Working as a creative in Norway can offer both challenges and relief, and I feel very lucky to be able to work with what I love. Though we may have less competition and fewer creative communities than our Scandinavian neighbours, each designer and brand gets more attention. I also appreciate how predictable and transparent most Norwegian companies are. I produce my jewelry locally here in Norway, and the whole production process is very transparent; I know the team that cast my jewelry, where the materials come from and their methods. To know the whole journey of my products is really comforting.
The Norwegian government has started to recognize the value of investing in creative businesses, and has since 2017 gradually started to grant more resources to our industry. This is still in the starting phase, with a lot more potential compared with the established fashion industries in Denmark and Sweden. However, Norway seems promising as a competitive arena for fashion and design.
It’s a big question, so I can only speak on behalf of my own practice. For me it wasn't really a question, when I started my own brand in 2020, whether it would be on sustainable terms. I think that to start a new brand, without sustainability on the agenda, would be a strange and quite neglecting thing to do, with all the knowledge we have about the climate crisis, the consequences of mass production and overconsumption - and in general, an ungrateful way of treating mother earth.
To keep the production local in Norway is of course not the most profitable choice, but it feels much better to offer a product that I know the whole journey of, to minimize the transport emissions and also to support local jobs and crafts. By doing this in combination with focusing on developing timeless and seasonless pieces in precious metals, the ambition is to have the smallest possible environmental impact, contributing in the right direction. My goal is to be a part of the solution, rather than the problem!
My experience is that it is getting better and better, at least in the fashion industry, which is the part of Norwegian design that I know best. More Norwegian brands are getting noticed abroad, and it is uplifting to see how well many Norwegian brands are doing in e.g. Japan. Norway and Norwegian design is still a bit exotic for many abroad, and I believe that it gives us an advantage to more easily reach other markets.
I think that the Norwegian fashion industry has the potential to become an internationally recognized brand in itself. And I guess many customers associate Norwegian design with high quality materials like wool and high-tech fabrics, with comfortable, modern clothes, and of course the Scandinavian minimalist look. So it will be interesting to see what kind of international recognition Norwegian jewelry design will get in the years to come.
Ever since I was 12 years old I wanted to have my own fashion brand. For many years I thought it was going to be a clothing brand, but my interest with jewelry and metal grew stronger over the last 6 years. I took a BFA in medium- and material-based art focusing on jewelry, at Oslo National Academy of the Arts, and it just felt natural to start my own jewelry brand after finishing my studies. I wanted my jewelry to be influenced by both my art background and my fashion design background.
I have always had a strong urge to create and to make things with my hands. My eyes are always seeking interesting shapes and combinations of colors, texture and lines. Maybe it is in my DNA, since my dad is also an artist working with metal, graphics, leather and wood.
A day in my studio usually consists of a good mix of a messy workspace, good music and lots of chocolate (my kind of coffee). There is some distance between my home and my studio, so I ride my bike through the city in the morning and I love getting the pulse of Oslo before I start to work.
My day can consist of very varied tasks. As I am the only one in my team I operate as both a designer, marketing manager, web designer, PR and sales manager, product developer and much more. I would say that an ordinary day involves follow-up on orders, answering emails, maybe working on some new jewelry pieces, soldering, a lot of grinding, filing and polishing, planning content for SoMe, ordering materials and tools and keeping my website updated.
