made here in the backrooms.
After three years, the store in Uddevalla felt cramped as the business expanded. An additional floor was added to house the tailors’ cutting rooms and storage.
An Icon Is Born
The start of a household name
The brand was still known as Schwartzman & Nordström when Marcus Schwartzman launched the ‘Tiger’ range of suits – available in single or double-breasted and in three levels of fabric quality (a three-star suit is the most expensive).
In an instant, Tiger suits flew off ther ails and became a household name in Sweden – so famous that Marcus Schwartzman decided to rename the company 'Tiger of Sweden' to reflect the suit’s iconic status.
Fast outgrowing its premises, the company moved in 1929, into a factory designed by the architect Arthur Brattberg on the corner of Södra Drottninggatan and Södergatan.
In only 7 years, Tiger of Sweden grew to become northern Europe’s largest fashion brand, employing over 1,000 people and making more than 140,000 suits a year. But plans to move into a state-of-the-art new factory were mothballed when World War II broke out. Tiger of Sweden provided uniforms and outerwear for the Swedish military during the war.
A Fresh Start
With the war ending in 1945, building started immediately on the new Tiger of Sweden factory. ‘Satisfied workers do a better job’ was the mantra behind the design, created with a better working environment for employees in mind.
Work on the new building was completed four years later. The new building was one of Europe’s most modern and worker-friendly factories, fitted with an air conditioning system to keep the factory floor dust free and healthy. Built-in speakers played music to whistle to while staff worked. Perks for employees included a restaurant, crèche, rooftop terrace, pastry shop and a sauna.
A conference room in the new building with a painting by the artist Gordon Macfie. To create a better working environment for everyone public spaces are decorated with art.
The rooftop of the new building was furnished with Grythyttan ’A2’ chairs and ’A9’ tables designed by Artur Lindqvist.
The king of Sweden Gustaf VI Adolf makes an official visit to the factory in recognition of Tiger of Sweden’s contribution to the fashion industry and the nation’s economy.
Looking Beyond
Since its inception, Tiger of Sweden has always outward looking and never stop moving forward.
Tiger of Sweden’s design director Sigvard Jirdell invented the ‘Modi Fico’ in 1958, a machine that could measure up customers for the company’s bespoke suits. The next year, Tiger of Sweden’s CEO Robert Schwartzman travelled to Paris as an ambassador for Swedish tailoring.
Tragedy struck upon the sudden death of Schwartzman in a car accident, and the Swedish government had to unprecedentedly take over the management to secure jobs at the factory and prevent the collapse of the Swedish textile industry – as the industry nationwide faces the threat from low wage countries.
Within a year, however, the brand rebounded and expanded internationally into the UK and the US. The company opened its North American HQ in the Empire State Building, and in no time at all sold 70,000 suits a year in America.
Forging Ahead
In 1993, Roger Tjernberg was appointed CEO of Tiger of Sweden and was instrumental to the brand’s revival into a fashion force for the 21st century. Tjernberg introduced more relaxed, less formal tailoring, taking the suit off the banking trading floor and on to the street.
The brand launched its first collection for women in 1997 – Tiger of Sweden Woman, bringing its aesthetic to womenswear. As a natural evolution of an earlier idea where a bestselling line of suit trousers was cut to the pattern of a pair of vintage jeans, the brand introduced its Jeans collection at the turn of the century in 2001.
On Stage
The brand has worked with a number of musicians, from a collaboration with garage rock maestros The Hives on a bespoke wardrobe for their 2006 worldwide tour, to a bespoke suit for Swedish musician Håkan Hellström during two sell-out gigs of more than 70,000 a night at the Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg.
In 2014, Tiger of Sweden presented a catwalk collection at London Fashion Week Men’s for the first time.
Rebirth
In 2018, the brand radically reshaped its visual identity, creating a new design essence and establishing its own handwriting in the contemporary context.
At the beginning of 2020, in a time of harsh industry headwinds, Tiger of Sweden decides to move against the tide and invest heavily in its brand and product universe. The company appoints Bryan Conway as Design Director to create an enduring and modern vision which remains relevant in today’s current landscape with a focus on building a sense of community.
