SWIMS Story
A Norwegian student is strolling the rainy streets of Manhattan wearing grandpa’s old shoes. That’s where it started.
Back in 2006, SWIMS was founded in Oslo, Norway and breathed new life into the almost-forgotten shoes. We started off with the simple idea of transforming the shoes, a purely practical utility product to a classy and branded lifestyle item with a bold personality. While Scandinavia is famous for clean and minimalistic design, Norwegian brands are particularly functional and have to adapt to the highly contrasting seasons they face at home.
Norwegians, famous for fearlessly adapting between the heaviest winter months to the ‘warm’ summer months on the fjord, therefore require ultimate versatility and functionality. With this in mind, we allow the typical urban Scandinavian to look sleek with a touch of cheekiness, comfort and ultimate functionality fit for both slushy winter days in the city and warm days out on the boat during the summer season.
SWIMS Philosophy
The philosophy of marrying true function with timeless classics is the foundation of SWIMS and is what originally gave birth to our Classic shoes. Throughout the years, with the same philosophy, we have developed the SWIMS loafer line. By accompanying our loafers with perfectly befitting footwear, apparel and accessories, we have grown to serve the lifestyle of international urban travelers with a need for function, quality and design.
Through this, over the past 10 years SWIMS has become a vibrant and sought-after lifestyle brand. The more we grow, the more committed we are to our core philosophy. During the development process of new projects, we humorously often use the phrase: “to SWIMSify”. But make no mistake; this playful approach to design is always matched by an equally large commitment to the quality and the functionality of our products. Who says what is fun and friendly cannot also be great?