INTERVIEW Meet the Creative Director at Søster Studio

Last fall we were introduced to Søster Studio for the first time. Tell us a bit about Søster Studio and when did it all started? There are so many clothes, collections and images in the world - so do we really need to create more and more? This is important to keep in mind. Fashion is very emotional and you should create mindfully, naturally and spend your time on it. This is why I dont follow the seasons, fleeting tendencies and rules of fashion. I´m creating an option and I´m communicating a story. I discovered this huge gap in the market of brands who designed and produced thoughtfully, who combined that with a merge of art and fashion that you could identify with and get inspired by. Another big factor is that I wanted to show diversity and more raw and honest visuals, as well as celebrating female sensuality from a woman´s perspective.

Søster Studio is also a community where freedom of expression is praised, that supports and celebrates young women. Tell us about this and your latest campaign and vision. I worked on a project in collaboration with friends; stylist Kama Krystel and photographer Anne-Line Nygaard. We wanted to observe women exploring their sensuality and the pieces from our collection, wearing them and styling them however they wanted to. We wanted to create an environment where Elizabeth, Kama and Grace felt good, and the clothes didn't objectify but rather gave a sense of power and control. We worked with women and friends that we admire, who usually works behind the lens in the fashion industry and that inspire us in our work with SØSTER STUDIO. It's important to try and raise everyone around you up rather than being competitive, especially as a women. All of the photos are captured analogue and without any beauty retouch, as always.

What is the most challenging thing about making slow fashion today? To start your own brand is challenging in itself and you need to really believe in your idea and be willing to sacrifice everything and have patience. SØSTER is all self funded, and we haven't spent any money on ourselves for a very long time - we invest everything we got in this. Our products and the materials we use cost around 30% more, so its about investing a little more over a longer period of time instead of only thinking about short term profit. We want to make products that will last for a long time and that has done as little damage as possible along the way, instead of products that will end up in a landfill next season. Its also a challenge to find the right fair trade and ethical factories, fabric suppliers and packaging suppliers, who share the same values as us and are willing to produce in smaller quantities. For me its important to take the whole supply chain into consideration, as well as how we market ourselves. Sustainability in fashion is certainly a learning process and it develops continuously.

You also produce your clothes in a women-owned factory. How did you picked out the factory? Me and my partner lived in Bali, Indonesia for a year to find the right factory. We got to know all of the women and got to see how the factory really gave back to the community as well as practicing their sustainability both socially and environmentally. It has been very rewarding to support local and traditional artisans, generational craftspeople and to discover a new way of creating fashion without hurting the planet, animals or people. One of our goals is to be able to produce everything in Norway, to keep it as local as possible, and to reduce our carbon footprint even more when shipping and travelling to the factories. At the moment that is not possible unfortunately. But we are moving our production closer to Norway when we find the right fairtrade and ethical factory. We are currently producing the next sample collection ethically in London.

When did your interest of fashiondesign start? I have always had the need to create some sort of art in order to get through life. My interest in fashion, art and photography has always been there, I´m very emotional and creative - to have a platform where I can express this is really what fulfils me. The idea to create SØSTER started when I was living in London, I was extremely inspired by everything around me and I felt at home, and at ease.

What is style for you? Its about knowing who you are and what you like, and to always dress for yourself.

Who do you want to see in søster Studio? Strong, talented, politically engaged women who inspire me. Women who feel good about themselves and doesn't let clothes define her but rather use them as an extension of who she is and what she believes in. Dream woman would be Rihanna, she is someone I think is so powerful, cool and that really embodies sexuality and femininity.

What inspires you the most? Things I see, read, hear, touch, smell, abstract moments. A lot of art and photography.

What inspires you the most? Things I see, read, hear, touch, smell, abstract moments. A lot of art and photography.

Where can people get their hands on some items from the collection? At the moment you can find it in our online shop www.sosterstudio.com (worldwide shipping) and at F5 Concept Store in Oslo. You will soon be able to find our collections in London and Tokyo too.