I have therefore decided to end Norwegian Fashion so that I can focus on my new (and exciting) project, Storelocator. Storelocator was launched in March 2012 and has already become Scandinavia’s largest fashion directory connecting 3000 brands to 6000 stores.

My website (Norwegian Fashion) will be up and running a while longer, and who knows, maybe someone else will come and give NF a new shape and form.

Best regards
Steven Stieng
Editor in Chief

-As a responsible designer and with a strong sense that the ethics and the environment must be in the heart of everything I do, I slowly build the company based on local crafts and adapting this to western taste and fashion, says Leyla Hafzi.

Also in this collection the designer uses fabrics as silk chiffon, crepé silk and sustainable organza silk which is woven in Nepal. The color palette in the bridal collection goes from a gentle white cream with hints of rose to champagne. The colors in the party collection are in hint of lavender, peach, jade, ice- and midnight blue. Despite being a bridal- and party collection, it isn`t just dresses and gowns coming down the runway. Ruffle skirts in combination with oversized blouses, gives associations to the Wild West meets the upper class in the 1800th century. There`s extensively use of lace, ruffles and flowers. The flower embodiment was seen on several of the otherwise see-through skirts, as well as along the collar on the dresses. Leila Hafzi is known for her dresses, though the Mayalu collection isn`t as colorful as past collections.

- See the entire collection here.

- I try to remain faithful to my signature and style, but at the same time listen to the audience and buyers. One has to remember that this is also business, if it wasn`t, I could have gone much more over the top, Leyla Hafzi laughs.

It`s is a business. The Leila Hafzi brand has expanded and has retail stores in Norway, Italy, France, Belgium, Japan and Spain, as well as employing women in the developing country Nepal for 15 years. Women that might not otherwise have a job.

- I`m travelling to Nepal three to four times per year to train up new employees and to oversee the work, the designer tells Norwegian Fashion.
- Sustainability was important to me from the beginning. Especially after going to Nepal and meeting the poverty in the country left a strong impression. But I`ve always had a strong sense of justice and humanity, so this is in my nature. If I hadn’t chosen this path, I’d probably worked in FN or a similar organization, says Leila Hafzi to Side2.no

Co-writer: Lena Verås Eriksen
Foto: Steven Stieng

- I began with these black feathers to create a mysterious, Nordic look. The fabrics are important, as the silhouette is relatively simple, Kristine Vikse explains.

She brought on the trend with jackets and coats in leather and wool combination,- as well as sequin dresses and feathers. The use of feathers was to be seen in the accessories and on the clothes itself. The inspiration to create a Nordic look could be seen in the use of wool and oversized knitting.

- See all images here.

Kristine Vikse also showed a gold dress and blazer in imitated shell/feather fabric. The designer is inspired by the beauty of the Nordic nature and the women in the generation before hers. Out of this, Kristine Vikse, has made a collection that’s dedicated to a strong and feminine woman. And the North is also a part of her future plans for the brand.

- My goal forward is to build the brand in Norway and the rest of Scandinavia. I want to continue the good development the brand has showed, says Kristine Vikse.

Vikse, which is successful children’s wear designer, is now focusing strongly on the woman’s brand as well.

- I’m even more eager to build the brand in Denmark and Sweden after participating at Oslo Fashion Week, says a excited Kristine Vikse.

Co-writer: Kristine Mørkved
Foto: Steven Stieng

– See all the images here.

-I felt that the collection was more sellable then past collections, says Ellen Arnstad, chief editor of Se & Hør and former chief editor of Henne Magazine. She feels that Fam Irvoll’s personality and clothes are very important these days. – The playfulness and YOLO concept sends a strong message about optimism.

The YOLO collection consisted much of graphic prints, tights, bomber jackets and big backpacks in strong colors, mainly pink, that gives the association to the 80s and 90s hip hop clothing and attitude. Several of the garments had printed text, such as YOLO and LOL.

- The fact that Fam Irvoll prints LOL on the buttocks on some of the pants, shows that she’s not afraid to play and not be pretentious, says musician and trend setter Maya Wiik.

And it was certainly fun! The models were dancing down the runway and taking the time to stop and pose in front of the audience. Instead of the classical finale walk down the runway, Fam Irvoll had a female rapper on the stage, while the models and Fam Irvoll herself were dancing in a circle around her. It’s all something quite different and Fam Irvoll have managed to create her own universe, in which we’re invited in.

- Instead of following trends, she makes her own out from her own creative sphere, says Storm Pedersen, stylist and makeup artist.

Fam Irvoll has already accomplished quite the amount in few years, she has shown her collection at London Fashion Week and on some of the celebs that have been spotting wearing her clothes includes such big names as Rihanna, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga among others. It wouldn’t be surprising if some of them will be seen wearing clothes from the YOLO collection in the near future.

- She’s unique, has a strong signature and makes her own recipe, this is one of the reasons she has succeeded and will continue to do so, says Kjell Nordström also known as Baron Von Bulldog, stylist and designer. – I simply love her!

Foto: Steven Stieng
Co-writer: Lena Verås Eriksen

-The garments are very customer friendly, something that Norwegian women want to buy. You can use the clothes for several years, as they never go out of style, says Silje Pedersen, fashion journalist for KK.

Epilogue aims to make clothes to be used, loved and that is long lived. The collection showed a mixture of fabric such as leather, wool, cashmere, gabardine and melton among others. Several of the garments were made in a combination of different set of textiles, such as wool and leather together. The dominant colors were black, grey, anthracite and shades of green. In this collection, Epilogues signature with the strong and modern woman is being reinforced.

-I like to keep it minimalistic where the choice of fabric is important. I find inspiration in textiles, says Eva Emanuelsen about her collection. If she falls for a fabric instantly, she knows it’s worth using.

- See all the images from the collection here.

The collection is timeless and classical, but on the same time edgy and modern. This in the combination of the classic garments as trousers and blazers is made rougher in combination with leather and a strong silhouette. Epilogue isn’t only offering an outfit, but is delivering a style so as to build a momentum, between appearance and personality.

The Epilogue brand has a lot of fans in the industry itself, which was clear on the runway show. In opposite to many of the other fashion shows during OFW, Epilogue attracted the real fashionistas and people in the industry, rather than celebs or people fascinated with the show rather than what is being showed. The acknowledge from the industry was made clear two days before her separate fashion show, as Eva Samuelsen with Epilogue won the award as best fashion designer at Henne Nåløyet.

-The prize has open people’s eyes to Epilogue and it work as a quality seal, says Eva Emanuelsen. Now her focus is on building the brand in Norway, before extending Epilogue to the international market.

Co-Writer: Kristine Mørkved
Foto: Steven Stieng

All in all they are 23 designers mixing fashion with various crafts. You will find womenswear, menswear, jewelry, shoes and other accessories  - all Norwegian.

DESIGNERS:

AUDREY – LOPI – PETER LØCHSTØER – NINA AGERUP – JADIO – JUMINA – ANNE K – MONICA STÅLVANG – AÚMA – ALPACA SOCIETY – EDEL – LCA – BINE JUDITH BECH – ÅSE STRAND – HÅVARSTEIN – M.A. GARDEROBE – T-RAW – SIRI BERREFJORD – HOT NOK – BLÅST LUUN – VERA&WILLIAM

Foto: Steven Stieng

Behind the scenes. Models relaxing and designer doing finishing touches

She is strong, tough and seductive. He is “dandy” but more lied down. Her silhouette is long and elegant, his classic and timeless. She is mysterious and sexy androgynous tuxedo with sharp shoulders, he combines dark navy with crisp black with lots of accessories.

The collection consists mainly of natural materials such as leather, wool and jersey and viscose and modal compositions. The color palette is dark with accent colors of burgundy, bottle green and dark navy.

MATCH had flown in no less than 13 international models including big names like Sessilee Lopez, Denisa Dvoracova, Denise Dvonkova, Veroinica Usyakova and model and actress Paulina Nemcova. If they had a runway to match the models, this would be a very exclusive show.

MATCH has definitely done a good investment when securing Frank Remme as chief designer. In 2004 he was voted one of the top hundred most powerful people in the fashion industry by «The Face»-list.

Foto: Steven Stieng

- Attending Oslo fashion week is great! I`ve been looking forward to this and I`m finally participating with my own collection, says the up and coming designer.

At the official opening of Oslo fashion week, Haaland presented the collection «Mutinity». She used creative display for the opening suchs as underground music to express the design. «Mutinity» is inspired by Norwegian underground and rats.

- Rats are one of the most survivable mammals in the world. Rats lives underground and they are highly intelligent. This is perfect for a designer’s expression, says Haaland.

The roughness from the underground is reflected in the color combinations in the collection in soft grey, black and white. The rat is colorblind and this is expressed in the choise of colors for «Mutinity». When the designer describes the clothes to OFW Magazine she states that:

- The collection is a sailor in woolen underwear meets native american adorned with bone beads,loose pants and feathers on his head.

Siri Sveen Haaland actually had a big dream of becoming a rockstar and the music is still important for her as a designer. «Mutinity» was displayed with underground music which contributed the theme of the collection, the underground of Norway.

Foto: Steven Stieng

- It is beyond my wildest expectations!, says an euphoric Helene Torp-Holthe upon winning the award.
- I think it`s great that the jury dares to take the chance on new talent like myself. It gives me the push to dare take the leap into this risky business.

Torp-Holthe, that plans to launch her collection in the fall, had originally planned a more commercial look for her next collection, but says she`s not longer sure if that`ll be the case. Either way, we`re sure there`re are a lot of people waiting in excitement to see what her next step will be. Helene Torp-Holthe wins with her exams collection from the «London College of Fashion» where she studied Fashion jewellery.

Lead of the jury, Gisle Mardal, stated while announcing the winner that Helene Torp-Holthe accessories collection showed the ability to dare mixing fashion with art and that she already has developed her own personal style. The collection was intriguing in the choice of material, as it consisted of wood, porcupine quills, reindeer antlers, silver and crystals She mixes old traditions with the new as the jury proclaimed as the winner was being announced. Furthermore the jury emphasized that she’s faithful to her style and show a deep understanding for her discipline Helene Torp-Holte is a huge talent with an international potential.

Epilogue by Eva Emanuelsen presented a timeless collection with a classical cut. The color combination of orange and white were the dominating colors among beige and black. The garments consisted of blazers and knee high skirts and a dress, the latter in a light fabric given it a floating movement. The waist was in focus with a big metallic belt in silver.

Epilogue by Eva Emanuelsen – winner of Nåløyet 2013

The jury found that the collection has a timeless feel to it, is complete and shows skilled tailoring and fitting of the garments. The jury also emphasized the fact that Epilogue already is renowned brand, which is important to survive in the industry, both domestic and internationally.

Both Pia Haraldsen and chief editor at Henne, Laila Madsö agrees with him. Laila Madsö looked great while wearing a white dress from Epilogue and express her liking for the design. Pia Haraldsen took a particular liking about the color combination of white and orange and the classic cut. About winning the prize, Eva Emanuelsen herself says that the award means a lot to her personally and that the dream is to build a strong brand internationally.

Before the two winners could receive their awards, all the nominees in the two categories presented their collections on the runway.  Beside Epilogue, HAIK  by Ida Falk Øien, Siv Stølda and Harald Lunde Helgesen and SØLV by Mari Stølan and Oda Midtlyng Klempe was nominated in the category best fashion designer. HAIK makes clothes for the backpacker anno 2013, with Bermuda shirts and even the little tourist purse to hang around your neck. The cut are looser and more casual then Epilogues. SØLV`s collection was dominated by white, light linen. It all had that natural and innocent feel to it that makes you long for summer and walking barefoot in the grass.

Alongside Helene Torp-Holthe, Aase Hopstock by Aase Hopstock and Goldmine by Line Cartridge Lislerud and Carine Møller Mortensen were nominated in the category best accessories designer. Aase Hopstock collections were dominated by floral print and tropical colors. Goldmine stayed faithful to their signature statement necklaces in different colors, though this collection mostly had a silver base.

It`s been ten years since Arne and Carlos was the first ones to receive the award Nåløyet as Norway`s Best designer. In those years the prize has become one of the first rate awards in the Norwegian fashion industry and a highlight during Oslo Fashion Week. The award was established in 2004 with the aim to put the spotlight on Norwegian design and fashion industry.

SØLV – Nominated Nåløyet 2013

HAIK – Nominated Nåløyet 2013

Foto: Steven Stieng

The guests could see a creative display of the collections. The designers used music, models, mannequin dolls and dancers to express their design.

The up and coming fashion design company, Norwegian Rain, who was recently awarded for the third best entrepreneur company in the creative industries in the world, was present at the opening. Norwegian Rain is a small designer label from Bergen, Norway, and their philosophy is simple.

- Hard core functional outwear where we don`t compromise on stylistic preferences. The hi-tech is hidden.

Norwegian Rain has achieved great success during the recent years, and has over 50 stockists in 16 countries. The rainwear has some of the highest level of weather protection available. Traditional men`s tailoring, clean cut aesthetics and draping with hints to the purity in Japanese dressing traditions keep the functionality in each piece visually understated

Alexander Helle and Michael Tetteh Nartey, the designers of Norwegian Rain, can tell us that they are now focusing on England.

- We have recently signed a contract with the renowned London based PR agency, Purple. This is will open an entire new market for us and we are looking forward to this collaboration.

Debutee of the season was Siri Sveen Haaland with her brand Black Rat (article comming soon)