Sweden Opened North Korea to Manufacture Noko "Nuoke" Jeans
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July 12, 2025
"Every detail of 'nocco' jeans tells a real story, and that's exactly why they exist. They're not just clothing—they're something more interesting than a book," says a Swedish department store, which has started selling a line of jeans branded as 'nocco'. These jeans feature the label 'Made in North Korea', and are being sold alongside well-known brands like Levi’s in Stockholm. Priced at 1,500 SEK (around $217), these jeans are part of a unique collaboration between a Swedish advertiser and a North Korean company.
Jacob Osterlen, the Swedish marketer behind the project, has spent the past year trying to find partners in North Korea. Initially, he reached out to a major clothing manufacturer, but after several challenges and changes in direction, he finally partnered with a state-owned textile mill within a large mining company. "There's a huge political, psychological, and economic gap, and it's incredibly hard to connect with North Korea every time we try," Osterlen explained. "But we want to get closer to this country."
Sweden is one of only seven countries that maintains an embassy in Pyongyang. In the past, North Korea even asked Sweden to bring an ironing press and requested Adobe Acrobat software to open digital files. When their initial approach to North Korea’s largest textile company was rejected, they turned to the country’s largest mining company, which owns a small textile factory. "It's quite common in North Korea for companies to operate across multiple industries," Osterlen said. "Many of them don't focus on just one area—everything is very diverse." This unconventional partnership highlights the complexity of doing business in one of the world's most isolated nations.