Noko Jeans was a Swedish fashion company. The company was best known for importing jeans from North Korea. Although the company was not the first to import jeans from North Korea, it was the first company to insist to keep the label 'Made in North Korea' on the jeans. The company was founded in 2007 and ceased operations in 2011, however the company continued to post on social media until 2013.[1]
History
Noko Jeans was founded by Swedish entrepreneurs Jakob Ohlsson, Jacob Aström and Tor Rauden Källstigen. The idea for the company came after they got drunk.
On July 20, 2007, they were scrolling through a North Korean website and noticed a new page titled "Business". After clicking on a button, they found a list of goods that North Korea claimed to be able to export. They sent a email to the contact address and claimed that they were import-export managers of a fictitious company. A few hours later, they received a response thanking them for their interest.[2]
In November 2007, North Korean Embassy in Stockholm made a call to them. A North Korean attempted to convince them to buy a zinc factory and make jackets instead. In December 2007, they provided two pairs of jeans, one of them being a used pair, to North Korean delegation for inspection at a textile factory.