How Did a Swedish Pop Up Turn Fashion into Food?

Houdini Sportswear, an innovative Swedish outdoor apparel brand born in Stockholm in 1993, wanted to prove just how natural their clothes are, so they turned them into… food. And with the help of creative agency McCann Stockholm, they created a unique pop up restaurant experience that had the foodies of Stockholm clamouring for a table.

The brand prides itself on its sustainable credentials. Worn out sportswear is collected at any Houdini store – if it can be repaired, Houdini will fix it without extra charge, but when it’s completely worn out, they will use it to make new clothes, or, in this particular case, food.

“Our vision is as simple today as it was when we first launched - we want to maximize everyone’s outdoor experience without having a negative environmental impact on our planet. By growing vegetables from worn out garments, we want to show how beautiful it can be when we manage to close the loop. The Houdini Menu is so spot on in everything we believe in” Eva Karlsson CEO Houdini Sportswear.

Since Houdini's clothes are made from natural materials only, it made it possible to break them down to use them. The worn-out garments were placed in a compost in November 2016, with the help of Gunnar Eriksson, one of Scandinavia’s leading composting experts. It took about six months for the clothes to completely break down and turn into its original substance: carbon dioxide, water and fertilizing substances, to name a few. 

From the soil created, Houdini grew vegetables and herbs that famous Chef Sebastian Thureson turned into the world’s first vegetarian fine-dining experience grown from old sportswear.

In April 2017, people were invited to book a seat for the much-anticipated Houdini dinner – a four vegetarian fine dining meal – at Agrikultur Restaurant in Stockholm. And seats were booked in a matter of hours.

You can check out the full delicious menu here: thehoudinimenu.com 

“This project was a unique one, I have to say. Houdini has a certain honesty to them and the way they make their clothes. When I created the menu for the dinner I wanted to capture the fact that it is coming from clothes, but also give that honest feeling to every dish. In the end, that rhymes well with how I want to cook in my job,” says Sebastian Thureson.

“We are so proud of this project. Houdini is such an ambitious, entrepreneurially driven and transparent company, devoted to reducing their impact on the environment, with the Houdini Menu being the ultimate proof of all their passion and knowledge. To have a Swedish company that makes 100% biodegradable performance sportswear is pretty inspiring. Everyone involved in this project has been amazing” Adam Kerj, CCO McCann Nordics.