As Norwegians we are blessed to have the opportunity to spend our day to day life or weekends out in nature, and it’s in nature that I personally find my best flow and inspiration. In nature I feel genuinely inspired to create beautiful designs that live in harmony with people and the planet.
Interesting question. I don´t think sustainable practice is more important in Norway than for any other country, but in the Norwegian culture we are used to being close to nature, and that leaves us with inherited values where we perhaps naturally care more for a sustainable future. Luckly, the entire world is moving forward to more sustainable solutions.
In general, I believe Norwegian design is all about simplicity, minimalism and functionality. At New Movements we added a core focus on circular design on top of these qualities. This way our products can become something new when their lifetime is over. To save resources, re-use materials and design our products to last is in New Movement’s DNA.
Norway is a small player when it comes to fashion world wide, but we are growing our position year by year. Perhaps this is connected to many upcoming Norwegian brands, our “common” design philosophy and our deep understanding of making products for seasonalities.
I’ve always had a huge fascination with shoes because my grandfather was a shoemaker in Norway, as was his father before him. I also have a deep love for our planet and a passion to preserve it. But it took me a near-death experience to figure out where I would go with all of this. When your life hangs in a thin thread, you start to reflect on what type of life you want to live. I decided to create a future where business lives in harmony with the planet, and naturally it landed on shoes that look and feel good. I’m motivated by seeing the company as a whole develop over time, growing from one to seven people, and making better and better shoes.
We are presented with new challenges every day. The days in the studio can be quite hectic working on new collections, improvements of materials, constructions, production, and much more. I do my best in creating simple plans with extreme clarity so the design team has a common understanding of our goals and timelines. Often we carefully analyze and discuss granular things that give our products better user experiences. Every day may not be perfect, but every day has a purpose and for us that’s the most important.
