The Story of Seéve Sandberg: She’s Swedish You Know

Last week I had the opportunity to meet and interview Seéve Sandberg, distributor for Edbland and Dansk here in Vancouver. It was such a pleasure meeting her and listening to her story. I found her background very interesting and she is such a sweetheart.

Seéve Sandberg and I at the VFW office

Where did you grow up and what was it like?

I grew up in Stockholm Sweden in a middle class family. My mother, who had a passion for fashion, was a seamstress making gowns for the upper class.

How and when did you realize you had a love for fashion?

As a little girl I can remember I was always crazy for fashion and make up. When I was 12 years old I started to sew my own clothes, creating my own designs. I also began working at the age of 12 in a department store in the middle of Stockholm, so that I was able to make money for myself and buy my own clothes and make up.

Why did you move to Canada?

I moved to Canada with my husband and son in 1983 because my husband and I wanted to see what Canada had for us and we wanted a change.

What was your life like when you got to Canada and what career did you take on?

When we arrived in Canada it was horrible, I hated it. I wanted to go back to Sweden. I missed all my friends and family dearly. It is hard to make new friends, in a new country.

I did not take on a career however, my first job was working in a kitchen/bathroom store. From there I worked in a showroom for giftware and went on from there to a showroom for kitchen/bath. After these jobs, I got a job on the road selling faucets. Beautiful Faucets from Spain!

From there I started my own company as an agent for architects and designers. After that, I travelled to Denmark to look at a faucet to import.

When did you finally pursue fashion and what made you want to do it?

1997 was when I was in Sweden visiting my sister and saw a couple of necklaces that she had bought from Copenhagen. I went to the into the High End Fashion Department store in Stockholm, saw the display case of what was Dyrberg/Kern and something inside of me just clicked. I knew that this was what I was going to do.

I went back to Canada and contacted Dyrberg/Kern and spoke with one of the designers. He told me that they were looking for someone who is extremely fashionable and I told him “you are talking to her”. He then went on to ask me what does faucets have in common with jewellery, my reply was “faucets are jewelry for the bathroom!” After that they sent me 3 samples of their line and the rest is history.

I owe a lot to my best girlfriend Karen Kerr, who helped me with money and support when I found Dyrberg/Kern. I started penny-less!

What are the biggest hardships you’ve faced in life?

One of my biggest hardships occurred in 2011 when, due to unforeseen circumstances, we lost the Dyrberg/Kern line and had to close the doors to the concept shop on South Granville. My partner, at the time, and I went in separate directions.

Once this happened I thought, well I guess I will retire. That lasted all of 2 weeks. At that time my husband had sent me on a trip to Sweden to visit with my family. This is when my new chapter began. By coincidence, I was out shopping with my daughter when I came across this fascinating jewellery, Dansk Smykkekunst from Copenhagen. The line stayed on my mind and after being home for a few months I thought why not give them a call. So, I did, and today I opened Qamelia Imports where Dansk is imported through to Canadian wholesalers. This was my only line until December 2012, at that time a friend of mine from Sweden found yet another beautiful line of jewellery called EDBLAD from Sweden. She told them about me here in Canada and from there they contacted me, we met and I am proud to say I now have that line as well.

Who are/were your inspirations in fashion and life in general?

My inspirations in fashion are Chanel, Yves St.Laurent and Valentino. My inspirations in life are My Mother and Peter Bendtz who was my mentor when I was in the plumbing business here in Vancouver.

Where do you hope life takes you from here?

My hope for my life from here on in is to have my health so that I can continue to see my company grow and be successful, as well as to see people gain the same love and passion for jewellery as I have.

At this point in your life, what would you tell the 15 year old you now?

If I were to take my experiences in life and reflect back on myself as a 15 year old girl, I would tell her to never give up. Follow your heart and your dreams and do not let anyone knock you down. If you get knocked down, get right back up!

What are some tips/advice you have for people pursuing a career in fashion?

My advice to people up and coming in the fashion industry is to never be afraid to express yourself and your ideas. Most importantly, be kind to the people around you as you never know who you have in front of you.

What is the story behind the name Qamelia?

I got the name Qamelia from the memory of my mother wearing a Qamelia flower on her lapel when she married my father. It is also Chanel’s favourite flower.

After going through the fall of Dyrberg/Kern, Seeve was as penny-less as she was when she started. Even when she started with Dansk, she had no money but that didn’t hold her back. She went for what she believed in.

“If you really want something, go for it! If a door is closed, their is always a window.”

I had such a wonderful time listening to Seéve’s story and how she faced difficult times. But in the end, she picked herself up and continued on with what she believed in. Definitely someone to look up to! Oh, and she’s Swedish you know.