Philip Warkander

Meet Philip Warkander, the first man in the world to attain a PhD in the field of fashion science. A man of many titles, you could add writer, professor, editor and fashion prophet to the list.

You’re a very well known person within the fashion industry. Where do you find your drive and inspiration?

“I’ve done a lot of different jobs in fashion – campaigns for Åhléns, a book for Our Legacy, worked as an editor for PLAZA Magazine and a fashion critic for Expressen Kultur. It may sound a bit sprawling, but I’ve always had the same kind of driving force and passion behind each job. I’ve always wanted to learn about the world in new, different kind of ways. I guess that’s why I enjoy working in an environment with a mix of people and tasks”.

What’s your thoughts about fashion vs beauty?

“To me, fashion and beauty are the same in many ways”

It’s about creating some kind of self-deposit. What I mean is, it’s about creating oneself for oneself, but also for others. Fashion is a very broad concept where, in some ways, you might also include the way you treat your body through exercise and diet. To sum it up, both fashion and beauty are tools we use as part of our communication to say something about ourselves, who we are and who we want to be”.

How is your interest within beauty?

I’ve always had a great interest in beauty, especially when I was younger and was very into skincare, fragrance and make-up. Unfortunately, since I got older, I’ve had less time to spend on my beauty routine. I simply don’t have the same amount of time to spend on my outer beauty nowadays. I’d really like to work on this though, I should prioritise spending more time in my bathroom in the mornings. By which I mean not just spending time with my email inbox.

Tell us about your daily and weekly beauty regimen!

My current routine is very simple. I wash my hair once a week, mainly to avoid an irritated or itchy scalp. I wash my hair with Lernberger Stafsing’s Shampoo For Men and then I apply their Scalp Serum. For styling, I use Soft Wax to keep my hair in place. Six out of seven days a week, I wash my face with a cleanser and shave my beard in the same routine. Afterwards I apply an anti-age serum which I follow up with a moisturiser. One day a week, I leave my skin to rest from everything. No facewash, no shaving, nothing. This daily and weekly routine is very important to me since I travel a lot, which otherwise will be shown on my skin. Another thing I wouldn’t recommend, but still do myself, is going abroad during the colder months to let my skin get a bit sun kissed. In that way, I avoid a pale and dull skin which always appears along with the Scandinavian winter.

If you weren’t working within fashion, what would you rather do?

Travelling is a big passion for me. I’m actually writing a travel guide about Capri which I’ll follow up with another about Hawaii. If I didn’t work in fashion, I’d love to run my own hotel business. It would be wonderful to be able to decide everything on my own. Everything from the company’s marketing and communication to food menus and floral arrangements. Who knows, maybe someday!