Björn Borg's New Shop Lets You Swap Drugs For Sportswear

Swedish sports brand Björn Borg has opened a rather strange pop-up shop in central Amsterdam - but it's not the limited edition stock,  which makes it so unusual, it's the currency you use to pay.

Normally cash is king, but here it's not accepted, and nor is plastic. However, if you've got a spare joint lurking in your pocket (this is Amsterdam, after all) the shop will gladly take it in exchange.   

Swapping drugs for sportswear sounds like a bonkers idea, but there's a shrewd creative strategy behind the wheeze - the brand's current campaign is based on the idea that you don’t need drugs to get high – the same feel-good substances are released in your brain when you work out.

Created by Nord DDB, the pop-up shop follows on the heels of the trippy Chase the Exerhighs spots [above] released earlier this month, which highlight the hypnotising euphoria and joy of exercise. Some studies claim that 45 minutes of running could give you the same degree of pain relief as a dose of morphine, for instance.

Confused? The science behind the strategy has been handily summed up by Lennart Högman, senior lecturer at Stockholm University and researcher in cognitive neuroscience. "When you are physically active, the brain changes the levels of chemical messengers used for communication between brain cells that play an important role in regulating your mood. The effects of working out are very individual and it’s up to each and everyone to find out for themselves what levels of intensity and duration that works best – in order to reach an exerhigh. Research also shows that we are more likely to achieve the feeling of euphoria if we do long, continuous and rhythmical exercises. After 30-45 minutes of running, cardio workout, or cycling you often feel good and can reach euphoria."

All the action from the shop floor was captured in a case study video, below, which sees people cheerily handing over their weed and painkillers in exchange for vaccuum-packed garms printed with exclusive Patrick Savile illustrations, after a moment of initial bemusement. 

"I believe anyone can agree with us that exercise is better than drugs. It’s amazing how the brain reacts to exercise. In fact, training releases such a large amount of stimulating substances in your brain that it could be considered illegal in some countries!" says Jonas Lindberg Nyvang, marketing director at Björn Borg.