One of the most magical experiences to encounter, if you enjoy spending time in nature but also love to snuggle up in a warm bed, the getaway to Stedsans in the Woods is the perfect getaway. Add in a small assortment of Scandinavian magazine editors, PR reps and bloggers who aren’t too acquainted with one another and the enchanted equation is complete.  September in Sweden can either be hit or miss in regards to the weather, just as in spring, Mother Nature decides on her own accord what will happen, we were fortunately blessed with perfect weather.

In 2016, Danish food stylist and writer Mette Helbæk and her husband, chef Flemming Hansen decided to ditch the city life in Copenhagen and move to a remote forest in the Skåne region of Sweden to chase their dream. They formed a retreat for those who want to experience extreme closeness to nature, pure relaxation and enjoy communal of farm-to-table meals. In two years, the pair had incorporated a full outdoor kitchen complete with a homemade water filtration system that uses water directly from the lake, a floating sauna, Bedioun tents, and most recently 15 of the quaintest wooden cabins. The cabins were designed in collaboration with architects Asger Risborg Jakobsen and Thomas Kjelds, 16 square meter abodes decked out with extremely comfortable mattresses and soft organic cotton linens, a composition that will have you gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows each morning wondering if this is the day-to-day life you should be living.

The atmosphere at Stedsans in the Woods opens a part of your mind that we keep locked up during our daily grind, a back to basics instinct is triggered and the remote living off the land life set in as natural as can be. The property is lush with seasonal and mostly indigenous vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, and fungi. They have chickens and a few cows that provide the lacto and ovo ingredients to the meals. On this particular excursion, pork chops from an Iron Age pig were served, the pig that had spent their life in a nearby forest roaming free. As the Danes are known for their love of pork and on this particular occasion, being conscious of the treatment of animals with my diet, I went with an Anothony Bourdain philosophy he had on on culture, ‘Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food’, and I enjoyed the meat more than I did 20 years ago, the last time I tasted it.

A key factor that is important to Helbæk and Hansen is water consumption, they are advocates for conserving water, even in an environment such as the Scandinavian countries, where is of abundance. At the compound, there is a strict policy to only use biodegradable soaps, for cleaning everything. Rainwater and filtered lake water is used in each running water facility, unique handwashing stations are equipped in each outhouse that drains the water onto the ground so that it can circulate back into the environment.

Once we settled into our cabins, we regrouped for a fantastic lunch outside of the main barn, after we feasted on the most fantastic vegetable medley and fresh bread, we gathered in the barn to learn about Calida’s latest garment, a 100% compostable T-shirt called I LOVE NATURE. A very intriguing concept like no other has taken three years to perfect and produce in a fully sustainable manner. Yarns are made from the pulp of wood with from Germany.

Calida is a company hailing from Switzerland in 1941, they started producing women’s underwear which came with a promise to repair them for free if they got damaged. The company soon grew into the must-have in femininity and elegance in the 1950’s and eventually pioneered what the body slimming garment Spanx. Eventually, the company had branched into mens and children’s wear and became a staple in underwear and pajamas for Europeans.

The 100% compostable t-shirt is extremely lightweight, durable and dries quickly, something that you wouldn’t expect with something of such nature. During the extensive development period, Calida’s dedication to sustainability was set into place, with each step; yarn testing and weaving, water usage and waste management et al was key, hence taking three years to complete.

In 2016, the brand introduces the MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX® label, the first of it’s kind. They are a key player in sustainability, MADE IN GREEN range grows every season. The children’s range has also been fully certified since 2016. Calida is an inspiration to the fashion industry in regards to sustainability, brands are following their footsteps and the demand from consumers to take action before it’s too late. Beside shopping smart and researching one's purchases, there are many practices we can follow in our day-to-day lives to achieve a zero waste approach to life. Shopping second hand for most children’s clothes is something we can implement and instill in our children so that they will take the practice with themselves in the future. Drastically reduce dairy and meat consumption, there are countless non-dairy alternatives that aren’t only about reducing the mistreatment of animals, but to save our most precious resource, water. We can do this collectively, lead by example and teach the children now.

Checkout Calida’s I LOVE NATURE collection here.