Poppare

Poppare (a term derived from "pop fan" in Swedish) is a Swedish youth subculture primarily influenced by Britpop music and 1960s Mods. It is associated with fans of indie rock and shoegaze music, particularly the band Broder Daniel and its lead singer, Henrik Berggren. While mainly confined to Sweden, the subculture has a limited following in other Nordic countries (such as Finland and Denmark) and occasionally in cities like Paris. Poppare culture reached its peak in popularity during the 1990s, experiencing a nostalgic revival in the mid-to-late 2000s.

The subculture is characterized by distinct fashion styles, including Panda Poppare (or BDpopare, named after Broder Daniel fans), which features a predominantly black-and-white color palette, dark makeup (heavy kohl and eyeshadow), and hairstyles such as teased A-line bobs.^[1] Clothing often includes Mod-inspired elements, tight skirts, blouses, pullovers, ties, shirts with Peter Pan collars, black chinos, and Dr. Martens shoes; Glitter Poppare, which emphasizes bright, "cute" colors (pink, purple, etc.) and patterns (stripes, checks, polka dots). Outfits may include short skirts and dresses, patterned leggings, knee-high socks, and accessories like tiaras, princess crowns, Hello Kitty or Pucca items, and colorful plastic jewelry. There are some similarities to Japanese Decora fashion, though Glitter Poppare is generally less maximalist. Colorful hair (pink, purple, green) is also common; and Håkan Poppare (named after fans of musician Håkan Hellström), which is characterized by tight-fitting trousers with suspenders, sailor-striped shirts, and hats.

Other common elements across Poppare styles include plastic bracelets and necklaces, hair clips, patterned clothing, glitter under the eyes, canvas shoes (Converse, Vans), and layered clothing.

History[]

Sweden has historically been a notable source of diverse youth subcultures, influencing trends such as Japanese fashion and fashioncore. Poppare emerged as a distinct Swedish youth subculture, its name derived from the Swedish term for someone who listens to pop music. While the term "poppare" encompasses a broad range of individuals, a subset developed a recognizable aesthetic and set of characteristics.

Although the precise origins of the Poppare subculture remain somewhat undefined, the aesthetic of Henrik Berggren, lead singer of the band Broder Daniel, is considered an important precursor, emerging in the late 1990s. The Poppare movement began to solidify as a defined urban tribe in the early 2000s, diverging into several styles:

Panda Poppare: This was the initial style, directly influenced by Berggren's elegant yet melancholic and dark aesthetic. Panda Poppare, often simply referred to as "Panda," is characterized by a predominantly black-and-white color scheme, sometimes with touches of red. A defining feature is the use of heavy black eyeliner and star-shaped stickers worn beneath the eyes, which are intended to convey a sense of melancholy.

Panda Poppare fashion draws heavily from Mod influences. For women, this includes miniskirts, ska-inspired clothing such as Peter Pan collar blouses and cardigans, opaque tights, smart shirts, and parkas, often featuring the Broder Daniel logo. Mary Jane shoes are a common footwear choice. The characteristic hairstyle is a heavily teased and voluminous A-line bob, always styled and never tousled. Makeup emphasizes pale skin and often includes false eyelashes, aiming for a delicate yet somewhat "sickly" appearance.

Men in the Panda Poppare subculture tend to use less makeup, though eyeliner and star stickers are still common. Their style includes cardigans, white shirts, black ties, and skinny trousers. Hairstyle is less elaborate than for women, typically featuring a side-swept fringe. Activities associated with Panda Poppare often involve staying at home, consuming wine, and smoking while listening to music.

While Panda Poppare reached its peak popularity in the mid-2000s, it has largely declined in recent years. Some attribute this decline to the perceived misanthropic nature of the subculture, internal conflicts among members, and a lack of community unity. However, elements of the Panda style are being maintained and evolving through social media blogs, with some innovations in footwear, such as the replacement of Mary Janes with Buffalo platforms.

Poppare: This style can be seen as an intermediate point between the elegance of Panda Poppare and the more childish aesthetic of Glitter Poppare. It embraces a more relaxed and youthful style, moving away from the strict elegance of Panda but without adopting the infantilized look of Glitter Poppare. Key elements include tight jeans, t-shirts featuring Swedish indie bands like Håkan Hellström or Kent, and the typical Poppare bob hairstyle, though less meticulously styled than in the Panda subculture. Plastic bracelets, necklaces, and hair clips are used sparingly as accessories, and sailor-style shirts, sometimes with Japanese influences, are also common. The overall aesthetic is unisex but incorporates more color than Panda.
Glitter Poppare: This was the last style to emerge and is now largely defunct. It shares the same basic hairstyle and star stickers as other Poppare styles but is characterized by a more childlike fashion sense. Inspiration is drawn from Japanese Decora, with elements like baby-doll dresses (for women), skinny colorful clothing (pink, yellow, green), an abundance of hair clips, plastic pearl necklaces, tiaras, princess crowns, and other "kawaii" accessories.^[2]

Fashion[]

Panda Poppare[]

Panda Poppare or BDpopare is the most popular fashion style inside the Poppare subculture and mainly includes black and white colours, hence why it's named after panda bears. They usually wear a style heavily influenced by 60s fashion (Mods in particular), tight skirts, panda-themed hairstyles and dark smokey makeup, stars under the eyes, Broder Daniel merch (hence the name BDpopare), blouses, pullovers, ties, shirts, Peter Pan collars and black chinos, or Dr. Martens shoes. The hair tends to be dyed black or pastel blonde. On Swedish social media, greyscale imagery is also really prevalent.

Glitter Poppare[]

The Glitter Poppare style is characterized by brighter colours. They often dress in a colour palette that is reminiscent of young children, such as pink, pastels or rainbow. Other common features are childish elements like magical wands, tiaras, princess dresses, leg warmers, Converse shoes, fairy wings and and very colorful clothing. Homemade pearl bracelets and pearl necklaces are also very prevalent. It has some influences from Japanese fashion styles such as Decora and Fairy Kei, although it's less maximalistic. However, the Glitter Poppare style has fully disappeared from Swedish popular culture.

Håkan Poppare[]

The Håkan Poppare style, which is named after the fanbase of the musician Håkan Hellström, is characterized by tight downpipes with suspenders, Breton striped shirts, inspiration from sailors and marine life, or large t-shirts and preferably a hat on their head. Lasse Lindh and Timo Räisänen are other prominent musicians.