Swedish Dress Code | World Business Culture (2024)

FAQs

Swedish Dress Code | World Business Culture? ›

Appropriate clothes would be a dark suit and tie for men, and a business suit or skirt and blouse for women. Trousers are also acceptable for businesswomen in Sweden. Swedes value quality and that is also true when it comes to clothes.

Swedish organisations tend to be egalitarian, so subordinates often have more responsibility in conducting negotiations or closing a deal. Thus, supervisors aren't always involved in the negotiation process.

Here, your appropriate attire is determined according to your choice of materials. A safe choice is to go high-tech for the innermost and outermost layers and conservative (wool and cotton) for what is visible in your office. Good quality, colour-matching, accessories is a must. Think layers.

Dress Code:

For normal office days, Swedes go with smart casual clothing. But the dress code for important meetings is formal. Men wear conservative suits for important events. Women have the option to choose between skirts and trousers.

Swedes do not typically make small talk or engage in casual conversation. If you are meeting a Swedish person for the first time, do not expect to have a casual conversation. You should begin by introducing yourself and then moving on to more formal business topics.

Business dress code

Swedes themselves are usually fashionably well-dressed in public. Appropriate clothes would be a dark suit and tie for men, and a business suit or skirt and blouse for women. Trousers are also acceptable for businesswomen in Sweden.

Swedes like structure, order and readiness. Many Swedish companies has an habit of documenting things, setting routines and writing policies for how things should work. So while Swedes are not formal, they like to formalise.

Swedish contemporary fashion is celebrated for its timeless sense of cool. But it's more diverse than you might think – Swedish designers master everything from catwalk fashion to laid-back denim looks, often with sustainability at its core. Few countries are as synonymous with the word “style” as Sweden.

Swedish people (both women and men) are fashionable and effortlessly stylish. Avoid wearing loud and glitzy clothes in favor of smart casual dress in muted or dark colors. Natural fabrics such as cotton, wool and linen are more popular in Sweden than synthetic textiles.

You'll want to dress warmly, but not for the high Arctic. Exploring Stockholm means ducking in and out of coffee shops, museums, and stores, so be ready to peel down layers. Swedes usually wear a thermal underlayer, a simple t-shirt, a trendy sweatshirt or sweater, and a jacket. Quality is key here.

What is Nordic business etiquette? ›

The basic rules are the same as they are anywhere else: be considerate, speak clearly and concisely, avoid insulting anyone - and accept a coffee break without question. For more information on companies in Scandinavia, click on our pages for Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Nowadays the blue and yellow national costume is worn by royal women on some official occasions, representing the whole country. Men's costumes are available in the same colors, but that version is not used as often on official events. Both women's and men's costumes are used for private celebrations.

Dress Code

Swiss people value good clothes and formal dress codes during business meetings. Men should wear a dark suit with a tie, while women should wear suits or dresses. Keep it conservative. Don't get too fashionable and avoid strong colors.

The Swedish communication style is direct and open. It is useful to get directly to the point in order to avoid wasting time. This can appear to be a bit rude but you shouldn't take it personally. Swedes are good listeners and they expect you to be one too.

The most important export goods are electrical and telecom equipment, machinery, crude oil, passenger cars, paper, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, textile products, footwear, iron and steel. Sweden has one of the world's highest life expectancies and one of the lowest birth rates.

They value a task-oriented approach to work, directness, clarity, and being factual, but they also avoid confrontation.

Other values perceived as Swedish encompassed sustainability, Jante Law, Lagom, calmness, diplomacy, conflict-avoidance, friendship, understanding, politeness, tolerance, and open-mindedness.

Swedish society is based on equality and individualism. Swedes are proud of their nation and its accomplishments. Lagom, which means “not too much, not too little…just right” is a word often used and heard in Sweden. Swedes also have a profound respect for integrity.