KC: I was, personally, very impressed with my initial exposure to Abacus clothing, because it's clearly a sporty lifestyle brand that happens to cater to golfers. What was the inspiration and the story behind starting the company in 1991 and how has that inspiration evolved?
SOK: Sven and Ingrid, who started the Abacus company, felt that there was a gap in the market of functional, good-looking clothes, and that you, at that time, had to choose between either design or function. Functionality was either poor or heavy or made for skiing or sailing. With newer, better and lighter fabrics being developed, they saw the opportunity to make more effective technical clothing that was suitable for golf, and to combine that with a sporty, fashion-orientated look. The original thought from the beginning was to make functional clothing with a good design in excellent quality, which is still the Abacus core idea.
KC: Many folks in the US won't be familiar with Abacus (hopefully after the PGA Show in January this will change) but what can you tell them briefly about Abacus' philosophy behind the clothing? Who is an Abacus customer?
SOK: Abacus' philosophy is to create a sporty and fashionable lifestyle on the golf course. We combine function and design into coordinated outfits for both on-and off-course use. The collection is based around a layer-on-layer ideal, with fabrics in lightweight and stretch materials... It is an [informed] and smart style of dress...
The Abacus customer is an active person living an active lifestyle; someone who likes to dress sporty and stylish and can use Abacus clothes in all occasions, both on the golf course and in their everyday lives...
KC: The styling and the photography on the website are unique in the way that we, in America, rarely think of scarves, layers and varying textures when it comes to golf clothing. What would you tell someone about the practicality of wearing items they might reserve for off the course, on to the course and how it might benefit their enjoyment?
SOK: Golf is changing and Abacus is part of the change. Golf is now, more than ever, respected as a sport that demands functional clothing. When wearing clothes that fit and make you look good, you feel good and comfortable. When we say that the Abacus collection is made for both on and off course, we mean that you can wear your favorite items on the golf course as well as off course, and that our clothes work well for playing golf, but they don’t necessarily need to look like typical golf items with a traditional golf style. You can be well dressed for golf coming directly from work without changing clothes.
We like to think of us being part of making new ideas and making a change in order to welcome fashion, sportswear and lifestyle into the golfwear market and making it more interesting and at the same time creating fashion worn off the golf course that comes from the golf world...
KC: I see more and more parallels between skiing and golf outerwear in terms of weatherproofing against the elements, the articulation and movement and the materials and equipment design - also many connections exist between companies doing ski and golfwear like Lindeberg, RLX, Peak Performance... Looking at some of the photos on the website and coming from Sweden, does the whole ski town/resort town feel inspire the design of Abacus?
SOK: Skiwear and sportswear are inspirations as well as [high-street] fashion, and many of the Abacus functional wear, fabrics etc. that we use are also used in the sportswear industry. We are looking at action sports based on Scandinavian nature. It can be from the snow world, but as much inspiration comes from the sea and mountains. Practical ideas, a healthy lifestyle, activity and sporty touch are inspiring us to bring these elements to the golf course and to a leisure lifestyle. The latest development of functional fabrics with lighter weight and/or stretch are making new ideas possible on the golf course.
KC: I'm really into educating American golfers on proper fit. Describe the philosophy behind "fit" at Abacus...
"Fit" for fashion and "fit" for golf have been two different ideas, but they are indeed very similar. Oversize is not working in fashion and actually not necessary in golf. A nice silhouette is important for look, but also important for performance in golf - you just need more stretchy and lightweight fabrics. In the past, we've had to deal with heavy fabrics without stretch and companies have needed to make both polo shirts and waterproof jackets oversized to allow movement. This is no longer the case. Abacus thinks: create a look you can be proud of, but feeling practical and comfortable on the golf course is paramount.
KC: Do you guys have any plans to have USPGA Tour players wearing Abacus anytime soon?
SOK: Yes, we do. We started, from the SBS, to be represented by Richard S. Johnson.
KC: What is a favorite item from the Abacus collection that a new customer should absolutely own??
SOK: Our "Pitch" rain jacket. It has outstanding outerwear properties in all weather: Heavy rain, storm, cold, early mornings, evenings, grey, cloudy days or anything that is not warm sunshine. It features fantastic stretch, unique breathability, it is quiet, lightweight and of course, waterproof...
