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Supporting emerging talent is crucial for the future of fashion, both in established markets such as New York and Paris, and nascent ones like Norway. Bik Bok, part of the country’s largest fast-fashion company, has been putting their might, and money, to good use supporting local talent. Several of the most hyped shows of the Spring 2019 season in Oslo this week (Michael Olestad and Anne Karine Thorbjørnsen) were presented by past winners of this annual prize. (Winners receive 100,000 Norwegian krone—about $12,000—mentoring, and a show the following season.)
It was a busy day for the five brands vying for the 2018 Bik Bok Runway Award: The designers presented their collections to the jurists—designer Ann-Sofie Back; Randi Svendsen, fashion director of Costume magazine; Kirsten Andersen, head of design at Bik Bok; Tuomas Laitinen, fashion director of SSAW magazine; and yours truly. While the panel deliberated, the design teams hurriedly prepped looks for a group runway show in an old bank in Oslo, the main venue here. The aesthetics of the five contestants were as diverse as their inspirations, which ranged from The Little Mermaid to apple leather, and from sporty functionality to The Handmaid’s Tale.
The prize went to Ida Falck Øien and Harald Lunde Helgesen of Haikw/. Haik means “to hitchhike” in Norwegian, and every season the designers ask collaborators—and customers—to come on a journey with them. Spring’s adventure involved comically clunky wooden-soled shoes, psychedelic prints, and gingham, accessorized with jewelry by artist Victoria Duffee. Whatever theme Øien and Helgesen choose to run with, they approach their collections with a clear vision, a commitment to developing materials, and, perhaps most importantly, a sense of humor. Fashion, they believe, should be fun, and they make it so.
Here, more highlights from the group show.
Bror August Vestbø, 21, who has previously shown during New York Fashion Week, presented a crafty collection, titled “How to Dress Like Me,” which as can be imagined, was a rather personal one. The designer, who used to love dressing up as the Little Mermaid, indulged in aquatic themes; he also repurposed vintage knits sourced close to his childhood home in Norway.
Merilin Kolk, an Estonian who just completed her degree at the National Academy of the Arts in Oslo, presented an expanded version of her graduation collection. Her sculptural take on modest dressing, which drew on Amish traditions as well as The Handmaid’s Tale, played with asymmetries as well as the theme of duality.
O—F—C (Office for Form and Contexture) is a team lead by Øyvind Ruud, who trained at Central Saint Martins and the National Academy of the Arts. The multidisciplinary collective of five aim to combine the sporty functionality traditionally associated with Norwegian sportswear with an urban, and utilitarian, twist. Black is their favorite color. Of note were the team’s roomy bags.
Søster Studio is a sustainable brand established last year by Pernille Nadine, who runs it with her partner, Paavo. The pair aims to create mindful and luxurious pieces that challenge the existing fashion system.
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- Phil Oh’s Best Street Style Photos From the Fall ’18 Paris Haute Couture Shows—Read More
- Christian Dior Fall 2018 Couture Collection—Read More
- Valentino Fall 2018 Couture Collection—Read More
- Chanel Fall 2018 Couture Paris Collection—Read More
