The Front Line of Norwegian Fashion Designers

Norway’s fashion style offers a unique and exciting take on the Scandinavian style. Having developed in greater separation from the other Scandinavian countries, Norway’s take on the minimalist style offers fascinating differences, and as typical of the Scandinavian style, pushes the assumed boundaries on style.

Here are a few of the most exciting Norwegian fashion designers in the industry today.

1. Kristian Aadnevik

Aadnevik is one of Norway’s most critically acclaimed fashion designers, and for good reason. During his studies at the Royal College of Art in London, he worked as a design assistant at Alexander McQueen, which he cites as the best experience he could have had. He then established his eponymous label in 2004 and presented his first collection at the London Fashion Week later that year. Since then, he and his wife, Hila Bitton-Aadnevik have begun working together, creating womenswear lines that have been donned by the likes of Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez, and Shakira, to name a few.

2. Michael Olestad

Although primarily focused on women’s design, Olestad places a great emphasis on the gender neutrality style, typical of Scandinavian fashion As he described it in an interview with Dazed Digital earlier this month, “my aesthetic is a mirror of myself: feminine, masculine, simple, complicated, tasteful, and tasteless. I think the women wearing Michael Olestad will fit at least three out of the six of the words I just mentioned, in any composition or order.” His ambition and diversity in interest with his style has brought Olestad to the front of the line with regards to Scandinavian designers and has begun to challenge some of the archetypal characteristics in Scandinavian style. Before launching his own brand in 2016, Olestad worked under two legends of the Scandinavian fashion industry: Jonny Johansson of Acne Studios, and Sweden’s Ann-Sofie Back.

3. Peter Dundas

A true veteran of the industry, Peter Dundas got his start as an assistant to Jean Paul Gaultier in 1992. Following this, he moved to Christian Lacroix in 2000, and later with Cavalli, where he was the chief designer from 2002 to 2005. During these years, and his subsequent work with Emilio Pucci, Dundas developed a distinct taste for striking colors and patterns, a truly unique style in comparison with the rest of Scandinavian fashion design. Dundas launched his own label in 2017, which has become increasingly popular, after debuting on Beyoncé at the 2017 Grammy Awards. His label, contrary to many other popular brands, is not released on the basis of seasonal structure, but rather adapts to the demands of his clientele.

These three exciting designers have brought acclaim to Norweigian fashion in recent years, and continue to bring acclaim to Scandinavian style as a whole. Whether they will present at the Oslo Runway in 2019 remains to be seen, but what is certain is that they are helping make a name for Norway’s distinct style sense and further establishing Scandinavia as a leader in the world’s fashion culture.