What you might have missed from the 2026 NK Gala

There are certain events that signal the arrival of a new season in Stockholm, and the annual NK Gala has firmly established itself among them.

On September 10th, Sweden’s fashion and creative set gathered beneath the glass ceiling of Nordiska Kompaniet’s Ljusgården for the 11th edition of the gala, celebrating the people, brands and ideas shaping fashion, design, beauty, culture and innovation today.

The evening began with a pre-dinner reception at Bobergs before guests moved to Ljusgården for a seated dinner curated by Bobergs Matsal, Tommy Myllymäki and Pi Le.

Then came the main event. Hosted by Swedish multi-hyphenate Emilia de Poret, the ceremony honoured six names spanning fashion, beauty, design, art and innovation.

Related: Couture looks, a brass band and sparkling desserts: Inside the 10th annual NK Gala

Legendary Swedish fashion illustrator Mats Gustafson received the evening’s Honorary Award, recognising a career spanning decades and a body of work that has included a longstanding collaboration with Dior. Former Olympic swimmer Therese Alshammar was crowned Style Icon of the Year, celebrated for the assured personal style and interest in fashion that have defined her career.

Kristian Eddé, founded by Daniel Ankarstrand, took home Innovation of the Year for its unexpected transformation of salmon skin – a by-product of the food industry – into a luxury material for bags and accessories. Meanwhile, Swedish porcelain institution Rörstrand received Impact of the Year as it marks an extraordinary 300 years of design and craftsmanship.

But two of the evening’s biggest fashion and beauty honours went to names whose ambitions now extend well beyond Sweden: Toteme was named Brand of the Year, while Mantle took home Beauty Brand of the Year.

For Toteme, the win also marked something of a homecoming. The Swedish label has a particularly personal history with NK: it was in Ljusgården that founders Elin Kling and Karl Lindman opened Toteme’s first store in 2015. “It is a great honour,” Lindman says. “Being recognised in this way, here in Stockholm, feels particularly meaningful. NK has been an important partner to Toteme for many years."

Related: And the award goes to: Discover the 7 winners at the 2025 NK Gala

It’s been a remarkable trajectory. In just over a decade, Toteme has grown from its Stockholm beginnings into one of Sweden’s most internationally visible fashion brands, opening stores in key fashion destinations worldwide. In 2026, it embarked on its next chapter with the launch of its first menswear collection. “We view the men’s collection as a long-term project, much like how we approached the women’s collection when we started,” Lindman explains. “We want it to evolve organically, with each season building on the last and gradually shaping a distinct identity. It needs to feel authentic and considered, without rushing the process.”

Toteme’s growth, Kling says, comes back to a remarkably consistent point of view. “Having a clear, shared vision from the very beginning has been incredibly important,” she says. “Karl and I don't always view things from the same perspective, but we have always been perfectly aligned on what we want Toteme to be. We've trusted our instincts and stayed true to what feels right, while keeping the woman we design for at the heart of everything we do.”

It was also a significant night for homegrown skincare brand Mantle, founded by Josefin Landgård and Stina Lönnkvist, which was crowned Beauty Brand of the Year. The award arrives as the Swedish brand continues its international expansion, with its combination of science, function and distinctive visual identity increasingly finding an audience beyond its home market. “NK has always been a benchmark for quality and curation in Sweden, so to receive this award on home ground is incredible,” the founders explain. “This belongs to our fantastic team who work tirelessly behind the scenes, and to our community who has supported us from day one. It’s a huge moment for all of us.”

Mantle has built its identity around challenging one of beauty’s most enduring fixations: fighting the signs of ageing. Instead, the brand has put skin health at the centre of its proposition. “The beauty industry has spent decades fighting age,” they explain. “We’re interested in something more useful: skin health. Consumers want skin that stays strong, resilient and healthy for longer. Mantle was built for that goal.”

International expansion has marked another major chapter for the brand. And while the team is keeping its next move close to its chest, it did leave us with one intriguing clue. “We can't say too much, but it takes our philosophy of barrier health to a whole new, deep-rooted – or should we say bone-deep? – level,” the brand teases. “It's coming very soon, and we can’t wait to share it.”

From Gustafson’s decades of fashion illustration to Rörstrand’s three centuries of Swedish design history, and from Toteme’s global expansion to Mantle’s new vision for skincare, this year’s winners represented very different chapters of Swedish creativity. Together, beneath Ljusgården’s remarkable ceiling, however, they made a compelling case for just how far that creativity continues to travel.

Below, see all the images from the 2026 NK Gala: