Interest in folk costumes is growing among young people in Sweden, inspired by neighboring Norway. Many turn to traditional garments to feel connected to their roots.
Matilda Nivert Öström, 24, often wears her Medelpadsdräkt. She owns several costumes and parts, including a complete one from Ragunda in Jämtland linked to her grandmother.
She says the folk costume provides a historical understanding of how people lived in the area. On Tradera, purchases of folk costumes have increased and become more expensive, with a Leksandsdräkt sold for 67,500 kronor this year.
Lina Odell, who earned Sweden's first journeyman's certificate in costume sewing, notes that Norwegian youths' TikTok videos with bunader contribute to the trend. In 2022, Sweden's first gender-neutral folk costume, Bäckadräkt, was launched.