Viking Magazine - May 2017 - 46

Q&A
Style and Sustainability
Norwegian fashion designer Elisabeth Stray Pedersen combines
high fashion with sustainable design. BY RACHEL GUYAH
t's no surprise that Elisabeth Stray Pedersen chose a career in the
fashion industry. The designer from Bærum comes from a line
of seamstresses: Her mother sewed all her own clothes and her
grandmother sewed new collections each season for her personal
wardrobe. Leveraging her family background with formal
education - she received a master's degree in fashion womenswear
from Oslo National Academy - Pedersen now owns two fashion
labels: ESP (her own label) and Lillunn, a legacy brand in Norway.
Specializing in high-quality, handmade apparel made from
pure Norwegian wool, she's been praised for her ability to create
innovative, high-end design that's also comfortably wearable. Woven
into every garment is her passion for sustainable and ethical fashion.
Sourced from free-range sheep in the highlands of Norway, the
wool is Cradle-to-Cradle Certifi ed and Nordic Eco labeled. In 2015,
Pedersen bought a production factory in Drammen that belonged
to longtime Norwegian brand Lillunn. She now uses that factory
to produce clothing for both her personal label and Lillunn. Viking
caught up with the Oslo-based designer.
A I wanted to create clothes
more prepared for the lifecycle
consumers have today. I
discovered Norwegian wool
actually has this advantage
and certifi cation, as well as
being a very strong, bouncy
(keeping shape) and high-quality
material. So I further researched
if it was possible to produce
the clothes in Norway as well,
as this was logical using a
Norwegian resource. Eventually
I made a fi nal MA collection
collaborating with several
companies from the textile
industry in Norway. It was a
lucky coincidence when I met
the former owner of Lillunn half
a year later, who told me she
wanted to sell the factory. It was
an opportunity I couldn't miss.
46 VIKING MAY 2017
sonsofnorway.com
Q How have the people,
landscape and culture of Norway
inspired you?
A The clean and minimalistic
lines, alongside the complexity
of our great nature are refl ected
in the designs. There is a quiet
greatness to our culture. I
am particularly inspired by
social phenomena. There's an
interesting contrast between the
polished modern society and the
way Norwegians are very happy
about their leisure time - being
comfortable outside in nature.
My clothes balance these two.
Q Why is local and sustainable
production important to you?
A In my perspective it is the
only logical way to do work as
a designer in 2017. I believe the
environment and the impact
of using resources is incredibly
I
Q What motivated you to buy
the factory in Drammen?
important to focus on, since
it's becoming more and more
limited. Many people know
what they do and why they do
it, but it's diffi cult to keep track
of the impact it has, especially
when you work with so many
different contributors. To have
transparency and control over
the value chain, I believe, is
the key factor in minimizing
unknown consequences.
Locality also makes you have
a more human relation to
your suppliers.
Q What are your 2017 plans?
A We've been invited to show
at Helsinki Fashion Week in
July for the ESP brand. We are
also excited to present a new
collaboration of hand knits with
a local wool mill in Norway,
Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk. The
founder of Lillunn, Unn Søiland
Dale, started out with exclusive
hand knits for Givenchy and
Dior, so it is nice to continue
that tradition.
Name:
Elisabeth Stray Pedersen
Title: Fashion designer
Fashion Brands:
ESP and Lillunn
Current City:
Oslo
Read more
from the interview
on May 1 at
sonsofnorway.com/
blog.
PHOTO BY ANDRIS SØNDROL VISDAL
http://www.sonsofnorway.com/ http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - May 2017

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