“Watch Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo compete, and the mind struggles to keep up. He moves so far ahead of second and third place that, for a moment, you could mistake him for the last one out, not the first”
Watch Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo compete, and the mind struggles to keep up. He moves so far ahead of second and third place that, for a moment, you could mistake him for the last one out, not the first. He has 11 Olympic golds, more than anyone in Winter Olympics history, and this year he won all six of the events he entered at Milan Cortina. I first met him this summer and spent our dinner together trying to understand the discipline that kind of dominance demands – the routine, the sacrifice, and the sheer devotion it takes to compete like that. I don't think I have been that close to something like a superhuman before.
We photographed him and his fiancée, Pernille Døsvik by a waterfall in the forest outside Trondheim. The rocks were slippery, the rushing water was loud enough that you couldn't hear yourself think, and I spent most of the day terrified something might happen to him. Here is a man whose body is his livelihood. He (and we) could not afford a fall. But when asked to jump across the stream in a slim-fit Dolce & Gabbana suit, he rose to the occasion without a flicker of hesitation. That is, perhaps, what sets Klæbo apart. An unrelenting fearlessness and a want – nay, need – to win. He is the embodiment of what we in Sweden call a ‘vinnarskalle’.
I don't think I have been that close to something like a superhuman before
Martina Bonnier
Døsvik is an athlete in her own right. Over the past year, she completed the Norseman Xtreme, one of the hardest triathlons in the world. In a Freaky Friday twist, Klæbo served as her support system, much like how Døsvik has supported him and his career. Yet, for two of the most decorated people in Norway right now, they are unassuming.
This issue is full of that same excellence, everywhere you look.
Take Jonas Bohlin, one of Sweden's great furniture designers. I met him at Gustavsberg's landmark anniversary in 2025 to celebrate 200 years of the grand porcelain brand. When we spoke, the first thing he mentioned, almost bashfully, was that his son is a fashion photographer. Perhaps I knew him? I decided there and then that this was a story for us: Jonas and Julius Bohlin, working together for the first time, his furniture woven into a fashion story, framed by a conversation between father and son. It's one of the pieces in this issue I'm most proud of.
Then there's Benjamin Ingrosso. He sang for us at Vogue Scandinavia’s fifth anniversary this year, at Ett Hem, and it was the most personal I've ever seen him: after a two-year hiatus from the spotlight, he's letting us see who he is underneath the performer. Styled in 1990s fashion – washed-out jeans, workwear shirts and singlets – he transforms into our version of a nostalgic heartthrob and unequivocal poster boy. Further on the fashion front, we explore the (faux) fur trims set to take over our wardrobes this autumn.
This is also our third Living issue, fronted this time by the indomitable Beata Heuman – a designer whose work folds Swedish heritage into an English countryside softness. We meet her in her true Skåne home, and it is a welcome departure from the stereotypical minimalism for which we in this region may best be known. Elsewhere, we turn our attention to sleep and our region's slightly obsessive relationship with it. We peek inside the Nordic bedroom, ask whether our region might be the cause of an international sleep divorce, and meet the people travelling off-season for the sole purpose of getting a proper night's rest.
It's a strange kind of privilege, watching all of this excellence happen so close to home. As ever, I'm proud to share it with you.
Sincerely,
