Sweden-born, Australia-based Fredrika Akander (or @fakander as she's known by her 150K+ followers on Instagram) knows a thing or two about fashion.
Scroll her feed a for a moment and you'll get a sense of her refined aesthetic. Her enviable style is equal parts Aussie beach beauty and sleek Scandi minimalist, which is why we consider her our muse for this season's latest drop. Who better to style our soft neutrals and muted sunset hues? To say we're obsessed is an understatement.
We caught up with Fredrika to learn more about her style, her favorite spots in Melbourne, and her inspiring philanthropic work. Read on to meet the muse!
Hi Fredrika! Do you remember your first L*Space suit? If so, can you share a bit about it?
I don't remember my first one but my favorite one was the beige Lockhart One Piece with the white polka dots and belt in 2019! I wore it as a swimsuit as well as a bodysuit under denim shorts for a week straight in Greece!
Loved that one! So how would you describe your style?
I value comfort and quality over all else so my style is quite minimalistic. I love to invest in few quality key pieces!
What or who inspires you in your content creation and photography?
It changes all the time! I love getting inspo from old movies from the '80s, '90s, and early '00s.
Describe your education journey & what you studied.
I left Sweden when I graduated high school and went travelling for a while all over but ultimately ended up in Canada to do my bachelor in politics as well as my yoga teacher training. After that I did my master in political economy and development in London at King’s College. I absolutely loved it, it was the best thing I've ever done and if I could just keep studying different masters and courses I would! I did some studying from University of London online during the Melbourne lockdown and I would love to look into doing my PhD in the future. I feel the most at home in a library!
What do you love most about Melbourne? What are some of your favorite spots there?
We’re actually in the midst of leaving Melbourne to move up to Queensland! Although I’ve enjoyed living in Melbourne I feel like living in a big city like Vancouver, London and now Melbourne should be a closed chapter for me. I’ve been living in big vibrant cities all of my 20s and now I crave nature, the beach and peace and quiet more than ever. Looking forward to the next chapter! My favorite spot in Victoria is Torquay about an hour drive from Melbourne.
What’s a must-do when you’re back in Sweden?
I could write a whole novel on this. I love my hometown so much it really hurts me not having been able to go back during COVID19 and the lockdown. There’s a long list of all my favorite cafes and shops and areas but most of all I’m just dying to see my mum and sister and go for a long walk in Slottskogen and end up with a coffee in Linnestaden. Gothenburg is beautiful any time of the year but my absolute favorite is spring – I’d give anything for a sunny day in April down by the canal with my family!
Tell us more about #MenstruationwithDignity and your work in sub-Saharan Africa.
When I did my dissertation at Kings College I did a lot of research around barriers to girl’s education in Sub-Saharan Africa and one major hurdle for girls in this area is access to sanitary items. When unable to safely and sanitary manage their period many girls miss valuable time at school every single month which in turn leads to many falling behind in school, dropping out and even putting themselves in dangerous situations in order to afford sanitary items. Menstruation should not be a barrier for girls to achieve a better future for themselves it is unacceptable and I just had to do something about it so I started #menstruationwithdignity where I’ve fundraised money to provide girls in Uganda with not only sanitary pads but also sexual health education. Last year I partnered up with the Cotton On Foundation and we conducted workshops in Mannya in Uganda and distributed hundreds of kits with pads and education to school girls in the area.
That's amazing! How can we get involved?
There are several ways to get involved and one thing that is completely free is to talk about it. Menstruation is still a stigmatized topic and many doesn’t even know that this is an issue in other countries because it is a topic many are uncomfortable talking about, but we need to spread awareness! Education is super important and no girl should be missing out on that opportunity because she doesn’t have pads or clean water to wash up during her period! I will be doing another fundraising soon but because I cannot physically get to Uganda during the pandemic it is currently on hold – I will keep you posted!
You’re multi-faceted with many different interests - how do you stay organized?
I really don’t know, I don’t think I am very organized! I just try to do one thing at a time and slowly tick off my checklist.
How have you stayed positive/what has kept you going in the past year?
I try not to dig myself down in feeling sorry for myself because the truth is that even if it has been a terrible year in Melbourne with our strict lockdowns, I am very lucky to have been able to stay in my home with my incredibly supportive fiancé who is my best friend and our dog and there are people all over the world that have had it a lot worse. We’ve filled our time with lots of Netflix and cooking and somehow we made it through!
What’s next for you?
We had to cancel our wedding in December 2020 due to Covid so this year I am keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that maybe we can replan it for late 2021. We are also moving up the coast to more tropical weather and beaches and are currently house hunting for our dream house near the beach. And most of all – I really hope the borders open because I really want to give my family the biggest hug and not just see their faces on FaceTime!
Our fingers are crossed for you - thanks Fredrika!
Check out our latest arrivals to see Fredrika styling the new drop.
And read up on more of this season's muses here!