When Malmö Meets Zakka

ZAKKAsine

位於瑞典南部的城市Malmö ,與哥本哈根相距約30分鐘的火車程。作為瑞典第三大城市,這兒有當代藝術館、畫廊和古城,在火車站附近還有一家由香港人開的日本雜貨店ZAKKAsine。Sine是店主平面設計師Sine Choy的名字。她在Malmö 出生、上學,成長後回港於設計界別工作,數年前與丈夫、小兒一家三口回到瑞典,開了這家明淨又美好的小店。

「 店內賣的都是來自日本手工製作或設計的產品,這些實用的道具,可以天天使用,與用家共同創造不同的生活意義,讓人用得舒服、順心。」店子空間寬敞,白牆、格子櫃和淺木家具,陳列架上放滿了陶碗、杯子、文具、廚房雜貨,每一件都由Sine精心挑選。

為什麼要在北歐賣日本Zakka?「瑞典地區氣候濕冷,經常下雨。在這兒生活總要面對不少生活挑戰,因此選貨時特別尋找輕便的防水雨衣、給童孩使用的防水防火背包、泡熱茶的茶具、色彩圖案美麗的碗具、花器等等。」 小店的顧客有本地人、丹麥人和遊客等,在這兒可以看雜貨、聊天或飲茶,聽聽店主介紹物件或小城中值得遊覽的城方、餐廳,最近還開辦了手作班,教授日式手工籐編,未來也有打算引進香港品牌的產品。我在這裏買了些小禮物送朋友,不過,總覺得店裏最被忽略的是由Sine親自設計的紀念品 —— “You are the orange” ,靈感來自 “ You are the apple of my eye” ,變奏版本就是表情逗趣的藍色、黃色橙子臉插圖,代表你眼中最喜歡、最關心的人/東西,出品有咭片、杯子、海報等,選擇這個當作Malmö的手信,也不錯呢!

ZAKKAsine
Address : Adelgatan 19, Malmö,Sweden
TEL:  +46 (0)40 123 070


Malmö, a city in the southern part of Sweden, is located 30 minutes by train away from Copenhagen. As Sweden’s third largest city, it is the home to contemporary arts museums, arts galleries as well as an ancient castle. Close to the train station, you can also find a store called ZAKKAsine, which sells household goods from Japan and is run by a person from Hong Kong. Sine in its name stands for “Sine Choy”, the store owner, who is also an interior designer. Born in Malmö, where she studied and grew up, she later returned to Hong Kong as an adult to work in the field of design. A few years ago, she returned again to Sweden with her husband and her son, and opened this neat and beautiful little store.

“The products sold in our store are all handcrafted or designed in Japan. These living tools, which can be used on a daily basis, are able to create different meanings in life together with their users, and thus, leaving them both content and comfortable.” The store is spacey, with white walls, cabinet boxes and light wood furniture. Lined on the display shelves are porcelain bowls, cups, stationery items as well as kitchen items, every single one of which have been carefully handpicked by Sine herself.

What is the reason for selling Japanese “Zakka”, or household goods, in Northern Europe? “Sweden has a humid and cold climate, with frequent rainfall. Life here is always accompanied by plenty of challenges in daily life. Therefore, when picking our merchandise, I take care to look for such things as waterproof rainwear which is light and easy to carry around, children backpacks which are water and fire resistant, tea ware for making hot tea, as well as bowls and vases decorated with beautiful and colorful patterns.” Among their customers are locals, Danish as well as tourists. While here, they can take a look at the household goods, have a chat or a cup of tea, and listen to the store owner introducing the goods as well as spots and restaurants worth visiting in this little castle city. Recently, they have also held a handcraft workshop teaching Japanese-style rattan weaving. They also have plans to bring in products under Hong Kong brands too. There I have bought some little gifts for our friends, but I somehow feel that the most overlooked item is the souvenir personally designed by Sine — “You are the orange”, which is inspired by “You are the apple of my eye”. This variation features the illustrations of funny-looking orange faces in blue and yellow, which represent people or things that you love or care the most. They come in cards, cups and posters among other things, and they can be a decent choice as souvenirs from Malmö.

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