THE RED THREAD

THE SWEDISH RED THEORY

My interest in world-building began outside of music, while working as a retail assistant for the fashion brand COS (H&M group). Staff were trained to understand the organisation’s Red Thread concept, a way of connecting the brand’s values, products, visual presentation and customer experience. From minimalist clothing, shop layouts, digital platforms, and even plant selection, everything was carefully considered. The concept demonstrated the power of cultivating culture and audiences, showing how consistent design, messaging, and curation can shape behaviours, perceptions, and loyalty. Initially, this felt overwhelming and financially out of reach for an independent artist. Over time, however, I realised that I had been instinctively developing similar approaches within my own practice.

It's only later on that I found that the Red Thread theory stemmed from Swedish folklore , which makes complete sense as H&M is a Swedish brand. Which ultimately feeds back to the red thread and how identity markers like origin story and ethos play a big part in standing out.