ARTICLE
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By Sara Flaaen Licius, 27:05 22:30. Photos by Kyle Meyr.
On Tuesday May 19, we hosted the first ever annual Oslo Runway Business Summit. What started as an idea to create a stronger space for conversations between culture, creativity, and commerce turned into a sold-out afternoon bringing together founders, executives, and creatives from across the Norwegian fashion and lifestyle industry. At Clarion Hotel The Hub, 120 attendees gathered for an afternoon of learning, sharing and networking.
What stayed with us the most after the program on stage ended, was the atmosphere in the room itself – seeing conversations continue throughout the space, as well as later, into dinner.
Launching the first Oslo Runway Business Summit feels like the beginning of something genuinely meaningful, and we are incredibly excited to continue building this meeting place for the fashion and lifestyle industry in the years ahead.
We’re still feeling inspired by the knowledge and experiences that were shared at ORWBS26. Please enjoy a re-see of some key insights from the day:.
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Elin O. Carlsen, CEO of Oslo Runway, opened the summit by introducing the ambition behind the initiative: creating a meeting place where brands are discussed culturally, commercially and strategically.
Stine Rømmen Anderssen, Partner at McKinsey & Company, opened with insights from The State of Fashion 2026 report, outlining an industry reshaped by a global value reset, and the impact of AI, where growth will favor those agile enough to evolve.
Øystein Bråta, CEO of Active Brands, and Alexander Adams, Co-Founder of Varsity Headwear, reflected on how to build a brand’s international sales channel strategy, and the importance of being selective and understanding what each channel is actually meant to achieve.
Moderator of the day, Elin Kathrine Saunes, CEO of Norwegian Fashion Hub, reflects on the value of panel talks:
– Panel conversations are an interesting way to explore and recognize what it truly takes, in terms of systems, human capacity, and knowledge – in this case, to build a brand, expand a business, or leverage new technologies and platforms. I was impressed by the level of thoughtfulness each panelist brought to the discussions, while at the same time emphasizing that there is still room to dive even deeper into every topic, says Saunes.
Ramilya Krawinkel, VP Partner Platform at Zalando, explored the platform advantage, before later returning together with Susanne Mikkelsen, Key Account Director at DK Company, for a conversation on how to scale through marketplaces without losing brand identity.
Wai Tsui, Founder of Hiking Patrol, and Mats Alver, Brand Director at Diemme and Partner at Blender Group, spoke about how credibility is built slowly through consistency and long-term thinking, enabling community building and international collaborations.
David Wilkinson, Executive Director at Steen & Strøm Department Store, reflected on retail as a cultural stage, and creating experiences that give people a reason to gather and engage — as well as the importance of being generous, and seeing generosity as a driver of growth.
Tea Wolff, AI Lead at Vergence Studio, and Sebastian Michelsen Kvaleng, Art Director at Marketer.com, explored how AI is transforming visual storytelling and creative workflows, while also making the role of the Creative Director and AD increasingly valuable.
Kristina Finne, Commercial Director at MUNCH, closed the summit with reflections on leadership, culture and emotional connection in the age of AI, including a reminder difficult to ignore: 95% of our decisions are still emotional.
A sincere thank you to all the speakers, partners and attendees, and panel moderator Elin Kathrine Saunes, CEO of Norwegian Fashion Hub, for the invaluable contributions.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out at info@oslorunway.no.
