50 Greene Street in downtown Manhattan is getting a bit greener. Gudrun Sjödén, cultural and fashion icon in Sweden since the 1970s is opening a store with her happy colorful collections of women's wear and items for the home on Friday March 8.

The design and fashion phenomenon that started with a store in central Stockholm in 1976 is no doubt in the U.S. to stay. Sjödén's attention to detail, her happy, sometimes whimsical style and consistent work with nature’s own sustainable materials will surely fit the finicky artistic crowd of New York. Based on her own ethics and early conviction of doing the right thing, Sjödén is among the pioneers in using sustainable materials. Her signature organic cotton has been made in Greece since 1992. She received the H&M Sustainability Award in 2012 for her ".. personal vision for a better world... for her enduring designs, her rich patterns and conscious design footprint."

Most people talking about the Swedish fashion industry's success in recent years will mention ACNE, Nudie, Filippa K, Tiger of Sweden, Whyred, Rodebjer and others. Fact is, the Gudrun Sjödén fashion brand is more successful in terms of revenue than several of those mentioned together.

The brand, which already services thousands of U.S. customers through mail order from Europe, has earlier opened successful concept stores in the Nordic countries, in Germany and in England.

The store on Greene Street (Between Grand and Broome) opens at 12 noon on March 8. For more info, see Gudrun Sjödén in the U.S.